Disturbia: Ad Campaign

I looked into the film Disturbia a bit further and the advertising campaign is fantastique, the trailer reveals quite a lot, but not to the extent that you have already seen the best bits. The website is also really interactive and themed around spying.

The Trailer


The trailer starts of slowly like the film - it looks like it is advertising a teen movie as it shows drama and 'the girl next door' but then the music starts to changes and builds up adrenalin and the audience gets quite suspicious. The tension keeps building up showing more and more events up until the girl is nearly stabbed through the door.
I think the best part of the trailer is the sound, not only the music but the voice over + sound effects. There are screams and heavy panting but also lines from the film like 'how many other perfect little houses hide really twisted secrets...wait' - this intrigues the audiences so much - it actually happened to me in the cinema when i first saw the trailer - because it creates so much enigma.

The Website - www.disturbia.com

The main screen of his bedroom is good because it's interesting and you have to find things for yourself, but the really amazing part about the website is the 'Disturbia Suburbia' section!
You enter your zip code (it's only for the U.S.) and it gives you an arial view of few mile radius, and you can click on places and it tells you creepy murder stories from there.

Here is an example:

It gives a little background to the person and then tells you the warped things they have done:

I think this is a really good idea - it really gets the audience involved and when they see the film it will be even more thrilling + scary because it will seem more possible

Inspiration

Rear Window and Disturbia have given me so much inspiration for my thriller!

I really really love the idea of a normal setting - probably suburban (don't know why) - and then something really twisted and warped going on behind closed doors. I think it's a great chance to be creative and i think it also taps into fears of the audience right now which is a big part of a successful thriller. So i think most of my initial ideas will be based around this area.

Some other examples are:
- Lantana
- Blue Velvet

Disturbia vs Rear Window

Rear window has been used and remade so many times and Disturbia is the most recent of these (released: 14th September). Here is an in depth comparison of the 2, similarities + differences:

Characters

Similarities
Look/Dress: The male lead is quite scruffy and messy, and very unconcerned with his appearance, where as the girl is glamorous/sexy/proud of her appearance.
Roles/Types: Male leads - attractive but the outsider type The female lead is quite brave + active, she is not the typical 'damsel in distress' despite needing saving in both at some point The main character has a sidekick type person
Behaviours: All the characters seem quite courageous - particularly villains who realise they are being watched and come straight round to the other house
Characteristics: The sidekicks are very chatty and quite dopey

Differences
Look/Dress: The films are obvioulsy from different time periods so there is different meaning to glamorous for example.
Roles/Types: In disturbia the sidekick is his best friend, where as in rear window it is his cleaner each has a diff type of victim, disturbia has many good looking females, and rear window has one bed-ridden wife the villain in disturbia is charming + we know lots about him, but in rear window we know hardly anything
Behaviours: In disturbia the girl is encouraging the spying with ' a steak out', where as in rear window the girl discourages it In Rear Window the girl does the snooping, where as it is his friend in Disturbia
Characteristics: In rear window the main character has to prove his ideas, but in disturbia his friends believe straight away - trust issues in rear window (possibly teenagers want to believe it more - scandal?)

Iconography

Similarities
Setting/Lighting: Normal on the outside mostly natural, majority is in day time, then important/scarier scenes in the night
Mise-en-scene: fashionable clothing for that time average setting - just normal houses
Props: knives/saws lenses - cameras/binoculars technology(for that time period) - computers/flash bulbs
Camera: Frames within frames - binoculars/windows/ computer screens ALOT of p.o.v. shots - through the windows and binoculars etc - all from protagonists, NEVER from villain - makes them seem more mysterious
Colours: n/a - rear window is black and white

Differences
Setting/Lighting: Rear window has an urban setting where as Disturbia has a rural setting Disturbia is set in a big house with lots of rooms where as Rear window is small flat with one multi-functional room
Mise-en-Scene: Rear window also has quite an urban/city lifestyle to it - glamorous dresses etc, where as Disturbia is centered around a quiet rural life - kids playing in the street, big family cars etc Dress codes are very different because of the different time period, and the large age gao in the characters
Camera: I think Disturbia has less p.o.v. shots because there are more scenes going on outside the house, and Rear Window is centered entirely in one room so he has nothign to do except look through binoculars every single shot is from one room in Rear window - expect at end when he falls out of window
Props: More modern in Disturbia - Xbox 360, mobiles, computers, video cameras
Colours: n/a - rear window is black and white

Narratives

Similiarities
Point of view: Always the point of view of male lead (most of time quite literally with camera shots) - so we know as much as the characters no, not much more
Structure: It takes a lot of time for the film to get properly started - lots of background/watching etc
Dialogue: Mostly character driven although some events are crucial (about 60/40)
Events: Mistaken identity seen as proof of identity (girl leaves - him in wig, wife leaves - another woman instead) There is a party in both - distraction use of technocolgy as a defence (camera flash + live video camera for help) Villains kill animals - show they will stop at nothing someone breaks into house on mission
Enigma: We only know what the characters know so it's only a slow release of information as they disciver things, until the end
Storyline: Live close to murderers suspect and watch them women die villains discover they are watching villains are caught

Differences
Point of view:
Structure: There is more build up in Disturbia (entire scenes outside of house)
Dialogue: Much more dialogue (as there is more characters) in Disturbia
Events: In Disturbia you see some background etc as to reasons for himin house they all go into villains house in Disturbia
Storyline: Only one suspected murder in Rear window, but a suspected serial killer in Disturbia

Themes

Similiarities
House arrest
Suspense + Fear
Law + Order
Right + Wrong
Suspicion
Useless police involvement
Voyeurism
Spying / Watching
Technology (for that time period)
Sexual Attraction

Differences
Death of a parent - Disturbia
Mother + Son relationship - Disturbia
Trust - in Disturbia his friends believe him straight away, in Rear Window he has to prove it

Summary
- Convention don't change over time because directors know what works/sells
- Genres are very repetitive
- Remakes are updated for new audiences - creates more empathy e.g. single parent
- Remakes also flatter people who know about films - they can discuss/compare them
- People who have seen the orginal can see the changes/moderinastion of it - which is interesting

Rating
Disturbia: ****
Rear Window: **

Review: Psycho

I enjoyed Hitchcock's Psycho, and i found the character of Norman Bates very intriguing, particularly the psychological reasoning behind his behaviour. I also thought that the behaviour and death of (female lead) was interesting, because although at first she is shown as deceitful and sexual the audience still empathises with her and expects her to escape. Then when she is suddenly and brutally killed it comes as quite a shock, i think Hitchcock chose to put this twist in to get the audience to expect the unexpected, and to hint at the other major twists left in the story.
I thought the setting was perfect also, to me the haunted mansion screamed something warped happening behind closed curtains. The house seemed to have a sense of regality to it and was probably quite valuable, but once inside this is killed by the stuffed animals which i think signifies the other losses in the story - his mother, the business. Another point about the setting is how isolated it was, she seemed so trapped in the tiny cabin making her even more vulnerable
However, i think that the climatic scene with Bates' mother's skeleton was shot and edited quite poorly, because although it does still make you jump it could have been to look even more twisted. To make Bates seem more warped the light probably should have been shafted in through a tiny window, and i think the skeleton should have been positioned as if supposedly doing something - like knitting. Also possibly wearing make-up or jewewellry - but perhaps this would make it too comic.
Overall though i think the film was brilliant, and i think Hitchcock was a genius.

Rating: ***

Experimental Thriller Shots

What i particularly love about stills is how much information you can from them - it is so easy to build up a story line using conventions and signifiers. Here are a few photos that i took and have read into to create a possibly storyline:

Shot 1

In this shot we were trying to achieve a mysterious and dangerous effect with the shadows and shaft of light.
It represents thriller because the subject looks like he is about to discover something - the audience can guess this past experience of films where characters are in these situations.
The sink in the background connotes a domestic setting, so maybe he is investigating someone else's house. He doesn't seem very cautious, so he's probably quite naive or alternatively, brave, this also connotes that maybe he has no choice but to investigate - perhaps a policemen. I think the lighting works very well in the shots, because of the silhouette effect; it makes the photo quite eerie, because of the darkness and shadows I think it also creates enigma. I particularly love the chain coming down as it signifies something horrible and twisted.
I think the slight high angle on this photo works because it makes him look vulnerable. Using a LS also works because it shows the audience lots of information and there is no point using anything closer until we need to see his emotions for the reaction shot. The slight cutting off of his foot in the frame also makes it look a little distorted and again signifies something twisted.

To improve the photo I think I would have a high angle/over the shoulder shot, so it’s as if the antagonist is watching him, from above – this makes him seem even more vulnerable. I also think it would be better if he had just come from some stairs so it’s as if he is in basement – because ground level seems to normal.

Shot 2

I was trying to achieve a stalker theme with this photo, the look on his face seems longing and almost lustful which makes the viewer quite uncomfortable because they want to tell the girl she is being watched. It is even more disturbing because he is so close to her (making her seem even more vulnerable) yet she hasn't realised.

I think it represents thriller because of its themes of stalking/watching, but also because of the deserted setting - perhaps a factory closed for the day - connotes isolation. Also because the villain is very bold and therefore probably doesn't know/care he is doing something wrong - therefore connoting some sort of mental instability.

I think that the reflection in the window works incredibly well, it heightens the sense that she is being watched and also gives the shot more eerie-ness. I think that the MS works well also because it's not too far that you can't see any emotion, but it's not so close that you don't get an instant overview of the situation. She is also lower than him in the shot signifying her vulnerability.

If i re shot this i would use a possibly older more battered setting (windows look very clean/new), and i would probably also shoot it at dusk for extra effect. I would also change the male's clothes - to probably darker and more worn and torn. I would probably also use a more innocent/vulnerable looking victim - probably blonde. Another problem was that the girl isn't easy to see, but i haven't thought of a way round that, because i think without the glass in the way, she would look far to vulnerable/stupid for not realising he is there.

Exploration

Definition: thriller
thrill·er (thrĭl'ər)
n. One that thrills, especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story, play, or movie.

I thought suspense was a very key word in this definition, because to me suspense and enigma are the 2 things necessary for a successful thriller

Conventions of most thrillers

• Characters
  Dress: glamorous sexy suits/cocktail dresses dark colours
  Roles/types: ‘Damsel in distress’ – turns brave when is needed / charming/confident – male+female
  Behaviors: Villain – twisted/erratic (stalker etc)
  Characteristics: courageous charming sexy

• Iconography
  Setting: suburban ‘normal on surface’ isolated/strange places – factories/forests
  Lighting: Dim unnatural shafts of light shadows
  Mise-en-scene: Dark Eerie suspense building music frames within frames – windows/binoculars (watching)
  Camera: p.o.v. – villain (audience = guilty) protagonist (audience = empathises) lots of close shots (BCU/CU) – for reactions + emotion
  Colours: red – danger/blood black - enigma blue – eerie/cold (death)
  Props: knives/saws/weapons – pain/death Water (lakes/rivers etc) – suspense + mystery

• Narrative
  P.O.V.: Villain – audience feels dirty guilty Protagonist – audience empathises + is very involved
  Dialogue: Clues/Signifiers – never given all information moves the story along (essential)
  Events: moves story along reveals information (audience can 2nd guess + get involved)
  Structure: beginning – either slow or twist straight away Middle – very mysterious, little info given Ending – fast moving, everything is revealed

• Themes
  Isolation: one particular fear of public which is common in thrillers
  Murder/pain/injury: is the normal aim/goal of villain
  Suspense: as opposed to gore – separates horror + thriller
  Enigma: enthralls audience, essential!
  Lack of Police/Law: ‘taking matters into your own hands’
  Fear: often taps into the current fear of society (e.g. terrorism)
  Courage: characters never knew they had – ‘Damsel in Distress’ frees herself