Task 3: Thriller Scenes

Black Swan
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Producers: Ari Handel, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brian Oliver
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Country it was made: USA
Box office returns: $329,398,046

This film was given a certificate of R (in the US) or PG (in Europe) this suggests that it is more aimed towards mature teenagers and adults. 374,726 users from IMDb(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/) gave this in average a rating of 8.1. "There are not enough words in the English language to describe the praise Darren Aronofsky deserves for Black Swan...It manages to maintain this sense of dread, darkness and rather graphic wound/injury infliction throughout." This is a quote taken from a review written by DonFishies. However this is contrasted by user Bridge O Sullivan (wisewebwoman) who criticizes the film "She is a one-note swan. Her facial expression never varies from sad, purse-mouthed and leaky eyed. I got so tired of looking at her face and it is shown just about all the time" 

"How are women represented in the scene? Consider stereotypical representation of the thriller genre such as the femme fatal and the victim."

A femme fatale is “a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art. Her ability to entrance and hypnotise her victim with a spell was in the earliest stories seen as being literally supernatural; hence, the femme fatale today is still often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, vampire, witch, or demon, having power over men”

For the first eleven seconds of this scene the main female character is represented as strong, elegant and agile by the way she dances across the stage with such ease and grace; even though her face is pained and showing sings of anguish. It draws the viewer to question why, and ponder the reason for the outward display of suffering. The emotion and power of the music and dance adds to the sense of drama that is building.  The camera flicks from her face to her feet, as her feet spin, and her face turns, giving the sense that life is a circle, in this moment a frenzied but controlled state.

She is in control of the situation though inside she may be disturbed.

Male dancers interact with her for the next twenty seven seconds of the clip, their presence is muted as she is surrounded by other female dancers, and though one of the male dancers lifts her to great heights she is still in control, it shows her independence from the male figure and her own self belief. This is in contrasts to many stereotypical women in the thriller genre who are forever doubting themselves.  This is emphasized by the crescendo of the music as she takes centre stage on the parapet.

Above the parapet we are shown a perfect sunset, which is in sharp contrast to our leading lady, who at this moment is far from perfect. The anguish on her face intensifies and we are now given our first clue as to why she is in so much pain. Her strength and fearlessness is diminishing. Her arm movements encompass those beneath her, and begin to show signs of fatigue. The male dancers are on their knees to her grace and beauty, it’s as though she has them enraptured under her spell  “A femme fatale.”

The camera shows blood spreading across her abdomen, as if all of her strength, grace, beauty and elegance are literally pouring out of her as she bleeds out on the stage.  

The intimacy that is revealed between her and a female in the audience is tangible. You are aware of the power that women can have even at a distance, to be able to recognise and convey such feelings and emotions through the power of feeling and looks. You are aware of her pain and how it is intensifying.  As she falls from the parapet, there is a softening of music, there is an acknowledgement in her face that she knows what is coming and is prepared for the consequences as she prepares to take her leave, from not only the stage but life itself. There is such knowing and acceptance in her facial expressions.

The camera is only showing her facial expressions, leaving the viewer to wonder about her abdominal bleed and how serious it is. Even when the other female dancers first surround her as she lays prostate on the mattress on which she fell, they are unaware of her situation.  The man, who rushes to congratulate her on her performance, inadvertently conceals her blood stained dress it’s not till he stands, the full horror of her suffering is revealed.

As the music draws to it’s final climax, the man asks her what she has done, she says. ‘I was perfect”

Was this a perfect dance, or a perfect death?

You are led to believe that she is dead, as the stage lights intensify, as if they are highlighting a link to her death and the afterlife, as the camera moves out of shot of her face.

So she was still strong and in control even in her death, she held a presence of calm acceptance.

Conclusion

The main female dancer in this clip is represented as, one of great physical and mental strength.   This is portrayed through the power of her facial expressions, supported by very moving emotional music she was able to tell a story. Even though she was in great agony her strength meant that the show must go on, alas she paid the ultimate price.

Was she a “victim” of her own strength and perseverance to achieve perfection: a martyr to the cause?

Or was she a femme fatal, capturing her lover with the aid of the other female dancers, but paying with her life.

Making a judgement from this short clip I would conclude that she was portrayed as femme fatal; beautiful, graceful, seductive, and powerful.

Taken
Director: Pierre Morel
Producer: Luc Besson
Distributed by: 20th Centrury Fox
Country it was made: France
Box office: $226,830,568

This film was given a certificate of 18 in the UK which suggest there will be a lot of violence or other things unsuitable for children. 335,552 users from IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/)  gave this film a average rating of 7.8 out of 10. "This is one kick ass flick " Is a quote taken from a review written by  Stevin Tasker. However this is contrasted by jaketbg who says "This movie was not the work of experts, but a group of random amateurs who saw too many Steven Seagal movies"

"How does the location and use of light and dark depict the emotional landscape of a character?"

     

The scene starts almost in slow motion allowing the viewer to acclimatize to the setting, which could be a bedsit. There are a lot of sharp angles coming of the furniture, walls, and blue pillar in contrast to the roundness of the character’s face, which becomes the main focal point of the camera.

I am led to this conclusion as within a small space you can see a wardrobe a lamp a telephone and thermometer on the wall, a mirror, some personal pictures. The small size of the room and the fact that it is so basic helps to draw all the focus directly onto the characters emotion. It also leaves the viewer to believe subconsciously that the main character is big and powerful.

The only natural lightening, that is witnessed is the shafts of reflection on the wall behind the main character. A single lamp illuminates the far corner of the room, the light reflected by a mirror on to another wall. The use of colour of the room is equally clever as in the background the colours are muted and dark whereas the pillar close to where the character is sitting, is a blue almost reflecting onto the character as we enter the scene. His dark hair and dark jumper add to the emphasis of the limited illumination, as well as adding to the intensity of the character’s emotional state.

This enhances the drama and seriousness that is about to take place giving the viewer a sense of impending danger and mystique.

As he answers the phone and begins to speak he rises from a sitting to standing position and in doing so the bulk of his body blocks out most of the limited light that is in the room. He stands gradually and as he stands the light gradually reduces, forming almost a halo of light around his head. The light diminishes so all that is seen is light on the ceiling as opposed to light on the walls. At this point the blue pillar can be seen and the blue reflects some light back onto the character.

As the conversation takes on more of a sinister tone the camera moves in closer onto the character. The light mimics the character’s feelings; till all we can see is the light on the left of the character, the room becoming darker and foreboding.

As the phone conversation comes to an end, the emphasis of the light shifts.  The light in the background has almost diminished and is now on the character’s face, illuminating the horror and enormity of the content of the phone conversation. Again his dark hair and dark clothes almost frame his face and the anguish he portrays.

Conclusion.

The fight of light over darkness, good over evil. This clip tells such a story.

The slowness of the character adds to the malevolent of the clip high -lightening a very clever use of light, which is used in a small space to emphasize the emotional anguish of our character.  As the phone conversation becomes more worrying the room dims and the light fades, our character’s emotional despair becomes more apparent.

We as a viewing public think of heroes as being angels (of the light), in this clip the illumination of our “hero” highlights the battle he is going to have to face.

Cloverfield
Director: Matt Reeves
Producers: J.J Abrams, Bryan Burk
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Country it was made: USA
Box office: $170, 764,026

This film was given a certificate of PG which shows it is suitable for children but it depends if their parents think they could watch it. 224,980 users from IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1060277/) gave this film a rating of 7.1 out of 10. "Simply put, the film is an amazingly visceral experience"  Is a quote taken from a review written by nightswatch.  However this is contrasted by bumbletbw who says "It's a big sh!te sandwich coupled on either side by two slices of mouldy bread"

"How is sound used to create suspense and other effects in the scene?'

Suspense is created from the very beginning of the scene as you can hear the characters footsteps so clearly walking on what sounds like gravel. It creates an eerie unnatural feel to the situation.

Their voices echo in the underground tunnels, adding to the spooky atmosphere, it is very freaky and naturally builds a sense of fear.

The unexpected clang of metal also creates suspense and tension as it is unclear where it is coming from. 

One of the female characters uses her tone of voice to express her disgust at what’s in front of her, giving the viewer the sense of something awful to be seen.

The sound of rats running is as loud as a tap constantly running, this gives the impression that there are thousands and thousands of rats fleeing from something unknown, we can clearly hear them all moving and squeaking, which emphasises the creepy unnatural feel the scene has.

I think this sound has a lot of focus on it because often in films if animals are running away it signifies danger, therefore adding to the suspense.

The sound of their footsteps intensify as they quicken their steps, adding to the suspense and feel of urgency to escape whatever horror lays in front.

One of the male characters uses his voice to add to the urgency to escape; a female character giving a disgusted vocal utterance reiterates this.

Heavy breathing of one of the characters’ follows another clang in the distance. This gives the viewer the sense that the characters are really beginning to panic and worry about the mysterious noises we can hear in the background.

Unnatural screams in the far distance can be heard amid their footsteps and talking followed by cackling sounds nearer. The voice of one of the girls turns to a whisper, as she reacts to the distant noises. She insists on her friend’s silence.  This is emphasized by a simple “SH” a small utterance but one that carries great weight, and is universally known to demand silence. The spectrum of sound in their voice from loud anxiousness to hushed whisper adds to the sinister aura that is building.

One of the men begins to stutter in his speech this tells the viewer that he is scared, very scared.

The viewer cannot see what is creating all these sounds, which adds to the illusion of fear and suspense.

You can hear the characters switch on the night vision of the camera, this is a small simple motion and the fact that you can clearly hear it emphasises the silence and suspense of the situation they are in. 

We then hear an unnatural cackle and screeching this instantly creates tense fear, suspense and drama.

These sounds continue to be heard along with ear-splitting painful screaming, as the creature’s stab their way through the flesh of the defenceless unprepared characters.

Their voice levels rise as sheer panic and fear unravels.

As the characters get attacked, you can hear the blood start too pour out of their wounds. This creates a very graphic image in your head even though you aren't seeing exactly what happens. It allows the viewers imagination to take over creating even more fear, suspense and hundreds of possibilities.  

A mishmash of pure horror and bloodcurdling sounds fill the viewers ears as the creatures pursue their prey.

The creatures are very cleverly given their own language, a differential in sounds, a cluck for when they are waiting hovering to attack, a screech as they go into attack mode. Once attacking it’s a “ma-ma-mba” type of sound, which is used. A squeal of distress once they have been clobbered.

Loud methodical clunks are used to highlight the clubbing of the creatures intertwined with grunts and “err, errs” as the characters’ fight for their lives.

Conclusion.

I believe that this scene uses sound creatively to give an air of suspense and other effects. This can be proven, by only listening to the clip without watching the visuals. Just by listening to the sound you can picture exactly what is occurring on the screen.

Not only using various sounds, but different levels of sounds from both human and other creatures create a sense of danger and impending doom.