JG: Thriller Analysis

Source Code (Jones, 2011)

Genre:

·        The film is a thriller.

·        The audience’s generic conventions of the text are fulfilled in the opening sequence as it is what they would expect; jumpy, mysterious, important events and enigma codes.

·        The text conforms to the characteristics of the genre.

Film Language:

·        Mise-en-scène is incredibly useful in this extract as it displays ideas with ease for example the use of facial expressions is particularly helpful as we see the protagonist wake up confused and tense this is shown by him looking around wide eyed. The location is significant as it makes it possible for the audience to identify with the situation and realise why it is so busy when we found out that it is Chicago. The set design is important as it is a train which the majority of the movie is based on this is important as it is a main part of the film and we are able to see a large amount of Sean’s surroundings therefore allowing us to identify with him and imagine what it is like for him.

·        The establishing shot of Sean at eye level gives the sense of a normal human viewpoint. As we are level with him empathy and understanding of character experience are generated.

Long takes of Sean create the viewpoint of him as the protagonist and the most important character this is reinforced through prevalence. Long takes are also used to establish enigma codes for example the shot of the bag with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center logo on it.

Close-ups are crucial as they allow us to see his facial expressions clearly and we see his confusion when he wakes up on the train.

Shot/reverse shot emphasises the fact that he doesn’t understand how he got there or who she is as we see her reaction to what he says during their conversation, which clearly shows that they know each other rather well through her dialogue.

Close-ups of her emphasise their relationship as she shows concern for him and this is also displayed by dialogue “You’re kinda freaking me out.” This is one example of sound anchoring the images as she looks worried and evenly slightly scared. Another example of sound reinforcing the images is the sound of the other train going past and him jumping and waking up.

·        Through the use of non-verbal language and dialogue we learn of Christina’s frustration with her ex “I hear more from him now than I did when we were together, what is it with guys?” and also Sean as she thinks at times that he is messing around.

Salt (Noyce, 2010)

Narrative:

·         The story is structured in chronological order as the North Korean officers come into Evelyn Salt’s cell, they are seen as abusive and cruel through the narrative especially the dialogue and action as they drag around Evelyn have tied her up and torture her. We then see her released which suggests that they have either got the information they required out of her or that they have reached some sort of agreement with the CIA who she works for.

·        The events position the audience with Evelyn Salt as the protagonist as a consequence of character exposition thus causing us to sympathise with her as we see her as beaten and skinny signifying that they have treated her badly which we see from the action. We also feel sorry for her as if she was in fact not a CIA agent then they haven’t believed her and aren’t going to achieve anything from it.

·        The techniques used to make us identify with Evelyn Salt are the fact that the harsh conditions she has been subject to play with our heart strings and cause us to pity her. We are alienated from the North Korean officers as we see them as horrible as they violently abuse a woman and we don’t want to associate with them as we regard them as the ‘bad guys.’

·        The main themes shown in the narrative are violence, espionage, strength, interrogation which is typical of the thriller genre.

·        Tension is created and maintained through both action and dialogue for example when Evelyn Salt is released we want to know who acquired the papers in order to get her freed and this information is delayed through her conversation with Ted Winter and then we find out and we are interested about his significance this keeps the audience captivated.

Representation & Ideology:

·        It shows North Korean officers negatively as they are torturing a woman, the CIA as ruthless as they want to protect themselves and wouldn’t have saved her if it wasn’t for her German husband who is seen as kind and hard working as it says “Once he found out where you were there was no stopping him. He petitioned the Senate, State Department”. Women are seen as tough as she is strong willed and insists that she isn’t a spy and also by the fact that it takes several men to hold her down in order to torture her. However she is still shown to be emotionally fragile as we can tell from her facial expressions that she is incredibly moved by her husband’s efforts to save her. This reflects the dominant ideology in contemporary society that men and women are equal.

Inception (Nolan, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXkUzf1et4

Media Audiences:

·        The target audience is teenagers and adults due to its complex storyline which we can infer as it has a 12 certificate.

·         Preferred reading of the opening sequence allows the audience to understand that the protagonist Cobb is in a dream and that he is trying to gain complete access to Saito’s mind, but Saito realises that he is in a dream and they have to deviate from the plan.

·        As a British teenager I enjoy the film as I see it as an exciting but complex idea which keeps you hooked as you have to work out exactly what is happening. This is also influenced by my age and gender as I am male I find the plot interesting and like the idea that it is just a dream and that they are trying to manipulate it in order to plant an idea inside Saito’s head, as a grammar school student we are likely to be open to challenges and therefore are ready to deal with and understand the complexity of the storyline.

Institutional Context:

·        Inception has a star filled cast and crew with Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, 2008 and Batman Begins, 2005) as the Director and the main actors are Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island, 2010 and Titanic, 1997) Joseph Gordon-Levitt (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2009 and Brick, 2005) and Ellen Page (Juno, 2007 and X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006. This is important as it helps to attract an audience for the film from fans of these actors.

·        Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. produced the film it is one of the major Hollywood film studios and is a subsidiary of Time Warner it is therefore an industrial film as it can receive funds easily for high budget films.

Nolan and Warner Bros. had made a point of releasing very little information about the film in advance, so even with the substantial amount of resources at their disposal they were able to transform a completely unknown entity into the 'must-see' release of the year in such a limited time. Warner went to great lengths for its blog outreach campaign, utilising major and minor movie fan sites to help spread titbits of pre-release information. They created an online comic book prequel, The Cobol Job. The book introduces us to the characters and rules of Nolan's filmic world, and more importantly gives those reading it a little something extra. The most important advertising for Inception was word of mouth recommendation as the complexity of the storyline and thrill of the film spread around more and more people wanted to see the film, this was helped by the many twists that helped keep the viewers gripped.