AS Media Coursework

1. Brick Analysis
Thisfilm’sopeningsetsthe plotforthe restof the film, itleavesthe audience wonderingwhokilled
the girl in the streamof waterand howdoesthe boy have anythingto do withthe killing.The
audience hasmetthe maincharacter (the school boy) andhas metthe girl thatgot killed,butnoone
else.Thiskeepsthe audience guessingwhatwill happennext.
The locationof the firstscene isina tunnel withalittle stream, inthe scene there isthe school boy
and the deadblonde girl.Thislocationisderelictwhichenhanceshow the audienceknowsthatthe
girl isdead.For thislocationthere isan establishingshotshowingthe audience wherethe characters
are so,theycan again an understanding.The secondlocationisinaschool by the lockersthere isno
establishingshotof thislocationbut the soundof the school bell helpsthe audience togaina
perspective of the location. The thirdlocationisonthe side of a road where there isa phone box.
Thislocationisquite derelictaswell whichaddsmysteryandvulnerabilitytothe school boy.
The onlycostume yousee properlyisthe school boysclothingwhichis,jeans,fleece andboots.You
vaguelysee the deadgirl’scostume whichisabrownskirt,white jumperandblue bracelets.These
braceletsare keyto hercostume because yousee them2 hoursprior to herdeath.The propsin this
sequence are the note thatfallsoutof the lockerthisprophelpssetthe plotas, ittellsthe audience
where the school boywill be meetingsomeone.The phone isapropthat helpsthe characters
communicate betweeneachother.Also,the cigaretteisaprop as the camera focusesonthis object
and itgivesa clue to the boywho istrying to workout where thisgirl has gone and whyshe is in
trouble. When these clues are found the boy is just as oblivious as the audience is so, therefore this is
increasing the mystery and tension that the audience will feel.
The stance of the boy at the beginningshowshisfeelingsandregretsof whathashappened.The
audience don’tknowif he haskilledthe girl but,theyknow he issomethingtodowithit.The wayhe
iscrouchingby a wall suggestshe isupsetandsad and he doesn’tmove throughoutthis scene only
the camera does whichcouldsuggesttothe audience thathe is frozeninone positionbecausehe is
startingto panicabout the eventsthathave occurred.Also,hisstance givesalot to audience about
hisemotionsinthe phone box because his facial expressions andslumpstance makesthe audience
thinkthat he ismissingherandwants to see the girl onthe phone butcannot.Whenthe camera
focusesonthe lockersandthe audience seesthe girl withthe blue braceletsputthe note ina locker
the audience knowsit’sthe same lockerwhenthe boyturnsupto go intothislocker,eventhough
there isno establishingshotsuggestingthatitis the same.The lockeris alsoa way of characters
communicatingtoeachotherand isthe onlyrelationshipbetweenthe charactersatthispoint.
One of the keyshotsto thisfilmisthe pan downthe wall whichthenfocusesonthe feetonthe
ledge of the stone wall.Thisthenturnsintoa close upof the maincharacters face into,an extreme
close upof hiseyes.These type of shotsare keyconceptsto thisgenre so,I will use some of these
shottypesto enhance mythriller-suspense filminmytwominute filmbeginning. Then, thereisan
establishingshotwhere the audience cangeta sense of a location andwhatis goingon inthisshot.
However,the audience cannottellif he killedthe girl so,thisaddsexcitementandanxietyforthe
audience because theyare beingkeptinthe darkof how she has died. Anotherkeyshot sequence is
whenthe camerazooms inon the deadgirl’slegsthenbackto the boy’sface in the same positionas
before enhancinghe isfrozenandscared.Thenitreturnsback to the girlshairin the waterand once
againback to hisface.Finally,there isashotof herarm inthe waterwiththe blue braceletson this

2. isthe mostimportantshotbecause these braceletsare made keytoaudience fromthe startof the
film.Aswell asthat,thisshotis the one on the coverof the DVD whichenhancesitsimportance to
the film.Thisshotthenskipstothe lockerscene where yousee the blue braceletsagainonagirl.
The audience hasno ideaif itis the same girl or not. Thiskeepsthe audience guessingandonthe
edge of theirseatbecause the plotisstill unclearbut,this isa keyconceptto a suspense genre.As
the boy walkstohislockerall the audience cansee ishis feetwhich,keepsthe audience guessingif
it isthe same guy. The camera doesn’tmove uptoshow the audience whothe characterisit stays
lookingatthe floorbecause the note thatwas put inthe lockerwill fall out.Asthe note isa key
feature of the filmthe camerazoomsin onit so therefore, the audience canreaditthemselves.
Then,there isa mid-shotof the signsbythe meetingplace toenhance thathe is there waiting for
somethingtohappenorsomeone toappear.Whenhe ison the phone there isa pan aroundthe
phone box to checkif there isanyone aroundthisisdone witha fast pace.The pace of thispan
suggeststothe audience thathe is feelingunsecure whilstthe audienceisanxiousbecause of this
fastpace. Finally the lastshotthatis keyto settingthe plottohelpthe audience tryandunderstand
whatis goingon isthe close up of the cigarette and the arrow onit. The type of shotusedon this
objectsuggeststothe audience thatitis keyandwill be referredto againlaterinthe film.However,
addingmore keyobjectsjustconfusesthe audienceevenmore whilstcreatinganxietywhenpiecing
everythingtogetherwhichisthe whole purpose of asuspense - thrillerfilm.
The soundin thistype of genre isreallyvital asthe soundis whatcreatesthe feelingsof the
audience.The firstsoundthatyouhearis a seriesof highpitchedshortnotes.Thishighpitchmusic
buildstensioncreatinganticipation.The musicisrepetitive whichenhancesthatitisona loopand
there isno resolutionatthispoint.The repetitivemusicalsosuggeststhatthe audience ismeantto
be confusedonhowthe girl gotkilledandwhodidit.Whilstthe boy was onthe phone he was
talkingtoa girl,the audience ismade tothinkthatthe girl onthe phone isthe one that isdeadbut
thisisstill unknown. Theyare ledtobelievethisbecause of the dialogue usedas,the girl saidshe
was introuble.Aswell asthat,the deadgirl was wearingblue braceletsandthe girl thatput the note
inthe lockerhadthose braceletsontoobut, the girl on the phone saidshe didn’tputthe note inhis
locker.Thissuggeststothe audience thatthe girl that deliveredthe note isthe one thatisdeaddue
to the braceletshowever,theydonotknow andit is still unclear. Whenthey are talkingonthe
phone the audience canunderstandthatthe girl isupsetand hervoice is startingto tremble
suggestingthatshe mightcry due to previousevents.
Whenthe boy entersthe phone box the highpitchedmusicfades inagaincreatinganxiety once
more afterjust backgroundnoise inthe school location.Thismusicismeanttomake the audience
feel onedge,confusedandworriedabout whatisgoingon.Tohelpsetthe scene for the school
location, where youcan onlysee the lockers, the soundof the school bell isheard tomake it clearer.
Thisfilmopeningleavesthe audience guessinghow the girl isdead?Whichgirl itis? andwho didit?
However,because there are somanyunansweredquestionsitenhancesthatthere mightbe atwist
inthe plotwhichwill confuse the audienceevenmore.Although, the audience mightbelievethere is
a twistthey are still anticipatingwhenitwillhappen. The viewer is kept in the dark and is made to
feel the emotions of the main character which makes the audience relate to the characters situation.