The Hollow Pond
MAHD Productions
Zodiac- Thriller Movie Stills:
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The figure coming out of the car behind the car in front isn’t visible which connotes mystery to build suspense.
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The position of the car denotes that they are in-between a wall and another car, which connotes that the two central characters are trapped with no way to escape.
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There is a lot of the background in the frame, which denotes that they are at the side of an empty road. This further emphasises the fact that the two central characters are trapped by showing there is no one there to help them.
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There is dark lighting in the background to establish the time of day; night time, which is often the setting for thriller films because it’s seen as where people are most vulnerable to crime.
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This still denotes an open door on the car at the back, which connotes that someone is coming out of it, which suggests danger. This builds suspense as the two characters’ chance of danger is increased.
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Don’t Look Now- Thriller Movie Stills:
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Red coat- red symbolises danger and also represents blood.
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The reflection of the autumn leaves in the water appears to be red which again connotes blood and death, and that a death happened in the lake.
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The look on the man’s face connotes numbness and shock, two feelings that thrillers aim to make you feel. The shocked face also connotes the coldness of the water, making the audience understand what conditions the characters are in; this also justifies the girl’s death and clarifies that she was helpless.
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By showing the lake in the background, the audience is shown its scale compared to the little girl.
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The ripples in the water connote movement and activity in the lake (the girl’s death) and they also foreshadow a ripple effect in the rest of the movie.
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The man holding the girl establishes the different ages, therefore making the audience understand the tragedy of the situation more.
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A History of Violence- Thriller Movie Stills:
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This still denotes a man wearing glasses indoors. Backed up with the dark lighting to establish it’s night time, this connotes that the man has something to hide, which creates an air of mystery about him. This creates suspense.
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This still denotes two men alone in a diner, which connotes that they have a personal conflict. The forced smiles connote that they are both preparing for something that will happen inevitably, which builds suspense.
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The man on the left is dressed formally which sticks out in this small town diner. This connotes that something isn’t right in this scene and that there are things the audience don’t know about the central characters. This builds suspense and reveals an air of mystery.
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The man on the left is dressed in a black suit. The connotations of a black suit are that they’re worn at funerals. This further connotes that he is familiar with death or it could be foreshadowing a future death.
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~Mark O'Brien
The background is unfocused which suggests that the police officer is the point of focus. It also shows us that he is alone walking down a road surrounded by woodlands. The weapons visible connotes danger and death may be close and he is ready to defend himself. We can tell that he is heading towards more people as he has multiple weapons and he could not use them all. He is holding a canister which could be used to store petrol. This is further backed up by the police car we see in the distance. We know that he is unable to continue driving as he has no fuel left. He would have no reason to continue on foot as we can tell it is dangerous. The woodlands area suggest he is isolated from the rest of society. The yellow strip in the middle of the road could signify a path he is mean to follow similar to the yellow brick road in Alice in Wonderland. The forest area he is in could suggest that it is a peaceful area but this is contradicted as he has multiple weapons which means that all is not as it seems. The red canister catches our attention as it stands out from the rest of the scene. His facial expression suggest hardships and painful memories have occurred but he hasn’t given up and wants to survive.
Although a weapon is pointed at his head he is at ease which connotes that they are working together and he has no reason to mistrust him. They are fairly close to each other and are facing each other which suggests that they are friends.
Their facial expression suggest they feel surprised which could explain why he is holding a gun casually. The man on the right looks like he is in disbelief at what he is looking at and can’t explain what he’s looking at.
The background suggests that they are in a forest and isolated from the rest of the world. This is typical of thrillers as it makes it more believable and it would explain why he is able to hold a gun so casually.
