Memento analysis

Memento is a very mysterious and unconventional film. This is shown as the film is shown in non linear which means that the audience have to think a bit more about what is happening during the film to fully understand it. The film gets its mysterious element from the music. The music is tense and dramatic. Throughout the film there are a lot of slow ticking noises that show the suspense. These noises tend to be used when the main character Leonard is thinking about something and trying to solve the mystery which confronts him. The mystery in the film encourages the viewer to keep on watching as they want to know how the final conclusion ends. A physical mise-en-scene feature ids the photos which Leonard takes. This is because the photos he has are his only means of identification due to his condition of memory loss. This means that he can find out what has happened in the past to figure out what to do in the future. Another mise-en-scene feature is the bad guy called “Teddy” as he is Leonard’s friend due to the fact that Leonard can not remember who Teddy is. This is something that grips the audience as this is not very common in other Thriller films and encourages the viewer to see how this relationship between Teddy and Leonard unfolds. In Memento uses a lot of extreme close up shots. Most of the time these are used to show the detail of Leonard’s photographs or the expression on people’s faces. These shots are used to involve the viewer more by showing detail. Overall Memento is a good film due to its good music and gripping plot to keep the viewer interested.

Psycho images

This image is an extreme close up. The image shows some mathematic calculations which could suggest that the person writing these could be intelligent. The main focus is the writing of numbers on the note pad. You could use the rule of thirds on this image as the main focus in the shot is fairly central. On the top right hand corner of the shot you can see a small shadow but most of the shot is covered in a decent amount of light which gives the impression that the note pad is meant to be seen clearly.

 This image is a mid shot as it shows nearly half of the women and some of the house features behind her. There is little light in this scene this might show that it is late at night, especially seeing as she looks to be in a dressing gown. There is diegetic sound in this scene of her ripping up a piece of paper. This is the only noise as it helps to build suspense. After this shot the camera then uses the 180 degree rule to show the women going into the bathroom. This is done well as the camera follows her actions into the bathroom without confusing the viewer by changing the side of the women.

This shot is an extreme close up and the main focus of the shot is the shower head as it is central of the shot. This can be shown by the rule of thirds as it is in the middle with the water spraying out all over the rest of the image. This shot is also a low angle shot and this is a shot which shows the women’s perspective. Even though this is a low angle shot, the shot is probably used to make the women feel inferior as she is looking up at the shower head and that it covers the whole shot. The diegetic sound would be the shower water and the scene uses the shower head very cleverly as it keeps on switching to the shower head and the women as the tension begins to build up.

 This shot is a close up and is also the women in the shower’s view. The main focus is the women/man and the knife that she holds in her hand. This is because the knife has the most amount of light on it and the women/man is in the middle of the screen with water in the way of her face which makes you wonder who she or he is. This is done very well as the water from the shower only seems to cover the persons face and nothing else. The knife is also held at an angle so that the viewer sees the whole blade of the knife to show clearly that it is a knife and not something else. The lighting is very dull and this is a sudden change from when the women is in the shower as the whole scene is covered in light clearly showing what is happening. The dark lighting is used to cover the persons face so that the audience are kept guessing. The sound used is diegetic when the attacker pulls back the shower curtain to confront the victim. The editing techniques in this scene are very sharp and fast as they switch from the attacker and the knife to the women being attacked very quickly to add to the dramatic tension of the women feeling helpless and incapable of stopping the inevitable. This is a typical Thriller genre shot as it is dark, mysterious and dangerous.

This shot is a close up and yet again this shot shows vulnerability and desperation of the women being attacked. This shows that she does not really know what to do. This is a point of view shot from the attacker’s perspective. There is a lot of light to show what is happening to her and the light is coming from the attacker’s direction which shows that there will be light when the camera is on her and it will be dark when the camera is on the attacker. There is non-diegetic sound in this scene of her being stabbed constantly and diegetic sound of the water still running from the shower head. The rule of thirds could be used in this shot as she is the centre of attention and is in the centre of the screen.

The opening of The Happening analysed

The Happening’s opening scene is very good as it builds up a lot of tension as it shows the viewer all the danger that is happening in America. The film starts with clouds in the sky submerging behind the subtitles. This gives a good effect as the music in the background which is non Diegetic goes well with the movement of the clouds. This is as the music is unnatural and strange going with the weird and fast movement of the clouds. Then after the music has finished the film then officially starts and this begins in a normal park on a normal day. Things suddenly go wrong though as people start losing their minds and this resulted to people committing suicide. This opening scene has a lot of light which lets the viewer clearly see what is going on around the park. The build up in the film is very quick. This gives the audience something to look forward to as the action starts straight away. The film is always making the audience want to see more and it keeps them pulled into it throughout the whole film. The music in the opening is a big asset to the film as it makes the scenes more dramatic and ensures that the tension is always building. The start of this film really makes the viewer want to see more.

camera shots glossary

Extreme long shot-A shot that is a long way from the point of interest. Usually used to set the scene.

Long shot-Closer than an extreme long shot but still a fair distance away to show maybe a person and the environment around him/her.

Mid shot-shows most of something for example a person and a bit of the background.

Close up-shows the face, a little background and maybe a bit of their body.

Extreme close up-shows for example just an eye, or mouth, teeth etc.

Two shot-A shot with two objects in it like for example 2 people.

Low angle shot-This gives a sense of size to the object being shown. For example a person may seem bigger if the low angle shot is applied.

High angle shot-This gives a sense of helplessness and a lack of power. For example a person could seem venerable if this shot is applied.

Tracking shot-This shot tracks the object moving through the scene to make it seem like you are with them or behind them.

Aerial shot-A shot shown from the air by perhaps a helicopter showing a wide landscape like a big city for example.

Point of view shot-This shot shows exactly what the person is seeing through their eyes.

Tilt shot-This shows a sense of scale as you could be looking at their feet and then it tilts up to show just how big they are.

Crane shot-This is a shot held high in the sky but not as high as the aerial shot. This gives a sense of size and scale.

Zoom in zoom out-Camera focuses zooming in or out on a key detail. This can be used to examine significant details.

Over the shoulder shot-This shot is framed behind a person who is looking at the subject. The shot helps to establish the position of each person.

    

The Thriller Genre

The thriller genre started in the 1920’s and ever since that date the genre has become a great success with it becoming more and more popular. Thrillers usually provide lots tension and suspense.  Thriller films include the likes of Psycho, Vertigo, Donnie Darko, Shutter Island and Memento. A person who really brought the Thriller genre to the world is a man called Alfred Hitchcock. This is because he made lots of famous Thriller films that changed the way we see films. They were so influential because they provided lots of famous scenes that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. One scene in one of his films called Psycho was something that changed the way we look at Thriller films forever. This was the shower scene which was extremely well filmed to create lots of tension that gave the perfect representation of vulnerability and suspense. In short if a film thrills then it is defined as a Thriller. Thrillers are known for its fearful excitement. Stories set in the Thriller genre are usually to do with violence, crimes and murder. The characteristics include adrenaline rushing, gritty, rousing and fast paced. The films are always designed to keep you on edge and to always keep the audience guessing all the way through the film. The first signs of the Thriller genre started in a comic called “Safety last” by Harold Lloyd in 1923. It is about an all American boy performing a daredevil stunt on the side of a skyscraper. Since 1923 though the Thriller genre has really kicked on and has produced some of the best films in the world. Below are some pictures of some well known Thriller's.