Nefas Via-Past student opening analysis

What was that all about?

Simply amazing! Extremely confusing and impossible to understand, just how thrillers should be.

The first thing you notice is the horrible soundtrack. It really makes you feel uneasy and you know something bad is about to happen. After that, an element of the psycho theme tune is introduced which again tells you that something is about to happen as we all know that bad things happened in psycho. This is mixed in with the dietetic sound of the train. These sounds fit hand in hand and really create a sense that bad things are about to happen.

Moving on to camera work... The first notable shot is the extreme close up of the male character's face. It Shows sheer panic and desperation but the important thing is that we cannot really see who he is. It adds to the enigma and creates suspense. Of course, it is assumed that he is about to get ran over by a train, but we are not 100% sure if that will really happen. We then see a very short shot of a totally different person on the floor. Who are these people? We now wonder who the person on the floor is. This is great as thrillers should be this enigmatic. There is then a 'behind the shoulder shot' of somebody. This adds mystery as we see that a person is there but do not know who he actually is. It also suggests that there is a dark side to him.

I don't understand the change from light to dark in a split second. Perhaps this is just to add to the enigma but I still don't understand it!

Thee other thing that possibly could have been done better is the title text. It seems to be a little bit neglected in the sense that it is small and just shoved in the corner. Perhaps it should have been bigger and more prominent.

One of my favorite shots would have to be the point of view shot as the character walks onto the train. It seriously adds suspense as wee see the world through the eyes of the character, even if we don't know who he is!

The next important part is the when the character on the train gets off the train and walks over to the unconscious/dead person. This is extremely confusing. We think that he has just killed him and then he goes over to him and shouts 'help'! Perhaps everything but the first bit was a flashback. We simply don't know, it is very enigmatic. Flashbacks are a common feature of thriller films and are often used to create enigma.

The editing is quite clever in this opening. The most well thought out bit is where the high angle shot of the train arriving at the station. It is shown as if it is a CCTV camera. This adds to the suspense and makes it feel like a crime has taken place. It also connotes the fact that somebody is about to be ran over by the train.

Perhaps the most enigmatic thing about the opening is the gray scale tint on most of the shots. It connotes a dark and corrupt society and perhaps shows that the walking male character has a flawed, dark past. Both of these are common of thriller films.

To conclude, I basically haven't got a clue what this opening is all about. For this reason, it is great as it has clearly done it's job in being enigmatic and confusing!

Past student film analysis-Anonymous

This film is very enigmatic and suspenseful. It is quite creepy and shows that there are some weird people out there!

The one thing that stands out is the fact that the male character is wearing a hoodie. This fits well with the title 'anonymous'. It shows that there is something being hidden about this character and that there are possibly two sides to him. It is black which connotes darkness. He is clearly a flawed male character, typical of thrillers however this is usually seen in the protagonist not the antagonist. I think this works well.

The other thing that immediately hits you is the soundtrack; It is very unnerving and connotes bad things. The low pitched sound lasts just a little bit too long. When the bracelet is picked up, the soundtrack is almost unbearable, with a low pitched sound showing that something is about to happen. It is very enigmatic and makes you wonder what is about to happen.

Later on in the opening, there is an over the shoulder shot from behind the male character as he takes a picture of the female character. This shows that the girl does not know what is happening and  creates a sense of mystery. A clever editing technique is then used to emphasize the fact that a photo has been taken.

Moving on; the female character walking down the road is shown in a long shot. This means that she is alone and small in a wide open space, therefore, she is very vulnerable. A medium shot is then used to show her with the male character walking behind her. This shows her emotion in the sense that she is beginning to panic and builds suspense by showing us the boy walking behind her. We can only make one assumption...

The next shot is a tracking shot, which in my eyes was badly done. Firstly, it is very shaky and struggles to keep up, secondly; the wind. To combat the problem with the wind, Foley sound could have been used. This is where an audio recording of something similar to the thing making the noise is done. So the footsteps could have been done by pencils hitting a table for instance. The sound of the footsteps would still be there, but the sound of the wind would not. The main problems with this include trying to get the sound right and syncing it with the actual on screen action. Another simple technique in the form of noise removal could have been used instead.

The point of view shot after this is a different story altogether, it really puts the viewer in the shoes of the male character. Suspense is created as we wait for him to kill the girl.

Then... the plot twist. The whole thing has been building up to him killing her. But she turns around and knees him. This is a great twist as the audience do not expect it to happen, we are convinced that the girl is to die. It does look slightly unrealistic however.

The confusion comes when he burns the pictures. Why? Does he feel defeated? Is this the end of it all? what will happen next? The last line of dialogue is quite possibly to most enigmatic thing about the whole opening: 'if you're not here'.Has he now killed her or does this mean something else. So many questions are left unanswered. We now want to see the rest of the film.

Overall, this is a very good opening, there are some amazing techniques, most notably, the soundtrack. However a few things such as wind noise does let this piece down slightly. In terms of the narrative, it is very suspenseful and enigmatic, all in all a good production! Oh, and I love the title...

Student example- Expose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeyPGWBKFC0&list=UUO6cu8QZ2TrZ-yXRDPpn3bA&index=15&feature=plcp

I like the idea behind this thriller opening, it's got a typical story line for a thriller and uses many codes and conventions of thriller. The opening scene gives the audience enough information to start guessing at the story line but not too much information so there is still an enigmatic feel to it. I also like the music playing through out the opening, and how it stops at certain points when the shot changes quickly. The music really builds tension and suspense in the film, because it gives the audience the feel that something is wrong.

However I personally think the filming and editing isn't that good. I don't like the black and white effect they used in the opening scene and I think it looks very amateur. They don't use many interesting camera movements or angles and seem to stick to basic camera angles, like close and mid shots.

Student example- Calculated Killer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKBGdYcBUnY&feature=bf_prev&list=UUO6cu8QZ2TrZ-yXRDPpn3bA

From the beginning you can tell something isn't right, the darkness and music builds tension and makes the world seem like a dark dangerous place. This is a well known thriller convention, known as disequilibrium. The music continues through out the opening until someone is shot, the music is very deep and tense, and gets quicker as we approach the main event in the opening (the shooting).

This group also uses other codes and conventions in their opening. the black bag and knife makes the audience question what is going to happen and makes the scene very enigmatic. It's props like these that really build up the enigmatic feel for the opening and make us question what is going to happen next or what he is going to do with them.

I really like this shot and the lighting in it. The bright light in the background blacks out the figure and makes it very enigmatic because we can not see who is carrying the bag. This is also an example if  chiaroscuro lighting  because it shows a contrast between the dark and light. A lot of  thriller openings do this and it is very effective in showing the contrast  in a characters personality.




I like the locations in this opening but it is clear that there were some continuity problems because different scenes filmed in the same location were clearly filmed at different times, because there is a drastic difference in lighting. This is a bit of a let down and makes me realise how careful we will have to be to make sure our continuity is perfect.