This document summarizes and analyzes still shots from three thriller films: I Am Legend, The Call, and The Silence of the Lambs. For I Am Legend, it describes shots that introduce the lone protagonist in a post-apocalyptic world and show his vulnerability. For The Call, it analyzes shots that convey the fear and helplessness of a kidnapped girl and the power dynamic between her and her abductor. For The Silence of the Lambs, it discusses shots that establish the danger of Hannibal Lecter and the unsettling interaction between him and Clarice.

1. REPRESENTATION
OF THREE THRILLER FILM
CHARACTERS
Media Studies – Lauren Nash

2. I AM LEGEND
This Sci – Fi Thriller, staring Will Smith, is set years
after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms
the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York
City struggles to find a cure.
Directed by Francis Lawrence.
Characters:
Dr Robert Neville, main male protagonist, one of
the last people left on earth after the world is
swarmed by a plague,
trying to find a cure.

3. I AM LEGEND
In this extreme long shot we can see a large deserted location. This
sets up a narrative for the film because it starts off by giving us the
location therefore ‘setting the scene.’ We can also tell from this still
that there has been no one living here of a while as everything has
overgrown and there is no obvious sign of any human activity.

4. I AM LEGEND
This still introduces the main protagonist in the film. It shows him
with his dog companion.
He has a gun (prop) hanging from his shoulder which suggests to
the audience that he is protecting himself from something
dangerous. The abandoned cars with grass growing around
(location) suggests that they have been left for a long period of
time.

5. I AM LEGEND
This is what I believe is one of the most powerful shots in the
whole film.
The high angle shot (cinematography) suggests that they are
weak. Also being in a confined space makes you feel safer, this is
also emphasized as he is holding a large gun. Having the
characters companion with him also shows he is very important to
him.

6. THE CALL
When a 911 operator takes a life-altering call
from a teenage girl who has just been
abducted, she realizes that she must confront
a killer from her past in order to save other
girl's life.
Director – Brad Anderson

7. THE CALL
This close up still is of a girl who has
been kidnapped. She is trapped in
the boot of a car (location). We can tell
she is desperately seeking help as
her eyes convey fear of what might
happen to her.
Through clever imagery which only
shows parts of her face to the
audience, the director likens the girl to
an animal caught in a trap trying to
escape.
The colour red usually
connotes blood and danger
which could foreshadow her
future.

8. THE CALL
The female protagonist here looks very concerned at something
she is looking at. We notice the subtle news headline in the
background portraying that something important and potentially
devastating has happened however the attention is drawn to the
actors facial expression.

9. THE CALL
The medium shot (cinematography) used
here indicates that the power between the
protagonists is very different. The abductor
is looking down on the victim in a position
of superiority whilst holding her head,
controlling her aggressively.
This further suggests that the victim is
helpless as she is very rigid and tense
attempting to try and protect herself.

10. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
A young F.B.I cadet must confide in a manipulative
killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer
who skins his victims. Directed by Jonathan Demme.
I noticed during research that the most popular shot
used in this film is the over the shoulder shot as there
is a lot of conversation between Hannibal and Clarice.

11. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Characters:
Clarice, Main Female Protagonist, a young new
cadet in training facing her first proper case – a
cannibal.
Hannibal, the famous cannibal murderer who has
been locked up however is giving clues to Clarice
on how to find the latest modern cannibal.

12. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
This two person shot is staged very
cleverly. Both characters have just met
for the first time. Hannibal Lector is a
cannibal who is so dangerous he is
locked behind glass. His reflection is
shown on the glass. (editing)
This is clever because we can not only
see his subtly, evil looking face but also
the woman protagonists nervous, scared
facial expressions.

13. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
The image is a medium close up of the
main male protagonist, Hannibal.
This shot suggests that he is a dangerous
man because there are bars that encage
him. They are however out of focus
therefore all your attention is drawn to the
actor. (editing)

14. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
In this close up shot(cinematography) we see that Clarice and
Hannibal touch hands. When you watch this scene it makes
your skin crawl because you know his strange, absurd history
of eating other human beings.
The thriller genre here is doing its job correctly as he follows
this with a famous Hannibal Lector smile which sends shivers
up your spine as you can imagine what he is thinking in his
head.