Inception Thriller Research

Inception Credits:

• Warner Bros Pictures
•  Legendary Pictures
• Syncopy

The first camera angle is an establishing shot of the ocean crashing against the rocks at the shore, the camera is low and not focused which straight away suggests a slightly hectic or dangerous atmosphere to the audience. The second camera angle is a high angle shot looking down on the protagonist in the sea, the shot is a close up of the protagonist and shows his confused and frightened expression, this suggests that he is in danger and is not sure where he is. The third shot is an eye line match of the protagonist, it shows children playing on the beach, however the shot isn’t focused and looks like a dream, this leads the audience to believe that maybe the protagonist is hallucinating and that there is a sense of surrealism surrounding the scene. The scene continues with transitions between the protagonist lying on the beach and the children he is imagining. The next shot is a high angle shot looking down on the protagonists back, the shot shows a rifle prodding him, this instantly shows the audience that the scene is not as innocent as the imaginary children suggest and could potentially be quite dangerous.

The very beginning of the opening credits are accompanied by heavy, low pitch music to instantly tell the audience that the mood of this film will be dark and thrilling. This also suggests that the film may be filled with confusion and suspense.

The shots in this opening sequence all use natural lighting, this breaks the stereotype of the thriller genre using low key lighting to build an atmosphere. This fills the audience with confusion as to what will actually happen in the film. Each shot is filled with questions to draw the audience’s attention.

The clips in the opening sequence are not shown for a lengthy amount of time which suggests that they are not completely vital to the movie but they give the audience and inclination as to what has happened beforehand and what might be happening in the movie.

Pulp Fiction Thriller Research

  Pulp Fiction Credits:

• Miramax Films Presents
• A BAND APART
• Jersey Films Production
• A Film By Quentin Tarantino
• PULP FICTION
• John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria De Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis
• Co- Starring - Paul Caulderon, Bronagh Gallagher, Peter Greene, Stephen Hibbert, Angela Jones, Phil LaMarr, Robert Ruth, Julia Sweeney, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Whaley, Duane Whitaker
• Casting By - Ronnie Yeskel C.S.A and Gary M. Zuckerbrod C.S.A
• Music Supervisor - Karyn Rachtman
• Costume Designer - Betsy Heiman
• Production Designer - David Wasco
• Editor - Sally Menke
• Director of Photography - Andrzej Sekula
• Co-Executive Producers - Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein and Richard N. Gladstein
• Executive Producers - Danny Devito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher
• Stories By - Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
• Produced By - Laurence Bender

The opening sequence of Pulp Fiction shows two characters in a diner. The first shot is a two shot of the characters, to show their casual outfits and posture. The male character has his feet up on the diner chair, showing that he is relaxed and nonchalant, he is wearing a hawaiin shirt and jeans, this adds to his casual attitude. The female character is sitting more appropriately with both feet on the floor and her hands on the table, she is wearing a long skirt and a casual, long sleeved top, this suggests that the woman is less relaxed than the man and is not comfortable in the current environment. There are close ups of both characters as they continue their conversation. The close up of the female character shows her expression of confusion and slight annoyance, this suggests that she isn't happy with what the male character is suggesting. In contrast, the close up of the male character shows his open expression and his suggestive eyebrow expression, this shows that he is giving the female character an idea that is potentially dangerous.

The male characters body language is very expressive with arm movements and leaning forward, this shows his enthusiasm in his own idea. The female characters body language contrasts completely, she barely moves other than to lift her mug and drink from it. This shows that she is not open to his idea and is not comfortable with it.