Collateral

This is a scene from film Collateral in which we see Max Durocher (Jamie Fox) is tied to the car by Vincent (Tom Cruise) . Within this scene Max Durocher is harassed by a group of thugs. This is a over the shoulder shot in which Jamie appears to be lower then the thug which makes the thug look much more superior then Max Durocher.
There is then a close up of the thugs expression to show the seriousness of the situation and that he really truly does not want to listen to Max Durochers pleas. There is then a close up of Max Durocher's face showing the anxiety and fear of being locked to the wheel while robbed this close up is meant to display the utter uselessness that Max must feel. There is a speed up in editing to add to the feel of uneasy and tension which adds to the atmosphere of fear and anxiety.
There is then a close up of the briefcase to show the importance of it, that it is something of grieve importance and will add to thriller genre. A long shot is used in which Vincent (Tom Cruise) is introduced to the scene in which he is closes to the camera and looks very much superior as the antagonist rather then the simple thugs.
Another close up of Max Durochers face showing fear and anxiety. There is then fast editing to almost emulate the surprise of the thugs as Vincent quickly disposes of the thugs. The final shot of this scene is a long shot in which we see Vincent reclaim the briefcase in which we see the cruelty of the antagonist as he mercilessly puts one more bullet in the thug.

Minutes for first meeting

Within our group we have decide to look at different thrillers and then for our next meeting we shall converse with each other.

I will be looking at the thriller Collateral with Jamie Fox and Tom Cruise. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie.

Camera Shots

Within the thriller i must make good use of all types of shots and camera views such as:

EWS (Extreme Wide Shot)The view is so far from the subject that she isn't even visible. This is often used as an establishing shot.

VWS (Very Wide Shot)The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing her in her environment

WS (Wide Shot)The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as possible.MS (Mid Shot)Shows some part of the subject in more detail whilst still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)Half way between a MS and a CU.

CU (Close Up)A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

CA (Cutaway)A shot of something other than the current action.

Cut-In. Shows some part of the subject in detail.

Two-Shot A comfortable shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

(OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot.

Looking from behind a person at the subjectNoddy Shot.

Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject, although noddies can be used in drama and other situations

Point-of-View Shot (POV)Shows a view from the subject's perspectiveWeather Shot. The subject is the weather, usually the sky. Can be used for other purposes.

Thriller Conventions

-A crime at the core of the narrative (often murder but not neccesaraily).
-A complex narrative structure.
-A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved.
-A protagonist who is systematically dis-empowerd and drawn into a complex web of intruge by the antagonist.
-Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations, themes of identity.
-Themes of mirroring.
-Themes of voyeurism.
-Orotagonist with a flaw which is exploited by the antagonist
-Titles often reflct an aspect of the antagonist pyschological state.