Compare & Contrast

'Rupture' vs. 'Casino Royale'

The torture scene in 'Casino Royale' has a lot of similarities with our opening sequence. They both involved a battered man sitting, tied up on a chair in the middle of a dark (possible underground) room with dripping water. Both sequences show the torturer carrying a weapon which they are going to farm the man sitting in the chair with. The torturer is free to move however they want, circling the chair in both films and get really close to the man in the chair as they know there's nothing they can do. It is also obvious that in both sequences, the torturer is throughly enjoying themselves. In both sequences, the man in the chair is screaming.

However, in 'Rupture' the torturer is a young woman whereas in 'Casino Royale' this role is played by a man. In 'Rupture' the man in the chair is battered but still fully clothed but in 'Casino Royale' he is topless. In 'Rupture' the man is moaning whereas in 'Casino Royale' the man is screaming in pain. the torture in 'Rupture' is down to revenge but in 'Casino Royale' , it all comes down to money.



(The torture scene discussed comes at 03:20)

Some Key Thriller Characteristics Displayed In Our Opening Sequence

Characters
Femme fatal, The Final Girl??

Themes
Vulnerability, Torture, Criminal Activity, Murder, Entrapment, Revenge

Iconography
Gun, Knife, Underground room, Derelict Building, Water

Events/Sounds/Actions
Someone who's trapped, Screaming, Basement location, Someone who's tied up, Stabbing

Techniques Achieved (incomplete)

Shooting
180 Degree, 30 degree (no), Match on action, Shot-Reverse Shot, Close ups etc

Editing
Transitions, Continuity, Condensed time, cross cutting etc

Sound
Non-diegetic/ diegetic

Applying Theory to 'Rupture'

Levi-Strauss: Binary Opposites

This theory revolves around the idea that elements in a story are paired and are opposite. I can identify a few examples of this in my sequence 'Rupture' such as:

• Male vs. Female
• Good vs. Evil
  
• Freedom vs. Entrapment
• Justice vs. Injustice
• Cleanliness vs. Grubbyness

Barthes: Action & Enigma Codes

Barthes theory claims that every film is dependant on Enigma codes and Action Codes. Enigma codes raise questions and Action codes refer to actions leading to other actions creating suspense in the audience.

Action Codes:
-Showing only the boots walking
-The laying out of the tools
-Taking the gun out of the bag (But he does not get shot. goes against Barthes theory)
-Man being held hostage
-The fade to black at the end of the sequence

Enigma Codes:
-Why does she fire a blank instead of a real bullet?
-Why is the man tied up with gaffer tape over his mouth?
-Where are they located?
-What tool will she pick?
-Why is she carrying so many tools in her bag?
-Why did she select that particular tool over the others?
-What has the man done to be killed?

Todorov: Narrative Structure

We cannot really apply Todorov's theory to our sequence as we have only made the opening sequence and his theory refers to the story establishing a beginning state of equilibrium, then resorting a state of disequilibrium and ending with the production of a new equilibrium by the means of the main characters actions [usually]. Our sequence is supposed to be the end of the story meaning it actually shows the production of the new equilibrium through the gilrs killing of the man who was partly responsible for the disequilibrium.

Propp: Character Types

Propp identified eight character types common to stories. I have identified 3 of these characters in my opening sequence although the rest of the film may reveal otherwise.

The Villain
This appears to be the girl in our opening sequence as she is the one holding the man hostage, playing with him and killing him. However, the rest of the film shows that she is only seeking revenge.

The False Hero
In my sequence, this role is played by the male character. The audience emphaise with his character as he is the first person we see and we feel sorry for him. However, the rest of the film will show him to be a member of the gang that raped and murdered the girl's sister.

The Hero
the rest of the film will show the girl to also play the role of the hero as she is bringing justice and avenging her sisters death.

'Rupture'

Personal Evaluation

I believe the project was a success as we all stuck to deadlines, resolved disagreements with compromise and developed skills. I learnt a lot technically (e.g. I can now use Adobe Premier and After FX to a much higher standard than before) but also how important it is to be organised and to work together when working in a group.

Due to our group dynamics, there were no major disagreements and if anyone has an issue, we said it. I now feel a lot more confident with my technical ability due to my individual editing sessions which gave me a chance to experiment.

My main criticism of myself in this project is that if there were conflicting ideas within the group, I found it difficult to back down. however, we worked around the groups strong personalities by compromising or by doing both ideas, seeing how it looked and then deciding as a group.

Inspiration --> Tarantino

The two scenes below from two of Tarantino's films were of particular inspiration to us when planning and developing the synopsis of our opening sequence 'Rupture.'

Kill Bill
The opening sequence of 'Kill Bill' was very influential to us in making our thriller seqeunce as the first thing we see is a restrained, battered, moaning woman. The torturer then comes in yet you only see his boots walking towards the victim and hear his voice so his identity remains a mystery to the audience. This makes the scene much more enigmatic leaving the audience wanting to watch the rest of the film. My own film shares some of the key themes of this scene e.g. Vigilante characters, revenge, torture etc.


Reservoir Dogs
The torture scene in 'Reservoir Dogs' has a lot of similarities to our sequence 'Rupture' and was particularly influential in 'Rupture's early planning stages. Reservoir Dogs shows a battered cop in a chair central in a room which is very similar to aspects in our thriller. The chair is used a pivot for the camera so there is more emphasis on Mr. Blonde's actions. The irony of the music also makes the scene much more watchable but at the same time highly disturbing.

Final DVD Cover

Blurb
The Fifth film from cult director Joel Lanza ('Bulldog', 'Night of the Reaper') 'Rupture', is one of this year's most thrilling and poignant films. Focusing on one sister's revenge, 'Rupture' tells the story of two sisters trying to make a fresh start in Central London after the death of their parents. Everything seems to be going well, until a tragic act of brutality by a gang of thugs results in the death of the younger of the two. The eldest, Jasmine (Nicola Forelli- 'The Puppeteer', 'Away from L.A.'), seeks to avenge her sister on a journey that will take her deep into the seedy underbelly of London.

Lanza's finset film to date, 'Rupture' has shocked and wowed audiences, even picking up the 2008 Palme d'Or.