Synopsis of Our Thriller - Lucy Hiscox

A man stands on a train platform, walking further towards an incoming train. Forwards to a month later. A man walks home, but gets knocked out, and kidnapped by an unknown antagonist. He wakes up alone, bloody and tied up, but gets released by a mystery woman. She tells him her boss kidnapped him, and mistook him for his twin brother, a drug dealer who stole something from him, but supposedly committed suicide 6 months earlier. The woman helps him escape the city, while our protagonist tries to figure out what his brother stole, and why his body was never found. 

Location and Mise-en-scene Isabel Hurren UPDATED

The opening scene of our thriller takes place at a children's play park. We wanted the park to be empty to give the shots a very eerie and unsettling feel. This is because parks are usually full of excitement and energy so shooting in an empty park would give our thriller an uneasy and desolate atmosphere. A possible location we could use is a small park next to Eaton Primary School. Although this park is popular with the local school children after school and on the weekends, it is usually quiet at around 6:00pm. If we filmed at this time the park would be empty and the sun would have set, leading to darker, more hopeless shots that would suit the tone of our thriller. Lighting could become an issue as we won't be able to take our own equipment. To try and avoid lighting issues we could pick a clear day, this means it would stay lighter for longer, giving us brighter shots as well as more time to film.

The a sequence of our thriller occurs at a train station, for these shots we wanted to use a train station that wouldn't be too crowded which would provide us with enough privacy to film as well as giving us more control over the area. A possible location we could use is Brundall Station. This station is on the smaller size which means that it won't get as busy as other stations, therefore preventing our filming being disturbed by members of the public. It also looks quite rundown which conforms to the gritty visuals of the thriller genre, by recreating these visuals it will remind the audience of other thrillers they have seen and build the anticipation as they discover the genre and anticipate the action that is sure to follow. When filming these shots the lighting could be an issue as we won't have any control over what lights are on or off and it will also be difficult to bring our own lighting equipment. However, we could change the time of day that we film. For example, instead of filming at night we could film in the morning. Although it wouldn't carry the same connotations, a cold but bright winter morning suggests isolation and bleakness which would work well with our thriller. We will also have to be careful whilst filming near a train track, to stay safe we won't go close to the edge of the platform.

We could also use Norwich Railway Station, although this station does get very busy that could work in our favour. Being lost in a crowd could connote isolation as although the character is surrounded by people he is still alone and has no one to rely on. The hustle of a crowd could also be used to build tension. The ornate and antique look of the station could be used to make the film reminiscent of film noir, this would reinforce the dark and mysterious themes of our opening which were common aspects of film noirs. The contrast of modern and old features in the station could be used to emphasise the conflict in our film. Both the inner conflict of the character as he decides how to escape and the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. The problem of lighting would also be an issue whilst film here as we wouldn't have any control over it. Although the crowd could add to the atmosphere of our opening it would be an issue as we would also have no control or influence over the people and it would make it difficult to film successfully. We would also have to ask for permission before filming at this train station as well as having to pay a fee. This would make it difficult to film within this area.

For the abduction section of our opening we want to use a dark alley way that connotes isolation as well as vulnerability. We could use the alleyway beside one of our group member's house. This would provide us with privacy while we film, it would also allow us to adapt the location to suit our preferences and to set up our own lighting equipment. Alleyways are used in thrillers to connote poverty and crime as they are where homeless people can take shelter and where crimes are committed because they are hidden from the eyes of the public as they provide protection. By conforming to the genre we are reinforcing the connotations of crime and establishing the characters need to escape from a world this dark and twisted. Being near a suburb could also suggest a common aspect of film noirs that this could happen to anyone and that no one is safe. Filming in an alleyway will be difficult because we'll have limited space to move in, this will make film from different angles a challenge. However, the small space could be used to introduce the theme of claustrophobia and to reinforce the idea that the character is trapped and vulnerable.

For the final part of our opening sequence our main character wakes up tied to a chair in a garage, this reinforces the theme of vulnerability and crime. The garage we will be using also belongs to one of our group members. This, again, provides us with control and privacy because there won't be any members of the public and we can change the mise-en-scene to suit our requirements. The objects in the area could be moved to provide a space for the main character, alternatively by leaving some but covering them with dust sheets it could create a sense of mystery as neither the character nor the audience know what's underneath them and it could be anything. A garage also conforms to the convention of using suburbs to suggest that tragedy can strike anyone, it could also unsettle the audience as this is an everyday location turned into a cage.

Script for Our Thriller Opening - Isabel Hurren

The Title of Our Film

We decided to name our film 'Gone', we spent a long time trying to think of something elaborate and inventive but in the end we decided to go with something simple that suited the events of our film. Seeing as our film revolves around a kidnapping the name 'Gone' seemed fitting. This title connotes mystery as you don't know what has been taken or where it has gone. The simplicity of the title also connotes this as it doesn't give you any clues as to what the film is about or what action will take place. It suggests an element of vulnerability which is present during the film when the character gets kidnapped and has the control he had over his life taken away by people he doesn't know. This name is effective because it creates questions that people will want to answer. It also brings to mind a lot of different events and ideas which makes it effective because it gets the audience thinking. This name will intrigue the audience because of the mystery around it, they will want to discover what actually happens in the film.

Mind Map of Initial Ideas - Isabel Hurren

It will be difficult to explore some of these ideas without giving the entire story away, however, by having a range of different locations and time periods within the film used in the opening we could introduce small elements of the story whilst the rapid changes would intrigue the audience and compel the audience to keep watching.

Independent Study: Men and Women in Film Noir

   

Independent Study

Film Noir is a cinematic style that is recognisable by its pessimistic and dark themes. It originated in the 1940s after the Second World War and it reflects the paranoia and scepticism that was present in society at the time. Without the war film noir never would have existed, writers and directors fed off the darkness created by WW2 and the horrors that people had seen.  However, it couldn’t survive the 1950s because people wanted something more hopeful and positive. The conventions of film noir include: shadows, the theme of fate, murder, chiaroscuro lighting, canted angles and rainy streets. These all link into the melancholy atmosphere of film noir. There are also several key character types that are present in film noir. For example, there is the femme fatale, this is usually the main female character that the protagonist falls in love with. These women seem to be ordinary but they have dark pasts and their loyalty lies with the antagonist of the film. This commonly leads to the protagonist being framed by her or tricked into committing a serious crime. The protagonist is usually as man who has no future and is an underdog. This reflects the way many men felt after experiencing the war.

In film noir the protagonist is usually a male detective or private eye, this alienates them for society and creates a feeling a social estrangement. A common trope of the protagonist is amnesia, this further excludes them from society as they struggle to rediscover their memories. They also work in dehumanising areas such as red light districts or desolate office buildings, the cities they live in are metropolises full of corruption and criminals. The protagonist often gets caught up in the crime that dominates their city. Often, these men don’t have a future and they are doomed from the beginning of the film. This reflects the way many men felt after WW2 because the world they knew had been destroyed and they were left trying to put the pieces back together. These cynical and obsessive men struggle to survive and ultimately they lose this battle.

The antagonist of a film noir is usually a corrupt politician or gangster. They are cold blooded and have little regard for other people or how their actions affect them. They are the main source of violence in the film and often have an air of charisma surrounding them. A common motive for the antagonist is money because it was the main way to get ahead in a world full of poverty. The antagonist can also have had a previous or current relationship with the femme fatale. An example of an antagonist in film noir is Harry Lime.

An example of a male protagonist in film noir is Holly Martins from The Third Man. Holly is a pulp writer who has travelled to Vienna after receiving news of the death of his friend Harry Lime. Holly quickly gets caught up in the mystery of his friend’s death and falls in love with the film’s femme fatale Anna Schmidt.

Holly Martins is an unusual protagonist because even though his writing can alienate him from society he lacks the darkness that is commonly associated with the male lead of a film noir. Instead he is a fool that easily falls in love, however, his erratic temper and final decision could connect him with other protagonists. Martin’s decision to kill Lime at the end of the film isn’t unusual for the protagonist of a film noir. By doing this Martins believes he is doing the right thing but in the end it costs him Anna Schmidt and his innocence. Martins often confuses fiction with reality and his disillusion is shown at the end of the film when he believes that Anna would still want to be with him after he killed her old lover.

Harry Lime, Martins “dead” friend was part of a crime ring that sold diluted penicillin that killed several people, including children. Lime is an example of a cold hearted antagonist, when Holly is close to discovering information about Harry from a doorman, Lime has him killed. This shows that he doesn’t care about the lives of others, instead he is only concerned by his own wellbeing. Lime also has no regrets about the deaths that he has caused, this shows his detachment from society because he can’t understand the guilt that he should feel.

         

During this scene Holly and Harry discuss the deaths that Harry has caused and his indifference towards his actions. Lime tries to reason with Martin, saying that the people he has killed are inconsequential and meaningless compared to the amount of money he could make off of their deaths but Holly isn’t convinced. During this scene we discover that Harry’s motive is money, this establishes Harry’s disconnection from humanity and his callous view of society because he doesn’t care about the peoples’ death, only the money he can gain from it. Lime is transparently evil and could be interpreted as Lucifer like as he tries to tempt Holly into committing unforgivable sins.

 

The protagonist of Kiss Me Deadly is Mike Hammer, he is a private eye whose trademarks are brutish violence and a ruthless pursuit of criminals. Hammer is a typical male protagonist of a film noir because he is dark and brooding. Mike’s job separates him from society because he is always looking for the worst in people. This could mimic the paranoia still present in society by the 50s because nobody trusted each other and feared the rise of groups similar to that of the Nazis. His actions lead to death and destruction which is also a common trope of film noir as the protagonists story always ends badly.  Hammer is also prone to violence, this emphasises his masculine strength and would help the male audience connect with him because they had also experienced mass violence and cruelty. Mike is also searching for something more in his life, he doesn’t just want to hunt down cheating spouses, and instead he wants to be involved in something bigger. This could also reflect male views at the time because they felt lost without the war and needed something to ground them.

          

During the opening sequence of Kiss Me Deadly, Mike Hammer nearly hits Christiana Bailey with his car because she runs into the middle of the road in an attempt to hitch a ride. Hammer offers Christiana a ride even though she could have damaged his car, this easily allows the audience to identify Mike as the protagonist because despite his slightly darker side he is still kind enough to help her and to do the right thing. Hammer starts to question her as they drive, this shows his inquisitive nature and hinting at his job as a private eye. As they are pulled over for questioning by the police about a women who escaped an asylum, which turns out to be Christiana, Mike’s intelligence is shown because he is quick to think of an excuse so they avoid further interrogation from the police. This typical of a protagonist of a film noir because they have to use their intelligence to survive the brutal world that they live in.

The most common character type for women in film noirs is the femme fatale. This is a women who is the complete opposite of the perfect housewife and she is repulsed by the idea of marriage because it would mean the loss of her independence and sex life. These women are dangerous as they are driven by their desire to remain free and are willing to kill to escape the clutches of a man who wants to tame them and make them their own. In film noirs women are seen as objects for men to collect and in films such as ‘I Wake Up Screaming’ men are disgruntled by their inability to make the femme fatale their own. This cold represent the way that women were viewed during the 40s and 50s as they were only valued for the looks and little else mattered. Unlike the ideal housewife, femme fatales are incapable of devotion to one man and they are promiscuous, intelligent and narcissistic. They usually manipulate the male protagonist into falling in love with them and then they betray this trust by using them as the fall guy to achieve their own means. However, these women rarely have a happy ending either and like the male protagonist they are doomed to live, or die, is the darkness that fills their world. This independent and commanding female character could be the reflection of the independence and power that women gained during WW2 whilst they took over men’s jobs because they were away fighting. However, the femme fatales tragic end could reflect men’s response and dislike towards this new found authority.

There is also the character type of the dutiful, loving and trustworthy helper or assistant that is the complete opposite of the femme fatale. They represent the ideal of the nuclear family, but the hero rarely has a relationship with this character because they are also opposites of the protagonist as they are gritty and dark. The “good” women is also too boring and safe for the protagonist compared to the dangerous and alluring femme fatale.

Anna Schmidt is an actress in Vienna, she was Harry Lime’s lover before his “death”. We first met Anna at Harry’s funeral when Holly takes interest in her. This reinforces the idea that women were only valued for their beauty because Martins want to get to know her just because of her looks and the air of mystery that surrounds her. Holly quickly develops feelings for Anna leading him to make decisions based on her interests in an attempt to win her and to get her to return his feeling. However, Anna is unwaveringly committed to Harry Lime despite him seeing her as nothing more than a plaything and an object to use. Her devotion to Lime is shown when she rips up the papers that mean her freedom to go and warn Harry that he’s in a trap. Her love for Lime is further shown when she rejects Martins at the end of the film because he killed Harry. Anna under goes a transformation during the film, at the beginning she is passive and destroyed by grief but once she learns that Harry is alive she becomes the femme fatale, she causes actions that she refuses to take the blame for.
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During this scene Anna walks straight past Martins as he calls out to her. This shows just how devoted Anna was to Lime because despite his awful crimes she still loves and hate Holly for causing his death. This kind of dedication was typical of couples of the time, even though Harry and Anna aren’t a normal couple, because when you met someone you tended to stay with them for the rest of your life no matter what. Anna’s lack of care about Harry’s crimes could show that like most femme fatales she has little care for the law or regard for human lives. This could be because she feels excluded from society and therefore has no connections to it. She is also a typical femme fatale because she won’t be tied down to Holly and choses independence instead of him. This shows just how much women valued their new found power after being tied to men for centuries.

Christiana is the first character that we meet in Kiss Me Deadly emphasising her importance despite the fact that she doesn’t survive past the first act of the film. She is only wearing a trench coat which makes her character sexualised but Hammer never takes advantage of her because of this and instead helps her even though he doesn’t know what she is running from. Christiana’s need to be rescued makes her very unlike a femme fatale and instead more like an ideal women of the time as she appears to be fragile and vulnerable to attacks that she would have no chance at defending herself against. This is emphasised by the way she holds onto Hammer when they are approaching the police who are looking for her, this shows that she’s not strong enough to face them alone and instead needs Hammer’s support. However, she also starts to lean on Mike to disguise herself as his wife, this shows her intelligence because she knows that to get past without arousing suspicion she needs to blend in and appear innocent.

 

In conclusion, in film noirs men are represented as strong, brooding cynics that have no future and are doomed to fall prey to the femme fatale and her destructive nature. This suggests that at the time these film noirs were created people didn’t trust one another and had a disapproving view of others. Therefore, it implies that society was full of fear and that people didn’t have anyone to turn to. We could use these character types in our thriller by introducing a character that has an untrusting approach to other characters and is caught up in the crime that is present in their city. Women are shown to be controlling and powerful, we could replicate this in our thriller by having a female character that dominates the shot and captures the attention of the audience.

 

Motifs in The Prestige

Motifs in The Prestige

A motif in a film is a repeated element that has symbolic significance and a deeper meaning. Motifs can be recurring sounds, motions, objects or phrases used throughout a film, their purpose is usually to emphasise the theme of a film. Motifs are used in the mystery thriller The Prestige. This film revolves around two magicians who get trapped in a cycle of competing with the other to become the greatest magician, pushing both magical and moral boundaries along the way. It explores themes of sacrifice, identity and freedom.

                        

                        
The theme of freedom in The Prestige is explored through the motif of cages. Throughout the film the magicians, Lord Caldlow and Robert Bodern and his twin, perform a trick that involves making a bird in a cage disappear and then reappear. When the trick is being performed close ups, such as the bottom shot on the right, are used. These close ups allow the audience to see what the magician is doing as they attempt to figure out the trick actually works. This draws the audience in and captivates them because they want to discover the secret behind the trick. This is repeated throughout the film, allowing the motif of cages to develop. The cages could represent the fact that both of the protagonists are trapped, much like the birds, in a cycle of trying to destroy the other’s reputation. They can’t escape this cycle and are forced by their own curiosity to understand the mystery behind their opponent’s tricks. This makes them much like the audience as they are desperate for information that they can’t receive until the end when everything is revealed. The parallelism between the audience and the protagonists is reinforced by the use of eye level shots because these shots put the audience on the same level as the characters and allow them to identify with the protagonists. Both characters are also trapped by their obsession with their own stagecraft. They are never satisfied with their current act and force themselves to create something bigger, better and more exciting. This results in them losing their families and friends as they are consumed and trapped by their desire to be the best. The cage is a key representation of how Caldlow is trapped by obsession because at the beginning of the film he was unwilling to kill a bird to complete the trick but by the end of the film he will kill clones of himself just to be better than Bodern. This motivation and determination is a common character trait for the protagonist in a mystery thriller as they are driven by their desire to find the truth. For example, in Gone Girl Nick Dunne is fuelled by the need to know what his wife has done and why, leading him into her dark and unsettling past with other men. The use of cages, as well as the bird trick in general, foreshadows the development of more extreme versions of this magic trick that results in the death of numerous clones emphasising the theme of mortality and bringing the value of human life into question.

In The Prestige, sound motifs are also used. Whenever either Bodern or Caldlow are on screen the score repeats a particular phrase of music. These different sound motifs emphasise the difference between the two characters and their separation now that they are competing with one another. 
          
The sound motifs of electricity and machinery are also used throughout the film to highlight the importance of Tesla’s inventions in the film. These auditory motifs also emphasise the relationship between magic and technology. This is unusual because science and magic are normally separate and act to diminish the belief in the other. Magic is also an uncommon aspect in most thrillers because they focus more on the harsh and brutal reality of the world instead of the mystic world of fantasy. The loud sounds of electricity and machinery as Tesla makes his entrance are unsettling and set the audience on edge. This establishes the idea that what Tesla is doing is disturbing and unnatural. It also makes the audience uncomfortable when Tesla is on screen because they don’t understand him or what his motives are.  The combination of science and magic further confuses the audience, however this also captivates them because, like the rest of the magic tricks in the film, they want to understand them and how they work together.

Disguises are also a key motif in the film, throughout The Prestige the characters use disguises to hide their identity and to complete their tricks. These disguises further emphasise the characters obsession because they can’t not know what the other is doing so they have to go and watch them. It also reinforces the hatred and separation between the protagonists because they can’t openly show their faces because if they did the other would get angry which would lead to even more revenge plots and investigation of each other’s trick. The disguises also relate to the theme of identity which is a major part of the film. For example, Caldlow slowly loses aspects of his identity and his feeling of self-worth as he continues to let his clones die so that he can enjoy being in the limelight when the trick is complete. It also relates to Bodern’s identity, this is because Bodern is actually two people. Bodern is made up of two men who are twins that use their identical appearance to complete their magic shows. However, because the two men have to act as the same person it means that they lack their own identity which negatively affects their relationships with others as they can never truly be themselves. This could also link to the tricks throughout the film because like Bodern they are never actually what they appear to be. The lack of identity that both characters have could call the audiences’ own identity into question and make them wonder what makes them themselves.

To conclude, the motifs in The Prestige are used to reflect aspects of the protagonists and to influence the audience’s views toward certain characters and the way they act. The use of the bird cage seems to be the most prominent motif in the film as it’s echoed throughout the film as are the ideas that it connotes. It emphasises major parts of the characters, such as their obsessions and how they are trapped and controlled by them. In our thriller opening we could introduce motifs that would be continued throughout the rest of the film, for example, our femme fatale always wearing an item of red could forebode danger and anger. This would be a subtle hint that would reoccur for the rest of the film.