Film Sequences

This lesson, I chose which film sequence I will be doing for my assignment. I have chosen to do Sequence 3, which includes Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, and North By Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I chose to do these film sequences as I have pinpointed specific elements of the different film techniques while watching them, and I believe they both effectively depict the genre of thriller/suspense.

I have also started planning, by researching the two directors and the genre-specific elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, and sound and editing. Here's the research I have gathered this lesson:

Genre-Specific Conventions

Mise-En-Scene:

- Typical thriller are set in a haunted house/dark alley/etc.

- Usually a weapon is involved

- Victim/s dressed as a regular person

- Villain often in dark clothing

- Low-key lighting, use of shadows

- Cooler colours, such as blue

Cinematography:

- Longer shots when leading up to the climax, quick shots at the climax

- Use of canted shots

- Montages of shots

- Close ups of the victims to show their emotions (facial expressions and body language)

- Quick shots of villain, usually to hide their identity and create suspense

- The victim/s generally take up less of the frame than the villains do to emphasise who has power and who doesn't

- The shots of the victim/s are usually taken from a high angle, whereas shots of the villain are taken from a low angle to show power

Sound and Editing:

- Starts with a slow tempo and quiet/no music to build tension

- Eerie music to create suspense

- Music builds up to make the film more dramatic

- Lots of jump shots

- The rhythm of the shots matches that of the music

Information on the Directors

About Steven Spielberg (director of Jurassic Park):

- Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter and producer

- Some of the films that he has directed include Jaws, Schindler's List and Raiders of the Lost Ark

About Alfred Hitchcock (director of North By Northwest):

- Has created more than 50 films, for example, Psycho

- Has been nicknamed the "Master of Suspense"