Case Study Four

Case Study Four

1)Institution

Name of thriller: The Da Vinci Code

Director: Ron Howard

Production Company: Columbia Pictures

Release Date: May 19 2006

Country Made: United States

Box Office: The film opened with an estimated $29 million in box office sales which averaged $7764 per screen. The film earned/grossed $758 million worldwide in 2006 and it only became the 2nd movie of the year to pass the $200 million mark in the USA.

2)Audience

The film was aimed at adults and college type students as the film was quite challenging mentally to understand, especially with all the clues and quick paced puzzles etc. That said it is available for teenagers to watch although they may not understand the film very well due to the challenging scenes.

A user from IMBM said this about the film. "its presentation of the controversial dialogue moments coupled with special effects, that will make you go WOW. Truly, the technique is nothing original, and some of the visuals used looked like Return Of The King and Kingdom of Heaven rejects, but as a whole, combined with the narrative, it helps to present the controversies in a more palatable manner."

3)Technology

The technology used in this film is mostly the props that are used by the main characters as these are needed to look at certain clues, to do certain things or to create a certain atmosphere for the film and audience. These items include:

-UV light which is used to look at writing on the painting of the Mona Lisa, if this item hadn't of been created then they would never of found the text with was a clue.

-Flashlight to look around in the dark and highlight certain areas so that the audience can see what the characters are looking at

-Handgun which is used by the villain to kill and to scare anyone that oppose the character.

4)Codes/Forms and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

The camera actions and movements in the film are quite mixed as there are quick shots of the characters expressions to show their emotions yet there is also shots to show the location of where the characters are e.g. the chapel near the end of the film which catches the background and the actual building.

The sound in the film is mostly Non digetic as speech is used quite a lot as is the music for the chase scenes so there isn't a lot of need for Digetic sound to be in the film. That said there is some bangs and knocks in the film but they don't relate to the plot at all.

There is a few main characters in this film which include:

-Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon who is the main clue solver throughout the film.

-Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu who also helps solve clues.

-Sir Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing knows everything to know about the chalice.

-Paul Bettany as Silas who is the main villain and killer.

-Jean Reno as Bezu Fache etc.

The female on the left is known as Sophie Nevue and is played by Audrey Tautou who is the main female character of the film. She seems to be a nice/good character as she is wearing white (a colour of purity), is smiling towards the camera and the fact that white light is shining on her from the background which again hints that she is a good character. The swirls around her head from the background image could hint at her being quite clever or important as they seem to revolve around her. The cross that is aimed towards her could also hint that she is religious or that she has some religious ties.

The male on the left is a character known as Silas who is played by Paul Bettany and is the main villain of the movie. The dark colour of his clothes hint at him being evil or having a nasty personality. The fact that he also tries to hide his face is shown as the hood keeps part of the males face in shadow which could suggest or hint that he has something to hide. The character is looking at the audience yet he isn't smiling, this backs up the idea that he doesn't have a very nice personalty. The fact that the background is also dark could hint that he is isolated or alone, it could mean that people are scared of him. The cross in the sky than shines on the male could hint that he is religious or that he had religious ties however the cross is shining a red colour on Silas which could signify blood, showing that hes evil or it could hint that he is angry.

The male on the right is a character known as Professor Robert Langdon and is played by Tom Hanks, a well known actor and the main character throughout the whole film. He is encased in darkness which could show that he might have something to hide although the light on his face could suggest that the thing he is hiding is not sinister. The light is aimed directly at his eye and forehead which could suggest that he has an eye for clues or adventures and with his mind he can work them out which suggests that he is quite a clever character. He isn't smiling yet he doesn't look evil so the male is probably thinking about something again hinting that he is a clever character and likes to solve clues.

The genre for the film is puzzle solving/conspiracy/thriller film which most people who know about anyway seeing as the film was a book before being made. The genre fits the film well as the main plot has a lot of conspiracy to do with religion although the thriller side kicks in when they are being chased etc.

The narrative structure to the film is that it shows a scene of the past at the start which them flows into the present although there are a few parts of the film where the characters are talking about past events which is when flashbacks are shown. There are also parts when they talk about various events in history which are shown to the audience. This gives the audience/consumer a chance to get involved with what the characters have been through and lets you relate to them.

5)representation

The characters that are stereotyped are the professor who is always seen as smart and that he can figure out any clue that is given to him. That said he seems to enjoy solving clues which is what most professors do. The male however doesn't seem to be boring which is a break from the stereotype.