Opening: a young woman is walking home unaccompanied, yet she doesn't know that she is being followed by a mysterious man in dark clothing. The man reaches the woman's house before she does and is seen grabbing a knife. The woman returns home and is greeted by the man and the knife, but is then presented with a birthday cake by him. The woman takes the man into an embrace and he wishes her a 'happy birthday' but then looks psychotically into the lens of the camera.
Setting: begins in a lobby then expands to outside - nothing unusual about setting. House/flat - dark when first entered - suggests something bad will happen, light gets turned on - revealing ending.
Props: knife - suggests violence, an attack, injury or even death
Camera shot types/angles: medium, long and pan shots - show surroundings and distance between the two main characters - suggests something to going to happen for them to collide at one point. Close up and extreme close ups - shows the facial expressions and movements of the individual characters, suggests that their movements are going to build up to something.
Lighting: outside, bright - around sunset - natural, suggests nothing major will happen, but darkness is closing in - again suggests a build up to something
Casting: young man and woman, Nothing unusual about the woman, just on her way home. Man - peculiar, suspicious - seems to be after something.
Costume and make-up: woman - ordinary clothes. Man - dark clothing, hooded top - suggests he doesn't want to be seen easily, wants to remain unnoticed.
Movement:woman walks normally, suggests that she is completely unaware she is being followed, until she turns around, but sees nothing out of the ordinary and continues walking. Man, follows woman suspiciously, then runs toward her house/flat and grabs a knife and waits for her,
Music: dark, low-pitched, creates suspense for the audience - suggests a build up to something dramatic.
Positives: varied use of shot types, appropriate music - sets tension and suspense for audience, unexpected ending - quite humorous for audience
Negatives: shakey camera movements - lessens the tension and suspense of the atmosphere
Why I chose Killer Surprise: As well as looking at professional film openings, I also wanted to analyse amateur openings, as they show a more, realistic approach to what a student or young amateur can create opposed to professional cameramen with the expensive budget and high-tech equipment they have access to. Killer Surprise is described as a thriller, a genre which I would like to focus upon for my own opening.
No comments:
Post a Comment