*Please read the annotations for further analysis*
About the movie:
The film 'Incision' is a thriller type movie. It is filmed and directed to try and stick to most of the conventions included in most successful thrillers such as guns, crime, etc. The film itself is about a doctor who also happens to be a serial killer, thus setting up an interesting criminal plot much like other thrillers like Hannibal. Two law enforcement officers attempt to track him down and bring him to justice but wander into one of his traps. A bomb goes off and the fate of the two heroes remain unknown, meanwhile the doctor is off in his secret hideout adding another name to his long list of victims.
Evaluation:
In the opening sequence, the first thing we see is an establishing shot of a medical building.We then cut to a close up view of the doctor on his phone reading a news article about law enforcement tracking a serial killer. This sequence sets up the story as the audience is now aware that there is a killer on the loose and that law enforcement are now searching for him.
The killer reading the article on his phone.
Another convention that allows this film to go along the lines of a thriller is the how the two heroes/detectives are ensnared by the antagonist and lured into his trap in the abandoned room.
The use of continuity editing also supports this statement as the cutting of camera from one door to another (the killer being in one and the detectives being at the other) misleads the audience into thinking that there the killer has indeed been found by the heroes.
This editing leads the audience to believe that the door leads into the killers hideout.
Shortly after, it is revealed that the heroes have entered the killers trap as a bomb hits for them in the room.
The protagonists being in danger also present another feature that is commonly present in the thrillers as the two detectives are faced with peril after entering into the killers trap. They begin to hear a loud
'beeping' noise that begins to increase in pace and the protagonists the run out of the room, realizing that it is a bomb.
The detectives find a box and immediately gag and step away after opening it
The mystery of what was in that box will not yet be revealed, however, it does create an enigma as the audience will question what were the contents in that box and how created such a strong reaction from the two heroes.
The use of the camera angle showing the killer watching the protagonists through the camera/looking down on the heroes represents the idea that the killer is the one in control here and that he is looking down on them like a sort of spectator or controller playing with the game. This obviously puts the killer in the better position.
The use of a medical building as a hideout follows along the lines of a thrillers convention to use ordinary places in an extraordinary manner. The medical unit is seen as a place where people are supposed to be treated and recover, thus this irony of it actually being the lair of a killer (who happens to be a doctor who kills people) adds the effect.
The medical unit as the killer's hideout.
Conventions that are not followed are as follows:
* There is no psychological or distorted mirror sequence.
*Since there is not much character build-up, the audience is not put in the position of 'voyeur'.
*There are no doubles or dopplegangers.
* There is no revelation of any weakness of the heroes.
Music:
The music used in the opening credits of this movie was meant to create a sort of eerie effect. The continuous piano piece creates a mixed emotion of fear and suspense, as well as a good level of creepiness.
Characters:
The characters fit into the three different factions:
1) The Killer- The killer in the film is not your typical, mass murdering psychopath. He is also a doctor and thus brings an interesting twist to the story as it shows he is obviously educated and smart.
The audience is laid to ask why this an would turn to a life of crime? Killers are quite common in thrillers although few notable ones are known to be in high positions in society such as our doctor, other examples would Hannibal Lecter and Hugo Strange.
2) The Detectives- The two detectives who hunt down the killer are not the most typical heroes one may find. They do not have a full team with them and thus are presented as fearless and efficient officers. Their communication and dialogue is kept to a minimum, showcasing their trust and teamwork. The angles in which the camera constantly faces them is intended to make the audience feel as though they (the detectives) are constantly being watched. Whats more is they are a 'duo' making them more conventional to other dynamic film duos such as Hans Solo and Chewbacca.
3) The Victim- The victim is your stereotypical, helpless person whose only job in the film is to be killed. He represents someone whose importance is only revealed after his death, hence the story actually begins with his death.
Font:
The font used in the opening credits are prominent in order to stand out and create a lasting effect on the audience, the red color represents the idea of blood and death. We propped it on a black back ground in order to make it the only thing visible, thus sending the message that this would be a dark/killer based movie. The 'spooky', almost-clawed like font of the opening credits represent the idea of something jagged and rough, which goes against most thrillers with doctors as villains- this is because one would expect smooth and elegant writing to represent a surgeons work, however we wished to emphasize on savagery of the doctor and his love of murder.
The font represents the savagery of the murderer.
Title:
The term 'Incision' means a surgical cut- giving the audience the idea of some form of
These were all the different ways in which our film was analysed.
For the opening we took influence from two key sources Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Speed (1994). Both are thrillers that play with continuity editing into tricking the audience into believing the heroes are about to corner the antagonist only to get a surprise. Following is a comparison between our construction and key scenes from both. This is to establish what conventions we followed.
Speed and Incision analysis:
Analysis:
'Speed' is a movie about a SWAT officer named Jack Traven who thwarts an attempted hostage-situation by a bomber and causing his death in the end. However, the robber does not die and remerges to torment Jack and push him to the limit to save the lives of civilians and perform his duties as an officer of the law.
Speed-
The scene we took inspiration from in this movie was the scene where the SWAT team attempts to breach and apprehend the bomber (identified as Howard Payne) in his residence. The scene begins with a view of the house with police vehicles rushing in on all sides. The SWAT team breach the house in the hopes of apprehending the suspect, however, he is not there and to make matters worse, he has left a bomb as a trap in his place.
Realising that there is no escape, the SWAT team are all killed in the blast.
Incision-
This film shares its ending and plot with Speed. Our plot involves the unsuccessful attempt of arresting a murderer by two officers and finding the killer is not in the location we assumed he was in.
Similar to Speed, the killer has left a bomb in his hideout and trigger the detonator when he realises that the heroes have been successfully deceived and lured into the home.
The fate of the agents in pour film however, remain unknown.
The heroes can be seen covering the alleyway and trapping the killer inside.
The establishing shot of the killers lair and the breaching of the doors
The heroes find out that there is a bombThe explosion causes the the killer to shake and hit the wall.The SWAT officer realises there us a bomb in the house.
The bomb detonated and kills all those within its blast radius.
This image shows the SWAT teams trying to trap the killer in the house and ensure he does not escape. The one below offers us an establishing shot while simultaneously showing us how the SWAT team surrounds the killer's residence.
Most importantly, they share the idea of the heroes being ensnared into the villains trap and a massive explosion in the end.
These are the similarities shared between the thriller films Speed and Incision.
Silence of the lambs and Incision:
Analysis:
The 'Silence of the Lambs' film is a thriller about an FBI detective named Clarice Starling who is chasing a serial killer called 'Buffalo Bill' and is aided by another criminal who is also a cannibal named Hannibal Lecter.
We used the main story of this movie to inspire our own film, which we named 'Incision'. The plot from our movie revolves around the story of a serial killer who is on a murder spree. Two detectives are sent to hunt him down and bring him to justice.
Scene analysis:
Silence of the Lambs-
The main scene from which we took inspiration was the scene where the FBI and Clarice go separate ways to try and find the killer. An establishing shot gives us a normal looking suburban home; the FBI believe that they have finally found the location of the killer when it is actually Clarice who has the correct address. With a massive amount of double/continuos editing, the movie builds up loads of tension as to where the killer is. For example, when the FBI agent rings the doorbell, the screen cuts to a shot of a bell ringing in the other home and alerting Bill (where Clarice is going). The audience is thus deceived and believe that the FBI will reach Buffalo Bill first.
When the storming does finally take place, it is revealed that Buffalo Bill is not where the FBI thought he would be and upon realisation, the Chief of the FBI team immediately thinks of the danger that Clarice is in.
Incision-
Similar to the Silence of the Lambs, we also use an establishing shot to show the location in which we are filming. The killer is revealed and is preparing to kill a man, while two heroic detectives are shown walking down the alley way and toward the aforementioned location. This is where the two films come very close to one another, with double/continuous editing, we attempt to make the audience believe that the killer is indeed inside of the 'Medical Unit' building.
However, upon entering the house and breaching the room where the killer supposedly is, the two detectives find no one. The killer see the both them through a camera he has placed in the room along with a box full of human body parts and a bomb, putting the two heroes in danger (like Clarice).
The similar establishing shots from both movies.The killer is revealed.
The officers eagerly wait to apprehend the victim, not knowing that they are the wrong location.
The killer is notified that there are people in his territory.These are all the similarities that our film shares with Silence of the Lambs, the rest takes inspiration from the movie Speed.
