Treatment

Treatment

Black backdrop fills the shot. The sound of vehicles passing floods the darkness, a passing car interrupts the pitch black as we are taken to a gloomy overcast. Opening with a pathetic fallacy, clouds cover the sky. Revealed central frame complimented with a long shot, a nerve stricken boy stands. Simplistic clothing masks the complexity of the emotions running through the characters mind. As if his life depended on it, clutched to his chest is a common backpack, the contents of which is masked from the viewer. The boy starts to look around, the camera, using disorientating angles (mixes of extreme close ups and mid shots) is used with a handheld style to show the anxiety of the character as well as the situation.

The purpose behind this shot is to create an exposed insight into the character. By using different points of view/angles to shoot the character we are constantly reminded of the disorientation the character feels. The use of quite a gloomy, natural light enforces the tone and atmosphere of the opening. Revealing quite a slow paced shot to start with, an initial tension is created among the introduction of the character. However, as the scene progresses the pace of the action soon follows suit.

The influences behind our opening come from a number of well-known thriller productions. The first, concerns the use of the visual affect from a handheld camera, coming from the Bourne Trilogy we are trying to recreate the unsteady/uneasy feeling in which is shown within the movies. The slow paced start was inspired by the opening of Casino Royale as we have the suspension from the action. By doing this, enigma is created and the action can be progressively introduced throughout rather than all in one go. The concept of the character running from someone is influenced heavily by the film Chatroom. Coming from a psychological thriller it isn’t your stereotypical chase scene, however the key concepts are still there. Not only does this create thrill within the scene it also helps to establish more of the storyline. Another film influencing our opening is that of Essex Boys. A certain shot that is used within the opening of this movie has proved most useful. The shot I am referring to is that of when two characters are in a car travelling through a tunnel and we see the drivers face shadowed with a cross pattern. This is foreshadowing certain events that are soon to come, instead of completely replicating the shot we have adapted it. We have taken the concept and chosen to place the character in front of a fence. Not only does this give a sense of entrapment, but by shooting him from behind we could also be foreshadowing a life behind bars in the future. The final film we have used to influence our work is used in association with the transitions between shots. In the celebrated style of Layer Cake, in our opening we have chosen to use the environment to transition between shots. For example: Our first shot of a car driving past reveals a boy standing in a long shot. As another car drives past the boy is completely hidden, and as the car drives away the boy is revealed again however this time in a mid shot.