Opening title blog: Down With love

It's 1962, and feminist Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger) pens a best-selling book that details the drawbacks of love. She encourages women to forgo serious relationships with men in favor of independence, workplace achievements and satisfying sex. Despite her success, many men are taken aback by her progressive views, including slick writer Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), who decides to expose Barbara as a fraud by making her fall in love with him. However, his plan has unexpected consequences. This opening has 15 titles.

Opening title blog: The Final Destination

Consisting of  only 14 titles (when bunching up the actors as a singes title, if not it were to be around 21, the final destination is a film about the most unlucky people who find themselves in situations of certain death. This films main title sequence (opening titles) prioritizes the suspense, or even horror that is given off by the movie by showing , x-ray clips of people dying in various , and not to mention, horrible ways such as getting stabbed in the bead by nails or a ladder falling and crushing someone in the head, or a pipe piercing through the back of someones head. They create an enigma with the characters of the film as this could be the foreshadowing of people who may day in the film later on, showing how they will die. since this is a more sensitive, its safe t say the target audience would be he more mature, and not for the little ones. The technology used to create the 3d models for this sequence was used really well in capturing the suspense and loss of comfort one would get from viewing such gory images.

Opening title blog: X-Men First Class

This title sequence was very clever, when taking in consideration what the film is about. having around 21 tittles (production companies, roles people played (actor, ex lead in sound) The movie x-men is about  mutated humans who have unique body capabilities allowing then supernatural abilities no one could imagine, Since the main characters are mutated, the opening title sequence showcases Human chromosomes going under weird changes symbolizing those of the x-men. This also creates an enigma for those apart of the x-men , who are also referred  to as mutants. There was an excellent use of editing software technology to created the reoccurring glitches and transitions which kept the title sequence engaging. This is to prioritize the mysterious sense of what they x-men are.

Opening title blog: Are we done yet

Within the title sequence for Are we done yet, there were a total of 30 titles ( when only taking into consideration the unique headings of specific roles that were played when it comes to the production of the movie. The technology used to create a eye capturing animation , which would most likely be targeted towards the younger generations, prioritizing a comedic sense, through the enigma of the character played by Ice Cube, Nick Persons, as he is a conflicting character. One who had ill intentions for the other characters close them , then acquiring a relation with them.

Watch the titles! website blog

Sadly, Art of the Title did not work for me anymore; moreover, an error page now pops up when ever I search it up or type the URL in. Thankfully, it wasn't the only website our instructors had referenced us to. The next website we were given was Watch the titles; and by the looks of it, its safe to say that it is more visually pleasing then the short lived glory shown by Art of the Title. Just like Art of the Title, Watch the Titles is a website that allows the user to view a vast collection of main titles/ opening title sequences, with varying impacts on film culture.

Art of the tile website blog

Upon the completion of the thriller movie blogs of A quiet place, Bird Box, Parasite, and A fall from grace, we were  told that out next objective would be to observe the opening sequences to movies, and analyze the titles that are within them; As to why were were given this website "Art of the title". Art of the title is a website that has a collection of opening title sequences , one can watch, to a plethora of movies. Within the website, one can skim through the selection of movie thumbnail one can watch, or even read up on articles. Its a very quick, and efficient way to find the title sequence of movies. Especially for the recent assignment my classmates and I have received not to long ago.

3rd thriller movie blog

A Fall From Grace



CAMS
The premise of this movie is  to get a woman who was viewed as guilty of a crime, with overwhelming evidence against her , to be seen as innocent. So much that the woman who was accused of the crime ,at first, wanted to confess about the crime, and  plea guilty for the deal of a lesser punishment. The camera angles, or rather the camera work in general, isn’t anything special, and the quality of the film could honestly be better. The film looks like, based on the quality, a youtube video  rather than a film. There are a few establishing shots, eyeline matches though, but overall, one can   see the overwhelming low quality for a film at this caliber. 



CLAMPS

The Costumes were basic clothing , normal everyday people would wear; nothing that stood out, same goes for the characters in the film, except for one who seemed to be a little psychotic. The lighting was for the most part the same throughout the movie, even when  there where darker parts, like when it became night time, overall no significant lighting effects, apart from this one scene where fireflies were edited in; which, goes hand in hand with the acting. In this particular scene the second main character, was supposed to act as if the fireflies were around them, and that they were grabbing one which did not look believable. The acting as a whole seemed forced, and unnatural  in some scenes, where you could tell the actors were not good at presenting certain emotions. Also, there was a background character who made their pretend eating to noticeable. Furthermore, there was no makeup that seemed out of the ordinary. the only makeup that was seen was what normal women would wear to “enhance” their looks in the real world, and (in the movie) it was most likely used to make one of the characters look a certain way , as they went from a beautiful woman , to a prisoner. The props in the movie were mainly items one would expect to see in a certain area, or on a person, for example, the 2nd main character wearing handcuffs in jail, and her husband who was a photographer that would have a camera with them. The scenery, was almost  ALWAYS, constricted, and felt as if there was no freedom to roam, like a play. For more than half of the movie, they were always in a small room , or building.



SOUND: The sound in this movie played a big role and eased the lack of essence in the characters/ actors. The non-diegetic sound, which was music, helped set the tone, or mood for certain scenes, and at some points saved certain scenes, like when Shanon/ Maurice acts angrily towards his wife Grace, though he does a good job of acting tender or friendly, which was amplified by the non-diegetic sound. The diegetic sound was incorporated into the non diegetic to TRY and make things suspenseful; which, this movie did not execute well for the first hour.



EDITING: The editing was honestly average to subpar, and looked low quality, along some frequent parts in the movie. The cuts, sound bridges , and things of the like were okay, Though when it came to special effects, like the firefly scene with Grace and Shanon/Maurice, it did not look like professional work, though it could be due to a low budget.



ELEMENTS OF GENRE: Elements of the thriller genre mainly focus on building suspense. The wonder of “what happens next” to a character keeps the audience hooked on the story. To effectively have thriller, the audience must have to know a possible end goal of what the protagonist is journeying up towards. The addition of time sensitivity helps push the pace and anticipation of the film. Finally, the story must progress in difficulty for the protagonist. Increase antagonistic forces must be presented for the audience to stay intrigued in the plot.



Positives:

The movie’s message resonated with a lot of women, and could be used as a sort of, source of empowerment.




Negatives:

The acting felt unnatural at times


Some effects were low quality


The scenery changed frequently, though felt like being in a box.


The plot was predictable.


This movie takes way too long to get interesting.


A fall from Grace, did not do a very good job of portraying a Thriller.

2nd thriller movie blog

CLAMPS: The costumes for this movie is fairly basic. The characters wear regular, age appropriate clothing and give off the perfect suburban city vibe. Obviously, the park family dresses in more expensive clothing than the Kim family, whose clothes are slightly ragged. Lighting in this movie is discriminatory, here’s why. The Kim family is portrayed to be living in the slums of South Korea, so the lighting has a hue of mustard yellow to truly encapsulate the dirty and mangy environment they live in. The Park family, however lives in a mansion who lighting directly deifies the Park family. The actors in this movie are all Korean and the movie is subtitled in Korean and directed by a Korean director. All in all, the acting in this movie is pretty spot on as the characters perfectly embody their character’s quirks and social normalities. No absurd amount of makeup is used unless it is used for blood or damage effects. Props in the movie mainly shows the wealth and poverty of the two families. The Park family’s porcelain and Range Rover are used to show their immense wealth, whereas the Kim family uses disposable and fairly second hand items and eat junk food. Scenery in the movie is the most impressive when displaying the Park family mansion. All the extravagant items and architecture accurately presents what the 1% would own. The Kim family, however, lives in a basement in direct line to fumigations, floods, and drunk urinators, all of which are used to paint the decrepit environment of the Kim’s.



Sound: The non-diegetic sound used in this movie are mainly eerie. In one scene where the Kim family discovers a couple living in the Park family basement, the scene is blanketed with anticipatory music before the reveal of the couple. In chase scenes, the score is upbeat and meant to parallel the distress the characters are feeling, with the audience. As for diegetic sound, it is interlaced with non-diegetic to further build the suspense of the scene. Sound is also essential in the story telling of this movie and events are preceded by a confirmatory sound effect.



Editing: The editing in this film primarily is meant to show the class division of the two families. There are parallel shots of the two families essentially doing the same things, but split in between to further emphasize the divide. Not until the two families converge, does the shots begin to distort as the two’s polarity starts to clash and is shown by frantic cuts and dramatic zoom ins.



Elements of the genre:  Elements of the thriller genre mainly focus on building suspense. The wonder of “what happens next” to a character keeps the audience hooked on the story. To effectively have thriller, the audience must have to know a possible end goal of what the protagonist is journeying up towards. The addition of time sensitivity helps push the pace and anticipation of the film. Finally, the story must progress in difficulty for the protagonist. Increase antagonistic forces must be presented for the audience to stay intrigued in the plot.



Positives:

The movie had an extremely interesting plot and theme of class diversity.


The cast was completely Korean and this is good for international cinema.


Almost all the scenes have symbolic meaning to them.


Acting was convincing and moving.


Structure of the story progression was unique.


The ending was truly impressive.




Negatives:



No real negatives except that one needs to understand Korean or read subtitles to understand the movie.

1st thriller movie blog

Genre Research: Bird Box

CAMS: The movie features many pans to show scenery.
Bird Box also likes to use close-ups and extreme close-ups to show the morphing of the character's eyes when they see the "monster".
This movie also uses wide shots to show the aftermath of the "monster" hitting initially.
Then it is followed by low angles to show bodies on the ground and how lifeless the scene is after disaster hits.
Medium close-ups and close-ups are used to show reaction, especially fear.
Throughout the film, they use a POV shot where the camera is covered with a blindfold.
Over the shoulder, shots were also prevalent throughout to show vulnerable conversations between people.
Lastly, throughout the film, they cut back to the river with an aerial shot to show how long the journey is on the river. 

CLAMPS: Costumes are normal everyday clothing.
Some people are highlighted in a more blue-toned outfit to show the significance of their characters.
Lighting is very bright because the outside is very important to highlight as it accounts for all the deaths in the movie.
Actors are all very diverse with different personalities to show the end of the world unlikely opportunity that these people would ever meet.
Makeup is very natural or in the later scenes they emphasize how dirty the people are from being out on their own for so long.
Props include blindfolds as they hold a deep significance to the plot.
Additionally, there are other normal survival props for the plight they face in the movie.
The setting is barren California with some post-apocalyptic houses and other infrastructure.

Sound: This movie featured many examples of diegetic sound in outside scenes like wind, leaves rustling and water rushing down a river.
Non-diegetic sounds are also featured like a whispering noise that is supposed to represent the presence of the "monster" in the film.
In addition, birds chirping are also a significant part of the plot where if the birds go crazy with shrieks then the "monster" is present.
The dialogue was used throughout this movie to illustrate the disagreements, pain, and spread of ideas in the midst of a disaster. 

Editing: Bird Box is full of many abrupt cuts between shots to add suspense and speed in scenes of action.
This movie also features added text during the river shots to show how much time has passed.
In the middle of the plot, they used a cross cut-in to show what's happening on the river and related activities in the past.
Cut-aways show the build-up during the rapids scene. 

Elements of the genre:  This movie is considered a thriller because it displays scenes of action, drama, and fear.
This movie shows characters to you and makes you close to them as they face the perils of this unknown "monster".
Bird Box gives the audience a sense of uncertainty as the plot unfolds.

There are aspects of terror and tension with certain scenes that are compensated by sweeter and more vulnerable scenes,
for character development. 

Things I liked: I enjoyed this movie very much as I felt it was unconventionally quaint.
As horrible as some of the scenes were with graphic tragedies the movie stilled ended with a happy and hopeful ending.
Even though the main character truly went through it all and lost so much.
I also enjoyed the cinematography of some of the shots with how beautiful they were.
No shot was too over the top as it was simple but showed the truth to the characters shown.
Finally, I enjoyed that they never showed the “monster” ,
which added to its mystery and terror because you can never fully understand it’s capabilities. 

Things I didn't like: I did not enjoy some of the decisions the character's made in the plot.
I felt they would've learned their lesson with some of the previous tragedies experienced.
In the end, I feel that this was more of a personal issue and the directors added things like this to frustrate the audience,
in the spirit of a true Thriller. 

2 more genres

Horror:




 Lighting- Uplighting




 Silhouette- Shadows show movement of antagonist so the viewers imagination creates their worst fear.






 Spotlighting- Drawing attention to main focal point.






 Underexposure






 Prominent and projected shadows






 Shooting through objects and elements- Creates strange and irregular shadows.










 Angles- Bird eye (high angle): used to make the actor look vulnerable




 Close up: used to see characters reactions






 Tracking shot: shows if a character is being watched or followed. 






 Reversed shot: shows the consequences of a person's actions by using time






 Long shot: used to establish the scene ( ex: how deserted a town is)






 Over the shoulder shot: Used to build suspension 






 Reaction shot: To show fear after jump scare.






 POV shot: when character is running from antagonist










 Movement- Running from antagonist




 Choreographed fights (hand to hand and/or weapon use)






 Scared/surprised faces 






 Hysterical crying 






 Stunts (Jumping out of windows, dramatic deaths, vehicle chases)










 Mis en scene-




 Sets with fog and dark lighting






 Strobe lights for added attack effects 






 Regular clothes costumes and set design to make things appear scarier because they are more realistic.






 Special FX makeup used to create realistic wounds and creatures






 Shooting Locations appear to be isolated and rural. 










 Elements: Scary places




 Spooky music






 Fear of the unusual






 The dark






 Fear of death






 Shocking plot twist






 Unsafe feeling










 Movie Examples:




 The Shining






 Frankenstein






 The Conjuring






 Halloween






 Scream






 The Blair Witch Project










 Sounds: Suspenseful music 




 Non-diegetic sounds (Ex: Monster noises)






 Sound Motif (Ex: Michael Myers from Halloween) 






 Fear inducing score (Ex: Psycho shower scene theme)






 Screaming






 Silence (Bird Box/A Quiet Place)






 Emphasis on Diegetic sounds (door creaking, crows, wind, footsteps, Sirens etc.)










 What we like:




 The fear of death until the end credits of movie conveyed by overall music, graphics, and special effects. (Ex: IT)






 A shocking plot twist because it leaves the audience following one story which changes drastically throughout.

Leaving you intrigued and sometimes confused on previous motives.

(Ex: Psycho's false beginning that grows darker throughout the plot.)










 What we don’t like:




 Unrealistic plots and monster/creature effects: It takes away from the overall scary experience with improper Mis en Scene. (Ex: Ghostbusters) 






 Unnecessary blood for unwanted effect: Makes scene more comical and unrealistic (Ex: Kill Bill)






 Hard to follow plots: We can’t be fully frightened when we do not fully follow along on with what's happening. (Ex: Into the Forest)


















 Thriller:




 Camera angles, movements, and shots: High angles and birds eye shots are used to make the characters look vulnerable.

Fast pans add suspense during action shots.

POV shots can put you in the character's shoes as they go through their dilemma at the moment.

Close-ups show emotion, vulnerability, and reactions of characters. 








 Common costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, and scenery:




Costumes usually fit the time period usually either present time or could be adapted based on location (ex. Space).




Lighting is very contrasted.

Some scenes may be shot with bright lighting to make sure the audience has a full understanding of everything that is happening or the scene.

While other scenes, may be filmed in darker more moody lighting to add drama and suspense to the unknown, the situation, or the antagonist.

Makeup is usually done pretty natural for characters.

In addition, some scenes require special effects for injuries and gore illustrated on film.

Props usually consist of  survival gear, new technology to defeat the antagonist, or everyday objects.

The scenery is usually a type of post-apocalyptic abandoned scene.

This can include empty houses, stores, shacks, etc.

Actors are usually method actors, performers who can invoke a believable and emotional experience to the audience.

Thrillers hinge on suspense, so the mis-en scene of the film has to focus on building anticipation.








 Editing in Thrillers: All thriller films use fast and slow paced editing in their films.

This is very good at creating suspense, tension and also conveying emotions and/or representing characters.

Most commonly, thrillers use fast and slow paced editing specifically to create suspense and tension within a scene.

Jump cuts for example, can be seen in the thriller genre due to their disorientating effect on a character or scene.

Shot, reverse, shot is another editing technique used especially to show the audience something that the characters do not know.

Another editing technique used is parallel editing; where the audience is shown what two characters are doing at the same time.

One shot usually has an effect on the other in these types of shots. 








 Elements of Genre: The main element of a thriller is suspense; putting the audience on edge through impactful storytelling.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense as if one simply shows the audience a room full of people and it explodes, only shock is felt.


However, when an audience is shown of a room full of people and a ticking time bomb is about to go off then,  suspense is built.
Thrillers are meant to heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them :


a high level of anticipation, ultra- heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and even terror.








 Examples of Films:




 Get out, Ma, A Quiet Place, Glass, Parasite, Joker, Nightcrawler, Gone Girl, Bird Box. 








 Common Sound in Genre: Thrillers have eerie scores to direct the narrative of the story.

The aim of the music is to keep the audience on their toes. 

Silence is widely used to create tension to a certain scene.

The non-diegetic music in thrillers is fairly repetitive, creating anxiety and agitation for the audience.

Non-diegetic sound used to increase the tension and create a sense of pessimism, desperation and paranoia.

Sound bridges are used to cut to another shot, without the action being interrupted.

This is very important in a thriller as it allows the audience to still feel tension even when the action is no longer viewable.

Finally, Dialogue is diegetic, and often the dialogue creates a very tense atmosphere.








 Positives and Negatives of the Genre: 




 Positives: 




 Suspense keeps the audience engaged.






 Eeriness of the genre is appreciated.






 Themes/story of this genre generally interesting.






 Uses a lot of camera angles and shots.






 Thrillers tend to be more story focused and not relying on sequels; story is self contained.






 Use of visuals and audio to invoke suspense.






 Negatives:




 Genre not accepted by all, not as mainstream as action/adventure films.






 Storylines sometimes too complex, has to reveal all in a single movie.






 Actors have to be decent for the movie to have its effect.