thriller films - 'leon'

'leon' opening scene:

camera work involved:

at the start of the film the camera is in the air flying over central park. this sets the scene for the play. then after it goes to camera going down the road like a car. nothign out of the ordinary seems to happen and there is nothing out of the ordinary. the camera then swoops into a door which is pitch black. the camera involved during the openign scene of this play is close ups of the actors faces. this showing there emotions and feelings. also in the scene there ar a number of extreme close ups. these are when the two actors are having a cnvosation after the camera ennters the dark room. the extreme close ups include a cigarette and the ash tray. the actors mouths and one eye each from the two talking. these are used to show the audience a sense of mystery to who the people are and that they are mysterious characters. also extreme close ups are used later on when looking at the lift numbers lighting up one by one. this added to the tension and suspense as the henchmen were waiting for the lift to open. point of veiw or p.o.v. shots were used in this opening when the actor at the end was firing his gun at the door. this is good for the veiwwer as they see it form the actors point of view and can add to the ecctiment of the film. also durign the film a shot is used to emphasise great height. this is a shot of a henchman looking down the middle of a stairway. the shot is used to show the audience how high he is and that it is a long way to fall.

above: these are examples of extreme close ups.

below: is an example of low angle shot and a p.o.v shot.

mise-en-scene:

the mise en scene used in the film. creates an atmosphere at the start of the film as the shots all flow together well as they go from the air, to the road and into the shop. then when the killings happen in the building the shots all tie in well togther to create a sence of being there. durign the opeing scene all the offits are normal of the time and add to effects. also the location adds a feel of a place of outlaw and a palce of trouble. overall the whoel mise en scene of the opening scene is good and well constructed.

sounds:

the sounds used during the openign of 'leon' the films opening starts with calm relaxing music as the camera floats over the top of new york and over the park. not a great deal of music is used from here on. apart from when the killer is seeking out each henchman. as the killer gets closer and closer the music follwos this and gets heavy and louder. the sound of a steady beat adds to the tension and makes a great diffrence to the audience alothugh the occasional silence is a good source of adding complete tension to a scene.

narrative:

the narrative used on this film is of non-ficional events. all the events could well happen and probably do happen every day. although the storyline is not based on a true story.

lighting used:

the lighting used in the opening of the scene is natural light and a bright day. this adds to the relaxation factor of the long esablishing shot of new york. but then when the two men are in covosation the lighting is almost non exsistant. thhere is no lighting anywhere. there is a candle light. the camera cannot see anything past the peoples close ups. nothign can be made out in the background at all. this shows it is a mesterious location and even in the brightest days it is a dangerous place. when the killer is out to get the henchmen the lighting used is alot of artifical light. this creates shadows and this adds to suspense and tension. and that there are lots of places to hide for the killer.

sfx:

the special effects used in this film. the guns are a special effect the amoutn of gun fire ex-changed during the scene is a large amount. the way the shots are fired into the wall punchign holes into the sheet of steel is an effect that has to be made by a specalist team. although there are not any big explosions during the film the only other added effects are the stunts of the stunt man falling down the stairs from the top which was a long way up and heavily influenced by the camera angle and the shots made.