Research Task - Daniel Awcock

Initial Research

Film One – Disturbia (2007)

Disturbia is an American thriller based upon Alfred Hitchcock's ‘Rear Window’. Throughout the film many aspects of mise-en-scene work together to create a suspenseful atmosphere that grips the audience throughout the entire film.

The opening scene itself establishes the mood of the whole film and clearly displays to the audience the genre of the film. To start with everything appears normal, a father and son are fishing together in an attempt to try and bond with each other through a common hobby. The setting within the opening scene has significance due to the tranquil mood it creates along with the other parts of mise-en-scene. In the background we can see vast mountains as they fish in a peaceful river together, this combined with the high key lighting used to imitate the sun portrays the scene as almost a dream-like fantasy as everything is perfect and as it should be. I believe this is used to lure the audience into a false sense of security enabling what happens next, just a couple of minutes later, to be more shocking and unexpected. Whilst driving home, more techniques are used again this time to represent the protagonist and his family as a stereotypical traditional family. We have seen the father and son fishing and during the drive home we are introduced to the parallel narrative of the mother cooking at home conveying her as having a domestic role with the household. This is all building up the climatic crash of the car. Todorovs theory of narrative suggests an equilibrium to start which has clearly been established in the opening scene however this is shortly followed by the disruption which in this case happens to be the car crash that kills Kales father. This gives the opening scene of Kale and his father fishing much more importance as well as meaning. The high key lighting and beautiful scenery are designed to create the illusion of a dream, because after the fathers death it is the only memory the audience have of the father. Also due to the tranquil atmosphere conveyed a juxtaposed mood is created when we are introduced to the death of Kales father.

Editing is also used to evoke suspense during the intense crash scene. The mood of the scene is changed instantly which shocks the audience and is unexpected, one moment the father is talking to his wife who is preparing dinner which is a warming gesture however merely seconds later the car crashes and the pace of the scene increases immediately. As the car flips and skids, there are many cuts used frequently which increase the pace as well as creating a disorientating effect as all the shots are short and quick. This again is aided by the positioning of the camera as the protagonist is framed by the broken windscreen and is upside down in the frame. After this the audience are relieved to see, as the car finally stops that both characters are alive and conscious. However all of a sudden a red truck smashes into the upturned car killing Kale’s father.

Disturbia is one of my favourite thrillers and just within the opening it demonstrates how many aspects of mise-en-scene can work together to create the same effect of tension and suspense. In just the first scene an equilibrium is created as well as a disruption which immediately entices audiences and the fast pace action can be seen throughout the film.

Film Two – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises is the final instalment of the batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan released in july of 2012. It managed to gross a total of over 1 billion dollars with a budget between 250-300 million dollars. Making it the second highest grossing film of 2012 and the 7^th highest of all time.

The opening scene in The Dark Knight Rises is extremely effective in the way it sets up the rest of the film as it conveys immediately to the audience the power and authority of the films main villain “Bane”. The scene begins with three masked individuals who are taken on board to be interrogated about the infamous “Bane”. However, it then becomes apparent that one of the masked people is in fact Bane. Bane as a character, is represented as a powerful villain with high authority even before we see or hear him. The masked characters are threatened one by one to give any information about bane and despite being held at gunpoint no one speaks suggesting their commitment towards bane.

When Bane's identity is finally revealed to the audience, we first hear his iconic voice which had been altered to represent him as more of a supreme being. The mask is symbolic and is referred to within the opening scene to add significance as it is a vital part of the narrative.

The camera work within the opening scene also foreshadows the appearance of bane,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0sCSsfaMfdE#t=78s

this shot cleverly frames bane in the centre of the shot to suggest the character masked has significant importance. However with the presence of armed men surrounding him it suggests that he is submissive and at the mercy of the men on board the plane. This allows what happens later in the scene to shock the audience as bane is then rescued and the roles are reversed as bane then takes over control of the plane shortly after the climatic sequence showing the unveiling of bane. By portraying bane as submissive the audience are fooled into believing that he has no power or status which we know is a juxtaposed representation of the villain he truly is.

The non diagetic sound is triggered when bane says “crashing this plane, with no survivors”. The music itself is dramatic and intense to match the mood established within the scene and has chanting used to represent the rebellion and the ongoing theme of liberation in the film. Also the frequency of cuts increases to match the tempo of the action occurring within the scene, this creates an illusion of fast paced, intense action as it deliberately disorientates the audience by restricting the content they are able to see as there is little time between one frame and the next. As for narrative structure I believe this scene is important as its role is to alert the audience of bane. The film itself I believe contradicts Todorov's theory of narrative as the film starts with no equilibrium. The disruption occurred within the prequel (The Dark Knight) allowing this film to focus mainly on the restoration of batman who since has become a recluse and must be lured out of hiding to stop Bane.

Kill Bill Volume 1

there are various techniques within the opening scene of Kill Bill volume one that follow the appropriate conventions seen within many traditional thrillers.

• Whole scene is in black and white, deliberately challenging realism.
• High key lighting with little/no fill to exaggerate shadow and exploit the theme of black and white.
• Sound bridge used at the very beginning to immediately allow to deduce a character is in pain
• Costume – clearly wearing a wedding dress, helps establish setting.
• Much of the scene is one close up of the protagonist, forces attention on her injuries.
• Narrative is restricted, the audience are unaware of what is happening and why.
• Make up – blood and cuts to suggest violence, foreshadowing a common theme within the film.
• Establishes plot for the entire film, we see a handkerchief with the name “bill” written on it, the title of the film suggests that he is who will be killed.
• Facial expressions are one area of mise-en-scene that is exploited as we as an audience rely on the protagonist facial expressions to enable us to get a greater understanding of what is happening out of frame.
• Diagetic sound of the male “bill” however the character is masked adding an element of mystery to the scene and restricting the narrative as we as an audience still do not know what he looks like however the protagonist clearly does.
• Sinister theme created by “bill” talking to the protagonist calmly before then shooting her at the end of the scene
• irony created as “bill” cleans her face before shooting her, raises suspicions as to the relationship of the two characters
• intense twist as we find out the female protagonist is pregnant with Bill's baby evoking sympathy towards her and again generating more questions for the audience.

The Prestige

The opening to the 2006 British/ American thriller “The Prestige” by Christ Nolan is highly effective as an opening to a thriller and combines various techniques from mise-en-scene to create an gripping opening by playing with the narrative structure.

• Non diagetic sound of voice over throughout explains the title of the film giving it meaning and putting it into context
• Costume – important one protagonist is disguised adding mystery to the scene
• parallel narrative confuses the audience and shows two magic tricks being performed one is on a much larger scale.
• Restricted narrative, the audience are left with many unanswered questions and are unaware of what is happening.
• Todorovs theory of narrative is challenged as the sequence of the magic trick being performed on stage is also seen towards the end of the film enabling the audience to view it twice, the second time after being made aware fully of what is actually happening.
• Lighting, on stage the protagonist is illuminated by a spotlight, focusing the audience’s attention upon him.
• Non diagetic music is loud and together with the sound effects of the machine being used on the stage creates a chaotic atmosphere which builds up and eventually ends abruptly as the magic trick in the other parallel narrative is performed. Also frequency of cuts increases to add suspense before the trick is performed.
• Shallow depth of fields used to recuperate characters from the background to allow the audience to view the reactions of characters as the magic tricks are taking place.
• As the narrator explains the meaning of the prestige the camera cuts to a shot of a magician drowning shocking the audience as well as confusing them forcing them to continue to watch the film so they are able to find out the answers to many questions created within the opening sequence.