I had to review a previous students opening to a thriller film and depict certain elements of it, the opening sequence I reviewed was called ‘REC’.
The narrative shows a group of teenagers that go into a deserted building to investigate and try uncover a ghost that had been rumoured to have been living there and haunting the surrounding area, how ever that all back fires horribly as they uncover the truth….
I used the level ladder below to help me review the groups thriller film.
HOLDING A SHOT STEADY
I would give this a Lower level 4 as the shots are clear even in the moving shots. To say the majority of the film was in point of view trying to show a hand held camera, I personally think they showed each clip clearly and obtain a clear meaning through out the shots.
FRAMING A SHOT
One of the shots which showed brilliant framing when was when the group was walking up the stairs and a camera was positioned behind a door just showing a crack as the group walked past, I would give this a upper level 4 because the shot made the group seem vulnerable and made it feel like they were being watched.
VARIETY OF SHOT DISTANCES
There was a good variety of shots as the group used a long shot to show the group walking into the building then they used close ups when they were recording each other in the sequence which helped to show emotion. I think the group would get a upper level 4 because they showed that they can create different shot differences well.
APPOPRIATE TO TASK
If i was marking this groups work I would give it a lower 4, because the sequence clearly showed a film from a thriller genre, however the actors were good but there was times that they didn’t seem as scared as you would be in that position which stopped me from giving it a upper level 4 because the acting didn’t feel perfect.
MISE-EN-SCENE SELECTION
I would give this section a upper level 4 because all the Mise-en-Scene fitted the genre of thriller perfectly. The old books indicating that something spooky is going on and it gives the sequence an eerie feel. The characters in REC were illustrated as ordinary people with typical teenager clothing but what was happening was extraordinary which is typical in a thriller which furthermore means that it fits nicely into the genre giving them a higher level in this area.
EDITING FOR MEANING
I would think that REC would get a upper level 4 for this element of their work because all the edits fitted nicely with the conventional features of the genre. The edit was in chronological order and made sense. As the scene progresses the tension builds up and the shots become quicker adding more and more tension onto the scene.
SHOT TRANSITIONS
The shot transitions are well executed therefore making me give it a lower level 4. They use a interference in some shot transitions making it look like the camera has some sort of problem or is put together with taken footage. The shots run smoothly as it goes from point of view to third person view.
SOUND WITH IMAGES
I would give the sound a upper level 4 because they clearly chose sounds to fit the genre which i think fit pleasingly into their piece of work, the unpleasant sound playing in the background definitely created tension and also connoted the danger the group were in.
USING TITLES
I would give the title use a upper level 4, I would give it the upper level 4 because the title was kept smart and fitted well with the content and also the theme of the film which is thriller. The title looked like the record image a camera would use in the corner while recording which is classically shortened to ‘REC’.