G321 Thriller Research: Scene Analysis

1)  

Body of lies [2 minutes]

Background:

Certificate: 15           

Time: 128minutes   

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

Director: Ridley Scott

Budget: $70,000,000

Box Office Returns: $115,097,286

Produced by: Ridley Scott & Donald De Line

Release Date: October 5, 2008

Made in: United States

	How is the antagonist and/or protagonist represented in the scene?

(Antagonists)

The antagonists in this scene are shown in the shadows. Their faces are darker and the light is behind them so it gives the idea that the light (good) has left them. Their surroundings are also dark and consist mainly of shadows. The man laying down is turning away from the light, so he's turned his back on good. He is also holding a book, which shows he is literate but he is not reading it because he's given up. This could also suggest he is distracted and his thoughts are focused on something greater. Turned away from that like he has with the light. Their faces are shadowed by the dark and almost blend in with the background to show that they don't want to be seen or found. We get the impression they are hiding. Hiding from the protagonist? They also speak in a different language, even though it’s an English made film. Over time that is seen as evil, if a character is either speaking a different language or has an accent they tend to be bad because the hero is English (James Bond). So we assume they are the antagonists because of the semiology and the representation they are given. Even though we see them as normal people they are shown as the bad guys, we associate antagonists as the dark (Black Vs White) so there is a huge contrast between the antagonist and protagonist. We automatically think this so even the smallest things such as shadows (playing with light intensity) effects the way we see things.



(Protagonist)

The protagonist is shown all in black but out of the shadows. The sound of the train going over as they move suggests they are more of a unit, not individuals. Their faces are blacked out which makes you feel nothing for them, because we can't see their facial expressions we don't attach any emotion or feelings towards them. We see them as a unit and not as individuals. The Milkman is working for them so is a protagonist. You can see all of him but they made him culturally different so to not seem prejudice. The Milkman breaks up the action and builds suspense; he is wearing bright colours and is located in the light surroundings. This is evidence for the Helmut Nickel theory of White hats/Black hats.   


2)  

Taken: Phone Call [54 Seconds]

Background:

Certificate: 18          

Time: 93 minutes     

Genre: Thriller 

Director: Pierre Morel 

Budget: $25 million 

Box Office Returns: $226,830,568 

Produced by: Luc Beeson

Release Date: 27th February 2008

Made in: France

How is the sound used to create suspense and other effects in the scene?

Sound in this scene is used to create suspense and build tension while the protagonist makes a phone call to the antagonist. The tone of the phone call is very serious. The sound starts off in silence but as he begins to talk and threaten the music builds up into a eerie drone. Violins are a good tool to make the situation tense because of the ear screeching pitch they reach. As the protagonist threatens the violins get more violent and aggressive. The aggressive use of the violins emphasises the danger the character is in and that of his daughter. It also emphasises how serious and determined the protagonist is because it adds weight too his threat. 

Heavy breathing in between each sentence down the phone adds tension because he isn't involved in the average conversation on a phone line. It reminds us that he is not talking to himself and that the person on the other end is listening. Once he finishes his speech there is a small silence after he threatens with "I will kill you," this gives us the impression the sound and music was to build up to the final line I will kill you, to express how serious and devoted the protagonist is to finding his daughter. 

It cuts to no music as the antagonist says only two words: "Good Luck". Shortly after the antagonist intimidates him with those words there is a crashing noise as if the phone was slammed down.

We then hear the dial tone, which lasts for a reasonably long time. This serves to allow the audience time to let the seriousness of the protagonist's deadly threat in the previous conversation sink in. The scene began with a dial tone, before the music began, and the scene ends with a dial tone, after the music has ended. 

Unlike Body of Lies, the Taken phone call scene is more linked to the Verfremdungseffekt theory. Which is the distancing effect and the opposite of Nickels idea. The protagonist is presented as being good but he just threaten to kill someone, which is an evil deed. This allows the audience to distance themselves and interrogate right from wrong. It is the same with the scene's semiology, dark and dressed in black. If we were to go by Nickel's theory then the protagonist would become the antagonist. The use of silence, violin build up and dial tones it has created suspense and tension.  

3)    

The Dark Night: Final Joker Scene [2:53]

Certificate: 12A         

Time: 152 minutes    

Genre:  Superhero Thriller

Director: Christopher Nolan

Budget:  $185 million

Box Office Returns: $1,003,045,358

Produced by: Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven

Release Date: July 18th, 2008

Made in: United Kingdom & United States

How Conventional is the costume of the protagonist and the antagonist in this scene? 

In batman the costumes are not at all conventional. The joker is wearing bright colours and doesn't follow the rules of a conventional, traditional villain. For a villain his costume is less focused on the Nickels idea of wearing black, dark clothing and wears bright clothing but is character has more of a disturbed nature. The make up is smeared and generally clowns terrify people. So the Jokers comes across as more psychotic as well as evil. The Dark Knight is the opposite of the Nickels Theory but doesn't fit in with the Verfremdungseffekt theory either. The bright colours of the Jokers costume could symbolise the way he behaves. Bold and outrageous ideas with his costume also describes how his mind and villainous activity work. The jokers make up as said before could suggest he is more of a mind plagued villain and likes to concentrate on mind games. Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) is a common fear and most people can relate to it. This would effect the audience by unnerving certain people and the sick, twisted games from the Joker and other features (such as his laugh) would make you feel uneasy. The Jokers costume does represent his character.    

The batman also contradicts both Nickel and Verfremdungseffekt theory's. He is all in black, his face is covered and he is hidden in the shadows, yet he is the protagonist. Like with the antagonist, the protagonists costume also reflects on his status. Black and covered up means he doesn't want to reveal his identity and hides away in the shadows, which is the way the Batman acts. He is like an outlaw but he's doing good and not evil as his costume would suggest if you didn't know from first glance he was the good guy. The film collapses both theory's about effects and techniques used to portray the characters and their effect on the audience. In comparison to the Joker we would seem happier with the Batman because his costume is less intimidating than the Jokers, but is still intimidating in general. In conclusion the costume is in no way conventional to what is expected as a thriller film, but it works because of the characters nature. Costumes of characters tells us a lot about the way they act when posing as "The Batman". There is a similar set up in the film, "Sin City" with Marv being a protagonist but could be misinterpreted as the antagonist.  

In contrast to Body of Lies and Batman the costumes are completely different. Batman contradicts both theory's, where as Body of Lies follows Nickels theory and follows the conventional costume to portray the 'goodies' and the 'baddies'.