Film Industry - Part 2

1.    In the UK film market, an increase in the number of screens available to show films has not led to an increase in the number of films being shown. Why?

Despite the fact that there are considerably more cinema screens available nowadays, the number of films shown has not increased remarkably and this is because the major releases are played on more than one screen at different times throughout the day. This will repeat until another major release takes their place and the cycle continues.

2.    In your opinion what might account for the fact that cinema attendances have fluctuated between 139 million and 176 million between 1999 and 2008?

Maybe the main reason as to why cinema attendances have fluctuated during this time is due to the amount of film series that were being shown. Harry Potter, which featured near the top of the grossing list almost every year highlights it’s success and shows that a lot of the public will go to the cinema to watch it. Mamma Mia, which is the second highest grossing British film of all time was also shown in 2008 and can also be used to show as to why there was a large attendance number between 1999-2008. 

3.    In 2011, UK film distributors invested £330 million in advertising their new releases and on 35mm film prints. If around 450 new films receive a theatrical release in the UK every year. How much, on average, do distributors spend distributing a film in the UK?

Film distributors on average will spend around 0.7 million per year distributing films in the UK.

4.    This spending stirred up enormous demand – 171.5 million cinema tickets were bought UK in 2011. This is great news for cinemas – what’s the downside of all this excitement generated and consumer demand for film Producers in the UK?

There are a few problems, which arise for the UK producers and one of the main issues is that most of the British Films are distributed by subsidiaries of their US competitors. Warner Bro’s, which is a subsidiary of an American Company, Time Warner, has distributed many of the Top grossing films in the UK in the past 10 years and much of the money made from these films will be lost to these companies. The UK, quite simply, is not in a position to compete with the likes of America in the film market and this is mainly down to the sheer size difference between both countries. Due to the power of the US in the film Market, most of the British companies find themselves being overrun by their US counterparts and losing money from the booming cinema attendances as a result.

5.    In 2004 the average cost of releasing a US film domestically was $39m, in addition to the average production cost of $63.8m, making an overall average production/distribution cost per film of $102.8m. What effect might this have on Hollywood production and distribution if these increases have continued?

If the increases continue the Hollywood Production and Distribution companies could be badly effected due to high cost per film rate. The effects of high prices could mean that less and less films will be produced as the companies cannot afford to pay the money to produce and release them.

6.    Why are more ‘middle aged’ people going to the cinema in 2011? Who, in your opinion, are the current most bankable leading Actors for the ‘youth’ market in the UK?

More ‘middle aged’ people went to the cinema in 2011 because of some of the films that were produced and distributed for instance the Kings Speech, which is more likely to attract an older audience. The Descendants starring George Clooney came out in 2011 and the fact that Clooney tops the Forbes Star currency list suggests a reason as to why more ‘middle aged’ people attended the cinema in that year. In my opinion the current most bankable Actors for the ‘youth’ market are, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Mila Kunis, Emma Stone and Eva Mendes. There are many others who might attract a younger audience but these are just a few examples.

7.    How many of the top ten US films last year made two and half times their budget?

·      Avengers Assemble

·      Hunger Games

·      Ted

8.    Is Jerry Bruckheimer a ‘high concept’ producer? And does he deserve his reputation for films that are high on effects and low on narrative?

I think that it’s unfair to name Jerry Bruckheimer as a ‘high concept’ producer nowadays as he has produced films such as, ‘Confessions of a shopaholic’, which is by no means a film that focuses on effects, rather than narrative. However, that does not mean that he still doesn’t produce films, by which he has built a reputation for producing, for instance, Prince of Persia in 2010. I think that he has produced a wide range of films and it is slightly unfair to label him as a ‘high concept’ producer as he has made films, which do not fall into that category. Again, however looking at the films he has produced it is easy to see why he might have gained that reputation.

9.    Find some recent ‘indiewood’ type films – ones associated with a certain ‘Art house’ feel yet connected to a big Hollywood studio – which these companies have produced. Who are their films aimed at?

-       Fox Searchlight are connected with the film, ‘Sound of my Voice’, which is aimed towards your middle aged audience. They have also produced, “under the same moon”, which again is aimed at your more mature audience.

-       Paramount Vantage has produced films such as, ‘into the wild’, which is aimed at younger adults but can be enjoyed across a wider age range.

-       Sony Pictures classics have produced films like, ‘The Patience Stone’, which is aimed towards adults who are interested in over-seas films that break the language barrier.

-       Focus Features have produced films, like, ‘one day’, which is aimed at young adults who enjoy romance style movies.

10. To what extent does Hollywood dominate the UK film landscape? And how has it managed to retain its stranglehold?

Hollywood certainly dominates the film industry and has a large stranglehold on the UK film landscape within that. Most of the big blockbuster movies that we see in cinemas across the UK are usually produced or distributed by an American company of a subsidiary of an American film company. For this reason, Hollywood has large influence on the movies shown in the UK. Everyone likes a good ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’, such as Star Wars, and this is why they are constantly being made, because it is guaranteed that people will travel to the cinema to watch them. For an extremely long time now, film companies such as Warner Bro’s have distributed movies that have grossed the highest budget in the UK. Warner Bro’s as already mentioned is a subsidiary of Time Warner, which is an American company and companies like this will continue to distribute the most popular films in the UK.

Sony Pictures Classics is another film company that focuses mainly on ‘Art House’ and ‘Indiewood style’ films and again is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, which we are extremely familiar with. This is one way in which Hollywood keeps a stranglehold upon the UK film landscape, as they make sure they are involved and aware of every different style of movie out there. Indie films are becoming more and more popular and the fact that big companies such as, Sony Pictures have a subsidiary aimed at this genre shows their influence and also highlights how Hollywood are keeping a stranglehold. Many, “indiewood qualities can also be identified in a range of features produced by its rivals”, showing that Hollywood are almost beginning to merge the different genres and that directors from more blockbuster movies are becoming increasingly influenced by the different styles of movies out there. The attitude that, “nobody likes change”, could also be another reason as the Hollywood film industry has always been successful and will continue to do so.

11. How many of the current top 15 films on release in the UK are actually distributed by UK companies?

-       Sunshine on leith

-       Boss

-       Escape plan, Prisoners and fifth estate, the. (Entertainment One UK – subsidiary of US film company, Entertainment One)

-       Filth (Lionsgate UK – subsidiary of US film company, Lionsgate)

General Introduction - Part 1

1) Why is convergence both a blessing and a curse for the UK film industry?

• Convergence is a blessing to the film industry because it increases the amount of different ways in which the audience can consume a film. However, it is a curse as problems such as piracy are arising at a rapid rate, which could mean the end of the film industry, as we know it.
• Convergence is a good thing as producers and distributors can make more and more money by distributing their films, “across several media” – Movies coming together with videogames, such as Quantum of Solace is a great way for companies to make a lot of money.
• “Represents an opportunity to build on its competitive strengths internationally” – enhances company’s growth and productivity and allows them to develop other skills.
•  Film theft and online copyright – represents a major threat to the film industry.
•  Number of illegal downloads has increased rapidly from 5% to 7-15 per year in the UK – the increasing broadband speed in the UK will also be an obstacle as it allows for quicker illegal downloads, which in turn is a huge problem for the Film industry.

2) How has the Internet allowed filmmakers to find and attract audiences in different ways?

·      One of the main ways the Internet has allowed filmmakers to attract different types of audiences is through social network sites such as facebook and twitter. (Audience fragmentation as all these different ways of accessing media ‘breaks up’ the audience group for particular films.)

·      YouTube has been a revelation ever since it was made and it is a great way to promote films through advertisements, which take place before a video and to watch trailers of films that have either, already been made or are going to come out in the future.

·      Csigo (2007) – less big budget movies made nowadays as they are aimed at promoting a ‘cult’ audience. – Result of increase in Internet usage.

·      People use Internet all the time and so film companies are, “desperately trying to provide 360–degree branding for their films” – Csigo again states that film industries are no longer interested in keeping audiences together.

3) Summarise how you think sites like YouTube, Spotify and Facebook are good for film audiences. What do they let us do, that we couldn’t before?

•  YouTube – this online website, which is owned by Google, allows us as audience members to catch up on trailers of films that are coming out in the cinema. YouTube often plays adverts before videos, which is another way to promote films that may be coming out. It effectively allows you to watch trailers and clips of films and in extreme circumstances the whole film for free and is a great way for companies to advertise their film.
• social Network sites, such as Facebook are also excellent for promoting films across a wide range of audiences as everyone uses Facebook nowadays. Facebook provides the option for audiences to ‘like’ certain pages and also add comments about their own personal views on a certain film etc, which would influence other audience members when reading those comments.

• Spotify, despite being a predominately music streaming site is also another way in, which movie companies can promote their films through pop ups that appear, whilst listening to a song. 

Prelim Task

PRELIMINARY TASK

This was our Preliminary task, where we had to incorporate three camera movements and shots; shot reverse shot, match on action and 180 degree rule.

4 Things I Have Learnt

1. Producers and Distributors - I have learnt in the past week that production companies such as 20th century fox and dream-works are completely different to Distribution companies such as warner bro's and anchor bay and they both have a different but equally important role in getting a film to premiere at the cinema or on dvd. Although there are some companies that do both producing and distributing of the films that we see in the cinema.

2. Convergence - I have learnt that convergence is where technologies come together, for example the apple iphone employs music, a camera and much more into a mobile phone. However, Media industries  are also trying to diversify so they can both produce and distribute on many forms of media to survive in our fast moving modern society. 

3. Synergy - Synergy is where films and games look remarkably similar. This can range from the front covers of the dvd or video game to the actual film and the video games gameplay. Many film and game companies have begun to work together and films such as Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, which have now been made into films were video games first.

4. Consuming films - One of my recent posts highlights the different ways you can consume films on the three film websites. I certainly wasn't aware of the amount of different ways you can consume films in todays society and I have now learnt that it is almost impossible to go anywhere anymore without seeing some sort of advertisement or promotional video.

Pre Production Proposal

Narrative:

• Pan of London at night then cut to alleyway.
• long shot of women (with headphones on) walking towards the camera (in alleyway).
• Hear footsteps behind.
• close up of protagonist face (listening to music) - still hear footsteps getting louder.
• POV shot of antagonist walking behind with good guy in front of him.
• Protagonist stops and turns around - no one there.
• protagonist carries on walking - loud noise of kettle getting louder.
• switch to kitchen with policemen picking up kettle.
• depth of field shot of policeman with girlfriend/wife behind him as he is pouring cup of tea
• close up of tea mixing together.
• close up of phone ringing and pan of policemen walking over to pick it up.
• sudden switch to policemen at crime scene. 
• montage of knife, protagonist face (dead), blood running into drain.
• policemen follows the blood and looks at drain then looks into the distance.
• Figure standing in distance then disappears. 

Style & Tone:

Atmosphere & Tone - In my opening sequence i would like to create an menacing but thriller style atmosphere that keeps the audience gripped to thier seats. The film is set in the modern day, in urban london, which helps create the dark, gritty atmoshpere that I want to have in my film. I want to show a contrast between the modern day style film with the more old fashioned, soundtrack. The lighting in my film will be very Low Key, almost shadow-like to create suspense and adhere to the thriller genre, except for the opening pan of the London skyline where the lighting will be of a higher key. I want to use a few examples of backlighting to define the characters in the opening sequence and use effects, such as chiarascuro to enhance the scene and link the film into the thriller genre.

The Protagonist in the film (Ellen) will always be framed in the centre of the shot to highlight her importance and I would like to film a few close ups of her face to increase the emotional connection between her and the audience. However, we will never see the Antagonist but be consantly reminded of his presensce via shadows etc to create a suspensful effect as the audience are unaware of who he is. I will also want to use a wide range of camera techniques, such as depth of field and panning to create different emotions at different times. Parallel sound will be used throughout as well in order for the soundtrack to work in conjunction with the image on screen and I will use motivated editing (montage ) when i am showing the dead body after the kitchen scene. I am hoping that these effects will work well together to create a suspenseful and tension filled atmoshpere in the opening sequence of my film.

Location & Setting:

The alleyway that I would like to use is near my house and is extremely good for creating that dark and suspenseful opening to a thriller. The alleyway is very atmospheric at night and would be a good location for my crime/thriller film. The alleyway is quite long and could be useful to create suspense and adhere to the thriller genre, which is our aim in the opening sequence of a film. My main influence for this opening was the TV programme, Whitechapel, where alleyways are used quite a lot to create suspense. The alleyway is the main location in my opening film and after the scene with the policemen in the kitchen will cut back to the alleyway where there is a crime scene going on.

My other location is a kitchen. The kitchen in my house would be quite a good location as it is fairly old fashioned and would work well for my depth of field shots and panning to the cellphone ringing. This scene is quite short but important as it lets the audience know who the policemen is and gives an incite into his character. I like the idea of cutting from time frames (alleyway at night to kitchen in the morning) and wanted to create an affective way of showing the transition. (sound bridge using the noise of a kettle slowly getting louder).

The other short Location is at the top of my road, whereby you can see the whole of London. It would be perfect for a long, panning shot of London to establish the genre of the film.

Another location I wanted to use was the Salvation Army building in Denmark Hill. My friend lives there and they have many places around thier site, which we could use as an affective setting to adhere to the thriller genre in which we are trying to create.


(this is the view from the top of my road)

Characters:

Policemen - DI Joseph Marshall :

• smart black or grey suit (very slick character)
• very neat hair (not alternative and almost finicky)
• aged 28 (he is young and easily influenced)
• very upright body language (never slumped or out of place)
• well spoken english
• influenced by the main policemen from Whitechapel and the Policemen in L.A confidential.

Ellen (Protagonist):

• modern style clothes (zipped jumper & jeans)
• aged 16 to 18
• walking down the alleyway with headphones on (beats)
• hair down (not in pony tail) 
• framing - whole opening scene she will be placed in the middle of the frame (make her seem more important)
• most of the light in the scene will be based on her (again highlight her importance and make antagonist seem more evil because of shadows etc)

Antagonist:

• never see his face (ghost-like) 
• I want to create this image of a ghost-like figure instead of your ordinary 'hooded man'
• would like him to be wearing a hat (top hat)
• you can hear his breathing and footsteps
• he will mostly be characterised by shadows - apart from last scene of the opening when you see his full shadow (maybe backlight)
• shadows will be hunched over - deformed in some way (southern gothic style)
• influenced by the southern gothic (grotesque style - Boo Radley, Too Kill a Mockingbird) 

Sound and Titles:

Influences - I have had many influences for the music I would like in my film, so much so that it has made my decision extremely hard. I was extremely influenced by the music of Bernard Herrman. He is an excellant composer and has made so many suspenseful pieces of music in his time, such as the music for physco and North by Northwest. Both of these films are by Alfed Hitchock and they have worked together on many films. Hitchcock is another influence as he was the master of thriller films and the soundtracks in his films have always been brilliant. I have also been influenced by soundtracks such as Alien, LA Noire and most soundtracks of the Film Noir genre but will mention these further down.

Jewel Beat - Hitchcock Horror






Titles - I would like to create an ominous, almost horror like soundtrack that definitley adheres to the thriller genre but still causes the audience to sit on the edge of thier seat. I wanted to open my film with Jazz style music that is quite common in Film Noir's. LA Noire also has a large selection of Jazz style music, which has influenced my decision when chosing a soundtrack. This would be playing whilst the opening credits are showing and as the camera is panning across the London. The opening credits to Zodiac (not music) are also extremely good and I was influenced by David Fincher as he often opens films in a brilliant way. (Seven, Alien 3 etc)






Soundtrack - The music from the opening part would then switch into a more ominous sounding track such as that in the film, Alien. The Alien Soundtrack is perfect for the alleyway scene in my film opening and it certainly adheres to the thriller genre. I also wanted to create the sound of the kettle getting louder as the Antagonist draws closer to the Protagonist, which would then be used as a soundbridge into the kitchen scene with the policemen, creating an effective, suspenseful, Climax.


    

Looper - Producers and Distributors

Looper Producers and Distributors:


Tristar Pictures:
TriStar Pictures is an American production and distribution company, owned by sony entertainment. Victor Kaufman, who was a senior executive at Colombia Pictures, convinced HBO and CBS studios to split their resources in order to make TriStar in 1983. In 1989 everything under coca-cola' influence was bought by Sony Pictures and still is to this day. TriStar have produced and distributed many films such as, Terminator 2, Matilda and Jumanji

FilmDistrict:
FilmDistrict is far more modern than TriStar as it what founded in 2010 by Peter Schlessel. It is a distribution, production and financing company. It is an independent motion picture company who partner with distribution companies, such as Sony Pictures for movies such as Looper and Soul Surfer. They have also partnered with other companies to produce and distribute films such as Insidious, Olympus Has Fallen and Evil Dead. Film District seem to have produced quite a few horror films, which shows their typical genre.

 








Endgame Entertainment:
Endgame Entertainment are an independent production company founded in 2002. They have produced a variety of film, television and stage productions, including the likes of Looper, Harold and Kumar and Bitter Pill.

DMG Entertainment:
DMG Entertainment are a Production and Distribution company who are based in China. It started out as an advertising company in the early 1990's. It started off by distributing non-Chinese films in the countries film market and has since partnered with other production companies to produce films such as Looper and Iron Man 3. The importance of the Chinese film market is growing rapidly in todays modern world (and this is actually highlighted in Looper, when the leader of the loopers tells the main character that he should be learning Chinese and not French as he is from the future).

Consuming a film via the internet

How many different ways can you 'consume' a film on the internet?

Skyfall website:

Skyfall is your more traditional film website but nonetheless slick, like bond himself. There are many ways of the consuming the film on the site and they range from pictures of the film itself to alcoholic beverages that promote the film. I enjoyed the website and not just because of the Bond Girls, but because of the ambient music in the background and the images of Bond himself popping up all over the screen. I also enjoyed the exclusive videos, which were interesting, as we could watch and see how they made the film. It was less of an interactive website than looper but was still enjoyable nonetheless and especially for a big Bond fan, like myself.

Scott Pilgrim:
This film site is a few years older than the other two, therefore it is not quite as slick and up to date. However it is still useful and there are many ways you can consume the film, such as you can read the film synopsis, buy it on Blu - Ray and DVD, watch clips of the making of the film and look at other films that you might also enjoy. I wasn't as impressed with this site as i was with the others but that is undertsandable due to the fact that the film is 3 years older and the film industry has changed a lot in the last three years. I thought they could have spent more time on the interactive side of the website in order to keep the audience entertained.

Looper:

There are many ways you can consume the film on their online website. You can consume it via iTunes, blu ray and DVD, Ultra Violet, online video games and many more. You are also able to look at pictures, videos and trailers from the film itself on their website. Another way to consume the film is the website itself as it so interactive people will remember it. I really enjoyed the website because it was very interactive and made the experience fun. Due to the fact that Flash website was so interactive i didn't find myself getting bored whilst looking at it. However, one thing I would say is that there was a little too much going on and i wasn't sure where to look most of the time. 

Jack Reacher opening

Jack Reacher - Opening scene

• Tracking shot of the ominous white van (closed framing) - creates susepnse and sets up the enigma.
• We are introduced to one man in the opening sequence - we do not see his face until about 2 and half minutes into the film, which again creates the sense of mystery and unknown.
• Close ups of the 'unknown man' making gun bullets - adheres to the thriller genre and creates tension and danger.
• The long shots of the man driving in his van are also good for creating suspense as we don't know where he is going (we do know he is going to kill someone or people because of the making of the bullets) - and long rolling shot (adds suspense)
• The close up of the mans face - wearing glasses (hiding something) and looks slick (we know he is the bad guy)
• wide shots of the city - establishing scene and adds a sense of danger (bigger scale).
• overhead shot of van driving - makes it seem more important as it is in the middle of the screen.
• Quick cuts and motivated editing (almost montage like) when showing man making the gun bullets - creates danger and supense.
• Non-Diegetic, orchestral background muisc also adds suspense. When it speeds up as he is driving into the car park tension is created as the fast pace editing works in conjunction with the music - building to a climax and adheres to the genre of the film.
• audience looking through gun scope - suspense and hint of guilt as it makes us feel like we are involved.
• over shoulder shot of man driving - adds suspense as we cannot see him (might be use of pull focus).

Mission Impossible GP - Opening

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol - Opening scene

• Wide shots of budapest - establishing the scene.
• The soundtrack (non-diegetic) is working well in conjunction (parallel) with the camera work as the orchestral music with the same beat running throughout succesfully creates apprehension as we are watching the wide shots of budapest - music getting quicker (climax).
• The sound-bridge at the start - we are put straight into the action and it creates this sense of suspense and tension. 
• We are instantly slammed into the action when the man runs out of the door - Music suddenly gets faster - audience on the edge of their seat (adhereing to the thriller genre).
• Man running across roof top, whilst being chased by two people - creates tension and trepidation.
• The part where the man is running is good for setting up enigmas -causes audience to wonder, "why is he being chased", "what has he done wrong" etc.
• Fast pace cuts - creates tension and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
• continuity editing - scene can be faster and cause more tension.
• Foley sounds (gun shots) - add danger and apprehension in the opening sequence of Mission Impossible.
• Tilt when he is jumping of the roof - again creates tension and adheres to the thriller/action genre of the film.  

V for Vendetta - Opening scene

V for Vendetta - Opening

• Low Key lighting - creates suspense and danger (adds hint of horror)
• Closed frame and weighting - unknown man in the middle of the screen to make him seem more important and make him stand out.
• He is wearing all black - causes tension and again highlights the eerie atmosphere in the opening sequence. 
• Ominous, ambient music in background - creates trepidation and causes tension to rise as we don't know who the unknown figure is. 
• Close up of mask as it is being put on the 'Unknown' mans face - makes audience feel uncomfortable as its almost like the mask is being put on the people watching. 
• The droning sound of the news reporter in the background also creates suspense - it goes on and on and works in parallel with the brooding background music. 
• All the colours are quite dark (black and red) - creates tension and adds to the scary opening. 
• Each shot is quite long and there is slow editing - creates suspense.
• Close up of reporter saying, "godlessness" - highlights it and increases tension as the audience are unsure of what it going to happen.
• Close up of blades - danger!
• Both characters introduced are characterised well without even hearing them speak - V is a terrorist (we know this because of man on TV and because of his characterisation). 
• We know Natalie Portman is innocent but will get involved in the story in some way or another and have a big effect on the outcome of the film. 

Minority Report - Opening

Opening to Minority Report

• It is a rather unusual opening for a thriller film but uses many of the same techniques used in any common thriller film opening scene.
• This film is a hybrid between a thriller and futuristic, sci-fi style film.
• The film successfully sets up enigmas right from the start with the kissing scene and close up of the knife - creates sense of mystery and suspense.
• The close up of the knife, as well as creating the sense of mystery and suspense, successfully highlights danger and keeps the audience wanting more.
• The opening is quite similar to a montage - suggesting its happened in the past and establishes the genre of the film.
• A suspenseful and almost horror like atmosphere is established in the first 2 minutes.
• Atmosphere in first 2 mins - the ominous (horror film style), non-diegetic music running throughout the opening sequence creates tension and apprehension.
• The constant showing of the bloody water - highlights power and strength of killer and adds to suspenseful and sinister atmosphere.
• The fast pace editing (cuts from scissors to water etc) also creates tension and trepidation.
• We are not introduced to three characters in the opening 2 minutes but there is little dialogue - the characters are characterised extremely well without hearing them speak.
• The lighting is also quite low key and Spielberg decides to employ the use of shadows a lot (chiaroscuro) - creates suspense and fear.
• The close up of the eye that fills the whole screen is very effective - almost feels like it is judging us.

(This is the trailer for the film, not what i was analysing) 

Terminator Opening

Terminator Opening

• The Foghorn sound in the background succesfully creates the mood of suspense and tension, which is key when making a thriller movie. 
• This film is a hybrid between thriller and sci-fi - but uses techniques from both genres. 
• The close up of the skulls as they are being run over - good at creating the feeling of death and danger (keeps audience on the end of their seat). 
• Each shot is quite long - creates the sense of suspense (audience is made to wait). 
• The opening scene also employs a blue filter, which is very effective as it creates a dark, suspensful atmoshpere and keeps the audience guessing as to "whats going to happen next"?
• Tracking (when unknown man is running across screen) - creates a sense of urgency and speed.
• The soundtrack is excellent for creating suspense and danger (sound of wind, sound of guns etc).
• A dangerous and suspenseful atmosphere is definitely created in the opening scene of Terminator - dark lighting with blue tint, quick and sharp cuts but long shots to create suspense and tension and an ominous soundtrack. 
• The myst also creates a sense of suspense - can't quite see what is going on. 
•  No characters are introduced in the first 2 minutes which again adds that sense of unknown and suspense.