Most of these technical aspects take place during the post production stages, through the use of editing and of sound (both effects and musical score). But during production, the director of photography and the director have the job of placing the camera and their actors within specific locations. Certain camera angles like long shots of empty corridors provoke feeling within the audience that establishes a sense of fear or tension by creating the feel of ‘what is going to happen next?’ A silence or a long period of waiting creates fear within the audience as they wait for the next possible scare.
Also, by using shots on actors such as extreme close ups, creates the idea of claustrophobia between the character and the setting- therefore the audience gains a sense of claustrophobia. A good example of this is (towards the end) of the Ridley Scott film ‘Alien’ when we see Sigourney Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley as she attempts to avoid the creature within the spaceship and make her escape. As an audience member, I personally felt very claustrophobic within the setting as you could really feel the fear of the character, waiting to be attacked by the alien.
Another example of a (moving) shot type to provoke fear within audience is the shaky-cam; but this is more of a tool designed for a purpose. The shaky-cam is a moving handheld, fast moving, shot. The shaky-cam is designed to give an impression of intense action within the setting and around the camera, when it isn’t always there. It is usually designed to cloud the fact that there isn’t really that much going on in terms of surrounding action, but when used properly, the feeling can be extremely effective. A good example of this is around the middle and the very of the David Fincher film ‘Se7en’, when Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman’s characters give chase to an unnamed suspect through a run down apartment block and into the street, in a brilliantly crafted sequence. The reality is that nothing much really happens other than at the beginning and the end of the chase, but this is sheer proof of excellent direction by David Fincher and clever use of the camera by the director of photography and the cameraman himself.
In chronological order, the sequences goes as follows: ‘Detective Mills’ (Brad Pitt) and ‘Detective Somerset’ (Morgan Freeman) knock on the apartment door of murder suspect ‘John Doe’ (Kevin Spacey), there is no answer, they see ‘Doe’ down the corridor (but they can’t see his face due to his attire), he opens fire on them but misses and he runs down the stairwell, ‘Mills’ gives chase with his gun at the ready. ‘Mills’ basically chases ‘Doe‘ through the stairwell and through a different apartment building (via a fire escape), during this the much older ‘Somerset’ takes a short cut through various buildings (trying to cut off ‘Doe’), and eventually ‘Doe’ manages to get to the street with ‘Mills’ swiftly behind him, ‘Doe’ then attacks ‘Mills’ with a crowbar, ‘Somerset’ finds ‘Mills’ with a broken arm and a head wound; ‘John Doe’ escapes. The use of the shaky-cam (used mostly when we see ‘Somerset
These two camera angles/shot types are just two great examples of technical qualities during the production process, when working with cameras and actors during the stages of filming.
As well as technical factors that construct a genre during the production process, probably the more important factors come later on during the post-production stages of the movie-making process. Sound effects, editing, colour grading and the musical score are absolutely essential when crafting together a final sequence that will be categorised as a thriller.
A good example of sound effects in a film is ‘Speed’; the sound of the vehicles in the action sequences, the ticking of the bomb, the beep of the detonator, the crashing and clanging of the bus, the sound of the explosions, etc. It’s relatively hard to describe the sound effects within any film, never mind this one, because it’s so subtle and it’s mostly fed into our subconscious; we never really decipher the sound effects because they seem so believable and we rarely ever question them.
A good example of editing in a film is David Fincher’s ‘Fight Club’. The film is extremely well fast paced, and it constantly switches in time, back and forth. In my opinion, it contains some of the best editing in any film. ‘Fight Club’ doesn’t come just under the genre of thriller, but under many including: Drama, (what Fincher describes as an) ‘Urban horror’, Black Comedy and a thriller. Regardless of how you or others may categorise this film, you could never deny the sheer master class in editing that this film displays.
Colour grading is ridiculously subtle. It’s extremely hard to spot because it mostly feeds on our subconscious. In ‘Se7en’, the colour of the screen is very de-saturated to help portray the mood and provoke it within the audience. Despite its brilliance, the film doesn’t feel particularly pleasant, and the colour grading is an essential factor in creating this feeling/mood.
Finally to come in the post-production process is the musical score. Now when it comes to music to create tension or horror in the film, one film stands tall above all the others, and that’s Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. This is the ultimate example, with the terrifying shower sequence, the re-crafted the very foundations of the cinema- even today. It terrified audiences for a reason. And the Bernard Herman score was probably the main factor.
All of these pre-production, production and post production technical aspects and techniques thoroughly help to construct an enjoyable, pulse pounding thrill ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment