1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or chal

Bourne vs Gone

The Bourne Ultimatum opening analysis

There are many similarities between the way that 'The Bourne Ultimatum' was constructed and the way that we created 'Gone'. From seeing the Thriller conventions in another opening, we could see which would work in our film.

In our opening, we used restricted narration by hiding the identity of our suspected antagonist, Marcus.

The opening scene of the Bourne Ultimatum uses Thriller iconography as it begins with Jason Bourne running away from something, but we don't initially see what he's running from. This creates enigma, as the spectator is forced to question why he is running. The chase aspect of the scene uses iconography, as a chase is a common Thriller convention. Many aspects of mise en scene are used to add to the thrilling action in the scene. The blue colour matches the intense theme and the cold surroundings. Tremulous camerawork is used along with close ups of Bourne as he runs, adding to the enigma and restricted narration as we aren't shown the whole picture.

Through the use of shallow depth of field, we have focussed on a separate part of the frame from Marcus. In editing, we also changed the contrast to distort it further and make the lighting more dramatic. This restricts the narration, as we don't know what he looks like on top of being unsure of what they are arguing about. This lack of information given to spectators creates enigma and should make people want to watch the rest of the film to discover more.

In this shot, shallow depth of field is used to focus on Jason Bourne, as well as distorting the background to create enigma. Restricted narration is used here, as the characters would be able to see what is in the background while the spectators cannot. This is a common horror convention which we implemented into our opening.

Se7en titles analysis

The Film:

In the opening sequence to 'Se7en', titles are used to add to the meaning of the narrative through the use of fonts and animation. The Thriller genre is introduced with these conventions, including flickering text which moves in time with the non diegetic soundtrack.

Some of the titles are superimposed onto the video, whilst more important text is shown on a plain black background.

Old Boy

When creating 'Gone' we ensured that we applied many conventions of Thriller to our film. We researched many openings to other Thriller films to gain an understanding of what conventions they usually include.

White is the only colour used in the titles for Se7en. This is a convention used in all Thriller openings I did title research for, including 'Old Boy' and 'The Hurt Locker'.

This choice of colour is to maximise simplicity and readability. If a Thriller opening defied this convention of greyscale colours, it would have to be for a specific reason, as it would be a clear anomalie to the genre.

Colour

The Hurt Locker

Se7en vs Gone

In the opening to 'Gone', we kept the titles as simple as possible, and didn't see the need for much animation as there was already so much action taking place in the sequence. The font used is very basic and sans serif, which is common in other Thriller openings.

We used a white font to stick to the conventions of other Thrillers, which should allow spectators to recognise the genre more easily. The simplicity of all the titles we used allows for people's full attention to be on the important part of the plot which is unfolding. This contrasts the rough, handwritten font used in 'Se7en' which is meant to be more at the forefront of the sequence.

The 'Gone' title itself appears initally in front of the extreme long shot of the hot tub, but is then transitioned to be shown on its own, emphasising that it is the film's title.

Inception vs Gone

Inception opening analysis

In our opening for 'Gone', the narrative structure works in a similar way to Inception, in that there is uncertainty of when the major disruption has come, and whether there is any equilibrium at the beginning.

We begin with an establishing shot of a dual carriageway with cars going at high speeds. Everything in the shot seems distinctively normal with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. This indicates equilibrium just like the first shot of Inception, though perhaps not so explicitly.

The following shot of our opening shows Addie in her car having an argument over the phone with her boyfriend, Marcus. We cut into the argument once it has already started, which raises questions as to what they are arguing over and how they got to this point. This is similar to the way that we don't know how Cobb ended up lying on the beach in Inception. In both openings, the spectator questions whether there has already been a disruption. There is a close up of both Cobb and Addie in the sequences to give a detailed insight into their extreme emotions.

In our opening, we soon see the argument come to an end and Addie relaxing in the hot tub. This peaceful setting with relaxing diegetic nature sounds implies tranquility and equilibrium prior to the major disruption as Addie is murdered.

Though it contains a very different plot, the narrative structure in the opening to Inception features many similarities to what we used in 'Gone'.

The opening shot of Inception is an establishing shot with a tranquil feel due to the sun hitting against the sea. This shot implies equilibrium, and this is emphasised through high key lighting showing the entire picture as though everything is okay. Pathetic fallacy is used here, as sunshine infers peace and happiness, along with the beautiful setting that has been used. Just seconds later, this tranquility is immediately disrupted when we see Cobb laying washed up by the shore, with facial expressions which imply a state of unconsciousness.

Despite the apparent disruption, we then see two children playing on what appears to be the same beach. This immediately juxtaposes what has just been seen, and spectators are therefore unaware of what point in Todorov's narrative theory we are at, or if the major disruption is still to come. These questions which have been raised by the filmmakers create enigma and make the opening incredibly enticing, making the spectators want to watch the rest of the film.

In what ways does your media product use, deveop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

There are many similarities between the shot distance, camera angle and composition of these shots.