Other forms of media which inspired my planning

What other forms of media have inspired my planning?


Television Programmes-

Breaking Bad-

The whole concept of Breaking Bad has been an inspiration for my planning as i see it being one of the best if not the best series ever. The story line being so dark and almost evil when you look at the deaths presents Walter White as the innocent villain throughout simply looking to make money for his family before his inevitable death due to cancer. Certain scenes throughout famous for the intensity of the situation matched by the calmness of Walter is what makes the show what it is today, the irony of such a simple man face to face with some of the most dangerous men within the whole of North America demonstrates the reason why the show is so highly acclaimed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp3TejVCNQo

This scene, known as the train heist, is one of the most action packed intense scenes of all time. Being so early on in the series the viewer understands early the lengths of which Walter will go to in order to be at the top of the industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4EpX_CUr6I

In contrast to the previous scene this being one of the saddest (presuming the viewer has seen the rest of the series) clearly showing the range of emotion the viewer can feel whilst watching the series, you also then realise the other side to Walter's character once again showing his dark side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IS0YVGXThc

In contrast to both the others we see through this scene the humour side to the series. Presenting the character of Jesse Pinkman who throughout the series is notorious for his lack of good decision making to ultimately betray Walter within the final series.

Prison Break-

Being the first television series i had seen, naturally i fell in love with the series the characters within the series tied alongside the drama and 'close-call' incidences. The storyline of a brother putting himself in prison for his brother in order to save him from the death penalty as he promises his innocence is heart warming. Throughout the series we notice the relationship between all the characters is something other series cannot replicate as they all depend on each other ways yet sometimes they do not realise it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkEjv9eIO20

An emotional scene picturing the supposed reality of Michael's wife's death, the use of the mid shots to show the deflated mood and show the disbelief in his body language, partnered with the close ups of his face to show the raw emotion. The music throughout the scene couples the atmosphere created by the situation makes for a great scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUvDCW48gjc

The season one finale shows the intensity and build up of all previous episodes to be worth the wait as Michael and his crew finally escape, a range of shots and camera work used to build suspense within the episode as things must fall perfectly into place in order for Michael and his crew to surpass the final hurdle. Long shots to allow the viewer to understand the situation, close ups to show emotion, particularly relief and joy and tracking shots to engage the viewer in the proceedings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHU2tSHruzs

The fight between Michael and an inmate of Sona prison shows the intensity of the series as the viewer, having already built a relationship with the character of Michael can feel the tension all the way through the fight as they must fight till death. The fast paced action mixed with dramatic music and shots switching quickly the scene sets the mood for the rest of the season.

Trailers-

Stranger things-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxyRG_tckY

From the trailer to the first season of stranger things the viewer can immediately notice the supernatural sense to the series, despite this the series directly falls under the category of thriller for the raw amount of 'nail-biting' moments and tense scenes, the main plot of a missing child in a parallel world of evil only adds to the suspense created.

Peaky Blinders-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwXfVGjSz-4

Set just after the first world war, a family of gangsters show the life on the streets of Birmingham for what it was, money and family their only bonds, the real power of money is shown throughout the series in tense battles and life and death situations. A life without law for the Shelby family proves for a thrilling series.

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Conventions of a thriller opening

What are the conventions of a film opening


David Fincher on the opening of Zodiac-



Here you can notice how Fincher underlines the importance of setting the scene and creating the atmosphere within the opening few scenes of a film. 

David Fincher on the opening of Fight Club-

Noticeably Fincher says 'we probably spent $750,000 or $800,000 on the title sequence' and clearly does not underestimate the importance of a first impression.

Gareth Smith on the opening of The Ward-

What elements of this sequence are you most happy with?

What titles come up during the opening of thriller films-

Directors will, during the short opening sequence, name most actors and people who had a large role in the production of the film and leave the people with less important roles to the credits at the end of the film. Typically naming the starring actor first and finishing with the director. During this time the director can experiment and try and build an atmosphere within this time to match the mood of the film. Typically the shots are either extreme close ups of something to do with the story line, or a pan more so setting the scene 

From this opening scene above taken from The Spiderwick Chronicles we can see how the close up shots alongside the eerie music tie together nicely to set the scene whilst focusing on aspects of the movie crucial to the plot. We understand the rushed and ever tense nature immediately setting the mood, the shots are all low-angle and close up and quite fast paced adding to the rushed idea.

In contrast to the close up shots of The Spiderwick Chronicles, the opening scene to Forrest Gump shows a more delicate and subtle approach linking to the character of Forrest himself, we see a range of shots throughout this scene, ranging from pan shots, long shots alongside high angle shots with mid-shots also coming into effect. The music partnered with the innocence of the feather used to portray the simple mind of Forrest set the scene perfectly for the rest of the film.

Timings of the titles-

The timings of titles within the opening scene to films are generally quite similar yet there is a difference depending on the type of movie it is. Typically if its a fast paced or action thriller the titles will be more short and snappy and not fade out of the picture, this is to create the tension early on required to set the atmosphere for the movie, with more slow and intellectual thrillers the titles generally fade out of the screen to match the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEq-4fua3lM

This opening scene is a good example of how an intellectual thriller opening is tied together with the slow and fading titles to make the reader think about the situation and what is being said during the opening. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch the slow talking and lack of music does not create any tension and leaves it down to the situation to create the suspense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulaLzsv2htA

As the opposite the opening to se7en is fast paced, little time on screen for the titles alongside the fast paced music and close up shots all immediately create the suspense the movie is notorious for, there is no speech within the opening which i feel would make it feel slower and less intimidating.

How are characters introduced?

Similar to title openings, character introduction is also largely based on the type of film the director wants to portray to the viewer. There are also a lot of different things a director can do to effect how the viewer portrays a character by using a range of shots or different music to show the type of character fitting the atmosphere created.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWAr9MJO4Xc

The character introduction within Suicide Squad is less subtle and more so like this is who it is which is almost like a cartoon. Other films use a more flowing introduction to present their characters within the first few scenes and sometimes leave the star of the film to a bit later within the film to build suspense for their introduction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPsifqZNhCc

The introduction of Leonardo DiCaprio within The Great Gatsby comes late into the film as the tension builds as to who Gatsby is as rumours fly around building suspense.

Opening scene to Mission Impossible: 5-

1.54

1.72

1.64

1.59

1.68

1.85

1.81

1.81

1.79

1.80

1.77

1.81

1.78

1.83

1.82

1.92

2.12

Summary: From the title lengths and the fast paced frames with a lot happening yet not giving anything away to do with the story-line it is easily recognisable the film is an action-thriller. Sparks and flames link to this suggestion and that implies danger and implements suspense. In the final frame they use a pan shot to set the location and time of day to engage the reader at the end of the title scene for the start of the film. The music throughout is fast paced linking to the overall theme of the opening,


Opening scene to Zodiac-

4.82

5.08

2.34

3.13

3.96

3.27

3.54

3.89

3.68

4.02

3.12

3.45

3.64

3.37

3.29

3.46

3.71

3.54

3.61

 3.42

3.73

3.86

4.28

Summary: From this title scene the scene is set at the beginning, characters are introduced and the storyline begins straight away. The introduction of a kid and his dad leads for a less fast paced start and therefore the titles last longer on screen. We learn of the fathers job and that the kid is in education. Despite the film being a thriller the start is very slow paced and seeming innocent in contrast to the storyline. Mainly using mid-shots the opening is almost passive and leaves the story-line open which could lead to added suspense.

Opening scene to Insomnia-

 4.50

 4.50

 4.50

10.0

 4.50

 4.50

 4.50

 4.50

 5.20

 4.60

 4.60

5.20

 5.20

 4.60

 4.60

 5.20

 5.20

 4.60

 4.60

 4.60

 6.10


Summary: The prolonged titles and extreme close-ups of fabrics and blood lead for a tense daunting opening to Insomnia, the lack of detail partnered with the rocky mountainous shots asks questions as to where it is being set. The feeling that something bad has already happened engages the reader with as to what has happened. The music throughout the opening is relatively slow and daunting as the unknown is the main theme.