PAST STUDENT WORK ANALYSISBehind the Net Curtain

The two shots above are both conventional of thriller films. The first shot shows somebody making a cup of tea, and while this is normal, an underlying, eerie and tense music score connotes something sinister exists in the scene. Using everyday objects and making them seem sinister is very common among thriller films. For example, the typewriter in Misery. Using a shallow depth of field (which essentially makes the background more blurred in appearance) draws a very narrow attention to the teabag. This then adds to a sense of mystery as the majority of the scene is concealed.

The second shot is also conventional because it is visually disturbing which, in itself, implies something sinister. The use of an extreme close up forces the audience's attention to the darkened, yellow teeth with little else to look at.

The shot of the woman turning over the picture frame is another conventional shot for a thriller film because it features what could be a red herring, or narrative retardation, as the audience at this moment are led to question the action's significance to the narrative. Low key lighting is used in this shot which suggests to the audience that something sinister is taking place - this is reinforced by the eerie, tense music score.

The second shot - which is a close up, high-angle of meat and seafood - is also conventional similarly to the shot of the woman's teeth in that it is in place to disturb the audience. The high angle makes the audience feel as if they are looking down at the meat and seafood for themselves. The close up makes it difficult for the audience's attention to be diverted. This shot is important because the idea of disturbing the audience helps to connote the sinister theme and tone of the opening.

The shot of the main character facing the window is important in a couple of ways. Firstly it reinforces a theme of this opening which is addressed by the title 'Behind the Net Curtain' by drawing attention to the curtains. Secondly, the shot makes the audience question for what reason the old woman is facing out of the window. - we are led to wondering what she may be looking at and whether that has significance to the narrative. The second shot, on this slide, is one of the only times that the character's full face is shown to the audience which is important because it adds to a sense of mystery and tension by concealing her emotions, thoughts and feelings. An extreme close up draws the audience's attention to her emotions, particularly her thoughts. At this point in the opening, she acts as a red herring as we are led to believe that there is something sinister that exists about her, when in actual fact another person is in the house and about to push her down the stairs. Using red herrings to mislead the audience is an important convention of thriller films because they lead to mind games being played on the audience which in turn will excite them and lead to audience pleasure.