Analysing interogation scenes

Nightcrawler

In my opening film sequence, there will be an interrogation occurring in the present day after the flash forward from the bank robbery/police chase scene. To get an idea on how to make a thrilling interrogation scene I will be analyzing a couple of film scenes where an interrogation of a criminal occurs. From this I will be able to expand my understanding of the important conventions needed to make a good interrogation scene so I can apply the knowledge to my own film. The first film scene I will be analysing is taken from Nightcrawler- a crime based, action-packed thriller of which a man takes up a new career in filming crimes and accidents that take place in Los Angeles.



Firstly, the camera angles used are important because they help the audience to understand the scene and not get confused, for example the 180 degree rule is used through out this scene which is effective because it keeps the characters on the same sides of the screen which stops the audience thinking they've switched places. Also, the director uses the over the shoulder shot so the audience is essentially looking in the same position as the character creating the illusion that the reader is in that situation making it more exciting for them. While doing this shot, the director furthermore, uses shot reverse shot to make the audience immerse in the dialogue between characters and thus the story itself as apose to the visuals of the scene. This is often used if there is important information being discussed and the director wants the audience to listen and understand it specifically.

The digetic sound in the scene mainly includes speech between the police officer and the suspect, and often the volume of the speech and the tone changes for different parts of the interrogation for example, when the woman says, ''You left your dead partner," she sounds a lot more louder and certainly more aggressive towards the man. Another key thing about sound for this scene is the non-digetic sound, or should I say the lack of non-digetic sound. While the two characters are speaking, there is no soundtrack playing which can only imply that the director wanted the dead silence in the room to emphasis the dialogue so the reader will listen.

 The Dark Knight Rises

Another interrogation scene that I analysed was from the film The dark Knight Rises. The scene involves the great and powerful Batman interrogating the Joker and is filled with action, violence and harsh language. This scene is different to the first one I looked at because it is very much more physical in the way that the Batman treats the Joker in order to get him to confess his criminal acts.

Firstly the scene builds suspense and creates mystery at the start of the scene where the joker is talking in the darkness. The low-key lighting connotes a sense of the unknown which the audience finds intriguing and suddenly cant take their eyes off the screen because of the suspense being built up. The sudden change in lighting when the batman appears literally sheds light on the situation so the audience can understand more about the scene and what is taking place. 

The variety of camera angles and shot types used in this scene are really effective for making the audience get more into a film because it makes it seem more real. For example, when the Joker and the Batman are talking, shot reverse shot is used which essentially gives the illusion that the audience is there in the eyes of the characters. This effect makes the audience feel as though they are a part of the film which is exciting for them. Furthermore, high and low angle shots are used in this scene when Batman has the Joker griped up by his collar. The low angle shot looking up at Batman connotes power and control over the Joker which links to the whole scene of Batman physical attacking the Joker as part of the interrogation.

Media studies short film- The Deal

 

Thriller film conventions Collage

Focus group

A focus group is a small group of about six to ten people who take part in an open discussion led by a moderator who wishes to obtain information about a certain topic. The group needs to be large enough to generate fluent discussion but not so large that some participants are left out. The aim of the focus group is to generate a large number of different ideas and opinions from as many different people as possible. I conducted a focus group specifically aimed on the topic Thriller Films to find out what my target audience wants in my film in order for them to want to watch it.

Thriller film Focus Group Questions

1)        What is your favourite thriller sub-genre? (For example: Action thriller, psychological thriller, crime thriller, horror thriller.)                                           

2)        What makes you watch a thriller film? What conventions do you mainly enjoy in a thriller film? (dark lighting, sounds, tension building)

3)        In thriller films what features and characteristics do you look for in a protagonist character?

4)        In thriller films, do you support a stereotypical ending, where the main character defeats the evil? Or do you prefer a scenario where there are plot twists?

5)         How do you feel about tension building within a film?

6)        Is there anything that you particularly dislike in films, particularly thrillers?

7)        What costume do you like to see in Thriller films? (basic clothing, lots of costume)

8)         Is there anything else you would like to add about thriller films?

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.