Overall evaluation on my analysis of thriller films

By analysing each of the films - Gupt: The Hidden Truth, Frozen and Kathik Calling Karthik. I have found out a lot of key things which will help me when I come to making my opening sequence of a thriller film.

Important things I found out:

Lighting - I found out that lighting is used to create a type of atmosphere which in all three movies I watched was to create a very dark atmosphere. In each of the films the lighting was dark and created shadows to make the scene look very mysterious. However, in each of my films I found out that in the next shot which would approximately be 10 seconds after the lighting would suddenly change and turn bright and vibrant to create a sense of hope but also confusion which draws the audience into the film as a sudden contrast has been made.

Props - The props which are used in each of the films make each film look realistic. I found out that I will need to consider certain types of props to use when making my thriller film as I want it to look as realistic as possible. An example of using props to make the film look realistic is in the film Frozen that I analysed, when each of the characters wore ski equipment it helped made the film look authentic and believable.

Camera/editing - Looking at the camera of each thriller opening has helped me see how the camera and editing is used. Overall, the main things I have found out about the camera is that; long shots are used to establish location and setting, close ups are normally used to show the facial expression on a characters face or to show a certain object, mid shots are used to show facial expression as well but it also shows the characters body language. I have also learnt a lot about shot angles. The main angles that I came across in each of the thriller films were: eye level and high angle. The eye level is important because it shows each character is as important in the film as one another. The high angles that are used are normally to show that one character is more dominant than the other. I also learnt editing creates suspense and mystery in the scene as it cuts back and forth of either a character or a place which is confusing for the audience as they don't know what is happening.

Title sequences - Looking at all three title sequences has helped me gain a more advanced understanding on how they create suspense, anxiety and worry at the beginning of the film. Each of the title sequences were extremely different but they all achieved the same result. From analysing title sequences it has shown me that I need to make sure I think about what colors  lighting, fonts, images etc I use carefully as I need it to be eye catching and draw the audience in. 

Music/sound - The music and sound was very significant in each of the thriller films. I found out generally non diagetic and diagetic music is used equally. The diagetic sound of each of the characters played a less important roll as it didn't create much mystery or didn't add much to the tone in the film. However, the non diagetic sound such as music which is played over the top of characters talking helped out making the film come across very sinister.  I also found out that film makers contrast sound a lot by making it go from calm and soothing to upbeat to engage the audience. I will have to make sure I try and do this so I can achieve the same effect and draw my audience in.

Overall, I think analysing each of the three thriller films help add to my knowledge on thriller films in general and how they achieve to grab the audiences attention.