notes

Todorov Theory


Ronald Barthes

Claude Levi Strauss -All stories are propelled forward by conflict that is caused by characters and event opposing each other that opposites are important to a story
Binary opposition: where texts are organised around sets of opposite values such as good and evil, light and dark poor and rich

planning

Planning and Research



The International - 15
The Bourne Identity - 12 (universal picture ltd)
The Da Vinci Code - 12A
The Fugitive - 15
Traffic - 18
Jacobs ladder - 18
Dancer upstairs - 15


The "12A" certificate is just for videos, DVDs and games
'A' stands for accompanied and advisory


when a film is rated as a 12 it means
"Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable"


when a film is rated as a 18No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. an eigtheen may include strong violence nudity& strong language 


when a film is rated as a 15 no one under the age of 15 may view it  a film rated as a 15 may contain strong language scenes of a sexual nature, & moderate violence

mood board for film opening

Mood Board

mood board with inspirations

Mood Board

thriller conventions

Thriller Conventions

mood board for the ideas of our film opening

Mood Board 2

some inspirations

The lighting in this scene and the flash backs are inspirational the dark lighting highlights his position since Bourne is a man on the run its dark and not too bright this shows that he in fact is incognito; as our main protagonist is also incognito the way this opening scene is lit, could help us with ideas of how ours can be .
The flash backs in this seen are fast and fragmented, it is not just one looong flash back this could help us with the way we either edit the flashback ,or film it
in some of the Bourne films there is audio before the visual this is creative as it not just your ordinary flash back and we don't want our film opening to be boring and ordinary ;)








The music used in the scene is very good, as it gets more dynamic in key areas of the chase scene.
In the first scene (when the officers were after him) the lighting used is very good the lighting very dark and mysterious the cross cutting between the two scenes is appropriate and essential the fast editing helps create tension; the tension is also built by the music
in our opening scene the music would need to do this so it shows that something is about to happen. When Bourne began to run the music picked up showing the audience that something is about to kick off the music would change at key areas ; when he finally escapes the music settles and becomes relaxing showing the audience that he is now safe and we don't need to worry .







in this scene we see just how clever Jason Bourne is one thing that captures an audience is if the main protagonist is clever and has moments that make you respect them as a character
in our opening scene we could use some documents or hint to the viewers that this protagonist is smarter than his pursuers . in this scene we also see how Bourne is dressed he is not in a suit he is in casual clothing; i think this is more a  realistic attire for someone who is on the run, than if he was in a suit; for our main protagonist i think it would be more suitable if he was in casual clothing  . in addition he uses gadgets in this scene to open a voice activated compartment we could consider the props we may use in our opening scene .

analysis of bourne identity film opening

long  shot 

cu shot 

the first shot is a long-shot of  man floating in a stormy ocean; this grabs the viewers attention as we  wander why he is in that condition ,or how the man got there  .We also feel that something will happen because of the setting;  we as viewers could also assume that the focus may be on the floating body as it is the opening shot .We then are introduced to some characters who are playing cards inside the boat,  the setting inside is contrasting  to the conditions outside; we get the feeling that the people on the boat are safe as  there is no commotion inside  the contrast is emphasized by the cross cutting that takes place in the editing . When one of the characters that is on the boat  sees the floating body,  the camera zooms  in to the abandoned  corpse who remains in the same position as before hand; we as the audience still can assume that the corpse is dead  this is emphasized by the darkness that is sorrounding the body; in addition mystery is also created .

CU shot 

after the man who was on the boat sees him, he alerts the crew who then bring him aboard they also assume he is dead untill he reveals to us and the characters that infact he is alive the crews reactions show that this man survived an un survivable event.  Whilst this is happening the music then picks up and begins to become fast pace  and we as the audience feel that something may kick off .

Are attention is then drawn to the man who we assumed was dead .

As one of the men tend to the man there is a close up shot of his wounds , which appear to be bullet holes . we as viewers may assume that he is a victim of  some attack  this also accentuates the mystery that is constantly  created why is he like this who did this to him etc..

cu shot 

as the man is extracting the bullets from the stranger he observes some scars that the stranger has this tells the viewer that it his not his first time being seriously injured ad we then begin to wander about his past and what kind of person he is 

the man who was tending to the stranger notices a strange bullet and sees what it is about when he comes back to attend to the stranger he is off the operating table  we can assume that he has escaped from the boat . we are also shocked because of his condition he still managed to break away .

the final shot reveals that the stranger is the main character 
when the old man is questioning him about his identity
the lightning flashes on his face revealing his desperation and his actual features 

CU shot 

some thriller sub genres

Crime thriller: this genre is a hybrid type which incorporates both thriller and crime  it is often a suspenseful  account of a crime or failed crime  this film usually focuses on the criminal rather than the policeman  Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders





an example of a crime thriller trailer and poster

Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.




an example of an psychological thriller trailer and poster

the bourne series are hybrids they can be classified as / conspiracy/action/innocent on the run/mistaken identity and so on

Conspiracy Thriller
In this subgenre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organization whose threat only he sees. Usually he /she must do so alone.












Action Thriller
Take any other thriller subgenre, give it’s defining elements a back seat, and focus on the action, and you have an action-thriller. viewers may tell that it is an action movie because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence fast editing , guns ,fighting and so on .