I went into the film not knowing what it was about, apart from the comments from our teacher that our protagonist is similar to Jake Gyllenhaal's character but enjoyed it immensely and came out with three pages full of notes! I can see how our two films would be similar even though ours is a psychological thriller and Nightcrawler is more of a crime drama/thriller.
- The framing in a lot of the shots was important - it was clear that Lou was the main focus of the film and so he was the thing that the audience were always drawn to first in each shot
- His eyes particularly intrigued me - they were always large and unblinking which adds to his level of creepiness and also adds to the psychological effect - his facial expressions were mostly serious and he was quite stern-faced, during conversations he would be staring quite intensely and any time he smiled or laughed (such as when he greeted all the TV employees warmly) seemed unusual and different because the audience was so used to his serious state
- The music used throughout the film was dramatic and tension-building but always sounded eerie which puts the audience (certainly me) on edge, sometimes it was fast-paced and loud otherwise it would be more subtle, by using a piano or more orchestral instruments like violins however it was constant which added to the psychological impact on the audience
- His appearance was suggestive of a controlling, manipulative, psychotic personality, including his neat, gelled hair, the pale face, the sunglasses that he often used to cover up his big eyes (as I mentioned before), he often wore clean, typically "normal" clothing - nothing out of the ordinary which would raise awareness to the public of his mind - such as a crisp, white shirt and tie with dark trousers and sometimes a more casual jacket
- His voice is also an important part of the film - he speaks eloquently, which makes him sound more formal and respected, he also sounds like he can be trusted, especially when he's lying as it comes naturally to him and he can smoothly cover it up - he used complex language to confuse and then control Rick, often blackmailing him and absolving himself of any blame and putting it onto Rick
- A majority of the scenes are at night (hence the name - Nightcrawler - someone who is socially active at night) which adds to the dark and creepy feeling that is present throughout the whole film, there was a tilt shot as he was holding the camera above his head and as it revealed his pale face it was evident how he obsessive he had become about this job and how much pleasure it gives him when he gets "the perfect shot"
- At times, his dominance and assertiveness comes through when he is desperate to get his way and this can often be seen as quite aggressive - when he was talking to Nina, he shows off his intelligence and his good memory to try and be more persuasive - this is proved when he covers his tracks and makes it seem like he was trying to help when he was obtaining the footage in the mansion
- The shot of him screaming into and then breaking the mirror was unnerving to watch as it was a complete contrast from the rest of the film - his anger comes through in a way the audience aren't used to seeing as normally he is calm and almost emotionless even if he is annoyed or upset - to me it seemed like he was possessed as it was completely unexpected and a change of character
- The car chase seemed to me like an important part of the film as this was where it dawned on the audience how far he had come since that first incident where he was more innocent, naive and also inexperienced - he is clearly too focused on the chance to get footage and doesn't react to the two other cars crashing although the loud diegetic sounds used made it more clear to the audience - his obsessiveness often comes through, he repeatedly instructs Rick on "steady hands" wanting his footage to be perfect - the fact that he has no compassion or respect for the victims, filming close ups of their bodies literally minutes after they've died or even going so far as to move the corpse to get a better shot - shows his attention to detail and focus on the job and also he isn't affected by the sight emotionally which dehumanises him
- "I can't jeopardise my company's success" - again this quote shows how important this business is that he's created all by himself and how much it actually means to him - it has literally become his life and he was willing to lead his assistant into a trap (risking his life) just to get the shot
- The ending hugely contrasts with the beginning, showing how he has built up into being in control by having more employees and two vans (a reference to previous competition who told him how its easier to cover more area with two squads) and also to how easily he is making himself and his company a success with nobody realising the depths he had to go to
I feel like our killer would be extremely similar to Lou as for example they both have enough confidence and know they will get away with their plans - homeless teenagers wouldn't be noticed if they went missing as usually nobody is looking out for them and he would have to be clever to get away with it smoothly.
Overall I feel like Nightcrawler has given me a lot of inspiration on what to do with our own teaser trailer and especially how to use sound and music to build tension subtly as that is an area in which we are struggling in at the moment.
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