Thriller Shot Analysis

Thriller Analysis

Phone Booth

Genre - Mystery Thriller

Director - Joel Schumacher

Release Date -18 April 2003 (UK)

Awards - 7 nominations

This shot is very near the start of the film 'Phonebooth' It is a shot of the phone to the right which is heavily focused on. This builds up tension because you know something is going to happen involving the phone. It then starts to ring and Colin Farrell (the actor) in the background to the far left. (also using rule of thirds, left actor, right phone, nothing in the middle) he hears the ring and turns to look directly at it and the focus changes to him. This is known as 'Depth of Field'. It is used to create a focus on an object or person. It is not a quick transition of change but a slow gradual change. This emphasises the movement so you don't miss it. It's in the middle of the day so its light source is all natural so it is ambient lighting. It is set in a busy New York and you can see and hear all he traffic behind him but when the phone rings you can't hear the traffic. All you can hear is the phone ringing. This creates even more focus on the phone.

Audience Response

User Comment - From the International Movie Database

''Phone Booth' could easily have been a quirky novelty flick that played well amongst the art house set. Thanks to Farrell's performance it makes for good mainstream cinema (normally an oxymoron) and may actually make a few top ten lists'

The Guardian
'Colin Farrell shows he can be an engaging lead actor as well as scene-stealing support in this briskly enjoyable thriller from Joel Schumacher.
Written by B-movie whizz Larry Cohen (It's Alive!, Q, The Private Files of J Edgar Hoover etc), it centres on Farrell's slick, amoral PR man clueing in a new, unpaid assistant in the role amid teeming New York street life. A Sidney Falco for our time, Farrell makes one big mistake - answering a ringing street phone - and lands himself in big trouble in a way that turns his life around.
It's not wildly original - the use of occasional split-screen and real time, and the presence of Kiefer Sutherland, recall 24, and there are shades of Jerry Maguire and Dog Day Afternoon. But Schumacher gives it a cracking pace - it's all wrapped up in 81 minutes - and is a really good "what would you do if..." movie. You always want to know what's going to happen next, although, in the cold light of day, it may not all add up too well to the strict demands of logic.'

United 93

Genre - Drama

Release Date - 2 June 2006

Awards - Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 17 nominations

Director - Paul Greengrass

This is a close up shot of one of the plane hi-jackers towards the end of the film as he is flying the plane. The close up creates a claustrophobic space for him. His face looks scared and nervous and in the film he is breathing heavily. He also has sweat dripping down his face. It switches to him hesitant to flick a switch as if he is not 100% sure with his decision. The lighting is non-ambient because there is a lot of shadows around the face. there is a brighter light coming from directly in front of him and no where else, This suggests unnatural light is used.

Audience Response

User Comment from International Database

'There truly are no words to describe the power of this film. The cinematography is excellent, albeit a little unsteady with the shaky lens thing going on. I found that the film very much followed the reports in the 9/11 Commission's book, as well as numerous others. They stuck to the facts and didn't add in any glorified scenes that weren't warranted. You saw the mass confusion as the various air traffic control centers tried to make sense of what was going on. You saw the events on the plane unfold as we think they did that morning. You saw ordinary Americans, scared and frightened, band together and try and keep that plane from hitting another target'

Psycho

Genre - Thriller

Director - Alfred Hitchcock

Awards - Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

The Psycho 'Shower Scene' Is a famous scene because of its amazing use of close up shots which Hitchcock was famous for using so well. This shot shows a 'character' through a shower curtain which the audience can see but Marion can not. The shower is a great location for a murder as it creates claustrophobic spaces and no where to go for Marion. The medium shot is used well to help the audience make out the figure of a person and they expect something to happen. This creates tension. The use of non-ambient lighting behind the character creates a darker shadow and is therefore easier to see the characters movements.

Audience Response

User Comment

'Aside from this though, the movie is flawless. I won't even go into to how incredible the cinematography is. One thing I think people seem to forget about the movie is the incredible soundtrack. Sound is such an important element in movies and Psycho is undaunted when it comes to sound. The only other horror movie that even comes close to using sound with such perfection is Halloween (1978).'