Red herrings are used rather commonly in thriller genres, It mainly consists of clues which are both misleading and distracting from the actual issue, this could be done either intentional or unintentional.
This expression is normally used to claim that the argument at which another person has brought up is entirely irrelevant to the specific question.
A good example of a red herring is "I think that we should make the academic requirements stricter for students. I recommend that you support this because we are in a budget crisis and we do not want our salaries affected."
Like i have said before, red herrings are commonly used in films. Another example which is more related to film language is...The red herring can take in form of a character, which the audience may feel that he is a killer, only to later discover that he is innocent. Or another good example could be that a red herring can take the shape of an item which could be seen as clue to a discovery by the audience, but turns out to be worthless.
Friday, 7 December 2012
The Birds
"The Birds", 1963 Directed by: sir Alfred Hitchcock
"The Birds" is a 1963 horror film which some elements of suspense are added throughout the film. The horror stars Tippi Hedren (this was her breakthrough film) and amongst other stars such as Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and the then tender Veronica Cartwright. This subtully intense horror film portrays an american women (Tippi Hedren) who was on a quest to look for her potential partner and love interest (Rod Taylor) in Bodega Bay California, however while she is in that area the atmosphere there dramatically changes due to the grotesque attacks on the residents of bodega bay by the most unlikely of creatures-birds.
The motives and incentives behind the attacks in the horror movie were not proven and remains a mystery throughout the film. The methods and tactics used by the birds were unbelievable, unthinkable and simply "not of their intelligence" as quoted from the elderly actress in the film which her character studied birds and their origins, but she was far from right due to her not thinking that birds could ever do such monstrous things and as i've said before, due to her perception that birds simply did not have the wit to attempt the attacks.
The film marks Tippi Hedren's movie debut and she was commended for her efforts on the film, even though it seems as if there were not any problems during production of the film and about the film, indeed there was. There was a quite notable incident which took place during the production of the film; in a particular scene Tippi Hedren was simply told to just go upstairs and enter a room and do nothing-which she in fact did, however not knowingly hundreds of birds were released onto her resulting in her having numerous scars and immediately having treatment. (she was promised that the birds used in the scene will be mechanical ones but in fact they were not). This incident has since scarred her for life-well this is what she has claimed in one of her autobiographies.
However, away from the negative side, the film has been generally commended for the directors use of a soundtrack and the use of animation in the film.
In addition, the film has been regarded as the seventh best thriller of all time by the American film institute, and Bravo awarded it on the 96th spot on ' The 100 scariest movie moments ' for the scene where the birds attach the city. So generally, the film has received very high critical acclaim for its various elements which were used to make the film an outstanding thriller. To add evidence to this point, the movie critic website Rotten Tomatoes has given the film an approval of 95% and it has been described as "Hitchcock's last unflawed film" by film critic David Thompson. This piece of information just further explains that this film,despite what occurred in its production, is generally perceived as a success.
"The Birds" is a 1963 horror film which some elements of suspense are added throughout the film. The horror stars Tippi Hedren (this was her breakthrough film) and amongst other stars such as Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and the then tender Veronica Cartwright. This subtully intense horror film portrays an american women (Tippi Hedren) who was on a quest to look for her potential partner and love interest (Rod Taylor) in Bodega Bay California, however while she is in that area the atmosphere there dramatically changes due to the grotesque attacks on the residents of bodega bay by the most unlikely of creatures-birds.
The motives and incentives behind the attacks in the horror movie were not proven and remains a mystery throughout the film. The methods and tactics used by the birds were unbelievable, unthinkable and simply "not of their intelligence" as quoted from the elderly actress in the film which her character studied birds and their origins, but she was far from right due to her not thinking that birds could ever do such monstrous things and as i've said before, due to her perception that birds simply did not have the wit to attempt the attacks.
The film marks Tippi Hedren's movie debut and she was commended for her efforts on the film, even though it seems as if there were not any problems during production of the film and about the film, indeed there was. There was a quite notable incident which took place during the production of the film; in a particular scene Tippi Hedren was simply told to just go upstairs and enter a room and do nothing-which she in fact did, however not knowingly hundreds of birds were released onto her resulting in her having numerous scars and immediately having treatment. (she was promised that the birds used in the scene will be mechanical ones but in fact they were not). This incident has since scarred her for life-well this is what she has claimed in one of her autobiographies.
However, away from the negative side, the film has been generally commended for the directors use of a soundtrack and the use of animation in the film.
In addition, the film has been regarded as the seventh best thriller of all time by the American film institute, and Bravo awarded it on the 96th spot on ' The 100 scariest movie moments ' for the scene where the birds attach the city. So generally, the film has received very high critical acclaim for its various elements which were used to make the film an outstanding thriller. To add evidence to this point, the movie critic website Rotten Tomatoes has given the film an approval of 95% and it has been described as "Hitchcock's last unflawed film" by film critic David Thompson. This piece of information just further explains that this film,despite what occurred in its production, is generally perceived as a success.
Chuck Jones - animator
chuck Jones was born on september 21st 1912 and died february 22 2002. He was a very famous animator, cartoonist and he directed many cartoon films for companies such as warner bros. One of the most remember shows in which he created and directed was looney tunes. He is also regarded as the creator of famous cartoon icons bugs bunny, sylvester, the roadrunner and Coyote. Most notably, the roadrunner is considered his masterpiece and are today regarded as one of the best cartoons ever made.
However, unfortunately Warner bros was shut down in early 1963. So he and his staff were eventually hired by MGM productions with the incentive to create more Tom and Jerry episodes and theatricals. Again much to his displeasure, Tom and Jerry were discontinued four years later in 1967. So he produced and directed the TV special 'How the Grinch stole Christmas'.
Chuck Jones is undoubtedly regarded as one of the founding fathers of animation and has frequently been hailed as a large contributing factor and influence towards the industry. In one of his most notable productions ' the roadrunner' it contains various laws and rules which are:
The roadrunner has the ability to enter the painted image of a cave while the coyote cannot.Sometimes the coyote is allowed to hang in midair until he realizes that he is about to fall down and get hurt, known elsewhere as the Roadrunner and Coyote moment.The coyote can overtake rocks and cannons which fall down earlier than he does and ends up being hit by them.If a chase scene occurs on a cliff, the roadrunner is not affected by gravity while the coyote is and eventually falls down.
However, unfortunately Warner bros was shut down in early 1963. So he and his staff were eventually hired by MGM productions with the incentive to create more Tom and Jerry episodes and theatricals. Again much to his displeasure, Tom and Jerry were discontinued four years later in 1967. So he produced and directed the TV special 'How the Grinch stole Christmas'.
Chuck Jones is undoubtedly regarded as one of the founding fathers of animation and has frequently been hailed as a large contributing factor and influence towards the industry. In one of his most notable productions ' the roadrunner' it contains various laws and rules which are:
The roadrunner has the ability to enter the painted image of a cave while the coyote cannot.Sometimes the coyote is allowed to hang in midair until he realizes that he is about to fall down and get hurt, known elsewhere as the Roadrunner and Coyote moment.The coyote can overtake rocks and cannons which fall down earlier than he does and ends up being hit by them.If a chase scene occurs on a cliff, the roadrunner is not affected by gravity while the coyote is and eventually falls down.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Friday, 23 November 2012
Cliff Hangers
Cliff hangers are a very common and engaging way of keeping the viewer interacted with the piece of film they are exposed to. cliff hangers are often used in weekly soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street. without cliff hangers there shows will not be a successful as no tension will be present in keeping the viewer to continue watching the show. Cliff hangers are even used in books, when Great Expectations, by charles dickens was published, it was published in stages and to keep the reader engaged in the book cliff hangers were used. Cliff hangers are successful when there are sequels to a show or film. A cliff hanger was used in harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1, to build tension and suspense as to what would happen in the sequel to ensure there will still be viewers. cliff hangers allow the viewer to imagine a possibility of what may happen next without making it entirely obvious as to what may actually happen.
MacGuffin
In fiction, a MacGuffin is a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist (and sometimes the antagonist) is willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue, often with little or no narrative explanation as to why it is considered so desirable. A MacGuffin, therefore, functions merely as a plot element that catches the viewers attention or drives the plot. In fact, the specific nature of the MacGuffin may be ambiguous, undefined, left open to interpretation or otherwise completely unimportant to the plot. Common examples are money, victory, survival, a source of power, a potential threat, a mysterious but highly desired item or object. The MacGuffin is common in film, especially thrillers. Usually the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and then declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. It may come back into play at the climax of the story, but sometimes the MacGuffin is actually forgotten by the end of the story.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
North By North West
North by North West
A ‘innocent’ New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.
Directed by : Alfred Hitchcock
Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action. resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains are common to 'north by north west'. A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like". this is seen in north by north west when the is constant tension throughout in the quest to see what would happen to the protagonist.
north by north west overall is a very successful thriller, it constantly keeps one engaged and allows tension to be heavily felt throughout the film. the feeling of never ending suspense and commonly seen gun fights and the intellectual ways of over coming merely impossible situations allow the thriller to be as successful as it is.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE, 13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980, was an English film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, billed as England's best director, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood.
Alfred Hitchcock directed many films over the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. Alfred Hitchcock famously crafted north by north west, the birds and psycho. these of which, i have watched and generally analysed the structure of how it has been mastered in the thriller genre
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Paranormal Activity
Hello again
Recently I watched paranormal activity 4. I noticed that to engage the viewer the film used no sound to build tension and a long range camera shot to scape the whole room allowing one to watch the protagonist of a scene while sub consciously watching to see what may happen next. Personally I found that the technique used was successful as I was constantly engaged and always scanning to see whether an object would move etc. this added a remarkable amount of tension. In contrast to the general filming technique they also used an unfamiliar way of shooting, they used a close up shot as though it were a webcam and through doing so the viewer sees what the protagonist doesn't, leaving suspense and tension as again the viewers eyes will scan the background for unusual movement abnormal to the norm. Finally I noticed that a hand held shot was used, POV, this made more tension as one cannot fully gasp what is presented in the scene as one cannot fully focus, this again builds tension as the speedy, unsteady camera makes the viewer wish that the camera would remain steady so that one can analyse what happens chronologically. Overall I believe that paranormal activity was a very successful piece film in terms of the arrangement of Mise en scene, screenplay, script and use of camera shots. Paranormal activity 4 is a successful horror and thriller and is a must see
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Types of THRILLERS
Hello again!
Today I am exploring the multiple types of Thrillers as it will give light as to how i will shot and control the film, and as to whether which branch of a thriller i will explore upon.
The Different Types of Thrillers
Disaster Thrillers are a branch of thriller which the main conflict/problem tends to be caused by a natural or artificial disaster such as the en of the world, hurricanes etc. An example of film in this genre is 2012 and the Day after Tomorrow.
Legal Thrillers are a type of thriller where the hero conflicts and and confronts the enemy or criminal being inside or outside the legal system at which one may jeopardise the case and could result in the criminal walking free. An example of this is Se7en.
Supernatural Thrillers contain elements of the supernatural genre adding suspension, tension. usually there is either a supernatural being or a psychic or someone who has supernatural abilities. examples of films contained in this genre are Paranormal Activity.
Erotic Thriller is a type of thriller with strong aspects of erotic presences throughout the film, and has been available since the rise of home cinema, examples include; chloe, colour of night.
Crime Thrillers associated with legal thrillers tend to be either a successful crime or group of crimes or the failure of a group of crimes. Crimes can include burglaries, shootings, drug deals, examples are Scarface, silence of the lambs.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Film Exercise
Welcome again,
Over the last few week, my group and I were given the assignment to produce a piece of film in which we had to explore the different types of camera shots we could use in our thriller piece. We chose to explore the pan shot, this particular shot was successful as when we used the shot we captured the sense of movement across the screen alike the movement of the protagonist. Along with the pan shot we experimented with, we looked at the mid-shot, long shot and close up, these all effective in their own way. the long shot allows to add a sense of distance and allows to capture the immediate environment. the mid shot allows for the protagonist to be filmed as though he/she were with the viewer in person, or in terms of objects, one may capture the object fully without being to distant or close. A close up can be selected to capture a particular emotion or atmosphere presented in the protagonist or co-character, this will be effect in a thriller as multiple emotions can be conveyed in characters. the handheld shot, over shoulder shot are both similar in the effect they give. they both give the effect that you are present with the characters and sense, the handheld shot however gives the sense that you personally are shooting - the over shoulder shot, commonly used in conversations or to build up tension, makes the view gain a sense that one is viewing upon a first person experience.
Sound Exercise
Welcome,
Today we created a sound exercise, in which we created a short interview with the use of microphones. We explored different types of ways to shot the interview, using an over shoulder shot, mid-shot, wide shot and close up. the production is currently going through the process of editing. We will edit to make the production appear of a better quality. When the production is finally edited i shall post it so you may see the final product!
Introduction To My Blog
Hello, and welcome to my AS Media Blog, dedicated to my Thriller coursework!
I'm Billy Baldry and I am currently a AS year 12 Media studies student, being educated at Robert Clack in the north east consortium. Through this blog I will explore the many different techniques and ways of which I can produce a piece of film in the form of a thriller. I will also be creating film reviews, so keep a look out for what might come up next! and i'm gay
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