Research Task - The Disappearance of Alice Creed - Dilys

The thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed has a suspense riddled opening with dramatic music, intriguing camera shots striking visual imagery, all are used to keep the audience captivated and create tension. 

• One of the first shots dolly shot of the car park past the cars to the white van which the two key characters are breaking into, this camera shot suggests that the thriller is set in urban setting. The use of shallow depth of field in the following shot shows the importance of the character and that he is keeping watch as the other breaks into the van, this immediately makes the viewers weary of these two characters.  The van they are breaking into is plain white with no logos and no number plate, this raises suspicions as it connotes that they are doing something illegal and bad. The track in shot of the van as it drives through the car park is very important and it conveys the idea of normality even though what they are doing is sinister. 

• The use of close up shots in the sequence in the hardware store are used to show what the characters are buying this then leaves it to the audience to interpreting what they are going to do with their purchases, this is key to a good thriller as it will keep the audience captivated as they will want to know what the characters are going to do. The use of a low angle shot of the two characters is very effective as it makes them seem confident and in control which is unsettling for the viewer as what they are going to do is kidnap someone. The two characters are dressed in dark clothing and we can presume they are middle class which adds a sense of realism to it. The fast paced music throughout the sequence helps build suspense also. 

• The two characters then drive to a deserted house with low lighting which looks like it hasn't been inhabbited  for years, this is very symbolic as it implies that there's something spooky and eerie about the place. As the two men prepare the room they do all of the same movements, its almost symmetrical and there is never any dialogue between them both which implies that it is all thought through thoroughly and planned out perfectly, this again adds an sinister feel.The zooming in on the door with many locks on implies that'll be significant as we can guess it is the door to the room where the victim will be held

• It then cuts to the characters walking through a dark isolated forest with tall trees at dusk, this is a perfect perfect example of pathetic fallacy, the wood is creepy and sinister, perfect themes to begin a thriller with