No country for old men is a crime thriller film released in the year of 2007. this film is about an ordinary man that by luck comes across a fortune of which he does not own. this film seems to be a prolonged chase for the fortune that at is initiated by the rightful owner of the fortune.This film has also been described as a cat and mouse drama because these people cross paths throughout the movie.
The location of this film is in a desert landscape of 1980 West Texas
This film exhibits themes of fate and circumstances which are the the best ways to describe the continuous acquaintances of the main character and the villain. the plot is very immerser because it is driven by the villain in the film and makes the viewer curious of how the main character escapes the lethal efforts of the villain
Below is the trailer for this film:
This trailer summaries the feel and direction of the film. it is very cold and detached, which is the persona of the villain in the film
Memento
conventions
camera
at the very fist sequence of the film a character has a photograph in his hand, the camera shot is a close up to put all the attentio on the photo that this character is holding. this close up shot does not change through out the opening scene
editing
sound
during the first sequense there is only non diegetic sound. this convays a feeling of mystery, the smooth sound of string instruments makes the atmosphere a little on edge already
mise en scene
as the first scene progresses the character holding the photograph begins to shake it, as he does this the image in the photograph starts to fade instead of becoming clearer until the image disappears
When editing a film there are a lot of ways in which the editor can present the film to make it flow and seem as if it was really happening in front of them. Knowing the correct times to cut to a different camera angle and view point.knowing exactly when the scene is going to end and what will follow right after. When making thrillers there are some types of editing that are vital to make the emotion of the film come out to make the audience feel a certain way without them having to look too deep into the plot.Basically telling the story visually without necessrelily using sound.
Some of these methods are:
Shot Reverse Shot-
In this shot one character is facing opposite another, this shot is usually used to film a conversation between 2 people.The camera cuts from one character to another. since the characters are shown in this way the audience assumes that they are talking to one another.
E.g.
Match on Action-
We see character start an action in one shot and then see them continue it in the next
E.g.
180 Degree Rule-
This shot is a basic guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.
E.g.
Eye line Match- this an editing type that is based on the idea that the audience wants to see what the character on screen is looking at.The eye line match begins with a character looking at something off screen, followed by a cut to the object or person of which the character is looking at. E.g.
Alfred Hitchcock was The master of Suspense and came to be the benchmark for 'Psychological Thrillers'. His films have resonated with millions around the world and an idol for blockbuster directors of the current day. his theories and techniques have since been necessities for Thriller films. Below are some of his thoughts and quotes to have a better understanding of him, his method of Thinking and the reasons behind the genius of his productions.
- "The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them."
-"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it"
-"If it is a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience will still have a perfectly clear idea of what is going on,"
-"Always make the audience suffer as much as possible,"
-"I am the type of director. If i made Cinderella the audience will immediately be looking for a body in the coach,"
-" The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."
-" Give them pleasure, the same pleasure they get from waking up .from a nightmare."
-"I am scared easily, here is a list of my adrenaline - production 1. small children, 2. Policemen, 3. high places, 4. that my next movie will not be as good as the last one."
-" In films murders are always very clean, i show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man."
Suspense, This is described as a feeling of uncertainty and a prolonged feeling of anxiety of the outcome of a certain feeling. An example of this for instance is if there is a character with a bomb about to cause destruction, the audience will be aware of this but the characters in the film will have no clue.this starts .to make the audience ask questions like, When,Where and How the bomb will go off.
This can be seen in the Alfred Hitchcock production Sabotage:
The audience is aware that the package contains an explosive that would go off at a particular time. The suspense is built because of the boy being oblivious to the fact that he is in a race against time.
there are many cuts from the boy to the package to create more tension and makes the scene that much more exciting.
Shock, This is more of a sudden and attention grabbing feeling that can be created by an unexpected occurrence in a film. This is different to suspense because the audience is unaware of anything that is about to happen and neither do the character in the film world. Imagine the same scenario formed in the suspense situation but the audience does not have an idea of what could be in the package, then soon after there is a sudden explosion. This is shock. The clip above is also a good way of demonstrating shock because if there was no brief by my introduction to the clip and there was no previous experience of the film, it would have been very difficult to guess that there was a Bomb in the package.
Also this clip below from the film jaws is also a good example of shock and very misleading to add to the terror:
the music and scene leading up to the shock is more tension than suspense because the audience would expect a shark to appear but instead it is a dead body.
Chuck Jones was an .animated director that was the mastermind behind short movies like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and more. He was also the reason why the animated film Road Runner was created and for the cartoon there are a set of rules that have to be abided by.
The Rules:
1. The road runner cannot harm or upset the coyote except by .going 'MEEP! MEEP!'
2. No outside force can harm the Coyote, only his own ineptitude or the failure of Acme Products
3. The Coyote could stop any time- if he were not a fanatic
4. No dialogue ever, except 'MEEP! MEEP!'
5. The Road Runner must stay on the road - otherwise, logically, he .will not be called the Road Runner
6. All action must be con.fined to the natural environment of the two characters - the South West American desert
7. All material, tools, weapons or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from Acme Corporation
8. Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy
9. The Coyote is always more humiliated than by his failure
Below is the first episode of this cartoon of which all rules are followed:
The Mise en scene of a film is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing, this includes actors, lighting, décor, prop and costume, The word Mise en scene comes from French origin and means ''placing on stage''. The frame and camera work also contributes to the Mise en scene of a movie.
The image above gives an example of a particular frame that has an interesting look and feel to it, There are many things that could be seen that add to the overall effect, this is also intriguing because there is no character in the site of the viewer but only the shadow of a creature., this gives the viewer a bothersome feel that something bad may transpire. Also the form of lighting used in this frame is low key lighting, this is regularly used in thrillers and horror films because the dark shadows that are crated help to drive the plot along and subconsciously makes the audience feel uneasy.This Mise en scene is simple but very effective because the frame is not busy with too many characters props or loud costumes but strips away the layers and as a sharp and sinister connotation that adds to the overall experience
Some details involving Mise En Scene :
-Many professionals are involved in it's creation
-The director is the one that overseas the entire Mise En Scene
-During early stages of pre production The director meets .with the designers to get the look and the .film of the film to the best that it can be.
Editing is very important in the media because it is a way of bringing a film to life even more. There are various forms of editing that are used in different points in time, also the speed at which the editing cuts occur add to the emotion of the film, especially for thrillers Editing can be a make or break for a film because even through the audience may pay little attention to the cuts and edits of a film, if it is done incorrectly the experience .will be ruined and disorientated. usually when filming a scene the director tends to leave a 3 second gap from the word action .to the actual beginning of the scene, this is also done at the end of a scene to allow more room for error when at the editing stage.For the editing of the videos that wee make we use final cut express which is an apple mac application
The two most creative and important things to take into account when editing are :
Speed of Editing :
- If a relatively relaxed mood is desired, the scenes last longer and change less frequently
- this is often displayed in romantic comedies
E.g:
-On the other hand if a frantic and action packed theme is required the scenes at these times will be fast paced and shorter to keep the viewer on edge
-This speed of editing is commonly associated with thrillers
E.g:
Style of editing :
Reaction shot : This is a shot that cuts away from the ma.in scene for the purpose of showing the reaction of the character to what had just happened
Invisible editing: This is a form of editing used to create suspense by placing together clips at a slower pace than originally edited
Fade Out : This is a smooth way of editing to cut from one scene .to another by fading gradually away the scene that just took place and fading in the new scene simultaneously
Wide Cut : with the border around the screen or between images, one image replaces another without dissolving
Graphic Match : is could also be described as a fade but the difference is there is a shape from the first image that interconnects with the new scene or image that now fades in
Jump Cut : This is where the audiences attention is brought into focus because it looks like a section has been removed and shows the beginning and end of an action .without the viewers knowledge of what happened in between
Dissolve : this happens when an image is blended into another
Montage : This is a method of fast paced editing , it is done be many images are in the shot for a very short amount of time to create excitement.
Straight Cut : This is an abrupt and standard cut that does not have a lot of significance to the emotion or feel of the film
180 Degree Rule : The axis between the character and the 180 degree arc on which the camera is positioned, it is like an imaginary line that the camera .does no cross
Shot Reverse Shot : this form of editing is usually used when filming a conversation, it is a back and forth cut from one character to another
There are some things that a thriller has to have the same effect as the others. There has to be a central plot to the film that ties everything together and makes the film cohesive and work as a unit. A plot that is regularly used is thriller films is Justice versus Injustice, This is a great way of drawing the attention the audience because the plot will become a form of reality to them at that time and debate the innocence of characters.There can ls be a blurred line between good and bad to confuse and deceive the viewer which will result in a more impactful ending to the film, people are uninterested in films that they think the outcomes are predictable so to blur this line of good and evil will cause the audience to. elements that can also be added that have continued to appear in films from the time of Alfred Hitchcock are Enigmas to put more emphasis on the mystery that thrillers tend to have, Red herrings also for deception and shock, Plot twists and Cliff hangers.
There are sub genres for thrillers that i elaborated on in my previous blog, these include
-Mystery
-Crime
-Psychological
-Political
-Legal
Moods that are often present in thrillers because of the type of lighting used, Editing and dialogue are Viscous moods, this is sometimes shown by dark, low key lighting because this is a way of putting into the viewers mind that something traumatic and ruthless is about to happen. Menacing mood of terror and destruction and paranoia to keep the viewer at the edge of their seat and uncomfortable with the sound and mise en scene.
Furthermore Regular conventions in Thrillers are the theme of a character in
There are different forms of thrillers that have different approaches to the genre but they all have have significant elements that draw them back to the basics f what a thriller has to offer all of these different kinds of thrillers all have suspense and terror.
Spy : The main sub genre of this form of films are action and thriller, spy films are sort of a signature British production. Directors of the calibar of Alfred Hitchcock have made films based on the British secret service for example a .film called the man that knew too much. Many notable films like the James Bond and Bourne series of films will show that suspense and terror are a vital part of films of the spy genre.
Political : Political films can also have thriller as a sub genre because these .films have a lot of suspense and tension that keeps the viewer interested throughout the film. A very good example of this is the film originally directed by Alfred Hitchcock by the name of The Manchurian Candidate.this film is based on deception which is a great ingredient for a good Thriller.This film can be classified as a thriller because of the detailed storyline that draws the audiences attention then rips away all the layers of the plot at the climax.
Conspiracy : This Genre of film is often linked with thrillers because the main plot of these .films are for .people to overcome the obstacale that their enemies have put in .front of them and to end victorious and innocent from any accusation or false conviction, these sort of films take the shape of whodunnits and detective stories, they can also be called paranoid thrillers. a recent example of this is the film taken
Legal : This form of a thriller is ma.inly based on the judicial system and people in that sector. themes of bribery and corruption are regulars in this sub genre of thrillers. An example of this is the film Michael Clayton, the slogan of this film is The Truth Can Be Adjusted which explains the direction of the Legal based film of which George Clooney plays an associate of the New York Law Firm using his connections and legal knowledge to evade the law for his clients benefit.
