2. Introduction
We have created an opening sequence for an action-thriller movie.
In order to make our sequence look like a thriller we have used a range of thriller
conventions such as:
- tension within a film
- elements of violence
- male characters
- workings of particular
institutions such as the
police, the army or the
government (snipers in
our case)
Now I am going to compare our sequence to other similar media products which already
exist. I will look at another action thriller film Sniper (1993), a video game Ghost Sniper
Warrior 3 and a TV series Shooter (2016)
3. Following the conventions
- Realistic environment: our thriller is
set in countryside which makes
the audience feel like it could
happen to them;
- Diegetic sound of gun loading;
- close up shots showing emotions of
the characters.
We have also used thriller conventions such as:
4. Sniper (1993)
Action Thriller movie
• Directed by Luis Llosa
• Produced by Robert L.
Rosen
• Starring Tom Berenger,
Billy Zane, J. T. Walsh
• Edited by M. Scott Smith
• Box office $18,994,653
5. The storyline comparison
Storyline of the Sniper:
The storyline is set within the heavy
Panamanian jungles and centers upon
two Marine Corps marksmen who have
been assigned to kill a Colombian drug-
lord. Tom Beckett is the professional
and well-experienced sniper who has
had a minimum of 74 confirmed kills,
however he’s lost several partners. His
last partner, Corporal Papich was
unfortunately killed on the mission. His
replacement is young, SWAT member,
Richard Miller who hasn't earned any
confirmed skills which Beckett
immediately realizes. And now working
together they have to assassinate one of
the most powerful Columbian drug-lord
financier.
The Recruitment storyline:
Mike is a high-skilled professional
sniper who’s lost many partners
and is looking now for a new
young worthy partner. He’s being
very authoritarian and quite
tyrannical in terms of selection
and kills the ones who hesitate.
However as time passes and Mike
is teaming up with a young
unskilled teenage boy he’s getting
attached to the teen and realizes
that he is not able to kill him and
trains him to become a
professional sniper and take his
place afterwards.
6. While filming the shot of the sniper’s target both The Recruitment and
Sniper have the sniper scope when they’re focusing on the man they are
going to kill.
Shots comparison
7. Shot of killing
We also have a shot when
the target’s been shot
filmed through the sniper
scope focusing on the
body with a blood splash
on the jacket.
Sniper has a shot of the
moment of shooting down
a man filmed through a
scope which on the
bloody stain on his
military jacket.
8. Close up Shots
These two films are also similar in terms of close ups of a finger on a trigger and
a shot of the facial expressions of the snipers when they’re focusing on their
target.
9. A middle shot when they are leaving their positions after the shot has been taken
followed by the long shot of them coming out of the forest, which reveals the
location. So is our sequence as straight after the snipers leave the bush the shot
cuts to a long shot of them walking out of a forest.
Transition from one shot to another
11. Sound Comparison
In both thrillers a
pleonastic sound of
loading a sniper
rifle is used to
highlight the
importance of the
action.
12. DifferencesAlthough a range of similarities Sniper has many differences to out thriller.
In terms of storyline:
Tom Beckett needs to work with an inexperienced partner which he does and train him to
get more skilled whereas Mike kills the teenage guy because he wasn’t string enough to be
his teammate .
In terms of shots :
In Sniper there are lots of shots of both snipers
lying on the ground a they’re working together as
a team whereas Mike is in charge of the teen and
the shots do not show them as they are on the
same rights.
In terms of sound:
Sniper has a non -diegetic sound of music in the
very beginning of the opening sequence whereas
The Recruitment does not have any non-diegetic
sounds at all.
13. Sniper :Ghost Warrior 3
•Publishers: CI Games
•Director: Paul B.
Robinson
• Designers: Jess Lebow,
Alek Sajnach, Tomasz
Pruski
•Platforms: Microsoft
Windows, Playstation 4,
Xbox One
•Release Date: WW April 4,
2017
•Model: Single-player,
multiplayer
14. Setting Comparison
The settings of the game are quite
realistic as it’s a today world and
so is our thriller. The game also
focuses on realism as there is a
dynamic weather system and day-
night cycle which may create a
tactical advantage for a player.
15. Differences
The main difference is
that the mission of the
sniper players is to
prevent a III World War
whereas the snipers
from The Recruitment
have various missions
to assassinate
particular people .
16. TV series Shooter (2016)
• Genre: Action/Drama
• Developed by: John Hlavin
• Producer: Ryan Phillippe
• Country of origin: USA
• Original language: English
• Release date: November 15,
2016 - present
17. Storyline comparison
Shooter
The storyline follows the
journey of Bob Lee Swagger
who’s highly-decorated
veteran and is coaxed back
into action to prevent a plot
to kill the President. When his
former commanding officer I.
Johnson solicits his expertise
in a secret operation,
Swagger realizes that he’s
been framed and must now
protect his family and clear
his name.
The main similarities to our
thriller are that both main
characters used to lose their
partners in the past, they both
working nowadays and in
dangerous environment.
18. Sound Comparison
Shooter has a pleonastic sound of the gunshot when the
man is pulling the trigger to shot the target as well as
The Recruitment does when th sniper is taking the shot.
19. Shots comparison
Both films have close up shots of a finger on a trigger and a shot of a
target through a sniper scope.
20. Titles comparison
Although the title style of Shooter is a bit different, the font is
still simplistic as well as The Recruitment title font.
21. Differences
One of the main differences is that according to the storyline of the
series the main character has a family which is under the threat
when he returns to his sniping work in order to kill the Chechen
sniper, so he has someone to care about , whereas Mike does not
have family and the only one person he’s getting attached to
afterwards is his new young partner.
