Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions for Thrillers

Batman: Dark Knight characters

Having researched into the Thriller codes and conventions I would like to quickly summarise the character types in form of Batman; Christopher Nolan uses clear character types when presenting the plot of this film.

The princess

The fallen/ flawed hero

The helper

The Enemy

Codes and Conventions of film in general

Lighting

High Key Lighting

Low Key Lighting

Low lighting typically only uses one key light while filming; a filter could also be placed over the lenses to dim the light even further.
This effect accentuates the contours of an object by throwing areas into shade while a fill light or reflector may illuminate the shadow. This is an especially effective technique with thrillers and horrors.
It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer and increase the anticipation felt within the audience.

High key lighting aims to reduce the light ratio that is present within a scene, where low key lighting aims to increase the light ratio as much as possible.
It is often used in up-beat projects such as comedies and sitcoms.
Low key does not offer opportunities for depth or detaile emotions usually created through the use of shadows and dramtic lighting.
This form of lighting is becoming less and less popular within the film industry (especially ultra high key lighting as seen below)

This is an example of ultra-low key lighting which is used very rarely in modern films; it is more commonly associated with early black and white films.

Camera shot types

Wide shot

Wide shots are usually used to show the subject (main character of the film) in their environment. The audience can take in the film’s atmosphere and relate the environment to the character who is the focus of that particular film.

Mid shot

A mid shot reveals the subject in more detail, but still offers the audience an angle of the surrounding environment. In the picture above you can clearly see Katniss, but the forest backdrop can also be viewed in considerable detail. A mid shot can be identified if the subject is seen from the waist up in a shot.

Medium close up

A ‘medium close up’ is very self-explanatory, it’s a shot that is positioned half between a mid-shot and close up. This is commonly used in quick cuts as the camera shot zooms further into the subjects face. The audience is made to look in detail at what the director wants them too, in this case the audience has to look at the Jokers face closely.

Close up

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the entire shot in a close up. Close ups are normally used to convey the emotions of a character to the audience. Facial expressions can be exaggerated and therefore the viewer is drawn into the character’s personal space and hopefully feels their feelings.

Extreme close up

Kill Bill is a fantastic example of where extreme close ups are used a lot to show the emotions behind a character. A director would usually need a specific reason to use this type of shot; in Kill Bill it is used to show Uma Therma’s character’s strategic assessment of a situation she is put in.

Cut in shot

Cut in shots are regularly used to create a more fluid feel to the filming of a movie. By adding in these subtle shots, the audience can be made fully aware of the environment and what the characters involved are doing.

Certain emotions can also be displayed through cut ins, for example excitement could be shown by the quick movements of hands while speaking.

Cutaway

As you can see from the picture above, a cutaway is when the camera shot draws the audience away from the main action (the the picture above the ‘action’ is an intense conversation between man and woman).

The cutaway can link to the film or could be concerned with a completely different subject than what the movie is focusing on. It can also be used to give the audience extra information that they wouldn’t have obtained from on-screen action.

Point of view shot

A point of view shot is another filming technique that is self-explanatory. It is also usually edited to make it completely obvious who’s point of view the audience are seeing from. A specific object or action can be highlighted through this type of shot. It also adds shot diversity to the film.

Over the shoulder shot

The person facing the camera in an over the shoulder shot should take up 1/3 of the frame. Using an over the shoulder shot can help present the hierarchy between characters such as, who’s the more powerful out of the two or who is the more delicate character. This style of shot is usually accompanied by high and low angles to help the audience through this power association process.

Rule of Thirds and the use of it in film

The rule of thirds states that an image or film is most pleasing when its subjects or regiond are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds.

Points of interest should occur at either 1/3 or 2/3 of the way up (or across) the frame rather than in the centre.

You can see this rule being used in the pictures displayed on the left. Morgan Freeman's character is clearly located on the second thrid of the frame so gains interest from the audience.

Colin Firth is also in the same position, but without the rule of thirds stensil over his face.

This, however, is not a definate rule. It can be ignored for film purposes. The Rule of Thirds acts as a template for directors to use for creating maximum interest within the audience.

Rule of Thirds is also not specifically for live action or photography; it is also clearly seen in animated films. As you can see from this still in Incredibles Violet is located on the first third and Bob is positioned on the second thrid. Not only this, but this shot is also from a low angle (making Bob look bigger than Violet).

Point of view shots commonly use the Rule of Thirds to make the shots appear more realistic.

The eyes of other people in the shot are usually found on the top thrid line.

This is a technique used to make the shot look as accurate as possible to our real life view of the world.

Again this rule is not always used with point of view shots, but the director must have a good reason not to use this technique. The picture could appear unusual and/or wrong.