Analysing two past student videos

The first clip we watched was called August 13. We thought this was a very good example of a thriller opening sequence.We analysed why we thought this using the marking criteria. 

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 5

Picture 4

Picture 3

Picture 6

First of all we looked for a shot being held steady where appropriate, We decided this shot in the the elevator was a good example as it shows he was quite calm and still and the people looking for him were running up the stairs. See picture 1.


Next we focused of framing a shot, excluding and including elements. A prime example of this was when we realised something had been taken from the bank, and the next shot was of a man walking away from the bank with a brief case in his hand. The use of the zoomed in shot brings the audience attention particularly to the brief case. See picture 2.

In the sequence they used a variety of shot distances. Including, still, panning and zoom. An example of this in the clip that we found particularly impressive was when the chase between the man with the brief case and the two men began. The begins with him walking down the street, and as he begins to run the camera zooms out to give a long shot, this exaggerates the pace of which he is running. See picture 5.

All the scenes shot in used in the final clip, were appropriate to the meaning of the film. It was made apparent to us from the beggining of the film that this would be an action thriller, and also the final shot of the sequence where the three men are stood on top of the roof is very typical of this genre. See picture 6.

Another thing we focused on in this sequence was the selection of mise-en-scene. As well as the props and costumes used, a brilliant example was the set location used. After seeing the prop of the brief case in the mans hand as he walking, we see what he is moving away from, the bank. The filming is set in a busy high street, which is another typical convention of an action thriller as busy high streets make it easier for the person escaping to lose the people chasing them. See picture 3.

They used continuity editing, to build tension in the chase and make the meaning apparent to the viewer. Using varied shot transitions and effects.

The use of titles was good because as each new charactor came into a shot alone the shot would freeze before showing the title with their name on it. See picture 4.