Analysing prison escape scene

Part of my opening scene will involve an intense scene where two characters are fleeing from police after escaping from prison. In order to understand how to carry out this scene and make it look as real and impressive as possible I will be analysing a few prison/police escape scenes from thriller films.

The film I will be analysing first is called 'A Kid Called Danger' which is an thrilling, drama-packed flick which is about a young boy eager to follow in the footsteps of his father and be a police officer, and when an unsolvable case is discovered he takes matters into his own hands. The opening sequence of this film is a police chase of an escaped prison inmate making a break for the waterfall.

The scene begins in a quick-paced car chase through the woods and the audience can easily establish that it is a prison escape from the inmates clothing and also from the police officers shouting 'pull over,' to the car in front while the police sirens blare. We also understand quite early on that the man fleeing in the car is quite smart and wise because obviously he has escaped from the prison grounds which is by no means easy and has managed to get himself a fast getaway vehicle to lose the cops. The idea about him being clever links to the clip where we see him pretending to be dead as he floats down the river in order to make the police stop chasing him. The character is represented in this way to show that he is significant to the story and he isn't just any old prison escapist- he is smart, sly and has tactics to carry out vital heists such as the prison escape.

Throughout this scene there are several close-up shots used, the effect of this is that it allows us to see the characters facial expression and see how they're acting and feeling. The director also uses panning shots in this scene to follow the movements of the escaping prison inmate, they show a quick tempo which builds tension and makes the audience believe that something big will happen at the end of this scene... Which of course it does. When the prisoner threatens to jump of the cliff into the water below, a low angle shot is used to show dominance and power. The director wants to get across that the prisoner is in control of the policeman because like he said, if he came any closer he would jump and hats just what happened.

The costume in this scene is fairly basic; the escapist is wearing a typical prison uniform to show the audience immediately what is happening, the other characters are in police uniform which further develops the audiences understanding of what is happening in this opening scene. There aren't many props being used in this clip, other than the police radio which one of the officers talks into when the prisoner begins to get away on foot. When filming the police escape for my film opening sequence I will be using similar sort of costume and props. I will be using the police fancy dress costume to imitate an officer.

In this opening scene digetic and non-digetic sound is used to build tension and create suspense. Firstly, the police sirens straight away instigate that a crime is being committed which of course we know is a key convention of a thriller film. Also, speech is used to show the characters emotions his tone of voice is quite aggressive. The soundtrack starts off quite slow but as the action rises the tempo begins to get faster which causes the audience to feel as though there is a build up to a big event.



Focus Group Letter of Consent

I will be running a focus group consuming of members of my target audience who will feedback their opinions about thriller films and what their likes and dislikes are about this genre. For the focus group I will be needing around 7-10 people who are willing to take part and also be recorded giving their feedback. The letter of consent below asks the participant to verify that they are fine with being recorded and being posted on my blog where it can be assessed.

Departure of Matt and Rory from the group

Up till now I have been working in a group of three with Matthew and Rory however due to recent events, Rory and Matt have left the Media course meaning as of the 18th of November I will be working alone. Luckily, we were able to create multiple ideas and themes about the film before they parted the group which means I will be able to apply the ideas to the film.

Certificatation

 Universal- A ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over and these films should be set within a positive moral framework and should not contain any real violence, threat or horror. For example, Nemo.






Parental guidance- Can be accessed and watched by all ages however some PG films may contain certain violent and potentially dangerous content to young children and therefore the parent's confirmation is required to verify that the child is able to watch the film. For example Forrest Gump

 

 

 

12A- Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for children and therefore they should not watch them. Cinemas in the UK and Ireland are only permitted to let children under the age of 12 watch the film as long as an adult is present and has bought the ticket. These types of films usually contain mature themes, soft drugs, discrimination, strong language, violent actions and sexual references. For example Cheaper by the Dozen.

12- These types of films should not be viewed by anybody under the age of 12 and it is illegal to either sell cinema tickets or sell 12 rated DVDs to a child under the age of 12. These films commonly contain the same sort of content as the 12A category however on a slightly more extreme scale. For example, Jaws

 

 

15- These films are only suitable for people aged 15 and over because it is known that some of the content can be quite disturbing and violent for their minds to process. Films under this category can contain, adult themes, hard drugs, regular use of strong language, strong violence and sex references. For example The Dark Knight Rises.

18- Only suitable for people aged 18 and over, in other words, it is only for the viewing of adults. Films in this category have limitless use of foul language,  hard drugs,  explicit sex references, very strong, violent, sexual violence and sex scenes. For example Saw

 

 

Restricted 18- These films can only legally be sold at licenced sex shops and licenced cinemas, also it is illegal to sell this type of film via mail order. This category of films contain hard-core pornography, strong fetish material, explicit animated images, strong images of injury and scenes of aggressive behaviour.

For my opening film scene the certification will be a 15 because it will contain scenes of strong language and violence. I perhaps could have labelled the film an 18 however I think my content will be less extreme than some of the popular 18 rated films, such as, Saw, the Shining and Predator.

 

 

Initial Ideas and Collaboration Work

Rory, Matthew and myself met to discuss the possible codes, conventions and ideology behind our film opening sequence. We each came up with our own ideas and displayed them into the mind map shown below. The topics we discussed were, audience, genre and sub-genre, plot, setting, costume, shot types, and sound. It is important that we carefully looked at each of these topics to make sure our opening scene has the key conventions of a thriller film. One of the biggest decisions we had to make was sub-genre which would essentially determine the plot because for example a dramatic thriller would be more emotional for the audience whereas a psychological or horror thriller would leave the audience on the edge of their seat in anticipation and suspense. In the end we decidede to allow our target audience to decide what sub-grenre our film will be through questionaires and focus groups where they can express their views.

For our plot, we came up with several ideas which all fit the conventions of different thriller sub-genres. Matt came up with an idea about a ghost which was causing greif in the city and it was down to one police detective to track it down and stop it. At one point, Rory thought that it would be good if, within the film, their should be several mysterious homocides which need to be investigated in order to find the one behind it. Then after some more thinking we all came together to think of our most promising idea involving the interrogation of an prison inmate who worked closely with a most wanted criminal that the police are desperatly after. Despite the ideas being different they all seemed to be based around one common thing- Crime. Each time we thought of a new idea, crime appeared to be apart of it which I think is quite good because according to my research, thriller films were most popular with audiences aged 18-35 when crime was a key convention.

Narrative Theories

Narrative from jamesyboii22

Audience theories

There are three different types of audience theories that affect how the audience watches and understands a media text. In this post in will be researching these theories to get a better understanding of the relationship between the audience and the texts.

The Hypodermic Model

This is where the media text, when consumed, has an effect or influence on the audience which is normally deemed as negative. they also say that the audiences can in no way stop or prevent being influenced by the text and the power lies within the message of the media product. The hypodermic model acts like a kind of drug that makes the reader powerless against it. In the 1920s and 30s, there was an experiment called the Bobo doll experiment that supported the hypodermic model because it showed that children copy violent behaviour that they witness.

The Uses and Gratification Model

This theory is the opposite to the hypodermic model because instead of the audience being used by the text the are able to use it for their own pleasure and gratification. They believe that the power lies in the hands of the audience and they can choose what they do with it and make of it. The audience can use the text for the acquisition of information, escapism, diversion, pleasure or sexual stimulation. They also think that media texts can have a positive impact on them and can help them to relax, learn and deal with aggression and violence.

The Reception Theory

This suggests that when a text is created by a producer, it is encoded with a deliberate meaning or message that he wishes to convey to the audience which may be a personal opinion or a fact. It is then over to the audience to decode the message behind the text and understand what the producer wanted to show and why he wanted to show this. There are three types of audience readings of the text:

Dominant: Where the audience successfully decodes the text just as intended by the audience and they agree with it.

Negotiated: where the audience rejects or accepts some elements of the text in light of previously held views.

Oppositional: Where the dominant meaning is recognised by the audience but they don't agree with it for different reasons.

Experimenting with Shot Types and Camera Angles

Medium shot
This shot type is where the clip is filmed from medium distance and usually captures the character's upper body. This is used in every film because it allows the reader to see some body language as well as facial expressions.

Close-up
This is where the camera is zoomed in on something that the director feels is of some important in a scene. Close up shots, specifically used in thriller films, are used to capture detail such as a certain facial expression. They are effective in the thriller genre because they show a character's emotion really well which gives the reader insight on what the character are feeling.

Extreme Close-up
Similar to a regular close up shot, this is used to show detail that would not normally be noticed by the naked eye alone without the close-up. In the thriller genre this may be used to focus on a character's wound or injury to show the severity of a situation to the audience. A good example of when this is used is in the Saw squeals where the camera is zoomed in on the jigsaw piece taken from the victims skin of which indicates the killer is 'Jigsaw'.

High angle shot
This type of shot can connote inferiority and weakness because it makes us look down on the character and makes them look small to us. Thriller films may use this effect to show a characters personality. Also it can be used to show a character is vulnerable in a situation and show the audience who is in control.

Low Angle Shot
This shot type is the opposite of a high angle shot- it connotes power or superiority of a character. In thrillers, a villain is often shown as overpowering by making the audience look up at them making them look bigger.

Long shot
This is mainly used to show the audience the size of something for example a long shot of a building would allow the reader to see how big it is. For the thriller genre, it is common that the long shot conveys a sense of isolation and a location being deserted.

Tilted angle shot
It is where the camera is on a slight diagonal tilt to make the shot look uneven. This camera shot is quite commonly used in thriller or action films and they essentially show the audience that something isn't right and almost foreshadows an upcoming disequilibrium where the order of events within the film are disrupted.

Point of view shot
This is where the shot is taken from the point of view of the character or creature which basically allows the audience to see the same as what the character can. By doing this it gives the illusion to the audience feel as though they are part of the film and that they are actually there which of course builds excitement. These types of shots can be carried out by using a handheld camera or even a GoPro camera. An example of when this is used is in the Jaws sequels when they recite the shark attacks from the point of view of the shark.

Cowboy Shot
This camera angle is very specific and it is simply where the camera is zoomed in on the characters eyes so the audience can understand that their eyes are fixed upon something. In a lot of cases this camera shot type is used when filming a cowboy shoot-out in a western film hence the name of the shot type.

Over the Shoulder
Normally, this camera shot involves two characters conversing while facing each other and is where the scene is shot over the shoulder of one of the characters looking towards the other. This is useful in film because it allows the audience to see what the character is seeing and also adds realism to the shot.

Panning/Dolly Shot
This is a camera movement technique that involves moving the camera horizontally to the left or the right. With this technique you can track or follow an object or a person while they are in motion. In thriller films, panning is commonly used to film chases either in the car or on foot as it builds tension and makes it realistic.

Tilt
A similar sort of technique to panning is tilt. For this technique the camera is moved either up or down to track or follow an object. An example of a good use of tilt is in Skyfall where the camera follows the movement of the ascending elevator.

180 Degree Rule
This is where the scene is filmed only in the half circle in front of the camera which marks the centre line. If the camera goes across the line it will look like the characters switched place which may cause confusion amongst the audience.

Shot Reverse Shot 
This is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character and then the shot reverses and the other character is shown looking back.

 

 



Match On Action
Match on action is an editing technique where one shot is cut to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. A good example of when this is used is when a character begins to open a door on one side and then then it is shown from the other side.

Audience Profile

Demographics
Name: Andrew Thompson
Class: Upper working class
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: White British
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Psychographics
Personal interests: Andy certainly cant deny he like a good pint down at his local with his friends while watching whatever football is on the television. Furthermore, he owns a season ticket at the Etihad Stadium where he goes to watch his 'only love'- Manchester City with his brothers and Dad.
Favourite Genre: His favourite genre of film is either thriller or horror because he loves the suspense and mystery behind some of the scenes.
Likes in a film: Andy said he likes films that contain graphic violence and gory scenes, for example he really enjoyed the Saw squeals because a lot of the action was graphic and disturbing, but that's all part of the thriller experience he claims.


Demographics
Name: Natalie Brown
Class: Working
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White British
Sexuality: Bisexual

Psychographics
Personal Interests: Natalie likes to go out with her friends into town where they go shopping (mainly for clothes.) She also enjoys to go to the cinema and catch the latest films with her best friend so they can gossip about it the following day.
Favourite Genre: Her favourite genre is thriller because when she watches this type of film she can hardly stop watching because they are so intense and interesting.
Likes in a Film: Nat especially enjoys the sub-genre dramatic thriller because in a lot of cases there is often themes of romance and love which she enjoys as much as most girls in today's society.


Demographics
Name: Sam Anderson
Class: Middle
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Black British
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Psychographics
Personal interests: Sam works at McDonalds most of the week but at the weekend he enjoys to play basketball for Manchester Magic and then go out for tea after the game.
Favourite genre: His favourite genre is thriller because he loves the different conventions that make a thriller exciting and dramatic.
Likes in a Film: Sam loves a film where there is a clear hero and villain and he prefers it when the hero defeats the villain. If the villain was to become victorious at the end of the film then he would usually come away disappointed.