MINORITY REPORTA Steven Spielberg Film Starring: Tom Cruise

Information about the filmDirector – Steven Spielberg Writers – Phillip K. DickWhen the film was released – 2002

Plot summary:• law enforcing squad "Precrime". They use three gifted humans (called

"Pre-Cogs") with special powers to see into the future and predict crimes beforehand. John Anderton heads Precrime and believes the system's flawlessness steadfastly. However one day the Pre-Cogs predict that Anderton will commit a murder himself in the next 36 hours. Worse, Anderton doesn't even know the victim. 

Awards won & nominations

Mise-en-scene• Use of props – fake blood, scissors, cut-out face = show

violence• Setting – House, bedroom, bathroom, bath, evening,

relaxed (unwinding from day)• Costume & Makeup – pajamas (comfortable clothes)

shows vulnerability. Killer has suit (black), dark colors, looks like hitman

• Figure expression – man is shocked, assassin is emotionless, couple is frightened, scared,

• Body language – man dies protecting woman• Lighting – dark in bedroom

Camera angles, shots and movement (Anna)Aerial shot- on the scene where the couple is on bed. This shows them being dead as their facial features are not so visible.Extreme close up- this is on the eye of a girl submerged in water this suggests her fear as her pupils are diluted they widen because they see something which scares them. Eyes wide open she sees something, her face is expressionless.Close up- on the item of scissors cutting though an eye this could link to the pain that they might encounterHand held camera- creates effect of realism as its happening in real time so it adds pace to the film as we are witnessing the murder from a persons perspectiveTracking shots- camera follows the ball when it rolls down the equipment this creates focus to the object which may have significance in the later plotMid shot- of when the killer is stabbing the man to show the lack of escape and how the man is trappedHigh angle shot & tilt- when the killer is walking up the stairs he is seen as small but gradually gets bigger the more steps he takesPOV/First person- when the killer attacks the man we see it from a perspective of the woman who is sitting on the bed shaking and screaming.

Editing (Vince)- When the distributors are shown, a grey tint and a ripple effect is used

to create a dark, eerie atmosphere conforms to stereotypes of thrillers.

- Font of opening credits, all upper case, shows edginess. The color is light blue, contrasts to dark background.

- On credits, a ripple effect is used in the font and the credits fade in and out, this creates an ambiguous.

- Pacing of film is fast forwarded and back into present time as well as slowed down, use of speed ramping gives a chaotic feel which gives the audience the feeling of experiencing the event.

- Use of transitions (fades, blurs etc.) and scenes used which are not in chronological order making it harder o distinguish what is happening

- The blood is more noticeable as it’s the main color we see compared greyscale effect that is used throughout the scene. The use of red color is quite eye catching and can suggest danger which again conforms to the stereotype of thrillers.

Sound- The opening scene soundtrack is more monotone and

eerie the sound is a loud drum which matches the background as it creates an atmosphere of ambiguity.

- The scissors are enhanced which create the effect of pain- The dialogue used by the main person saying ‘murder’

can foreshadow what could happen to them - Murderer says I want to cry this could symbolize his

actions that could be done without his will. - Sound of the couple screaming is muffled and quiet

showing the severity of the situation

What conventions of the thriller are present? keiley

• Thriller

How effective is the opening? (Anderson)• Overall the film opening is really effective not only because of the action

pace and other amazing things but because of the range of feeling it gets across to make an audience feel as if they are in a world of no free choice. This is mainly as the opening is good at keeping us in the dark as we don’t know exactly the reasons for why the murder in the beginning happened and who the characters are. The use of all, mise en scene, camera shot and angles, sound and editing is also used very effectively and lets the audience know straight away that’s we are about to watch a thriller however it could be also be quite misleading and be seen as a horror as well at the beginning with the use of dark colors and murder which could confuse a audience. Despite this, the use of a montage helps keep the audiences attention on edge as many shots and events take place. Not only this the soundtrack keeps an audience on their feet through the use of suspense and the use of showing the distributors in the very beginning helps an audience expect what kind of quality of film they are about to see.