This is a trailer for Blade Trinity as I am unable to find the opening scene to the film, yet this will help to give you an idea about the film
Blade Trinity 0:30-3:48
I chose to start at 0:30 as the storyline of the film begins
at this time as the sequence before has no connection to the narrative as it
only presents the filming studio and presentation company which is common in
nearly every film.
Stock Setting: This
setting is quite typical as not only is it set in a foreign country where
anything can happen, but it is also set in a dark, abandoned temple that can
hold many mysteries, which is ideal for the antagonist to hide as he can trap
his enemies and then do as he wishes.
Stock Characters: We
haven’t seen the protagonist yet, however we do know that he is a vampire
killer and is trained in destroying them which is not common in a thriller as
the protagonist is usually an ordinary person who randomly finds his world
change and must help to save people. The antagonist seems to be an extremely
powerful creature which is typical in the thriller genre as they must be a
tough opponent for the main guy but must be overcome at the end of the film.
Themes: This film
follows themes from the sci-fi thriller subgenre as it involves mythical
creatures that only exist in this type of genre. The violence and death is also
associated with this theme as well as the foreign species always seems to kill
lots of people.
Narrative: The
man at the beginning states that the story will follow someone called Blade as
it all started with him; however we find out that vampires are involved
throughout the film and blade is in fact a vampire hunter even though we
haven’t seen him yet. We know that the story will now follow Blade trying to
destroy this knew enemy which is a lot stronger than the vampires themselves.
Iconography: This
image of blood is has many different forms of iconography as it may be linked
with health and well-being however, it can also be associated with vampires as
it is the way they survive, so by putting it at the beginning the audience
already knows what the film may be about. When you see vampires you automatically
assume blood thirsty, evil creatures that will try and kill you however these
vampires are not the same as they are easily being slaughtered by an unknown
being which is unusual, however with this link with the vampires, this idea of
danger straight from the beginning is normal within the thriller genre.
Camera Work: There
are a few mid/long-shots of the helicopters with the use of panning and jump cuts,
which helps give the audience a wider view of the surroundings as well as
following the journey of the helicopters, which seem to have importance during
this part of the film. The long shot of the helicopters landing shows the sheer
size of the temple in comparison to the helicopters, which connotes that the
people in the place must have a lot more power than the people just arriving
and may foreshadow future events of destruction. The use of a tilt on the man
as he exits the vehicle gives the audience a clear representation of the
character as he is equipped in defensive gear ready for any threat. A low angle
long 4 shot shows all the characters walking together towards the temple, yet
shows them as the powerful ones at the moment by making them look bigger than
the camera from the low angle, which reinforces their dominance. A point of
view shot is used to show the person swearing up at the sun which indicates
that this person may be a vampire as they cannot walk in the sun which is why
he is angry with it and explains why they are all dressed up. An establishing
shot of the temple is used which is great to show the little significance that
these people have whilst they climb its steps as they are miniscule in
comparison. Once the brick is moved a low angle shot is used which makes the
people look yet again weaker than the temple and what it holds. Close ups on
the vampires faces help to illustrate their emotions of horror at the end of
the clip which is unusual as it is usually the vampires creating the horror.
Editing: Special
effects seem to be used on the blood-like cloak at the beginning which helps to
set the scene for the film as we soon realise that this film is about vampires
so the image is relevant. The use of what seems like a subtitle is used to
indicate where the setting is for the opening of the film so we can get into
the film a bit easier. At the end of the film extremely quick fade in and out
transitions are used to create the effect of the lamp breaking and flickering,
but gives a great effect on the audience as it helps to mask the events that
are going on as the shots are quick so the audience doesn’t fully know what’s
going on which creates an enigma in the audiences mind and carry on watching.
Mise-en-scene: To begin the clip we are shown an
image of an object which looks like a cape slowly moving in the wind, which is
parallel to the dialogue above it, however it also has blood like quality to it
as it glimmers in the light and seems to be like a sea of blood which also
relevant as the man is also talking about slaying vampires. The temple is
situated in the middle of a desert which indicates its importance as it is the
only thing around and is much bigger than everything else, including the
helicopters which may connote that whatever is inside is a much greater force
than those in the helicopters. When the man exits the helicopter he is dressed
in military gear and equipped with a gun which shows they are prepared for
combat, even though we already assume that they have lost from the previous
image of the temple. The lighting is very high key and natural, which is not
typical in a thriller as the colours are usually dark to hide the mystery,
which you would also expect with a film based on vampires considering they
cannot face the sunlight. The floor which crumbles away shows that this temple
has more than the eye can see and gives us an idea that this film will be full
of surprises. The lighting changes to very low key and artificial which shows
that the evilness can be hidden more now as the surroundings are dark and
shadowy which is ideal for vampires. The unknown being that comes out of the
ground is obviously much more powerful than the vampires which foreshadows
future events as we now know that it will be the antagonist throughout the
film.
Sound: We begin with a voice over of a man describing previous events so we
know that the film may be set at some point in the past, but he
also helps to set the mood for the film as he describes slightly what it’s
going to be about by telling us who we are going to watch and what they have
done. There is the sound of a slight use of non-diegetic music, which is quite
upbeat, being played behind the sound of the helicopters. The use of silence
apart from the background music is good as it lets us focus on the surroundings
and what they are doing rather than having to try and focus on both. The music
changes once in a different location from upbeat when they were outside, to a
more serious and eerie styled music which gets the audience prepared for the
film. The sounds of screaming at the end make us understand that the people are
in danger and that there is something more powerful than the vampires
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