Conventions of the Thriller in 'Kill Bill: Vol.2'

Kill Bill: Vol.2 is renowned cult movie director Quentin Tarantino’s sequel to the insanely over-the-top and highly influential revenge story Kill Bill: Vol.1. At the end of the first film, Uma Thurman as the wronged and rampaging assassin known only as The Bride has narrowed her ‘to kill’ list down after facing off with Lucy Liu, and is swiftly progressing to her primary target, ex-boss Bill (played by David Carradine), but her nemeses will do everything in their power to delay their inevitable reduction to literal blood fountains. And this time The Bride’s daughter is thrown into the mix. Incorporating an intricate set of revealing flashbacks, brutal fight scenes, unforgettable dialogue and intertextual nods to Tarantino’s admired directors, both films have a pride in place on the wall of great Thrillers, with a huge cult following to boot. The sequel bagged two Golden Globe nominations; one for best actress and the other for best supporting role.

The scene analysed in our media course was that of The Bride’s attempt at killing Budd, Bill’s less than desirable redneck brother. But Budd is wittier than we are led to believe, waiting for The Bride’s path of espionage and slaughter to come to his dirt-ridden trailer. The scene inevitably ends in our heroine’s incarceration.

As the scene begins, Budd rolls into view in his rusty old car to the camera. Straight away we as the consumers see the conventions of a Thriller bleed through; a barren and featureless landscape, one where we can be watched from all angles by evil eyes; next, an unsettling image of the car headlights nearing us, applying a sort of morbid anticipation for the danger ahead. The shape comes out from the darkness like some demonic spectre in search of prey; the light and dark chiaroscuro tones also apply, plus the gunk and erosion about the car hint toward the moral decay of such low places in society. As Budd starts to suspect company, he retreats into the trailer -itself a symbol of his ‘loser’ status and seedy activities, ever present in Thrillers- allowing the Bride to rise up from the low and claustrophobic spot where she has hidden. As she prepares to have a stab at Budd, he looks out of his blinds onto the savanna, projecting a cold and artificial light in prison-like bars. He switches on a tape of the Johnny Cash song ‘I Don’t Hurt Anymore’ (oh, the irony!) and waits, shotgun cocked, for The Bride to storm in. Gun beats sword, quite blatantly. What follows is a carefully selected set of dialogue shots to place Uma’s character at a lower level of power, at the mercy of the film’s loser, and difficult spots like these crop up again and again during a Thriller’s run time.



Conventions of the Thriller in 'Witness'

Directed by peter Weir in 1985, Witness is a modern thriller telling the story of an Amish boy (a young Lukas Haas as Samuel) who witnesses a murder. Harrison Ford plays John Book, the cop tasked with protecting Samuel until the trial, who must swiftly go into hiding in the Amish community; else he and Samuel could meet the same fate at the hands of the corrupt figureheads of the police force who committed the crime. The film is revered as one of Ford’s best performances, and is a notable part of the Thriller genre. The film went on to win the Oscar for best editing and best writing.

The particular scene analysed in class was that of the murder witnessed by Samuel, committed by Danny Glover’s character James McFee. It contains many generic conventions of the Thriller.

First of all, the scene in question takes place at 30^th street station, Philadelphia, an iconic symbol of the bustling city life and a setting used in many other movies. A man in the bustling crowd exposes a tattoo on his hand, connoting a form of hidden corruption in the city amongst the high rise buildings and hordes of passersby. Samuel approaches a Jewish man believing that he is Amish, and backs up in disdain when he realises he is mistaken. The multiculturalism of the city is happily present, and the crowded city is a prime setting for s Thriller. When Samuel enters the lavatories, you see another convention of Thriller setting; the seedy nooks and crannies of the city. The toilets are ran down and vandalised, and not a very comfortable place to be in. Suspicious characters line the walls, ready to attack unsuspecting victims and provoke a sense of shock from the audience. When Samuel enters the toilet cubicle, the completely generic presence of claustrophobic spaces arises. All of these factors begin to build tension, until the murder is committed. Thrillers are typically littered with excessive yet believable acts of violence, this scene included. The culprits are also members of the police, as Thrillers tend to contain seemingly innocent villains. As McFee opens the cubicles, we fear for Samuel’s life, the cinematography highlighting his fearful gaze. Another generic point, the hero is presented with impending pain or death, yet manages to escape narrowly at the last minute.



Definition: Femme Fatale

Femme Fatale, French for deadly woman, is the term generally used to describe one of the archetypal female characters in Thriller and Film Noir movies, like the character of Anna in The Third Man. Femme Fatales tend to lure in men with their beauty and seduction, and into a gruesome demise, or danger. They tend never to show affection for the protagonist, and draw him into often fatal situations by driving him to obsession and irrationality.

Definition: Film Noir

Coined by French critics studying monochrome detective and thriller movies in the 1940s, film noir is characterised as being menacing, pessimistic, fatalistic, cynical and sexually driven. The films are stereotypically black and white, and the characters are desperate cynics. Murders and corrupt police activity are a staple in the key lit urban setting.

Analysis and Evaluation of Cosmetics Advertisement

This is the finished advertisement for the Cosmetics Unit of Media Studies, for the fragrance 'Wild'. In this unit students were asked to create their own advertisement for a fictional product using photo editing software and self-made pictures.
 

The original product was branded as 'Wilt', but was deemed possibly unappealing to the consumer. The name was switched to 'Wild' so as not to complicate the editing of the logo or lose the desired connotations of the product. I somewhat prefer the original logo due to how neatly it has been edited into the frame, but the altered version has a less distracting, more natural colouration to the mountainous backdrop.

Construction

  The shot I used was taken during a family holiday to Canada, on a deserted shoreline. I chose a spot not littered with dying jellyfish and captured a wilted piece of flora in the frame. After superimposing the model, the image becomes a long shot. The image itself is landscape and quite large; mountains and weather formations fade into the distance, at which point the water rests in a straight line. The rocky landscape across the body of water and the soggy sediment on the beach frame the action in the foreground. The angle is partially out to the left, the beach moving upward to the edge of the frame, where the figure has been placed. The background is moves out of focus gradually with distance, with the most crisp and clear object being the dandelion.

  Due to the open space of the shot location and lack of interference by industry in the area, the lighting is primarily natural. The light filters through the clouds on the horizon, lighting up the whole image with a mild glow. The fully natural yet partially obscured light mirrors the wilderness itself, untouched by humanity, but blocked out by his tall, clinical structures.

  The mise-en-scene has been constructed by adding small images to the photograph and changing brightness and saturation accordingly. The dandelion has been carefully desaturated, leaving it completely drained of life. The mountains are unaltered, save a slight correction on lighting to bring up the shapes. The connotations here are that nature is still separated from mankind, yet is slowly retreating to an early grave because of our interference. The figure is desaturated and placed as if walking along the beach; the figure is in touch with nature and their own natural beauty by using this product.

  The rule of thirds has been used to draw the eye to the figure, but the entire picture is designed to lead consumers through the desired spots. The figure is at the far left, followed by the logo and plant, then the product itself. This layout guides the consumer to the important product placements, but also follows the natural gradient of the beach. No cropping was used in the image, symbolising the detachment from human interference. The chosen name greatly reinforces the inclusion of nature in the product: the logo is framed by the dandelion, and is blurred as if standing out on the shoreline. The consumer of this product will feel natural and unhinged.

  The narrative of the advertisement is simple - a lone figure straddles the gloomy shoreline, looking for a way to escape city life. They look outward across the beach and water, and are moving in a walking motion along the driest walkway of the beach.

  The model is in a padded leather jacket and pair of loosely fitted jeans. They are very much protected from the wind and cold, yet still appear calm and casual in attire. No make-up was used in fear of straying from the initial purpose of highlighting natural beauty. The facial expression is calm and cool, the stresses of city life lifting from their shoulders, though it has been blurred greatly to fit in the distance. The model is in deep thought whilst looking out into the water, contemplating what he really wants from life. The hair may connote a rocker attitude or social group, but the blur on the figure lets the gender become undetermined. This product could appeal to both women and men, but a male audience would recieve the model far more positively. The figure may be too far away for sexual appeal or relation to one's self, but this distance serves to build upon the escapism of nature.

  As social groups go, a hard-working and industrial 'city folk' can be targeted as the product offers solace in nature. The model's denim and leather look may appeal to the teenage desire to be non-conformist. The bleakness of the background is contrastingly mature, and the age group can be widened by this, stretching from mid 20s to possibly early 30s.

Technologies

  The spontaneity of photography on a holiday only left a simple digital camera for use, but the limitations worked to my advantage. The camera solely focused on the dandelion, but there was originally no intention of using the photograph in work. Adobe Photoshop Elements was used in school to experiment with features and begin to edit in the bottle and figure, but Serif Photo Plus X2 was favoured due to its availability at home and past success with editing of text.

  The availability of editing software, blogging and cameras over the past few years has allowed the public to engage in the media with ease. Images and texts can now be published onto the Internet for all to see quickly and easily, when only decades before such a thing could only be accomplished from inside a major media institution. Our perception of texts has been changed dramatically, as we can now comment on, object to and add to (or even create) texts ourselves.

Target Audience

My target audience is the modern teenager and young adult, primarily situated in big cities. Our generation is extremely self-conscious. Young people become doubtful of their own image with the media displaying so many chiseled Action Man abs on bald bodies and backbreakingly large bosoms weighing paper-thin models down. Natural beauty should be something that is celebrated in society. My advertisement should ideally be shown in a public place such as a shopping mall, far from the nature it depicts.

Photoshop practice/preliminary test

For my quick practice on manipulating images prior to a cosmetics ad, I foundk an easily manipulatable backdrop in the red fabric and a central object, the skull. Through a ceries of layer applications, warping and fine details my end result is a satisfyingly macabre, monochrome vortex.

The consumer may be unsettled by such an image, or if longing for a more noir approach will be satisfied with the implication of encroaching death. On a whole I am pleased with how the image turned out, and can possibly encorporate similar techniques into the final advertisement.

image cropping/anchor test

The original image is a simple snapshot of life on a street in Bruges, Belgium. People are on their way to work and other destinations, crossing the road and taking a sit down to rest their legs. A lot appears to be going on, yet nothing particularly exciting or tragic has occurred.

Cropping an image can change its connotations entirely. Meanings of certain extractions can be billed as motivation pieces, news headlines or even propaganda.

 Image 1 could be a group awaiting some important occurrence. All other activity has been cropped away to leave the group, who seem to be awaiting something; whether or not what they await will benefit them can be questioned. Image 2 connotes mass travel; an exodus, traffic jam, evacuation or rush to enjoy the holiday while it lasts? Image 3 is of the two people crossing the road, but now that their destination is nowhere to be seen, they can appear lost, or part of the bigger group infront, their intentions unknown.

Image 4 is merely the skyline. Architecture can be labelled here, as well as the high rise nature of the buildings. Pollution, overpopulation, disrepair, poverty and a sense of the past seem to come through on this particular crop.

Finally image 5, an image with little to no excitement. The whereabouts is now unknown, but the people revert to their original purposes. The hustle and bustle of city life is focused on in its entirety.

Examples of lighting in three images

 1: Back lighting

This photograph of a lone tree is back lit by the natural light of our Sun. Back lighting is frequently used to connote holiness or great importance. This is true for the image in question, as it is the only standing landmark. The light coupled with the loneliness of the tree places it at centre stage in our line of sight, and what a beautiful sight it is to behold. The tree rises from the horizon like some great glowing monolith, giving hope, salvation, or on a bleaker note some form of death and/or capture as its all-encompassing shadow stretches across the faceless ground.

2: Key Lighting

Key Lighting the first and most important unnatural light source used in media, used to focus solely on an object and highlight its features or dimensions. The shadows created can contribute to a sense of mystery, or connote baleful anticipation. Used alone a key lit shot can offer chiaroscuro to a scene, which is especially important in a Thriller in its subtle application of light and dark, good and evil. 

3: Natural Lighting

Natural lighting, if nothing else, applies a realism to the shot. The consumer is urged to believe that it is in the day, and not artificial. An absense of well-coloured natural light can connote a sense of unreality, as seen in the incredibly green Matrix Trilogy. The wide and featureless open spaces of Thrillers are often naturally lit, if a little lacking in colour during Winter.

Advert analysis II

This advertisement is for the Giorgio Armani fragrance ‘armani code’ distributed on the web – note the ‘learn more’ hyperlink in the bottom right-hand corner and shape unconventional in magazines. It features a confident looking and smartly dressed young man in intimate contact with whom we assume is his lover. The woman has been seduced by the fragrance, following the trend of other perfume advertisements by morbidly exaggerating any effect it may have on attracting women. The formal attire and monochrome design place the scene in the past, and build upon the air of seduction in the image. The product is aimed predominantly at a male audience, representing the woman as some object of male desire ensnared by the product; this nauseatingly sexist portrayal of women is all too present in the fragrance business. The slogan, ‘the ultimate code of seduction’ leads the consumer to believe that they can meet those of the opposite sex by purchasing the product; 'ultimate' places it on the no.1 spot in possible attractive scents. Yet the depicted male’s attention is elsewhere, as if uninterested by his lover, once again presenting a held dear by clusters of idiotic men. The advertisement is presented in 100% monochrome, mirroring noir film's dark and mysterious flair. The male could almost be the typical hard-boiled character of cinemas' past. You are instantly attracted to the figures as familiar objects, with use of the rule of thirds. The direction of the male's attention is toward the logo and product, be it non diagetic. The chiaroscuro lighting furthers the mystery and stays loosely in the noir sector of advertising.

This Dior advertisement I found particularly eye-catching. On first glance you see a beautiful young lady studying herself in the mirror, possibly readying herself to go out. She has cosmetic products lined up for her use, so as to impress her partner - or even a stranger or acquaintance. Looking closer you see the grim visage of the human skull (or, if like myself you take more of an interest in the noir and macabre, you may have noticed the skull first). The placement of the skeletal face subtly into images is a niche art form dating back hundreds of years; the power of suggestion has a profound effect on the mind. The context of this may also hint to hallucination; the girl may be a femme fatale of sorts, luring the gullible man to his doom. Whether or not this perception of the advertisement is true, the title of the product is linked in an almost primal sense to death and illness, hence the skull. The positioning of the camera suggests the entering of the room, where the woman waits; for courtship, to seduce, to be spied upon, or simply running late for a show, her motives are in mature territory. The light eminates from the 'skull' and out into the black, attracting us only to the center. The logo is in eye-catching red, like the blood of a poisoned victim flowing through the body and spreading death. It is instantly noticable in the shadows of the stacking luggage.