Individual analysis of the first 15 minutes of a similar film

I will be analysing the first 15 minutes of the film I Am Number Four - a thriller with an action sub-genre. In this analysis I will explore the film's use of thriller conventions, and comment on how it makes use of its sub-genre to create an effective thriller film. I will also compare it with our film 'Fixation' and draw links between similar and different conventions they both use.

Click to watch the trailer

The beginning of the film immediately establishes the mood and genre of the film. The music is sinister and builds suspense, whilst the wide shot of the Earth introduces the Science Fiction aspect to the plot. The dark landscape shown through the helicopter shot suggests the dark, dangerous theme of the film, and as the camera speed increases toward its location, the music intensity and speed also increases. This could suggest imminent danger, and creates suspense effectively. The fact that the camera is flying over such a large expanse of land suggests just how remote and far away the location is.

The camera slows slightly as it reaches its destination, a hut in the centre of a rainforest. The physical appearance of the hut suggests vulnerability because it is surrounded on all sides by darkness, the structure of it does not look particularly stable, and its only light source comes from four torches outside. In using fire, the usual suggestion is warmth and safety, whereas in this film, the vulnerable appearance of the hut makes the audience doubt that the location is safe.

As the camera slows slightly and approaches the hut, the camera passes in through the window, and reveals a man sleeping. At this point, the music reaches its climax. The sound of someone breathing brings the music to a stop, at which point the music is replaced with sounds of the rainforest. The camera then dollies right to reveal a second, slightly older man sleeping in a hammock next to the first. The fact that both characters are sleeping makes them vulnerable, as does the fact that their hammocks are curtained with a transparent cloth which isn't very private. The first man (left image below) is positioned in a low spotlight and is wearing light-coloured clothing to make him seem more vulnerable. The second man (right image below) is not shot in any light at all, and is wearing darker clothes, which instantly translates that he is not as vulnerable as the first man. The absence of music at this point creates suspense and suggests that danger is coming.

A close up of the second man's face as he is waking suggests that something is wrong. His face is slightly sweaty during this shot which suggests anxiety. The fact that the next shot is an extreme-close up of the man's hand reaching out of his hammock and picking up a knife off a table confirms that these characters could be in danger. This is an example of a similar prop used in this film, which we also used in our film Fixation to create a sense of danger and threat. Knives are a good example of a typical prop used in thriller films. The knife used in this film glows blue at the end, and is another element of the Science Fiction sub-genre.

Sci-Fi knife, typical thriller genre prop

At this point, there are lots of cuts, from a medium shot of the man getting out of bed and the first man waking up, to a wide shot of the two men in foreground and background depth of field. The increase of cuts between shots at this point could suggest alarm, and could also have been used to build up the audience suspense for what is coming. 

When the man with the knife goes to look out of the window, he is shot in close up, his face noticeably sweaty. To make the character even more vulnerable, the next shot is an extreme-close up of his eye as he looks outside. Then an eyeline match is used to pan across the landscape outside (using a handheld camera), which shows the audience what the character is looking at, and that there is nothing outside but the burning torches. The image below on the right is a wide shot of the two characters looking relieved after finding nothing out of the ordinary outside, but the silence makes the audience think that something is still going to happen.

The sudden introduction of loud music signals the action sequence that follows. A long shot of a creature ripping the man through the wall of the hut follows, and then there is a cut to a medium close up of the first man's face looking afraid and taken aback. An example of match-on-action follows this shot, when the boy somersaults out of the window of the hut. From this shot onwards, the action sequence of the boy running away into the forest is shot using a handheld camera. The effect of this visually represents the character's fear and panic. An element of mise-en-scene in these shots is that the boy's white shirt makes him stand out from his dark surroundings, therefore making him vulnerable again. Again, at this point, there are a lot more cuts - mostly close ups, medium shots, and long shots to suggest panic and the fast pace at which he is running through the forest. The long shot capturing the boy from the side as he is running could suggest that someone is out there, watching and following him. At this point, the sound of a creature growling alerts the audience that the creature which killed the second man back at the shack, is now coming after this character too. A lot of point-of-view shots are used at this point as the creature nears the character. The music reaches its climax as the creature is finally revealed, and the boy somersaults onto a high branch to escape. From here is a high-angle over-the-head shot whilst the boy runs along the branch, to suggest that he is the inferior character in this environment. Finally, the boy flings himself off the branch in wide shot, and lands carefully on the ground. This alerts the audience to the fact that this character must be inhuman, which creates the first link to the Fantasy sub-genre, and also possibly to the Sci-Fi sub-genre again. At this point, the music stops again, and is once again replaced by the sounds of the rainforest. The contrast between the previously loud, climatic music, and the quiet music creates suspense for the audience and creates the understanding that he is once again in danger.

Another eyeline match is used to show the boy looking around at his surroundings, and then the loud music begins again when a black-gloved hand grips his throat. A close up of the boy's bare feet lifting off of the ground highlights his inferiority in both height and costume due to a lack of footwear, and brings attention to the burn circles on his leg (another Sci-Fi element).

The fact that the attacker is not revealed straight away is very similar to our film, because we do not reveal his identity at all to make him more superior and threatening. The same effect is created here. The first shot of the attacker is an over-the-shoulder close up, just enough to reveal a bald head with tattoos, and dark eyes. It is clear from this shot that he is an alien of some sort. The fact that only sections of the man's face are revealed when he is dealing with the boy highlights the differences from a human appearance.

Another knife is drawn for the second time in the film, and the alien kills the boy. A close up of the boy turning to ash suggests once again that he is not human.

 

Following this is a Low Angle long shot of 5 aliens. This creates a sense of anxiety in the audience because there are more of them. Another eyeline match shows the middle alien (who killed the boy) holding the boy's necklace. A close up shows him smiling, revealing pointed teeth - another difference to human appearance. An extreme-close up shows the audience that the alien is wearing a necklace with identical charms on it. The camera pans diagonally down the necklace, revealing more charms, also showing the symbolic gesture of the alien adding the boy's necklace to his collection. This suggests to the audience that the aliens have killed more people who owned those necklaces, and those people must have owned those necklaces for a reason.

The shot fades out to black to reveal the title of the film. This represents a change of time and location.

Upbeat music accompanies a quick fade in to a close up of another identical necklace. This allows the audience to make a link between what has just happened, and what this character has yet to face. The camera tilts up to introduce the character in close up, and it becomes obvious that he is jet-skiing on the water with friends. There is a clear contrast between the sunny beach and the previous dark rainforest location, which allows for a swift change of mood and atmosphere. This means that the audience's emotions are constantly in flux to allow for them to be 'thrilled'.

An aerial helicopter shot establishes the location, closely followed by another establishing shot which reveals a beach full of students. The beach suggests that this character lives in an exotic location. Another match on action shows the three jet-skiers pulling up on the beach, and a conversation between the characters is shot using medium close ups. At this point, a female character is introduced using an eyeline match.

Following this, another wide shot establishes a change of time. The location is still the same, though now it is night. In this shot, the fact that the main character is wearing a white t-shirt makes him stand out. An extreme-close up of the character's iPhone introduces the start of a relationship between the protagonist and the female character previously introduced.

After the protagonist meets up with the female character, the audience understand that something is going to happen when a Low Angle hand-held shot reveals the character's legs underwater. When protagonist's leg begins to glow, the audience know that something is about to happen to him. Once again, the editing for this sequence increases, with more cuts and close ups of both characters reacting. The fast-pace editing and re-introduction of fast-tempo music means that the suspense builds up again, and it also represents the fear and pain that the protagonist is experiencing.

As shown in the bottom left image, an over-the-shoulder shot reveals the protagonist sensing the death of the boy at the beginning of the film. This creates a link between the two characters, and also hints at the plot yet to come. The bottom right image is a ghostly image of the alien who killed the boy at the start of the film, and therefore creates the understanding for the audience that the protagonist is his next victim. The fact that the location is dark represents the 'bad' characters and a foreboding mood to the film.

The female character's reaction to the protagonist's glowing leg determines the reaction of the rest of the students present on the beach. This represents a stereotypical social situation involving teenagers and young adults, which are the film's target audiences, like our film Fixation.

The wide aerial shot of the ocean is an establishing shot because it suggests a change of time due to the rising sun.

The next shot pans diagonally down and right to reveal the protagonist unconscious on the ground. As he wakes up, the camera pans right as he sits up, and focuses on the raw circular burn on his leg, above two others. This once again certifies the link between the boy at the beginning of the film, and the protagonist because they share the same scars. The sound of footsteps hints at danger, and then the audience encounters a man creeping around the bushes with a glowing blue knife. The physical positioning means that the new character appears superior and a threat to the protagonist who isn't fully clothed, and is still on the ground, defenceless. This is also shown through an over-the-shoulder high angle shot of the protagonist. A series of medium shots again allow the characters to converse so that the audience become aware early on that the characters do in fact know each other before they exit the shot together.
In Fixation, we used physical character positioning to represent the superiority/inferiority of the characters in the shot.

The close up of a small animal scurrying into the shot leads into a change of location and time. The camera pans left, following the animal, and then a close up pan shows photographs and certificates being ripped off a wall. A close up of Henry reveals he is the one doing it, and at this point, the music is normal, yet still holds an undercurrent of danger, and possibly fear of the characters. The camera then cuts to a close up of the protagonist's leg scars. This suggests to the audience that they are having to leave due to the aliens and the addition of the newest scar. A wide shot establishes the setting so that the audience come to understand that the two characters are at their beach house. Multiple close ups of more photos burning on a fire in front of the protagonist suggest that they are destroying all evidence of their existence. The following shots of Henry packing up the car, throwing more photos on the fire and saying 'I told you not to keep this crap. It just slows us down' creates empathy for the protagonist. 

The protagonist's reluctance to leave is symbolised through a long shot of him staring out at the ocean, the fact that Henry has to warn him by saying 'Daniel', and that even when he walks away, he is still looking back over his shoulder. A close up of the burning number plate on the fire accompanies a voiceover from the protagonist. 'This is the part I hate the most. The running.'

An EXCU of this box is shown to the
audience in preparation for the voiceover

The voiceover means that the audience understand the background of these characters.

A lot of establishing shots take place during the voiceover to 

represent the amount of travelling the characters are doing to escape their lives. As the protagonist tells of his background, there is a close up of Henry driving when he informs the audience of the relationship between him and Henry and the common perception people seem to assume about the two of them.

The lack of lighting in the car could be symbolic of the fact that all is not what it seems about these characters.

These establishing shots determine a change of location and time, and the medium shot of the two main characters in the truck shows the kinds of modern props used such as the iPhone which is something that the young target audience can connect with.
In Fixation, we didn't use establishing shots because we wanted the location to remain undetailed and sparse.

When the characters reach their new destination, 'Paradise', it appears rainy and depressing, and could suggest the threat of danger returning again because the location is very dark. The threat of intruders is also imminent when they enter their new house and there is a POV shot using a handheld camera which pans the rooms.

Not long after they arrive, there is a change of danger when there is a sound outside the house. Loud music is once again used to signal this theme, as well as a medium close up of the two characters looking alarmed, and an eye-line match of the front door. Then as Henry pulls out the glowing blue knife, the audience understands that it is the same situation as earlier in the film. When the door is pulled open, a boom of thunder replaces the quiet music, but there is no on there, as shown by a POV shot.