Research Tasks {[Hollie]}

JOY RIDE ... 1995 ... JIM GILLESPIE

1. Genre and Style:

The short film ‘Joy Ride’ is a 10 minute long thriller set in England. The film is very clever in terms of its mise en scene, the film is shot in a rural location which gives the impression of being isolated, also, the film takes place at night and it is raining. This gives an eerie impression and also creates enigma. The sound of the piece also helped to create tension in the viewer. For example, the music builds as the man is kidnapped and locked in the boot of his car. The tension rises, but he doesn't seem to be able to free himself. During this sequence the music builds and creates tension in the viewer and giving an ‘edge of your seat’ atmosphere to the audience. The narrative of the film is restricted as the audience does not know who the kidnappers are and why they have chosen the man to kidnap. As the audience we can only see as much as the man who has been kidnapped. This helps the audience to relate to the man and also builds enigma as we too can almost feel as though we have been kidnapped and are in the dark. The film moves very quickly and is very tense with moments of violence, brief cliff hangers and an ending that is dark but enjoyable at the same time. The main character is a very sympathetic character and easy to relate to and this allows us to get right into the film without much build up.

2. How does this film use genre and style conventions uniquely?

Thriller and Suspense Films are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension.
Characters in thrillers include convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, duplicitous individuals, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, ect. The film ‘Joy Ride’ conforms to this idea as the kidnappers are psychos. They have no real motivation to kidnap the man apart from to kill him and possibly steal his car. One good example of how these men prove themselves psychotic is how they kill two police officers without hesitation when they are pulled over for a broken brake light. The film uses conventions of a typical thriller much like other thrillers such as ‘Taken’ and ‘Along Came a Spider’ which involve kidnappings however the ending does not conform to these conventions as unlike other thrillers the main characters usually survive their ordeal and the resolution is in most cases, a happy one. In ‘Joy Ride’ the main character’s fate is uncertain as he is covered in petrol and a shower of sparks from the overhead line fall onto him. The film then goes to black so it is not clear as to whether he is still alive although the audience does hear the sound of flames as the end credits come up so they are positioned to think that he is dead. This is a very good effect and is unique to this film.

3. How does the film use the short film format?

Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives and stated that films and programmes begin with equilibrium,

 a calm period. Then agents of disruption cause a period of unsettlement. This is then followed by a renewed state

 of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end. This is the simplest

form of narrative and is sometimes referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative. The film ‘Joy Ride’ uses this

 narrative but in a short hand format as the film is much shorter, the period of equilibrium is much briefer and is

only there to introduce the main character. This is done because a short film simply cannot have the amount of

time devoted to setting the scene as a feature film would. For example, in this film the equilibrium consists of the

 man leaving work to go home and then the film gets quickly into the disequilibrium which makes up the bulk of

any film. Another key point to this short film is that the new equilibrium at the end is briefer too. Again this is due

to the lack of time to tell the story in a full and entertaining way. This short film uses restricted narration for the

entire film to help create tension and mystery. The viewers are only able to see what the character sees and so are

 unaware of the things that are happening outside the car boot. The restricted narration also helps the viewer to

relate to the main character and empathize with him as it is clear that these events are very distressing. 

4. What is interesting about the use of sound?

The use of sound, in ‘Joy Ride’ is very interesting as it uses a mix of diagetic and nondiagetic sound. For example, the radio can be heard in the boot of the car by the main character however a face paced piece of music is used as a soundtrack to create tension in important and risky situations, for instance when the main character is trying to kick the brake lights off of the car and when he tries to cut his arms free. This music is very cleaver as the tension and anxiety for the welfare of the main character wells up within the viewer, almost to bursting point, before the situation is overcome and both the character and the viewer can momentarily relax. Silence is used very well as it is so quiet, in some parts, that it is almost suffocating to the viewer, this creates the feeling of intensity and a feeling of enigma. The silence creates a foreboding atmosphere that puts the audience on edge and makes them think that something bad is about to happen. The silence also intensifies the unease felt by the main character, as he is obviously in grave danger.

I particularly like the use of silence and nondiagetic sound as it creates and intense atmosphere and really puts the viewer on the edge of their seat. I would like to use a technique such as this in my own piece to create a sense of foreboding and enigma.

5. Themes, issues and representation?

The main character of ‘Joy Ride’ is the protagonist of the story so he was introduced first in the story. This helps to introduce his situation and the fact that he appears to be a middle aged man who is trying to get home, possibly to his wife and family. Therefore he leaves a job which he sees and unimportant so be with them, however, it soon becomes apparent that he should of finished the job as if he had done he may not have suffered the ordeal he did.

He is represented as a fairly average man, which makes the thriller more realistic and helps an audience from any social group to relate to him. It creates suspense as it shows that bad things can happen to anyone from any walk of life if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The idea of masculinity is also addressed in the film as the main character is a male and it is very stereotypical as the male is the protagonist and the girl is the victim. To begin with he appears to be a very stereotypical male in the fact that he appears strong as he has a manual job and appears to be the breadwinner for his family.

The character appears to be in control (another traditionally masculine attribute)as the way he is dressed shows he is a working man and he walks and talks and with purpose, however, when he is abducted it is clear that this could happen to anybody even a to someone who appears to be strong and in control. It is obvious that he is very distressed and he even weeps a little at his situation. He appears helpless, sensitive and afraid, perhaps for his family. These traits are not often associated to men but all men do have emotions and this helps the viewer, whether male or female, to be able to relate to him and to empathize with his situation. This positions the viewer to be very sympathetic towards the man as he struggles against his captors. Usually in films working class males involved with manual labour are not often represented in a way that makes you feel sympathetic towards them. For example, the film ‘High Hopes’ portrays the working classes as objects to poke fun at and as second class citizens. However, the fact that the main character in ‘Joy Ride’ appears to be a family man as he gets a call, possibly from his wife, and then desperately tries to get home makes the viewer sympathetic to both him and his family and it also makes him easy to relate to. His emotion in the boot of the car also helps the audience to relate to him as they feel distressed for his safety and also understand that they would feel just as helpless in a situation such as that.