Can you see any "thriller" conventions?
Have they made good use of mise-en-scene?
Is there a combination of diegetic and non-diegetic sound?
Have they made any technical mistakes (e.g. poor lighting, shaky camera)?
Is the quality of the performance at a high level?
4- Excellent
3- Proficient
2- Minimal
1- Basic
You're Mine
I think that this thriller opening is borderline trailer however it is clear that there is some sort of story following on with the non-linear narrative, we see that the girl will be abducted. As a thriller, it contains some typical conventions such as a villain, a vulnerable victim and a secluded setting. The setting varies throughout and the use of props and costume were good. The most creative part was when the villain burns the photograph. I think that there could have been more of a balance between diegetic and non-diegetic to make it look less like a trailer. Despite this, the use of this sound alongside thoroughly accurate cinematography make this almost perfect on the technical part. The cross-cutting was effective which created a good, exciting pace. The performance of the actors was very good throughout which made it realistic.
I rated this a 3 out of 4 (proficient).
Night Walker
I found the opening fell into the "minimal" area because it was quite tedious and didn't grasp my interest. However, the title sequence was effective. This thriller had some thriller conventions with the villain pursuing an oblivious protagonist, the dark setting and suspenseful music to suit the mood. At one point, I think there was even a red herring- the seemingly innocent man asking for the time turns out to be the villain. The props and costumes within the mise-en-scene were not very interesting. There was very little variation. However, the use of sound was effective except for the end when the victim is abducted; we would expect her to scream with struggle. The lighting was extremely poor most of the time, it was filmed at night under street lamps which provided very little light. A lot of the time we couldn't see what was going on entirely. The filming was generally good, I enjoyed the shot of the feet walking as the antagonist pursues their victim. There was a high angle shot as she approaches the alleyway however it was slightly shaky. Overall, the performance was effective for the purpose.
I rated this 2 out of 4 (minimal).
Finders Keepers
This was my favourite thriller of out the three because I found that it truly did look like an opening of a film and involved a good use of thriller conventions. It is about a case of mistaken identity, similar to Hitchcock's "North by Northwest". The protagonist did not ask for trouble, he found an item which appeared to have no owner and so he kept it- finders keepers. For a short period of time we are made to think that the silver suited man will bring trouble; I enjoyed the build up of the rousing non-diegetic music with the stare down. The sunglasses and gloves make us feel suspicious of him. The setting throughout was effective- the first scene is set in a bar/cafe which is a normal, everyday setting which then contrasts with the free running down flights of stairs and tunnels. I found the free running creative and unusual which made it stand out amongst the other thrillers. The only tiny mistake with the filming was the tilt at the stairs as the black suited villains approach the protagonist.
I rated this a 4 out of 4 (excellent).
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