Essay #3... Analyse similar genre of film. 'Taken.'

1.

As you can see, this is a video camera shot, almost like a memory of the protagonist. Which suggests that the protagonist is reminiscing about happier times, which leads us to believe his current life could be miserable, or without meaning. This shot will show relevance later on in the film. 

2.

This is part of the credits during the opening sequence. Credits are vital to every film, in any genre. Depending upon what production company or any studios are used, this could subliminally make the audience enjoy the film more.

3.

You can't really see much in this screenshot, however that is a convention of the crime thriller genre. Low level lighting is key in any thriller, and here you can see the successfully achieved this. 

4.

This is almost an establishing shot, as we can see the city that the film is set in, although the location does move later on in the film. But location establishment is key in any film, and being in a city is usually stereotypical in crime films. Establishing shot, this reveals where the film is set, or reveals a location.

5.

This is what I meant by the first screenshot proving relevance later on in the film. Although the shot isn't particularly revealing or a convention of crime thrillers (although the low level lighting) it reveals the protagonist being very anal about wrapping a present, which reveals a lot about the character. Close up, revealing what the character is doing.

6.

In the background of this image we see a relatively large estate, which is fairly stereotypical for a crime thriller genre. Usually the owner of the large estate is the victim, which is what is unveiled later. Conforms to the stereotypical crime thriller genre. Extra long shot mixed with wide shot, reveals location.

7.

Here we see the well dressed protagonist. Be at for a special occasion, but usually in crime thriller genres, the protagonist looks usually professional, even if they aren't wealthy. Wide shot, reveals character identity, props and potentially location.

8.

There is always some conflict in the opening sequence of thrillers, and this conforms to this. Here, we see the protagonist being in an argument with his ex-wife and his ex-wife's husbands' employee. 2 shot and over the shoulder shot combined here, reveals facial expressions and character identity.

9.

Here you can see the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter. This relationship will become more apparent later on in the film. Over the shoulder shot, showing the protagonists emotions seeing his daughter.