Inspirations - Miss Georgiou

Before creating my own thriller opening sequence, it is necessary that i think of all of the elements that i have researched within various film scenes and evaluate whether i would like to include them in my opening piece. I will need to think hardly about this and once i have made my decision as to what elements i want to add, i will then need to add different things to it so that it can have the best effects on the audience. These inspirations are taken from various places such as; Television, films, pictures, tv programmes and music videos. Mainly, my inspirations come from movie clips that i have previously watched on youtube.

When looking at the individual narrative, i felt very inspired when i saw the clip of the purge when the family were being held hostage in their own home. Within my narrative, i would like to include something about someone being held hostage. I believe that it would make the narrative more interesting and therefore the audience will be more appealed by the story. The use of this will make the story more original as not many other people have thought of using this idea within their opening sequences.

I have decided that I would like to use various cinematographic elements from a film called 'The Prisoners'. The first angle that I have decided that I would like to use is the high angle. High angles create various feelings for the audience. They allow the audience to understand that the character being shown on the screen is more inferior to the This makes the audience feel fearful due to the fact that the character has a higher profile to them. I also decided that I would like to use POV shots so that the audience can see what is happening from the view of the character. This also allows the audience to feel as though they are that character which makes theme feel as though they are part of the film.

I have taken many inspirations from the film 'Se7en' when looking at the opening credits that they have used. I noticed that during the opening credits there was a green overtone, this created a sense of eeriness and gave the scene a sinister tone overall. The use of the black coloured font can connote to the audience that death will be occurring. As the audience know, the colour black can signify death, therefore hinting to them that something bad will happen. The use of the blurry font can highlight the element of confusion. The confusion can make the audience understand that the victims within the film will be feeling this. The font can also be described as 'scratched'. The use of this can represent struggling, which describes what the victims will be doing. Within the opening credits, I can see that the background is black and the use of the font being white on top of it, can show good versus evil. The can be used to represent the victims against the murderer. The background appears to be red at some points, this can represent blood and anger. This can connote that something bad is going to happen which will show an angry person and this angry person will result in blood being spilled.

My next inspiration is from a film called 'The Strangers' in which i took many inspirations when listening to the variety of sounds that i heard when watching the clip. Within my thriller opening sequence, i would like to use a range of sounds such as non digetic sound. Non digetic sound is when sound or music is added on afterwards, such as in the editing stage. This is heard when the sinister music plays in the background. The audience can hear this sound being played when the record player and the sound begins very quietly and it gradually gets louder as the clip goes on. I would like to include this within my thriller sequence because i think it would create suspense for the audience.

The next sound device that is used within this clip is digetic sound, this is when the music or sound that is played in the scene is considered a natural part of the narrative, it doesn't have to be visible on screen. Again, the record player plays music.

When talking about mise en scene, there are a few elements within this category that have provided me with inspirations such as the iconography that they use. Within the clip that i have decided to analyse, the characters use a torch in order to search for the missing children inside an abandoned cabin in the woods. Within the scene, the man is using his torch as a source of light. This makes the scene sinister for the audience to watch because the torch is the key light and the audience must follow the light to follow the story and to be ready for what will happen. The setting within this scene also inspires me because it shows that the characters are alone and have no protection on them whatsoever. I will make sure to use this within my thriller opening sequence to show that the victims and characters will feel very vulnerable when it comes to the evil characters. This will show them as very weak and will help the audience to connote that those victims will not get very far. The next element is body language, in this scene the body language is used to create surprise and shock. When the man is standing still, the audience can understand that the character is frightened. When the audience see the child on the fridge, they can see that that child is very hunched. This makes them look animal like which again shows that they haven't been treated properly as humans. Another element within mise en scene is clothing. In this scene, i can see that the type of clothing that the men are wearing to enter the cabin is outdoor wear. I believe that they have worn this type of clothing s that they could us them as protection. They may need this clothing for protection as there may be something dangerous inside the cabin. From this, i can also infer that this type of clothing is a shield to them, warning the audience that there may be something in this cabin this is very unapproachable and will put up a fight. Another reason the men may be wearing this clothing could be to show that they walked through the forest to get to the cabin. This could show that something bad is going to happen to the people that have entered the house. I believe that the children inside have not been treated like children but more like animals, and animal handlers wear protective clothing such as thick jackets, just like the man shown in the image above. So, i believe this shows that the children have not been living the way they should be. This makes the audience feel sympathy towards the children due to the fact that they need to be saved rather than kept in this abandoned cabin. This is conventional within the thriller genre because the producers always try to give hints within the story. This allows the audience to think outside the box and make up their own ideas rather than just relying on the story to be told to them. The next element within the mise en scene category is the facial expression that characters are giving. Within this scene, the audience can see that the men are scared of the children that they have just seen climbing on the fridge. They are frightened and bewildered as the children are acting like animals. The men using these facial expressions show us exactly what is happening and how we should feel about it. This inspires me because the facial expressions must make the audience feel the same way otherwise the film will not be as scary as it should be. Within this scene, low key lighting is used. Within this scene, the audience can see that the only lighting is coming from the natural light outside. I believe that this is done to show realism as no colours or effects have been added. This makes it more realistic and the idea of imagining themselves in the situation occurs. Also, as the only light is from the outside, it highlights to the viewers that the men are in the woods. I believe that the use of the low key lighting inside and not outside can also highlight to the audience the setting outside. It shows that the woods are deserted which can help the audience to connote that there is no one outside that can help them. This inspires me because it is dark and sinister which allows the intensity and suspense to be raised, therefore making the scene scarier. The next element that makes up mise en scene is the positioning of characters/objects. Within the scene, i noticed that the male character is standing fully to the front. The audience as well as I can see that the way this man is standing fully facing the front tells us that he is scared about what is to the left of him. This makes the audience fearful of what he has seen. This inspires me as it builds up suspense, and therefore makes the audience excited to see what is going to happen. I want the audience to feel this way when they watch my thriller opening sequence.

Shot reverse shot is used at the beginning of the scene to show the two women having a conversation about what is happening to them. One girl is being injected whilst the other is trying to escape. The editing style demonstrate that both women are tied to hospital beds which subjects that the male character wants to torture them or inflict danger upon them. The use of shot reverse shot makes this part look like a conversation. This is inspiring because it shows the audience that the two women are a team. Slow pace editing is used while one of the girls tries to escape for the man who is trying to hurt her in order to create his dream of a human centipede. This builds up the suspense so us as the audience are waiting to see what happens next and if she can escape in time without the man seeing. He isn't facing her way which can suggest to us that she will escape without being caught. As she escapes, the audience begin to feel excited and this also creates surprise. The timings of shots become quicker as she escapes from the killer. The audience can see her running up the stairs and into one of the rooms. This creates excitement and fear as the audience engage with her as they want her to escape. It picks up the pace of the scene and it allows the viewers to keep up with everything that is happening in the film. This creates suspense as the audience wait to see what happens to her. The times of shots become slower when the killer is coming to find the girl who is trying to escape. The audience see the killer run up the stairs to find the victim who he wants to create an experiment. She runs inside a room but he is not sure which one. However, he eventually realizes which room she is in and knocks on the door but she won't let him in. This creates tension for the audience as they wait to see if the male character gets to her or not. Reaction shots are used throughout this scene of 'Human Centipede' to show how a character is feeling. This is vital because it creates the mood of the audience and so this inspires me to want to use this within my thriller opening sequence because the audience are then showing the correct reactions.

In conclusion, i have many inspirations that will help me to create my thriller opening sequence in the best possible way i can. I will make sure to include all of my inspirations from the categories that i have spoken about above; individual narrative, cinematography, opening credits, sound, mise en scene and editing.