Editing Scream 3 - The cutting room -Miss Georgiou

Editing is used in thrillers and plays a big part of them because it helps convey the ideas of suspence, shock and surprise to the audience and to the characters that are within the film. In this blog I am going to discuss specific editing features that I have noticed in a clip of Scream 3 called 'The cutting room' and why they are conventional to a typical thriller film.

insert picture

For example, a straight cut is used when the blonde, female victim is on the phone to her murderer and the camera instantly changes it's view to the telephone box when the victim is threatened, before it then jumps back to a mid shot which ultimately creates an eerie feel and the audience feels unsure of what to do, but yet regardless still feels frightened and that something bad's going to happen, especially because the audience are clearly aware especially after the threat that the victim has just spoken to her murderer over the phone unknowingly which shows the reality of the situation of not knowing who she is talking to..that it could be anybody which is religiously seen in a thriller film because thrillers often try to use a realistic situation to create suspence, shock and surprise.

insert picture


I found that there was a reaction shot within the clip and this is evident just as the victim reacts to the sound of her killers voice threatening to kill her. The victim jumps back in shock and horror so the reaction shot is to capture what is going on and how the character is feeling because the audience can clearly see the facial expressions and body language due to mid shot. The audience feels like they are part of the film because they feel like they are in the same room watching this victim trying to escape her death, this is conventional to a thriller film because it shows a sense of being unnerved and unknown identity.

insert picture

A linking shot is used as well within the clip of scream 3 - the cutting room. This shows a following over a series of events whereby the victim is escaping her office to the store room further down the corridor. The quick shots which can also be said to be shot reverse shot, from her office to the store room  used are to create a sense of unknowing and gives the audience a rough idea as to how the victim is feeling at that particular moment which it is apparent to them that the victim feels extremely unnerved and scared. There is the clear theme of fear in the clip which is conventional to a thriller film because fear if often present in a thriller.

insert picture

I have identified that slow editing is also used when the victim is now in the store room walking to hide in the cloths rack that has all identical costumes and masks. The reason slow editing is used is to create a stronger sense of suspense. The audience feel scared for the victim because they're sympathetic for the traumatic experience that the victim is having, This is conventional to a thriller because it makes the audience feel engaged within the film and wanting to help the victim.

Research on cinematography Miss Miller

As part of studying my chosen thriller clip, I'm looking at it's cinematrography. By this term, I mean it is the technique of photography which involves both shooting and developement of a film. The clip that I have chosen is fatal attraction and I have chosen this because I believe that the cinematography involved in it represents a good explanation and examples about cinematography.

insert picture

During the first second of the clip, there is a clear panning and midshot as the male character walks up to the boiled cooking pot that contains a dead rabbit which is revealed earlier on within the film. Using panning allows the audience to follow the movements of a specific object/person and see the movement. It makes the audience feel like they are part of the film because it feels like they are following the character around and ultimately part of the scene. Also a midshot shows anything from the waist up, which is ultimately the most expressive part of a person’s body, which helps build tension which is commonly used in thrillers which allows the audience to be able to see what the character is feeling and allows the audience to sympathize for the character.

insert picture

What I have also identified that is used is steadycam and tracking. This expresses exactly what the director wants to be shown, for example, the fact that steadycam is used show’s that despite the wild atmosphere there is still a sense of balance and stability... or there will be by the end of the scene, this creates the element of reassurance that despite what's going on, there is going to be a balance in the scene and peace. The tracking in this clip compliments the steadycam because it also comes to and from something whilst the focus remains constant on the shot. This appeals to the audience because the tracking allows the audience to witness what's going on through a clear vision despite the manic action of which is currently taking place at that moment.

Insert picture

Another angle used is aerial, where the man is drowning the women and the aerial view shows the audience what is happening from a different point of view, so instead of the audience living  the story through the characters, the audience is watching what's happening and that they shouldn't be there and this creates the audience to feel sympathetic to the current victim being drowned which turns to be a plot twist as despite the suspense filled clip, the victim turns to be the complete opposite and actually seems to swap places with the female who is initially the first who had intentions to murder. This shocks the audience and makes them feel unsure and more on edge to want to watch the film as a sudden change of heart grows, and you don't want the current victim to be killed at that specific moment.

Insert Picture

Point of view is also frequently used in a thriller, it is crucial in them because it allows a build for tension. At this point, the audience can clearly see from the victims point of view of the man that she claims to be 'love of her life' is being strangled and drowned which creates a sense of unease and unknowing. By showing what the person can see, through point of view, it helps give an insight to the audience about how the particular character is feeling, in thrillers, it is often used when a character is close to death and involves the audience because it makes them feel like it could happen to them and shows the reality of the situation and therefore it relates to angles that are conventional to thrillers.

Mise-En-Scene Miss Georgiou

Mise-En-Scene

In this blog I will be discussing five different mise-en-scene elements that are religiously seen within a thriller. These features include Setting and Iconography, Costume, hair & Make up, Facial Expressions/Body Language, Lighting and colour, Positioning of  characters and/or objects. The clip of which I have chosen takes place in the film 'Fatal Attraction'. I decided to analyse this particular clip because 'Fatal Attraction' is a very well known thriller that contains a lot of conventions and therefore will give me some inspiration to my own clip that I will soon be creating.

To begin with the clip, there is low-key lighting present within the shot as well as a mid-shot. The lack of vibrant colours within the scene creates an eery effect on the audience and therefore is connotational to a typical thriller film because it creates a sense of forbodding. Because it is a mid shot, it shows the most expressive part of body language and allows you to get a sense of what the character is feeling. This is typical in a thriller because it gives you a sense of mystery and unknowing. After this shot. a close up of the boiler is shown because it is the main focus of what is currently going on, and adds to the eery background.

Another often seen connotation of a thriller is body language. Body Language helps convince the audience that the situation is very much real because body lanuage shows how a character is feeling. If the audience feel as if the character is tense and uncomfortable, aswell as in distress... the audience feels inclined to mimic the body language in the sense of feeling uptight and unnerved. This is conventional to a thriller film because it gives the audience an insight as to how the character is feeling, and what they feel about the situation. 

Lets look at another part of mise-en-scene... the location. The location in thriller film is key because it sets the background and often the mood. This particular scene is set in a house. The location of a house is widely used throughout thrillers because homes are meant to be a sense of security and so by an activity which disturbs the peace within a home is going to disturb the audience to an extent because it makes them feel as if the situation could happen to them, therefore releasing a sense of reality. This is conventional to a thriller film because it shows a great element of shock, suspense and surprise.

As part of mise-en-scene, facial expressions is key. Facial expressions are very important in films, particularly in thrillers because it helps capture how each specific character is feeling and in this case, this character looks to be somehow deranged, which is con notational to a thriller because it's something you associate with it. Also, the character looks scared, as well as angry. This could be used to emphasize not only how the character is feeling, but how the audience may have felt throughout the film.

 

Something that also plays a big part of mise-en-scene is costumer, hair and make-up. In this clip, if we look at this female character with the blonde, curly hair we can say that her hair is a metaphor for her personality because if you pull on a spring so it's straight, and let go.. it aggressively bounces back to it's original shape... in this clip you can see that the 'villan' is very much like that, which despite taking some of the mystery that comes with a thriller away, it shows a sense of realism and actually works to engage the audience.

A lot of different things add together to create mise-en-scene. Another thing is the colours used. Throughout the clip, the colours of black and white are used. The reason for this is because in thrillers, it is often typical that low key lighting is used, or just dull colours amongst bright light. The reason that low key lighting is used in this,with only the basic colours such as black and white is because it could represent the difference between life and death. The reason for this is because the colour white is often associated with life and innocence, where as the colour black can often be interpreted to be seen as evil and death. The contrast within the colours gives a misleading view and combination of the two, as it shows that there will be a survivor, and that one will be dead.

Iconography us also used in the film. If we look at this screen shot above, it shows the drowning victim holding a knife. A knife is more often than not seen in thriller films because it is not only a deffensive weapon, but it's also widely used for attacking and is often shown to represent the theme of violence. However in this shot it comes across very different to how the situation truly is, as actually the person without the weapon is the victim within the situation.


This clip will help me to achieve a good thriller clip because it contains a lot of convetional features that are seen in thrillers and because it is so well known amongst people, it is a great influence to have my work on, therefore I believe it is a good inspiration to have and contribute to making my thriller at a high standard.