Initiation analysis done
- 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqwHL5iA4u4 The 9 minute actionthrillershortfilm“Initiation”from2015 wasdirectedbyskilledamateur filmmakerColinKrawchuk,whoalsostars inhisfilmasa man forcedintoan assassinationof aman he doesn’tknow. The filmwasmade inAmericaby Krawchuk’sproduction companyMake Do Entertainment.InmyopinionKrawchuk,like mostamateurfilmmakers,made the filmprimarilyto broadenhisportfoliobut alsotoentertainhisaudience andtell astorythathe thoughtwasexciting and gripping. Iwouldsaythat the targetaudience for“Initiation” ismalesagedbetween16- 35 who are fansof quality actionthrillerfilms suchasthe Bourne seriesandthe Mission:Impossible series. In termsof the NRSscale and the 4Cs, the target audience could range fromD to B on the NRSSocial DemographicScale,whileforthe 4C’sscale I wouldsay“Initiation”appealsto“The Mainstream”and “The Struggler”asit isan escapist,excitingfilm.“Initiation”appealsto itstargetaudience by includingrealistic,grittybutalsoveryentertainingfightscenes and,crucially,believableand emotionallyengaging characterstokeepthe actiongroundedandthe story intriguing. “Initiation”wasmostlikely shoton handheld digital cameras,(thoughsome shotsare sosteadythat it’spossible tripodsmayhave beenused) allowingKrawchuktogive hisfilm, whichisexhibitedon YouTube (though the companyhave FacebookandTwitteraccounts,where they alsoexhibittheir films) aninteresting,cinematicfeel.The filmsstyleisone of realistic,grittyaction,underpinnedby emotional investmentin multi-layeredcharactersandcompelling,believable plot-inshort, “Initiation”goesforandachievesthe intelligentaction thrillerstyleinventedandmade popularby the JasonBourne trilogyof the mid-200s. It isfansof the Bourne films (andotherBourne-inspired films,suchasCasinoRoyale), then,thatKrawchukis tryingtoreach by filming“Initiation” inavery similarstyle,onlyhelpedbythe factthat he looksverysimilartoMatt Damon.AsI have already mentioned,the genre of the filmisactionthriller,andthe filmisfull of codesandconventionsthat prove this,suchas tense music,missions/ordersfrom anunseenboss,grittyfightscenes, andthe use of a gun to kill someone. Inparticular,the scene where the protagonistopensthe bootof his
- 2. car andis ambushedbyhistarget,whoproceedstofight himand try to escape,reallyshowsoff all the typical codesand conventionsof anactionthriller,forexample:justbefore the protagonist opensthe bootof the car there isnonon-diegeticmusic,howeverassoonas he iskickedbyhis target,the classictense butfast pacedfightscene musiccan be heard(infact, itstarts on the exact momenthiskicked).Aswellasthis, the punchesandkicksare accompaniedbythe oftenused punch/kicksoundeffect, whichsoundslike aharshthudand is a commonstaple of qualityaction thrillers. Unlike lotsof amateurshortfilms,“Initiation”looks andsoundssurprisinglyprofessional andvery cinematic, withslicksounddesignandediting,decentacting,cleverlychoreographedfight sequencesandinterestingcinematographyall combiningtocreate a response of ‘wow, that’s awesome’inthe audience.The Mise enscene of the filmsuitsthe genre of actionthriller,asthe settingisa non-specificlocation(theopenfiled),whichisacommon place inactionthrillerswhere assassinationsorsecretmeetingsoccur.Aswell asthis, the plainjumperthatthe protagonistwears suitsthe non-specificandthereforestealthyandsuspiciousfeelof the film, whichisonlyheightened by the crate of weaponsseenonthe backseat of the car and the tense musicthatunderscoresmuch of the film. The cinematographyfor“Initiation”isveryinteresting,withalarge range of shottypes and angles,aswell assome shotsthat move withthe action(suchas whenthe targetstumblesto the car door),givingthe filmaverycinematicandprofessional feel. The structure of the film also suitsthe genre well,asitstarts slowly,withlongestablishingshotsandclose-upsof importantthings (forexample the time onthe digital clock andthe crate of weapons) buildingupthe tension,before the pace of the filmisrampedupinthe brutal fightthatstarts withthe protagonistbeingkickedand lastsfor the remainderof the film,puncturedwithshortintervalsasthe charactersrecover physically, andtrytowork eachotherout mentally.Afterthe protagonistknocksouthistargetwith a hammer,the pace of the filmslowsdownagain,ashe forceshimselftoshootthe unconscious man,drawingthe filmto a close.
- 3. “Initiation”isastandalone film, unlike some of Make-doentertainmentsotherfilms,suchas“The Jester”seriesof shortfilms.Toget“Initiation”made andexhibited, Krawchuk wouldhave hadto have completedpre-production(writingscript,treatment,reccesetc.) production(filming) andpost- production(editing, dubbingetc).