Vacancy
Thriller – sub genre – Horror (uses string instruments)
Opening titles associated with dripping blood, red.
Music – increasing, tense, suspension and frantic.
Grunge, Urban titles.
Finally turned into a maze, representing trapped.
Setting – night, dark, they are alone, long shots, night time noises.
Characters – typical couple (as in they argue) can’t see much of them in the shots, could be secretive, male likes to joke.
Starts of with a near crash. (pull into a dodgy gas station) – music turns tenser, high angle shot.
Narrative – no radio – isolation
Recurring image of eye rubbing, tiredness
Apple – kill, knife.
Alternative opening
Setting = bright, opposite, surrounding people noisy.
Police discovering evidence – the car again.
The Departed
Gangster Thriller
Characters – don’t see the gangsters face much. Use of shadow. Dark person, mystery – underground.
The boy opposite. (Naive, innocent, emotional)
Setting – seagulls, sense of place. Boston.
Fighting at the beginning = corruption, racism.
Sound – voice over – typical gangster, stereo typical.
Thriller – sub genre – Horror (uses string instruments)
Opening titles associated with dripping blood, red.
Music – increasing, tense, suspension and frantic.
Grunge, Urban titles.
Finally turned into a maze, representing trapped.
Setting – night, dark, they are alone, long shots, night time noises.
Characters – typical couple (as in they argue) can’t see much of them in the shots, could be secretive, male likes to joke.
Starts of with a near crash. (pull into a dodgy gas station) – music turns tenser, high angle shot.
Narrative – no radio – isolation
Recurring image of eye rubbing, tiredness
Apple – kill, knife.
Alternative opening
Setting = bright, opposite, surrounding people noisy.
Police discovering evidence – the car again.
The Departed
Gangster Thriller
Characters – don’t see the gangsters face much. Use of shadow. Dark person, mystery – underground.
The boy opposite. (Naive, innocent, emotional)
Setting – seagulls, sense of place. Boston.
Fighting at the beginning = corruption, racism.
Sound – voice over – typical gangster, stereo typical.
OK Kim. These notes are fine, and I can tell from your participation in class that you have understood and read these openings well. It's probably a good idea to write them up in more of an essay so that you are practicing for the exam skills at the same time.
ReplyDeleteok will do, sorry i should really of explained digetic and non digectic sound and more camera shots looking back at it now.
ReplyDeleteVacancy - updated
ReplyDeleteIn the opening sequence the red is associated with blood and is the dripping of the letters in the names. The titles have a grunge appearance which could portray the hotel in which they are staying in. The music is very frantic suggesting that the audience know its going to be a very tense film already. Finally at the end of the opening credits it turns in to a maze which is a thriller connotation of entrapment.
In this part of the opening scene you can see that the car is from California giving background information that the characters are from California. The characters seem to have background history as they argue; you can’t see much of them suggesting a secretive manner. When the film starts the music is relatively quiet and calm and with long shot of the car driving along the road, alone. (Connotation of desolation) it gives the impression something/ someone could be watching them, and the animal such has owl’s etc making non digetic sound really emphasizes the fact they are alone. Also the radio cutting out shows they are somewhere remote and adds to the connotation of isolation.
When they reach the gas station the music turns tenser and the watcher (perpective shot) becomes more interested into why a gas station is open that late.
Departed - Updated
ReplyDeleteThe music in the first scene is music by the Rolling Stones. This could show the time the main character is from. This helps the narrative as you don't see the characters face as its in shadows, this adds mystery to the character. Also this adds to the convention of a gangster thriller.
The voice over is a convention of gangster, explaining his past or about the narrative. It also the voice is familiar with the audience of being a classic American voice for a gangster.
The setting at the beginning shows fighting which could give the audience the idea of corruption and racism. This gives the feel for the rest of the film as being very intense.
The first character we are shown is very confident. We learn this by the way he treats people, as they do what he wants and doesn't question him. he is a respected character, the adds to the convention of a character being a gangster, also by him smoking.
The second character we meet is a young child who is nervous and naive. we can tell this by his simple clothing, which looks like his mother had dresses him. The first character helps him making the audience assume he could be a important part of the narrative. further on in the film.