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THE PELICAN BRIEF

By Jess Stanley and Olivia Wilshire

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Denotation

Connotation

Cinematography

  • Extreme close up
  • Two Shot mid shot
  • Aerial shot

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  • The extreme close ups suggests a more secretive or mysterious approach to introducing the characters
  • The Two Shot indicates a potential relationship between the characters, which is to recognised as a potential love interest/support for each other

Mise En Scene

  • Julia Roberts
  • Denzel Washington
  • Guns
  • Car speeding at the end
  • Top Actress - Can lead to a grow in target audience
  • Top Actor, particularly known for starring in Thrillers
  • Guns create tension
  • Car speeding at the end makes the audience want to watch it and find out why.

Sounds

  • Non-Diegetic dramatic, ominous music - classic of the thriller genre
  • Diegetic sound of car screeching
  • Creates tension for the audience.
  • The car is startling which introduces tension to the audience

Editing

  • Jump Cut
  • A pan match cut
  • Similar quickness of surveillance and has a similar quickness to an eye blinking.
  • The pan match cut gives the idea of the narrative being fast paced

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Extreme Close up

The trailer opening

Aerial action shot

Two shot mid shot

Close up

The car speeding at the end

Extreme close up but of an object

Extreme close up of protagonists eyes

Clear intro of the main actors

Threatening close up shot

Two shot

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In this clip from The Pelican Brief, we see many references to the conventions of the thriller genre. For example the non-diegetic, dramatic, ominous music nods to the thriller genre, thus increasing tension for the audience. The trailer opens with a close up of a man with a camera, which instantly indicates to the audience the mysterious and secretive factor of the film. The continuous sequence of jump cuts at a fast pace, could be similar to the speed of a surveillance camera or resemble the blink of an eye. This is further reinforced with the quick-paced diegetic car screeching at the end of the trailer, as it immediately indicates to the audience the excitement of the storyline.