CREATING SUSPENSE

In Clip One, created by Jay Moussa-Mann, she talks about how to create suspense through film features and technique. A key point that was made in the clip is, information in the beginning of the story is needed to build suspense. Jay went on to elaborate on giving the audience a dangerous situation or character to build suspense. Jay then goes on to explain how, through long pauses of close calls, the audience ends up on the edge of their seat, anticipating each next step or action the protagonist takes. She then goes on to explain that when creating suspense, a good, relatable protagonist is needed or at least some character the audience can sympathies with. Through fleshing out characters, the audience views them as more real, making the danger seem more real.

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In Clip Two there is a focus on Steven Spielberg building suspense in his movies, such as “Jaws”, and “The Color Purple”. Spielberg utilizes the shots perspective, emphasizing the size of objects that are important plot devices. Through quick-cut edits and the size emphasis of important objects, it creates a build-up of tension and suspense as the audience tries to guess what path the film will take. Spielberg also builds the atmosphere of the scene by using music or to affect the emotive response of the audience to a film, or the lack of music to create an “eerie vibe”. Panning to show distance between the character in focus and danger also create suspense.

Clip Three focuses on Hitchcock and the use of suspense in his movies as well as his theory on suspense. Hitchcock is a key character in the thriller genre, coming up with theories such as the Bomb Theory. The premises for the Bomb Theory is: if a bomb suddenly goes off, it will cause a shock that lasts a few seconds, but if the audience sees the bomb (with a timer for example) they know the danger in the situation, but can’t interfere with the characters, building suspense. The suspense comes from a place of not knowing whether the characters will survive. Hitchcock was quoted as saying, “It is indispensable that the public be made perfectly aware of all the facts involved. Otherwise there is no suspense”. Hitchcock shows how cutting between the threat (information given) and the character gives suspense to the audience as it can highlight a potential encounter. He utilized drawing out a scene as it is climaxing to build further suspense.

"Paprika"

• In Paprika's opening sequence the creators use a combination of reality and fantasy aspects that elude to the nature of the film , this connects to the importance of media inside the film and allows strong use of symbolism.
• In the clip conventions such as mirrors are used to help convey the parallel nature of the two distinct worlds ( of dreams and reality) while allowing the viewer to get a idea of how the character thinks.
• The use of fourth wall breaks when the character stairs directly at the viewer give a sence of the character being real either getting an uneasy response or a seance of empathy from the viewer.

"Sucker punch"

• The film utilizes the use of a voice over (non-diabetic) in the sequence , this allows the protagonist to set the stage for the events of the film and set the theme /atmosphere for the style of the film.
• The opening sequence tells the story of the characters past giving her a backstory and lets the viewer understand the story from her perspective giving context to her actions. The information given in the  opening sequence gives context to what and why things are happening throughout the film providing the motivation for all parties involved.
• The conventions of camera angles was used to portray the power of the antagonist through the use of low angles (this made him seem bigger and more powerful), and the protagonist is contrasted as weaker in the opening sequence (before character growth)  through lower high angles (minimizes her). The angles are only used in the situation where they are alone (the younger sister was there), when they are at the funeral the angles change back to mid showing they where not in danger at that time.

"Skyfall"

• The use of imagery utilizing things that should seem innocent such as clowns and school buses are twisted into a tool that shows dander and creates fear, this is a convention commonly use in thrillers and horror movies.
• A interesting use of lighting going against common thriller conventions is the filming in broad day light which is used to portray the villain as bold meaning no one is ever truly safe from him.

"Spectre"

• Imagery plays a key part of the clip strongly connecting large aspects of the film through visual metaphors such as the symmetrical movement of the dancers in the opening leading to the point of the carefully planed out movement of the characters.
• The lighting is quite interesting in that  there is an equal use of light and dark utilizing the idea of how some things are meant to be known in the story while others will be kept in the dark.
• The music sets the tone for the film as it talks about key ideas such as "risking it all" this influences the viewer and creates a atmosphere of not the stereotypical high tension music but rather an emotionally dramatic peace that indicates some sort of inevitable loss.

"Skyfall"

• Strong symbolism is used to portray the danger of the story through multiple uses of blood and weapons , also a common theme of grave stones representing fatality and the mortality of the main character.
• The lighting in this opening sequence creates a story in an of its self  . the protagonist falls into water where he begins to sink as he goes deeper it becomes darker showing him becoming lost. The convention of darkness is a metaphor for the unknown and the dangers that hide within them , by the opening scene  progressively becoming darker it tells the story of  how he will become entwined with hidden dangers. 
• the convention of camera angles are used as there almost always seems to be a high angle shot of him helplessly descending, this links to how high angle shots minimize the character making him seem more vulnerable to his dangerous surroundings.