The Betrayal

Holding the shot steady

Through the entire thriller the camera is steady with no sign of unintentional shaking. There is no movement except for a POV of a sniper looking down the scope to shoot someone. This doesn’t help the audience feel like they are in the film until the end as there aren’t any dolly’s until the end with the POV

Framing a shot

The thriller has used a wide range of different angles. Like in the beginning when the main character comes in the car there is a lot of canted angles. This seems to be a bit of foreshadowing and helps the audience acknowledge something isn’t right with the character. We see this at the end when he dies.

Variety of shot distances

There are a variety of shot distances within the opening long shots, mid shots, close ups and mid close ups. For example there is a medium close up when the protagonist is shooting at two guards, there is a close up on the gun when it shoots then a close up on the first guard, then the same close-up on the gun with him shooting the second guard. This creates a fast pace action sequence to create tension in the audience.

Appropriate to task

The opening clearly uses aspects of typical thrillers. There is a clear protagonist and antagonist in the opening, there is also unanswered questions, like who are these people? And why has that girl been captured? This leaves the audience wanting more as none of the questions are answer in the opening meaning they will want to watch the whole film.

Mise-en-scene Selection

The Mise-en-scene works well for the film. The costumes create a sense of mystery in the story and characters. They protagonist and antagonist (though showing their faces) are wearing suits which creates mystery as they look like spies, the henchmen wear masks to hide their identity. All this creates a sense of danger and mystery within the opening.

Editing for Meaning

The edits used in the opening are very well placed and makes sense for each scene. For example in the finale scene with the snipers POV the gun sound effect goes off at the same time as the blood splatter and the protagonist falling down. This puts the audience into the film as it doesn’t distract from the opening but creates a sense of tension.

Shot Transitions

The transitions of the shots are very well placed. For instance when the protagonist is walking through the castle when he is about to leave one shot it jumps to the next, it has a flow to it. This helps the audience be involved with the opening as the transitions have a flow to them which doesn’t distract the audience but adds atmosphere.

Sound with Images

They sound effects work very well and are in sync with the film. The diegetic sounds are in sync with the actors and the non-diegetic sounds work well as a music track. Nothing feels out of place or is distracting. The gunshots and blood splatters at the end with the sniper are very well edited and don’t distract us as they are in sync with the actors.

Using Titles

The titles in the film are very visually engaging and appealing. They aren’t out of place from the film and work well with the action. The light which pans on the names to show them in the dark work well with thrillers as they create tension and mystery in the audience.