Preliminary Task

Filming Stage

Our task for today was to do a set preliminary task where we were to film and edit someone walking into and across a room, sitting down and having a conversation with another person. This was to get us used to the cameras, editing software and get us to use as many types of shot as possible to create an effective film with continuity. We got into groups of 3 or 4 and discussed ideas.

We started off by drawing up a story board of all the frames we were going to use. We decided to start off with a big close-up showing the handle of a door opening. We then decided that the next shot would be a medium long shot from the outside of the room showing opening the door, followed by a pan of the person walking diagonally across the room to the chair (from the front, filmed from inside the room). The aim was to get the back of the character while she is walking to the chair in a medium shot but would progress into a long shot when the character reaches the chair. We then see the character sit down in an over the shoulder shot from behind the other character. We then decided to film a shot-reverse-shot using over the shoulder shots for the conversation.


It was the first time I've used a professional camera to film something. Initially I was actually really scared to break it if I pressed the wrong buttons but when I learned how to use everything i found it quite easy to understand even though it looked quite confusing. The only thing it took a while to get used to was to wait 5 seconds of recording before we started carrying out the shot. It was very enjoyable to learn how to use everything.


We found a suitable room to use for the filming with good lighting and enough space. The filming went really well because our group got along really well - we listened to each others ideas and gave opinions about what we decided on and how the shots looked. We worked quite quickly but carefully concentrating most on continuity - thinking about how good the shots would look when edited together. We came up with a very simple script like a general conversation which was easy to remember so we spent more time on the filming aspect rather than the acting or remembering what to say. We did more than one take of everything just in case something doesn't work well in the editing process.


When we began filming and got into the room we altered a few of the shots from our storyboard and changed around the order slightly to make it flow better. We added shots as well.


In conclusion, I think the filming was very successful and has prepared us well to create our thriller openings. I am looking forward to editing everything next lesson and seeing if it all works together.

Editing Stage

In this lesson we edited our videos. We used the software Final Cut Pro. It was quite confusing at first but I got used to it quickly because of instruction from our teacher and I found that some aspects of it were similar to software I had used previously like Windows Movie Maker. It was quite confusing to set it up properly also because there was something wrong with our computer. 


When we got everything sorted out we began to edit our video. Firstly, we cut our shots and named them. Because we did more than one take of most shots we labelled them using the colour coding so we knew which was the best shot when we were putting them together, this was very helpful. We used our story board from last lesson to help us with the order of the shots.


We learned how to mark in and mark out shots and put them together on the timeline. I found it very interesting how precise you had to be with continuity because if you mark a tiny bit too early or late it is very obvious. It took a while to achieve a seamless flow of action in some shots but we mananged it in the end. We also took away some of the shots for example the one showing the feet walking. 


Overall I really enjoyed the lesson. I learned a lot more about how to use macs and Final Cut Pro. My group got along really well with each other and we were able to get our editing done quickly and successfully.




 Final Product

Prelim Task User4 from BDC on Vimeo.

Thriller Audiences

Within the genre thriller, there are many sub-genres which appeal to different audiences.


Action Thrillers
This type of thriller would appeal to a younger audience compared to the other sub-genres. This is because it involves a lot more guns, car chases and explosions and doesn't require much thought. It usually attracts a male more than a female audience because of these conventions. However, occasionally females take on the heroic role in films like Tomb Raider and Charlies Angels which attracts a female audience but at the same time would attract a male audience because the heroines are attractive. Examples of action thrillers would be some James Bond films and The Bourne Series.


Horror Thrillers
An older audience would be more likely to attract a wide older audience (ranging from teenagers to adults) because there are usually high certificates (15, 18) and are very violent and disturbing. However, because of this limit on age it could cause the younger audience to want to go and see the film even more. It would appeal to both a male and female audience as you often see couples going into the cinema - usually a scenario where the female is scared and the male will comfort her. Although there is a wide age range, you have to be a certain type of person to be able to watch horror films. For example a person with a weak stomach for violence and is easily scared wouldn't enjoy a horror thriller. Examples of horror thrillers include Jaws, Psycho, Alien and The Excorsist.


Psychological and Mystery Thrillers
This type of thriller the conflict between the characters is often mental and emotional rather than physical which would attract perhaps a female audience slightly more than a male audience. Psychological thrillers also have some kind of mystery to work out and there can also be an element of horror in them as some can be very disturbing. Therefore would attract an older, more intelligent audience because if the audience were not able to work it out, they might find it boring. Examples of psychological thrillers include Shutter island, Phone Booth, Blue Velvet and Suspicion.


Crime Thrillers
This sub-genre of thriller is a combination of both crime films and thrillers which explore successful or failed crimes. They usually emphasise on the criminals rather than the policemen. They usually focus more on action over psychological aspects. Topics include serial killers, murderers, robberies, chases, shootouts and heists. Because crime thrillers tend to be similar to action thrillers they attract a similar audience - more of a younger male audience. Examples of crime thrillers include Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, Ocean's 11 and Reservoir Dogs.

Legal Thrillers
In which the heroes/heroines (lawyers and their employees) confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. They are similar to crime thrillers but obviously focus more on the lawyers rather than the criminals. They also have elements of mystery in them. This sub-genre could attract an older BC audience rather than a younger one because people with similar occupations to a lawyer may identify with the story. Examples of legal thrillers include Michael Clayton, The Pelican Brief and Primal Fear.


There are many other sub genres of thriller like:
- Comedy Thriller
- Supernatural Thriller
- Conspiracy Thriller
- Disaster Thriller
- Political Thriller
- Religious Thriller
- Techno Thriller
- Erotic Thriller

Why do people watch thrillers?

Uses and Gratifications Theory (PIES)

Personal Identity - finding reinforcement for personal values, finding models of behaviour, identifying with another (in media), gaining insight into ones self.

Information - finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world, seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices, satisfying curiousity and general interest, learning, self-education, gaining a sense of security through knowledge.

Entertainment - escapism, being diverted from problems, relaxing, emotional release, aesthetic/cultural/sexual pleasure, filling time.

 

Social Interaction and Integration - gaining insight into circumstances of others; social empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging, finding a basis for conversation and social interaction, having a substitute for real life companionship, helping carry out social roles, enabling one to connect with family, friends and society.

Why do people watch thrillers?

Using the uses and gratifications theory we are able to see that thrillers are watched for entertainment, information, social interaction; integration and personal values, therefore are a popular genre.
People watch thrillers most importantly to be entertained and thrilled - this relates to escapism, and emotional release because you get so into the film that you forget about your own problems in life and escape into it, feeling the emotions expressed within the story. Thrillers are not particularly relaxing films as they create a lot of suspense so people wouldn't watch in order to relax. Like all films, thrillers are sometimes watched to fill time also.
People may watch a thriller film to gain an insight into others' circumstances and identify with others. Maybe someone they know is in a similar situation. They are also watched for social interaction and a basis for conversation. For example films are involved in social gatherings like trips to the cinema and film nights - this then creates a basis for conversation afterward. A thriller film in particular can generate conversation because thrillers are not only action-packed but take a lot of thought to work out. The psychological aspect of a thriller film aids conversation because people like to boast about working out the ending before their friends.
A further reason why people watch thrillers is to find models of behaviour. This is because there is usually a clear difference between good and evil in this genre which could influence people to act heroically by identifying with that certain character. In addition, a person may be able to gain insight into themselves by seeing similarities between a character and themselves.
Lastly, people may want to watch a thriller for information purposes. There generally isn't a great deal a person can learn from a thriller but occasionally historical or social events are explored. For example the event of global warming is explored in many thrillers like 'The Day After Tomorrow'. Society around the world can be explored as thrillers can involve a lot of traveling, therefore seeing different parts of the world's differences. You can learn a lot about human behavior by self-educating and gain security through this knowledge.

SE7EN Analysis

Se7en (3:22 - 6:17)




Analysis:

Character
Character of the man: The initial shot of the film 'SE7EN' is of a man sitting up in his bed reading a book and a bookshelf with many books is seen next to the bed which connotes that he is perhaps an intelligent person. He is alone in a single bed, this suggests that this man is alone in this house. The man reaches over and places a pair of glasses neatly on a bedside table which reinforces that he could be an intelligent person. The close-up of this - showing detail - could mean that the man pays attention to detail. Then he flicks a metronome which has the steady pace of a clock or relaxed heart beat. This could reflect that this man is a very relaxed character. However, it could also suggest that he turned the metronome on in order to relax or meditate, meaning that he needs something to help him relax, which could mean that he has a stressful life. The next shot is a medium long shot of the man laying in bed his expression becomes more and more thoughtful as the camera zooms in, showing his brain maybe getting deeper into thought or relaxation. Eventually he shuts his eyes and voices are heard - are these the memories in his head or an argument coming from next door he is trying to shut out by the sound of the metronome? My own conclusion about this character is that he is perhaps a detective because of various reasons - he looks extremely tired, overworked and he is obviously trying desperately to figure something out. He also could be depressed because of the mood in the scene.

Character of the person in the opening titles:A sound of thunder or an aeroplane is heard to begin the opening titles. This could suggest that the character travels a lot and could be trying to get away from something or suggest that he is dangerous because of the thunder. An extreme close-up is then seen of a book - this could suggest that he is intillegent because a book can sometimes symbolise intelligence. The extreme close up could explore that the character is very detailed in what he is doing because of the detail in the shot. The overlapping of the shots could suggest that he is trying to hide something. (more explored about this in sound, mise on scene and editing sections).
My conclusions about this character is that he is a disturbed criminal who has many obsessions. He in control of everything he is doing even though his mind is very messed up and sick. The log he is compliling could be of his own victims or of other peoples victims - he may be getting ideas in order to carry out his own killings.


Sound
The scene begins as very quiet which makes the audience wonder whats going to happen next. Then a very quiet beeping is heard sounding like an alarm from a distance or a vehicle reversing outside. Distant speaking is then heard from a distance, sounding like an argument from another house. These small sounds obviously irritated the character because it was at this point that he sighs to himself and switches the metronome on in order to relax. The steady ticking of the metronome sound very similar to a clock which effectively builds tension. This could be because we link it to time limits or because metronomes are usually used in music for keeping a beat - maybe there is going to be music played soon. The sounds of argumentative voices become louder despite the fact that the metronome has been turned on. They also become more echoed so we may begin to wonder whether the voices are really diagetic (coming from next door) or are they memories and thoughts in the characters head? The voices come to a stop and a sound of thunder is heard. Because the screen is blank at this time the audience wonders whether this sound fits into the scene of the man in bed or the beginning of this next part - therefore creating mystery.
Non-diagetic music is heard as the scene changes. There are many strange sounds within the music. For example at the beginning a sound is heard that sounds like an aeroplane; this could mean that the character travels a lot but we do not know what character it may be relating to (the man seen in the first part or this second part). It could be the man in the first part as his profession could cause him to travel thus this could be why he looks so tired. It also could be the man in the second part because he may be traveling so that he is not caught or because perhaps he is looking for a next victim. Another strange and disturbing sound heard is of a squeak which almost sounds like a high pitched, distorted scream. This connotes fear or some form of violence. A creeking sound repeated throughout the music made me think of someone pacing up and down a room with creeky floorboards, a door slowly being opened or a chair. This creeky sound is quite unsettling as it is commonly used in horror films to build tension. Also pacing up and down a room is repetitive behaviour which links to obsession and madness. The music overall is very mechanical and makes the audience feel uneasy. The steady pace makes it seem that this man is in control of what he is doing.
The cutting music changes when a boys face is blacked out with a pen. This could mean that there is something very significant about him. Maybe he was a victim of this man or was special to him, causing him to behave in this disturbing may because of something happening between them. The music now has much more depth as more sounds are put together and the tempo inrceases as does the tension. Certain sounds in the music now make me think of water because they sound slightly like waves. Also something in there sounds like a chainsaw which reinforces the theme of violence and destruction. The last words of the scene and the only words heard in the song are "You get me closer to god" this is very unsettling as the audience may think - how can such a disturbed person he linked directly to god?

Mise En Scene (with setting, lighting and camera)

the initial shot of the scene is a long shot showing the whole room. Within this room a bed, an open door, a bookshelf, a window with curtains, a cardboard box, 2 lights, a picture frame and a man reading a book. This shot basically sets the scene as there is not much detail, it just gives the audience an idea of the characters environment. We learn a lot from this first shot despite the fact that it doesn't show any detail. For example we learn what time of day it is because it is dark outside - either night time or very early morning. However we can also tell from the fact that the man is reading a book that it is probably night time because people usually read before going to sleep rather than in the morning. We also learn a lot about character because of his surroundings. The fact that he has a bookshelf full of many books suggests he is an intelligent person. He also has a cardboard box which could mean that he is moving house or just needs a lot of storage for his possessions. The room is lit very dimly which creates a mood of mystery. The next shot is a close-up of a pair of glasses and a metronome. As previously mentioned, the glasses could act as a symbol of intelligence and the swinging metronome could symbolise time passing or repetition. The camera now slowly zooms in on the man, then slowly zooms in on the metronome, creating tension.

The screen goes black then shows an extreme close-up of the pages in a book turning which could cause the audience to link this with the man reading at the beginning of the scene and wonder if its the same person. The next is an image of a pair of hands in a book that look like they have some kind of severe arthritis which makes us wonder what this has to do with the story. Next, we see flashes of machinery and a man slicing the skin off the tops of his fingers (at this point we realise that it is not the same man from the beginning because he was black and this mans hands are white). This makes us think that maybe he is a criminal and is masking evidence of his finger prints - maybe he is about to commit a crime. We then see another extreme close-up of a tea bag going into some water possibly meaning that what ever this man is doing, he needs caffeine to stay awake which makes me think of obsession. An image flashes very quickly of a person but it cuts too quickly to see it clearly which makes us unsettled. More flashes are seen of books and the man writing in a book. Up until this point, the colours in the opening are very dull - black, white, browns and creams - however they are very high contrast. Suddenly we see a flash of red which makes me think of blood therefore connections are made to death, violence and murder. Immediately after this, we see a flash of a film strip which makes me think of obsession perversion. We then see the man cutting up photos and sticking them into a book. At this point, it becomes clear that this man is making a log of disturbing things - is it things he has done himself or an obsession with violence? We can then connect the red to film developing. More flashes of disturbing images and a newspaper cutting featuring the word "God" is seen which is confusing because there is a link between this disturbed man and religion - is he religious or against God? We now see pages full of tiny writing which could mean that this man is very detailed about what he is writing because there is so much of it. A man censoring words in a book is seen but it is unclear what the words actually are. As the words become more apparent, we realise that they are sexual words - maybe he has an obsession with sex. He then censors a boys face - what is significant about this? The red of the film processing is visible again. 

We see more flashes of this man compiling a log of pictures, newspaper cuttings and writing. He carefully sews up the pages and we then see a whole row of books and we may ask - are there more logs of disturbing things? We could also link the book shelf to the one in the beginning of the scene and wonder what part the other man has in this - is he a detective of the case or is he involved? We then see him placing a lock of hair into an envelope which might have belonged to one of his victims. We see the man cutting out the word "God" - again we ask that question about religion. The final shot is a clearer one of the books.

All of the camera shots in this section are close-ups or extreme close-ups which show a great deal of detail. This connotes that this character is very precise in what he does and pays attention to detail. The lighting changes a lot. It's quite bright but some bits are in shadow and unclear. This shows a contrast between mystery and clarity. The hands are shown a lot which suggests that he uses them a lot for his crimes and also gives mystery about not showing his face or give anything else away which makes us want to know more about this character and his appearance.

Editing

In the fist part of the opening, not much editing is used to keep it simple and calm. However, zooming is used and there are also a few cuts from a long shot to a close-up. The zooming creates suspence. The screen goes blank to divide the two contrasting sections of the opening.
In this section there are so many flashes and everything is paced very quickly making it very difficult to make out what is going on. All the different images changing is very powerful and overwhelming to the audience. The fact that there is so much going on makes the audience think and gives the impression that the story will be very psychological. In addition, not all of one action is shown which almost makes it feel like the editor is teasing us. At some points frames are overlapped so that it is harder to identify which creates the impression of something hidden and mysterious. There is a lot of flickering throughout the opening credits which makes me think of an old home cinema projection. This gives connotations of perversion and links with the film processing visible in the scene. The way the film is cut makes everything seem untidy and dirty which contrasts with the detail in the actual scene and what the character is doing. This could mean that even though he has control over what he is doing, his mind seems to be very messed up and disturbed. The writing is very distorted which reinforces the sick mind of the character. Everything is a very high contrast of black and white which stimulates our visual senses. 


Themes and Mood
There are many different types of mood explored through sound, visual and editing in this opening. Some of the main themes in the first part are lonliness and isolation. This is because of the depressed mood shown by dull lighting, the characters emotions and the fact that he is on his own. The is an element of mystery, also, again because of the lighting and some things are in shawdow. The mood changes very much when the opening progresses into the opening titles. This is because everything becomes high contrast and brighter. However there is still that same element of mystery with in the scene because not everything is shown - only his hands are seen and only short fragments of actions. There is a definate theme of death because of the flashes of red and the pictures which are seen being stuck into the book. There is also a theme of censorship explored when he is blackening someones face and crossing out sexual words in a book. All of these themes together create a very disturbing atmosphere which makes the audience feel uneasy, unsettled and wanting to work out the mystery.

Conventions

Firstly we discussed conventions as a class.

Conventions are certain elements which make up a piece of media. For example props, music, costumes, make-up, lighting, camera shots, characters, location and plot are all conventions of film.
Every genre of film has different conventions which make it fit into that certain genre.
Thriller films for example might generally have the following conventions: Firstly, props are an important part of any film, for a thriller they might include blood, knives, guns, cars, gadgets. The music and sound generally varies for suspense. For example, at one point it might be really quiet to build up tension and then there might be a huge explosion to make the audience jump. Perhaps there might be a car chase with up-tempo music to build excitement. Often, stock characters are used in a thriller film. For example there is usually one main hero character on a mission, a villain who gets in the way of the hero and a love interest for the hero (along with many other characters). Thrillers are generally set in very urban areas with lots of buildings and people because if it was set in a more remote location it would be too similar to a horror film. In order to create a mysterious mood, most thriller films are set in dark places or at night. The plot of a thriller has multiple climaxes as it is created in order to thrill an audience and the endings are not generally happy and some can end on a cliff-hanger.

We then watched the opening of a thriller film called 'I am Legend'
(2:05-5:08)

(0:00-2:27)





Analysis:
The opening of 'I am Legend' uses conventions effectively to create a successful start to a thriller film. The initial shot is an extreme long shot of a city landscape which tilts upwards to show the desertion of the area. Immediately it is recognisable that it is very abnormal for a city to be deserted at any time and we begin to wonder what has happened. There are many cars visible in this shot but none of them appear to be moving again we ask why. There are a lot of sounds used with the first shot like bird song, crickets and the wind howling but there are no sounds of human activity. Also, the fact that the sounds are so exaggerated creates the impression that nature has taken over. This reinforces the mood of emptiness and keeps the audience engaged. There are other shots following this which portray the same thing. The next shot is a high angle shot (bird's eye shot) which pans over the city showing the extreme emptiness making us ask how far it goes on for. The amount of tall buildings and roads sets the scene in New York. Suddenly a moving car comes into shot it then becomes central making us immediately realise that there is one survivor. 
The next shot is of someone picking up a gun - the camera tilts up to show the mans face in a medium close-up and we see the determined look on his face. By seeing the gun we initially link it to danger and assume that this character is not one to be trusted. We then see the eye contact between him and his dog and we begin to realise that maybe he is not such a bad character, this relationship is explored more later in the scene. The way that the dog and his owner mirror each other by looking out of the window in the same way connotes the strong relationship between them. The sound of the car becomes louder and louder and almost battles with the sound of nature - this begins to portray the theme of man and nature. There is then a point of view shot showing birds flying away. This could make the audience empathise with the man when everything seems to be running away from him. The speed  of the car shows that he is on a mission and has obviously done it before and has maybe not been successful as he is very accurate with his driving. A poster comes into shot saying "God still loves us" as it is zoomed in on we see the words "but do we care?". This again makes us want to know what has happened. 
It is a very long period of time before any words are spoken in the scene, this is to build tension. When the first words are eventually spoken they are from the man asking his dog "what you see? what you see?". Because the fist words are a question, it gives an idea of his character questioning life or perhaps himself. Suddenly, a deer jumps over the front of the car which makes the audience engage more because it was unexpected. It then becomes clear that the man is hunting for food and tension increases when the car gets faster and sound becomes louder. The deer outsmart him which gives the impression that this situation has happened on various occasions and we get the idea of the main character to be very annoyed about doing this all the time so we have sympathy for him. The car is forced to stop as a huge standstill of empty cars is visible as though the entire city had come to a sudden stop which creates a mood of horror. There are also many abandoned police cars which creates a mood of trouble. The camera zooms on the main characters face in order to show his expression so the audience can empathise with him further.
Next we see the man and his dog moving slowly through overgrown grass. The jump in time connotes that they have been searching for a longer amount of time and the overgrown grass suggests that it has been neglected along with the rest of the city for a long time. We see posters for modern Musicals like 'Wicked' and 'Hairspray' which is threatening to the audience because it suggests that this disaster is set not so far in the future and makes us wonder more. We see a part of a deer who disappears quickly behind something. The man slowly creeps up on it for suspense with his dog by his side and watches the animal carefully before making any sudden movements. This shows that he is experienced in hunting as he is very careful not to lose the deer. It is silent, adding to suspense. Just as he is about to shoot a lion pounces on the deer and sound increases to keep the audience engaged. He becomes more unsure of his actions to shoot the deer when a family of lions enter the scene. He watches the lion and slowly lowers his gun. Did he do this because he didn't want to kill the lions, because he didn't have enough bullets or out of respect because the lion got to the deer before he did?  This again adds to the theme of man and nature and failure. Then an alarm sounds on his watch at he looks at the sun - meaning that the sun was beginning to set. He lowers his gun completely and speaks to his dog: "Lets go, Sam". Through out the scene, the main character and his dog seem to look out for each other and protect each other. For example when the dog barks when the lion arrives in the scene, he seems to be protecting his master. In addition, the way he looks out for his dog makes his character seem more caring as the scene goes on - he is almost like a father figure - this makes us care more about the character and feel sorry for him. This adds further to the theme of man and nature. The final shot of the scene tilts upwards and shows an emblem of the Batman and Superman logos. This causes the audience to compare the character with these superheroes - is the character a hero? We could also make the comparison by thinking about how the superheroes are isolated from society because they are different from everyone else and the main character in this film is obviously very different as he appears to be the only human being left on Earth. This adds to the theme of isolation.


Task - Watch part of a thriller film and analyse.
THE DARK KNIGHT
(0:00 - 1:25)

The Dark Knight (2008) is a thriller film sequel to Batman Begins (2005). I will be analysing the first scene from the film. It starts as a long shot showing the landscape of an urban scene with many tall buildings. The audience automatically assumes that the film is set in a city in America. Like most thrillers, it is set in a city so that the audience might be more familiar with the setting and therefore feel more threatened by the events in the film. The camera zooms into a building with many windows. Reflected in the windows, many more buildings are visible, giving the audience an idea of how big the area is. A humming sound is heard which increases volume as the camera zooms to the building. This creates suspense and makes us wonder what is happening in the building. However this suspense is broken when one of the many windows is smashed which could make the audience jump because of the change in sound. The shot switches to a man holding a gun who had just shot the gun to break the window - we immediately link this to violence and feel threatened. The focus then changes from the gun to the man holding it. He is wearing a clown's mask. The mask connotes a mood of mystery and also makes the audience insecure. The fact that the mask is of a clown and the gun could suggest that what is underneath the mask is the very opposite as a friendly entertainer seen at a child's party and is something very dangerous. The masked character then fires a second shot but this time it has a cable attached to it - the audience could make the connection that they may be attempting to break into another building. The next shot is of another man holding a bag and a similar clown’s mask. As there are linking these two men we might think that there are weapons in the bag. The camera then zooms in, focusing on the mask. The expression of the mask becomes more visible as very intimidating and creepy. The man rushes into a car with blacked out windows which again reinforces the theme of mystery and gives us a fear of the unknown. Again, it cuts to the man in the building but he is joined by a second man. Now that we have seen 3 different people involved we get the impression that there could be a team of criminals. The two men travel across the zip wire onto another building. The music builds up and sounds like a ticking clock, this builds tension. Now we see 3 masked men in the car discussing splitting money, then it cuts to the 2 other men on the roof of a building talking about "the joker". All of a sudden the 3 men barge into a bank and order the people to keep their heads down. Screams are heard which gives a mood of terror. One of the masked men pulls a man up from behind his desk and drops him on the floor which gives us an idea of how strong and destructive these men are. There are many changes in shot in this opening and many switches in location, this suggests that the film may be very fast moving and exciting for the audience. From the beginning of the film, we can already tell there will be a themes of mystery and violence. Even though superhero films usually fall into the action and adventure genre, in my opinion this is more of a thriller because of the mystery involved, the tension built up and the psychological climaxes.