(Up-to 122:37)
Camera - At the begging of the extract the camera remains in a fixed position whilst the solitude character digs a
grave. The director chose to do this as to allow text to scroll up the screen. Both the text and the camera position
give an insight into the narrative of the extract. The extreme long shot allows the audience to see where the text is
set. The red sunset, the mountain and the wooden buildings are all common to the 'Western' genre. From this the
audience have a preconceived idea of what the extract will contain based upon its genre. The director pans around
the town. This shows the setting of the text, in addition the audience is shown the silhouette of a couple kissing then
the camera falls on a window. This panning allows the audience to 'soak' up the atmosphere of the text before being
led to the main story line. During the struggle between the characters a shot-reverse-shot is used between the
character with the knife and his victim. This allows the audience to see both characters expressions and reactions.
This allows the audience to engage with the characters allowing them to feel more a part of the action. Shot-reverse-
shots are common in Thrillers as the director can build suspense by switching between the two characters.
This is common in a 'face off' between the protagonist and the antagonist.
Editing - The opening shot last for a long time with out any cuts. This allows the audience to engage with the
atmosphere of the text. In addition it leaves along enough time for the text to scroll down the screen. The director
chose to use a fade transition between takes. This shows the passing of time. Usually this would be used in a Thriller
to allow the audience to 'recover' from the action. As the text continues the
director begins to use straight cuts. These can be effectively used to create
suspense at the begging of the action. The pace of the editing matches the
pace of the action. Suspense is a common convention of Thriller movies.
Sound - At the beginning of the extract the non-diegetic sound runs parallel
with the narrative. The music is suited to the genre of the text. The director
chose to do this as to set the atmosphere of the text. Contrapuntal music
wouldn't of appealed to the audience and their ideologies. The director
effectively uses a sound bridge between 2 scenes. This keeps continuity in the
text. Also it helps to build on suspense, this is because it is unexpected and
almost makes the viewer 'jump' Furthermore the director combines diegetic
sound and editing to effectively create suspense. Effectively combining the
two allows the audience to engage as suspense is created. At the end of the
action all the diegetic sound is quietened so that the click of the gun is
emphasised. This shows the importance of the gun to the narrative of the text.
In addition it shows that silence is also an effective way of creating suspense,
common to Thriller movies.
Mise-en-scene- At the begging of the extract the audience see a silhouetted landscape consisting of a house, a tree
and a man digging. This silhouette is created by the a glorious sunset. From this the audience have an impression
of the location and genre of the text. Such sunsets are associated with deserts thus the audience is led to believe that
the film is of a western genre as all 'westerns' are set in dry deserts. In addition to this the silhouette creates a sense
of ambiguity about the text. This is due to the fact the audience is limited to what hey can see. The director has done
this to make the scrolling text more effect as the audience need to read it to understand the narrative of the text. As
the scene progresses the audience are shown an apparently empty town due to the rain. However as the camera crabs
the audience see another silhouette, this time of a couple kissing. The director is trying to convey the idea that the
specific characters aren't important however the connotations associated with their actions are. The idea of conveying
an action allows the audience to add their own personal opinion to the text increasing their engagement. The
characters costume convey to the audience the characters social standing. From this the audience are allowed to
engage with the characters more. This is common to all Thrillers as it increases the effect of suspense films on the
audience. In addition to costumes the director has effectively used props. Such props as the gun are common to mostly
all thrillers. However each sub-genre of thriller has its own style of weapon. This is important to the text as it helps
establish genre.
Special Effects - Very few special effects are used in the opening of the text. The only point where special effects
are used is during the fight scene. The blood from the cut woman is common to a lot of thrillers. However it is not
necessarily apart of all thrillers. However the climax of a suspense scene is very important. In this extract the climax is reached however the action continues and suspense is continually created as the audience don't know what will happen to the character.
Titles - The titles and the scrolling font are in a classic typing font. This font suits the opening and the genre of the text. The director chose to use white text as it stands out against the background. In addition the director choice white to juxtapose the red colour of the title of "Unforgiven". Furthermore there is inconsistency in the font. The sinister font of the title of the film creates the impression to what the narrative will contain this then links back wit the chosen colour of red which has symbolic meanings of "danger" and "blood" . This is consistent within all Thrillers.
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