American Psycho Character Analysis - Patrick Bateman

Bateman’s identity and personality is based on a double construction. He embodies both the well-groomed image off the Wall Street business man and the gruesome image of a serial killer. Bateman takes delight in obsessively detailing his life, for example, his designer clothes, morning routine, workout routine and even his music collection. Bateman kills most of his victims because they make him feel inadequate, usually having better taste than he does. The character often doubts his own sanity and he has periodic attacks of psychosis, during which he hallucinates. He also often experiences feelings of depersonalization. Although Bateman often claims that he does not feel emotion, however, he often describes feeling rage, panic or grief-being on the ‘verge of tears’ – these emotions are usually shown whilst doing simple things such as returning videotapes or trying to get his sheets cleaned. In the middle of killing a victim, he breaks down, sobbing that he “just wants to be loved”. He takes medication, like  Xanax, to keep these attacks under control. Patrick compensates these insecurities through obsessive vanity and personal grooming. Bateman kills indiscriminately, killing a range of people, he mostly kills woman for sadistic sexual pleasure, he kills men because they anger or annoy him. Periodically, he confesses his crimes to his friends, co-workers, and even strangers just to see if they are actually listening to him. In one incident Bateman calls his lawyer and gives a long detailed and detailed confession of all of his crimes. He later runs into his lawyer, who mistakes him for somebody else and dismisses the confession as a joke, also saying that he had dinner with one the victims after Bateman had supposedly killed them, leaving the supposed reality of Bateman’s acts open to interpretation.  

American Psycho Trailer Analysis

·         Fade in transition of company logo (Lions Gate Films)

·         Voice over then cut transition to a bird’s eye shot of a business card with main character’s name

·         Establishing shot of the city then a fade transition to main character highlights that he is a business man.

·         Quick shots of his average life (girlfriend, friends, parties, etc.)

·         Freeze frame of main character admiring himself in the mirror, music stops, something is going to happen.

·         Fade transitions on each short clip, voice over.

·         Flash transition to a two shot of main character, possibly trying to kill another character. Voice over, “I feel lethal” emphasising the scene.

·         Voice over, “I think my sanity is about to slip.” Then cut transition with diegetic sound of a chainsaw then we see that the main character is holding the chainsaw and he also appears to be chasing someone.

·         Short clips of what appears to be the main character about to kill someone.

·         Trailer consists of short clips and cut transitions, common for thriller trailers. Also thriller trailers have more voice overs.

·         Zoom in on main characters face showing no emotion.

·         Fade up to film title.

·         Short clip of close of main character. Low key lighting.

·         Trailer credits – fade up transition.

American Psycho Plot Summary

American Psycho is the story of Patrick Bateman, a rich, arrogant, twenty-something yuppie in 1980’s New York, who also happens to be an insane serial killer. He is the quintessential citizen of consumer society who consumes the victims of his insanity, all with the same disengaged obsession he uses in choosing outfits. There is no real plot, no consistent time line, rather it is told as a series of events from Bateman’s point of view. Furthermore there is no real character development; Bateman does not seem to see his “friends” or acquaintances as people, instead he observes them as objects. He does not describe those he comes across by their physical characteristics or their personalities, but rather by what they are wearing and who designed it. At times these descriptions can get downright tedious, but I believe that this is the way Bateman perceives everything… as blatantly boring. His only concerns seem to be his appearance, women (hard bodies) and the murderous things he wants to do to them, how much items cost, the videotape rentals he has to return.

Shutter Island Poster Analysis

The title for the film ‘Shutter Island’ is easy to read due to the fact that it is in caps lock. The title is also coloured red which makes it stand out from the dark background. At first glance, the title and the picture are the first thing you notice, which is what was intended. The colour red is a very vibrant colour which is very attention-grabbing, red can represent many things, for instance, warning, fear or danger. Red is also the colour of blood which suggests that there will be a death in this film. The fact that this poster pretty much embodies fear and danger suggests that the film will be full of suspense and violence.
The main image portrays Leonardo DeCaprio, he is the protagonist of this film and the central character for the movie’s plot as the film is based on his experience on Shutter Island. The image is an extreme close up of his face which looks very dark and serious; however, he is holding a lit match. His facial expressions seem to be mysterious and he appears to be hiding from something and does not want to draw attention to himself, it could also be argued that he is looking for something, possibly clues and is using the match to try and find something. His expression is very serious and he is not looking directly towards the camera, instead he is looking towards to his left, not only does this make him appear more mysterious and possibly dangerous, but it also suggests that not only is he hiding, but he can see the thing or person he is trying to hide from giving it a sense of fear and danger.

The tone of this poster is very mysterious and sinister, this is emphasised by the dark colour scheme, the black and grey background creates an eerie representation of the movie which is the correct interpretation of this particular film. The mood of the film is very dark and mysterious, the characters appear very odd and the entire film appears to be hiding a dark secret which is not revealed until the end of the film as a plot twist. The image of the building located at the bottom of the poster looks very dark and sinister and does not look very attractive, instead it looks menacing and foreboding, the fact that it is surrounded by water suggests that there is no possible way of escape. The water appears to be thrashing against the island, and the currents appear to be strong, adding to the poster’s threatening illustration. The use of heavy rain also emphasises the poster’s murky theme as it all appears very dark and miserable which represents the island and the film as a whole.

The two images on this poster are separate; Leonardo is placed at the top of the poster whereas the image of the building is placed at the bottom. Both images look menacing and sinister due to the dark colours in both images. Despite their being two separate pictures, it is obvious that they are connected in some way, the fact that Leonardo’s image is above the image of the island suggest the plot is going to be based on his time on the island.
The slogan ‘Someone is missing’ adds to the poster’s already sinister depiction, I’ve already stated that Leonardo appears to be looking for something, the fact that the slogan is next to the image heavily suggests that Leonardo is some sort of detective and is looking for this missing person. The slogan emphasises the posters mysterious atmosphere whilst giving the audience a slight insight on the content of the film.

The use of the inclusion ‘OCTOBER’ at the bottom of the poster is emphasised by the use of the colour red, this allows it to stand out from the posters dark background, the fact that it is the same colour as the title helps emphasise it as important information. It tells readers when the film is being released in theatres but it does not give an exact date, this is to create hype with the fans as it keeps them waiting for more details. The fact that Leonardo’s name is in a bold white font appeals to the fans of his movie, many people will be interested in this movie for the lone reason that he is the main character in this film.

In my opinion, I think this poster is persuasive, the fact a close up of Leonardo DeCaprio is the main image will strongly appeal to those who are his fans of his other movies. The tone of this poster is very dark and is obviously a thriller, these type of movies have a big fan base and will greatly effectively result in sales.   

Shutter Island - Trailer Analysis

Shutter Island (2010)
Director-Martin Scorsese
Main Characters-Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley

·         Trailer starts with a fade into the producer logo of ‘Paramount’

·         Cross fade into clip of wide shot of a boat in fog.

·         Short clips with fade to black transitions, fit into every beat of the music creating a pulse like sound.

·         Cuts to directors name.

·         Pans forward towards the mental hospital.

·         Slow motion clip of the two detectives and a security guard walking towards the gate.

·         Cut transitions run throughout the trailer.

·         Shot reverse shot between the two detectives and the security guard.

·         Slow motion of a patient at Ashecliffe looking at Detective Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio).

·         POV shot.

·         Flash black to emphasize the restricted area light.

·         Fade up to a dark room – low key lighting.

·          Fade up and tilt up to a nurse.

·         Tilt down to and injection. Flash white, zoom to portray that there could possibly be a reason behind it o something wrong with it; this is emphasized by diegetic sound of a woman screaming.

·         Voice over

·         Close up of hand reaching for a gun and then cuts to a close up of a foot dragging it away.

·         Fade to black.

·         Over shoulder shot of Doctor Cawley (Ben Kingsley)

·         Over shoulder shot of Detective Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio)

·         Wide shot of Ashecliffe Hospital

·         Flash and then a brief pause at a photograph of the escaped patient.

·         Pans left looking down the corridor.

·         Flash black of the escaped patient’s room.

·         Fade to black then a low angled shot of Detective Daniels and Detective Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) walking around the room.

·         Quick flash mid-shot of the escaped patient covered in blood.

·         Non-diegetic music starts to become more intense and dramatic.

·         Short clips with fade to black transitions.

·         Voice over of Detective Daniels. As he states, “it’s like they’re scared of something,” there is a white flash transition, music intensifies and then we see a low key lit scene of the hospital, giving it an evil atmosphere.

·         Cut transitions of power down and Detective Daniels walking out into the rain.

·         Daniels looks out of the back of the car, POV shot of Doctor Cawley, jump cut and flash, again the music intensifies for a few seconds which emphasizes the flash making the audience questioning the character of the character Doctor Cawley.

·         Fade up of Detective Daniels interviewing a patient, shot reverse shot between the two characters, then a two shot of them both, then a close up of his notebook with the word ‘run’ written on it, cuts closer and there is a still image of the word.

·         Cross dissolve to a low-key lit room with the two detectives slowly walking into it, the lights flicker the fade to black.

·         Voice over of Detective Daniels taking about fear and insanity, as this goes on, fade up to low lit corridor, jump to a high-key lit apartment corridor, then it cuts to a backwards track following Detective Daniels in the hospital. Then cuts to a close up of his face in one of his ‘dream sequences’, cuts to paper falling, then being stained with blood.

·         Cuts to a patient in his cell writing ‘stop me before I kill more’ over and over on his cell wall, jump cut then a flash to a close up of his hand highlighting that he is writing with his own blood.

·         Close up of Detective Daniels hand lighting a match, there is a flash when a prisoner tries to attack the Detective from inside his cell. Fades to black then a voice over saying “This is a game”.

·         Birds eye shot of Detective Daniels, rotates the flashes, cuts to an over shoulder shot of Detective Aule.

·         Cuts to Detective Daniels in a hospital workers uniform walking down one of the hospitals corridors, high-key lighting, he is then stopped by Doctor Naehring (Max von Sydow), the music intensity increases as there is an over shoulder shot of Doctor Naehring portraying that he plays an important role in this film.

·         Cuts to Leonardo DiCaprio’s name

·         Close up then rotate around Detective Daniels face.

·         Cuts to security guards around the hospital, voice over of Doctor Cawley.

·         Track towards the two detectives.

·         Fade to black transition then an over shoulder shot of Doctor Cawley.

·         Cuts to a mid-shot of Detective Daniels.

·         Cut transition to a long of the detective kicking down a door.

·         Fade up transition of him then running up a spiral staircase with a close up of his feet emphasizing the drama.

·         Voice over of Detective Aule, fade up to a long shot of Detective Daniels looking over some rats, fade to black transition to what seems to be the head of security, this is emphasized by the light being positioned in a high position that blurs out most of his facial features giving him a questionable and sinister appearance.

·         Fade to black transition to a close up of Detective Daniels hiding behind a door frame, then fade to black to the main hospital gate closing, conveying that there is no escape, fade to black transition to an over shoulder shot of Detective Aule.

·         Cut transition to a door being blown open then flashes back to the detectives shielding their eyes.  

·         Fade to black transition to an arc around a mysterious man with a cut down most of his face, a very scary look suggest that he is a villain in this film, then cuts to a close up of Detective Daniels talking to someone.

·         Close up of the mysterious man smiling and holding a match.

·          Quick shot of a tilt up of Detective Daniels holding a gun and shouting at a couple of men.

·         Cuts to a woman and a little girl, there is an explosion in the background,  the little girl’s costume suggests that she has passed away and could further imply that this is one of Detective Daniel’s ‘dream sequences’.

·         Series of short clips of someone in the ocean, a man running down a low-key lit corridor, Detective Daniels chasing this man, Detective Daniels walking through a room that looks to be on fire, and then some clips form Daniel’s dream sequences, these clips convey what is happening to Detective Daniels mind and how it is slowly starting to break down.

·         The title of the film ‘Shutter Island’ fades in and the music slowly stops, the title fades out.

·         Fades up to Detective Daniels walking towards an empty door frame, voice over of Doctor Naehring, then Detective Daniels gets attacked and high pitched music plays making this scene seem terrifying.

·         Birds eye shot of the attacking Detective Daniels and pulling him down the stairs. Cut to black.

·         Fade up to the film’s release date

Shutter Island Character Analysis - Teddy Daniels

Teddy Daniels has a troubled past that is reflected in flash backs and dream sequences. Prior to being a U.S.  Marshal, he was a veteran of war, where he saw some of the most brutally horrific and mind-scarring scenes imaginable, the kind of things that could poison a person’s mind and leave him haunted by them for life. He is also a retired alcoholic and his alcoholism is later elaborated on in a flashback scene where his late wife asks him why he drinks. Not only is Teddy haunted by war and alcoholism, but also by the fact that the man who set fire to his home and killed his wife and children, that somehow lead him to Ashecliffe Hospital, in what he believes to be ‘fate’ when he discovers that this man who killed his family is a patient at the hospital: Andrew Laediss. Before long, Teddy soon learns of the corruption on the island. Peculiar experiments are being carried out which are later revealed to be lobotomies. Once Teddy discovers the “truth” he tries to leave the island but is unsuccessful. This is when the twist starts to become evident. Teddy Daniels is not a U.S. Marshall. He is actually a patient at Ashecliffe Hospital, and has been for several years. Mentally scarred by the issues in his life, which are revealed not only to be the toils of war, but also the fact that his wife went insane and drowned their children, it was Daniels, actually revealed to be Andrew Laediss, who killed his wife out of revenge. Throughout the film, teddy suffers headaches which are actually withdrawals from his medication which he suffers when he creates his alternate personality.

Shutter Island Plot Summary

Set in 1954, an upcoming US Marshal, Teddy Daniels, was assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital.  He has been wanting to do an investigation on this island for personal reasons of his own, but before long he wonders whether he has not been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors who treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy’s investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuse to let him see personal records that he suspects would break the case wide open. A hurricane then cuts off all communication with the main island, more dangerous criminals “escape” in the confusion, and the improbable clues multiply. As this goes on, Teddy begins to doubt everything – his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

Chosen Genre

The genre i have chosen to do for my film trailer is Psychological Thriller.

Definition 1

http://www.slideshare.net/Valvainolivi/thriller-sub-genres-7729126

Psychological thriller – a sub-genre that focus’ on elements that are related to the mind or process of the mind; they are mental rather than physical in nature. Sometimes there is conflict between two main characters leading to an often violent resolution; the conflict between the characters usually mental and emotional, rather than physical.

Sometimes the suspense comes from within one solitary character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in means of either physical manifestations, or physical torsions of the characters at play.

Definition 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller

Characters are no longer reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies (which is often the case in typical action-thrillers), but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state.

Project Brief

For my project, i am going to create a trailer for my film, a poster and a film magazine that features my film.