Final Product

*Dear examiner, this version of the product has as glitch on certain parts that we can't seem to remove. The files are all clear in the Premiere document, but appear on every type of export we have attempted. Please could this be taken into consideration*

Evaluation Question 1 (part 1/2): How does your product use/challenge conventions and How does it represent Social Groups and Issues?

1. Following Conventions

Overall, my project did follow many conventions in a Thriller.

1. The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in an increasingly complex web, until the protagonist feels isolated and helpless. YES

This is in the scene where the antagonist states in defense of her own actions-“if it were your family, you’d do it too.” At this point, our protagonist begins contemplating his own decisions, he starts being able to empathize with the suspect as 

2.The narrative centers upon a crime E.g theft, murder YES

-The murder of company owner Richard Brixon and later, the Detective’s family.

3.The protagonist is fallible and has a Achilles heel that is exploited. YES

-The detective’s love for his family leads to him losing the upper hand of the interrogation. Prior to that he intimidates the suspect to the point of confessing her crime but after she mentions committing it to protect her family, she states “if it were your family, you’d do it too”. At this point the detective begins to question his morals heavily 

4.Themes of identity are commonly mistaken identity, amnesia and doubles/Doppelgängers (not really)

Even though the detective and the suspect are different at a contrasting level, they both are connected in the ways that they have families that they love and protect. 

5.Themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring-manipulation of perspective YES

Originally, I had planned to add a scene of the detective coming hime only to find his family dead but did not do so as it would exceed the opening time, and putting it later in the film would make the plot more thrilling. It included a part where he entered his wife’s bathroom which conveniently has mirrors on opposing sides of the wall. There was then going to be a shot of him looking into it. 

6.A series of enigmas are set up - only to be solved at the end YES

-What did Richard Brixon do to get killed?

-Why is the murder justified as an act of defense in the suspect/Apisorn’s point of view?

-Why is the detective nervous at this point when he is clearly bringing the suspect to justice?

-Why does the suspect smile like that after the detective leaves the room?
-Why is the detective's family targetted?

7.The audience is placed in a the ambiguous position of “voyeur” (When the audience WANTS bad things to happen) YES

-After seeing the suspect’s smug smile at the end of the interrogation, the audience are informed that something bad will happen. 
-This "Voyeuristic" feeling then persists at the end of the opening. Parallel editing is used to switch between the detective's journey home and his wife's cooking. Whilst low lightning and dull colors are used for scenes where the detective is present, the ones for his wife are very bright and vibrant, causing a contrast. The audience's attention is diverted to focus on it due to the fact that it stands out more. They want to see the steak and what will happen to it as the car scenes act as a platform to build up their anticipation.

8.Protagonist will be in Peril/danger YES (later in the plot)

The plot changing line that the suspect says " If it were your family you'd do it too" causes our protagonist to react in such a fragile manner . He does not respond or fight back but cowers away. The strong impact this has on him foreshadows that something will happen to his family forcing him into the same position as the suspect. Their demise is implicated at the end of the opening-How will he avenge their deaths? Will he let revenge engulf his strong sense of Justice?

9.The narrative presents extra ordinary events in ordinary situations/settings ABIT

At the end of the opening, the detective's wife can be seen cooking food at their house, a condominium unit. This location setting is highly relatable to the audience due to the fact that the amount of Condominiums and apartments are increasing along with their inhabitants, especially in Thailand. Suddenly, the lights turn off and a loud metalllic crash can be heard which is quite ambiguous as we do not know what happens to her afterwards.

10.The micro-elements are used to build suspense YES

Mise-en-scene: CREDIT TEXT

I had intentions of using the credit texts to convey the psychological state of the Detective. Prior to the interrogation they are almost in sync to his actions and the non-diegetic background music, showing his experienced skill and straightforwardly nature of following things on to the point. During the early part of the interrogation, the detective still remains with power in his fists but after his suspect's rebuttal, he is completely devastated. He is brought into a case where he had no direct involvement in triggering. He wants to show sympathy for the suspect (if he was stuck in that situation, he would likely have done the same thing) but feels the crushing pressure of the "Third Party" who threaten to do "bad things" to him.  This forces him to pick  between his family's safety or to wave the hammer of justice which forces him to become very stressed out and call off the interrogation. After this point, the animation of the credit texts becomes more and more intense through ways such as moving, changing in opacity and colour. Another  crime thriller opening doing something similar is Se7en, which was my inspiration for animating the texts this way.

 TOP LEFT: The difference between the credit texts before and after the interrogation.

BELOW: The opening credits to Se7en (1997) which also uses animated credit texts

HANDCUFF SMASH (cinematography and sound)

The suspect's desperation for power and self defense is shown through the use of cinematography and diegetic sound. Once she is pressured to the point of confessing to the murder, she smashes her handcuffs on the table and stands up making her height almost equal to that of the detective's and that their power is now equal. The Diegetic sound of the metallic handcuffs hitting the table is put at a high volume in order to create tension as a sudden rise in volume can mean that something significant has happened. A track-shot is used in order to make the frame shake like the table in the scene causing a link between the realms of fiction and reality.

-LIGHT MANIPULATION:

Once the detective enters the interrogation room, he clicks his fingers which turns on the lights. This is used for him to establish his dominance at the beginning as he is able to even manipulate his own environment. The light also acts as a metaphor for hope and Justice and by doing this action, it suggests that the detective will the be the one imposing justice on to the suspect.

High Angle zoom

Looking deeper into it's sub-genre (Crime Thrillers) , only some of the conventions are visible

Red Herrings

A common trope in crime thrillers and drama is the “ Red Herring”  which is defined as something that will steer the audience to a false conclusion.  An example of a crime drama or thriller that uses the  “Red Herring” trope would be The Usual Suspects (1995). A criminal named Keyser Söze sets a ship ablaze as he kills a man. Only 2 survivors remain, one named Roger 'Verbal' Kint who is questioned by the FBI. After telling the whole story, he reveals that he himself is Keyser and drives away from the police station.In this film, it is used towards Apisorn Udomprecha/Dennis Lee/The Suspect, the so called “Antagonist”. The idea is portrayed throughout the opening at an overly obvious level, fooling the audience to believe thats she is  through the use of the Micro-elements. The fact that she smirks as the detective leaves suggest that she had planned the interrogation in order to tamper with his inner fragility and foreshadows his family's demise. When actually there is a "Third Party" involved in this too!

Close ups and Chiaroscuros

The close up I have used in the introduction of the suspect is a reference to the interrogation of Clyde Shelton in Law Abiding Citizen. The close up enables the audience to see his vengeful, and angry facial expression (the face of a man who saw his family's murder).
Contextually, both Clyde and Apisorn share the same motives for the crimes they've committed-Their families. Although Clyde is shown to have lost his family through the trailer, it is unknown if Apisorn has lost hers but the fact that she is a mother may imply that she has lost her husband and wants to protect her children-the only "family" she has left.

Another well known conventions of crime thrillers is the use of chiaroscuro or "Dramatic Contrast"

Hand Helds

Throughout the interrogation, most of the cinematography is done through the use of handhelds. This is a direct reference to the cinematography style used by the filmmaker Paul Green Grass who is famous for his usage of this filming technique. Another interrogation scene which uses handhelds can be seen in the film The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
I chose to use handhelds in the interrogation for multiple reasons. -Handhelds are often used in documentaries and engages the audience into the film realm. It enables them to see the detective and suspect's clash for power in more detail -Metaphorically, hand-held shots are constantly shaking or moving which conveys the theme of instability. This can be the instability within the 2 characters' relationships in the opening; their social polarizations, attitudes and lack of sympathy towards each other or, the instability within our society and the judiciary system. Corruption has always remained a significant problem. People can run away from their crimes just by tossing piles of money. Crime rates have decreased in no ways.

Use of Parallel Editing

-Using Mise-En-Scene and the "Show Don't Tell" technique

Combining the use of Mise-En-Scene and Cinematography

These 2 mid-shots show the similarities and differences between the detective and suspect during the interrogation.

Suspect

Settings

Crime thrillers are often set in urban areas to enforce the idea of being realistic and that it could even happen to the audience themselves. My film is set in the city centre of Bangkok. Another movie that uses this convention is Zodiac, being set in San Francisco.

2. Challenging Conventions

Breaking the 180 Degree Rule

180 Degree shots are often used in the conversation and interrogation scenes of a crime thriller. It shows the continuity of the discussion. In my film I decisively broke this rule in order to confuse the audience and put them in the same emotional state as the protagonist. It is broken when the suspect/ goes "If it were your family, you'd do it too." This makes the quote stand out more as it is stated when the audience are at the point of confusion in the interrogation scene. Furthermore, it completely alters the power status between the characters. With his family/weakness brought into this, he cowers calling off the interrogation.

Sympathy towards the "Antagonist"

Conventionally, the Villains in Crime Thrillers are painted to be loathed by the audience. Take John Doe from Se7en as an example. At the final part of the film he talks of killing David Mill's wife and putting her head into a box in a very calm tone as he watches the deceased's husband fill up with rage and say the iconic line-"What's in the box?". We as the audience see the inhuman side of him making us detest him even more as he has exploited the protagonist (David)'s weak spot to it's core. These are the types of villains who's death makes the audience cheer loudly as they are made to be hated.

via GIPHY

Although a murderer who has had a history of committing crimes, the suspect's motives are ironically highly relatable to the audience themselves. When forced to confess her guilt, she yells "I had to do it, I had to do it for my family". By the end she even manages to convince the Detective into sympathizing with her motive. The audience likely have a family which they love and want to protect like the 2 characters do.

David Thewlis as Inspector Goole in the
2025 version of an Inspector calls. 

Character portrayal 

The Detectives in a crime thriller tend to have a more cynical and experienced attitude. An example of this would be Inspector Goole from the British drama "An Inspector calls". He is able to see through every antics and traps laid at him by the Birlings, a rich, upper class family, even the "I know your boss" threats. In the end, he manages to force the Birlings into confessing their responsibility for the suicide of Eva Smith, leaving them in a state of anguish and confusion.  On the other hand, the  detective in my film is quite naïve, thinking that justice can be fully implemented but society will always be flawed and that cannot be changed. Unlike Goole, he loses to his suspect and falls for the trap set by the oligarchy.

The way that he replies to his wife is quite unconventional of how a middle aged detective would speak . An argument against this is that the simplistic language shows the closeness of the bond between him and his wife as people tend to use more simplistic language when talking to close friends/family.

Evaluation question 1 Part 2/2: How does your product use/challenge conventions and How does it represent Social Groups and Issues

Part 2-Social Groups and issues

3. Characters and Representation

The Detective

-Middle Classed and unsympathetic : This is seen when he replies to the suspect's confessing with "You're not the only one with a family"
-Justice obsessed
-Has an Achilles heel/inner fragility
-Stylish : He wears suspenders like Toschi and Bullitt.

Women 

This film shows 2 representations of women. There is a clear Binary Opposite between the  the suspect and the detective's wife are represented. 

The Suspect also acts as and follows some of the conventions of a female serial killer

In Colin MCormack's article "Women who kill:A Rhetorical Analysis of Female Killers in Film" he  mentions that women killers either kill: 

because they have failed to fulfill their gender roles of being a wife, mother and carer 

OR

They kill for these roles-I.e: The abandoned lover, the protective mother.  In the opening, the suspect admits being guilty for the murder of Richard Brixon but defends her actions saying "I had to do it for my family" which echoes the act of killing to reinforce the "Protective mother" role. The fact that she has been involved in previous crimes to the point of crossdressing once suggests that one of her family members have died causing her to have such a hatred towards the oligarchy who slowly tore her family apart. Maybe she is taking all these risks to protect the "family" that she must sustain.

PORTRAYAL OF CRIMINALS 

Conventionally, the criminals/antagonist in crime thrillers are often portrayed to be dislikable and distinct. Their motives are made  to be unreasonable and simply unjustifiable. In Law Abiding Citizen, the audience are positioned to hate the antagonists : Clarence J.D'Arby and his accomplice Rupert Ames. They enter Clyde Shelton's house,  murder and rape his wife and daughter in front of him, leaving him traumatized, scarred and burning with revenge.

In Alone, the suspect/pre-imposed villain's motives are made to be both reasonable and relatable to the audience. She killed Richard Brixon for the sake of protecting her family and would even be willing to be arrested for it which shows her extensive love for them. It can be assumed that most of the film's audience would be able to relate to her. At the 180 degree break she says "If It were your family, You'd do it too" which is intended to push the significant quite towards both the Detective and the film's audience.  At this point we are put in the detective' s shoes which make s us start to sympathize with him

Social Issues that are represented in "Alone"

-SOCIAL INEQUALITY: (represents binary opposites in the film)  The protagonist and false antagonist have contrasting social classes- the detective being a middle-upper and the suspect, working class. 

     >The portrayal of criminals in relation to their social class: 
Social class does have an effect on the way that  a criminal is presented in the media . For example, if a poor person commits a theft, they will be heavily antagonized and referred to with labels such as "Lazy" or :"unlawful" when in most cases, they are stealing living necessities that they are unable to afford. Meanwhile if a rich person does something similar, they will likely receive sympathy or defensive excuses.

-Corruption in society: 

This is not mentioned in the opening itself but after the murder of Richard Brixon, the detective is tasked with investigating the case. Once the suspect was founded, the Brixon family made requests for the detective to ally with them. He declines saying that it is for justice to decide who's right and wrong. Out of desperation, the family starts to offer bribes which again fails. The fact that he has even refused their bribery leads to him getting tangled in a case which he wasn't fully involved in. As he has chosen to be so law abiding and righteous, the Brixon family hires an assassin to kill his family, leading to his thirst for revenge. Refusing to become corrupt has gave him a life changing consequence.

-The Upperclass' obsession about MORAL CODEs: 

The upperclass are unsympathetic

-The over-antagonizing of criminals in our society. 

Evaluation question 2: How does your product engage with the audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text

Firstly I did some research on films that revolved around a plot similar to mine (Films where a figure of justice find their family at threat)

I then went on YouGov lite to find the key audience that these films appeal to.

1.Max Payne

Genre: Action/Thriller

Plot: A detective named Max Payne is tasked with investigating the murder of his family. 

2.Taken

Genre:Action/Thriller

Plot: Ex-CIA agent Brian Mills finds out that his daughter has been kidnapped by an Albanian gang of human traffickers after letting her go on a trip to Paris with her best friend. Using all of his skills and tactics, he must save her. (and find them and kill them)

3.The Punisher

Genre: drama/thriller

Plot: Seething with revenge for the death of his family, an FBI agent named Frank Castle switches his identity to be known as “The Punisher” and and aims to dismantle the criminal empire of Howard Saint 

Here are some commonalities I noticed from the audience of the 3 films:

-They are mostly male

-The age range was 40-60

-They spend more than 6 hours on the TV per week> they are likely going to watch films on channels such as HBO or use online streaming services i.e.: Netflix, Iflix
-They are all politically right leaning.

Why would they like my film?

Firstly, my main characters' clothing is based off the "hardboiled" detective trope. Films/series that feature these types of characters were very prominent in the 40s-60s. Being in the age group of 40-60 years old, it is likely that the audience have heard of or even watched these films in their childhood. The trench coat reference will act as a trigger to nostalgic feelings.

Some character that the design of my protagonist pays homage to. 

The key items of  Mise-En-Scene at the beginning surround police procedure and evidence. This is to create a sense of authenticity and realism to the opening - these are potentially real events happening in a comparatively realistic environment. From my research my audience like urban based 'realistic' thrillers such as Taken, Bourne which have a similar verisimilitude.

Like the other films above, ALONE establishes a visible Binary Opposite. From the beginning of the interrogation, the Detective and suspect are portrayed to represent good and evil.  In terms of plot, my film also features a figure of authority whose family gets put into threat or murdered meaning that fans of films such as TAKEN or Max Payne might find it appealing as they know what to expect .

Please read annotations for further analysis of why the audience identified would engage with my film opening

Distribution?

Cinemas

 I don't think that Alone will become a great hit in the cinemas as a high percentage of people going there are young children with their families to teenagers and a very few adults. The theme of the movie itself is quite dark and would not be labelled as “family friendly” and not appealing to the majority of the people that come to the cinema as a source of entertainment. 

Alternatively, if a comic series is released simultaneously film, book stores are likely to put it in front where people walking past will see. There will be a rise in popularity for both the comics and the film. It may also attract a wider range of audience as young teenagers in the modern world enjoy reading comics.

Streaming sites eg Netflix

Within the past years, the amount of people using this type of streaming service has increased with Netflix reaching over 34 million subscribers in April of 2016 (source). This means that my film will have a higher chance of gaining audience this way. When new content is added onto Netflix, it will be put in a tab noticeable on the home page which people can browse. 

Lionsgate Premier

Another online site I would consider distributing this film is "LIONSGATE premier". Established in early 2015, it is a film distributing company which distributes films to other streaming services such as Netflix, HULU or Apple TV. Apart from this, they are also well-known for releasing thriller and crime films which can give me access to a Niche audience. Here are some films that have been released by Lionsgate premiere:

-Manhattan night (2016)

Genre:Mystery/Crime

-Imperium (2016)

Genre:Crime/Drama

-Solace (2015)

Genre:Mystery/Crime

-Aftermath (2017)

 Genre: Drama/Thriller

When would the film be released?

Most of the audience that my film will appeal to would be middle/working age, giving me a more flexible release date. In order to avoid competition,  the film should not be released during the summer or Christmas  holidays as this is when bigger, more well-known film producers such as DreamWorks or Disney release their highly anticipated films. There has even been cases internal competition within these big companies. Disney had released both Rogue one and Moana in the winter of 2016 which of course, led to one film being more popular than the other. 
Since Alone is primarily aimed for streaming services, it can be released at a flexible and adjustable date but it is likely to be popular during October, when people begin watching Horror Thriller films to get into the "Halloween mood". Whilst some enjoy the classics (Friday the 13th, Scream, etc,) others may switch to newer Thrillers and Horrors which can give the film a greater reputation.

Evaluation Question 3: How does your production skills develop throughout this project

Codes and Conventions

Prior to starting this project, I had a very limited knowledge on the conventions of thrillers only acknowledging stuff such as tension creation and how the supernatural are involved.I was able to experience the thriller conventions first hand in the making of "The Chase"-A short film that highlights the conventions of supernatural and psychological thrillers. During the Christmas break, I made a lot of research on the conventions of Thrillers and it's sub-genres, specifically focussing on Crime Thrillers. This made it easier for me to incorporate into my film's plot and story board. This research as also significantly helped with my final outcome. Thriller films usually have a very restrictive colour palette which often includes more worn out hues-For example, Se7en's palette is sepia based. This then led me to start colour correcting the project in order to create more tension. Below is a comparison between the raw and edited version.

Planning and Organization

My organization skills have improved only to a weak extent. Prior to beginning this project, I was very bad with my time management. In the 1 minute film project, me and my group had finalized our concepts right before filming and I had handed in my part (the documentary-esque clip) . For this project, I chose to work independently and got to try my hands on roles I previously was not assigned to do such as filming, editing, animating and organizing. I had to contact my friends/the actors 2-3 weeks beforehand to see if they were available on the filming days. Since it was Chinese New Year, not everyone was available simultaneously so I divided the filming sessions into 2 days. On the second filming session, I was supposed tp contact one of the actors before hand to ensure that they were available but I did not, which lead to me having to use 1 actor to play 2 roles. My weakness with deadlines still remains a big issue and looking back, if I had used my time more efficiently, I could've gotten a lot more done in terms of planning and actually constructing the film. I have a lot  to learn from the errors with time and organization that has occurred in this project.

Camera Work

On the 2 projects I had previously worked on, I barely had done any filming, as I was mostly entitled to acting roles. I learnt many new things and gained new experiences from this project since I was able to have more roles in film production. After doing deeper research into the types of camera shots used in thrillers, I applied this into my story board. I though more thoroughly about using each type of shots in relation to the context of the films plot. Here are some examples below.

Breaking the 180 Degree Rule

180 degree rules are often used within a film's conversation scenes and establishes the 2 character's orientation  (left-right). Breaking it will result in the disorientation and confusion of the audience. for my opening, I deliberately did this as it was a turning point for the entire interrogation. The dialogue spoken by the Suspect:  "if it were your family, you'd do it too" causes his interrogator to show some sympathy, revealing his inner fragility-his desire of protecting his family. After this point he becomes the weaker one and calls it off.

Using Zooms

This Zoom of a handcuff gives a lot of context and information to the audience:
1.He is a cop
2. He is experienced at his job as seen from the confident motion of throwing these handcuffs.
3. He does not have a boasty attitude (putting the cuffs into his coat instead of waving it at everyone to show that he's a detective.)
4. The handcuffs symbolize justice, which is now in his hands to decide

On the other hand, there are many things regarding camera usage that I must still work on. After making a Bird's eye view of the interrogation table, I was careless and viewed the footage by tilting the camera onto 1 side. This made the camera and it's tripod lose balance, resulting in a broken camera lenses. The next time I film, I will remember to  have at least  1 person supporting the camera during the filming process, especially when filming risky shots like this one.

Visual Effects

Before working on this project, I had zero experience with manipulating visual effects. the best I could do was animate the motion and opacity of a key frame. 

When I had shown my first draft to an art teacher, he said that the film's sequence was good but it required colour correction as it was too colourful and vibrant to be a thriller. At first I thought colour grading was doing to be very difficult since the adjustments looked  very detailed. Once I tried to do it myself, I quickly became familiarized with the controls. Adding shadows and lessening the saturation did in fact make the film look more dramatic and thriller-like.

Adding shadows emphasized the texture of the suspect's hands to convey her desperation and anger.

The same shot, prior to colour correction

Animation

Furthermore, I also gained the opportunity to try out some animating on Adobe After Effects, another program which I was unfamiliar with. I looked up tutorials on youtube and found one on text particle animating which I used for my studio logo.

The tutorial:

My attempt

For my production logo, I used skills I learnt from my previous animations along with another tutorial and added in an element of uniqueness. I drew the logo with a Wacom tablet on Photoshop, saved it as a PNG (with transparent background.), added it in and masked it over with a glitch video I downloaded from MediaFire. 

The tutorial (the link to the glitch footage is included in the video's description)

The process of animating the production title.

Editing

Something that I think I significantly had improved at from doing this project is editing. It was always something that I feared whilst doing media studies as I had amateur experience with it. The most extreme editing I had done before doing this course was on IMovie. Once the course started, I had a small introduction to the program "Adobe Premier Pro". From that point, it seemed mildly more easy and approchable. The first time I had legitimately used it was when I made the contextual opening for my recreation of The Imitation Game (2014)- called "The Imitation Imitation Game". This involved things such as adjusting opacity, volume and animating the motion of each keyframe.

September 2016

March 2017

What also improved was the techniques I used with the film's Mise-en-scene. In the original story board of Alone, I intended to film footage of the detective's family right before he left the house. This was an ineffective way of narrating the story as it made it too dogmatic and unfitting for a thriller (more like a family film!). After showing it to Mr.Harrison, he suggested that this could be represented in a more effective and subtle way. Instead of filming the entire family, there could be a photo of the family on the detective's desk, which I incorporated into my final product. 

This shot uses the "Show-Dont-Tell" technique which has been used by filmmakers such as Steven Speilberg and Alfred Hitchcock in "Rear Window (1964).

Creative confidence

I think that this project has really harnessed my creative confidence as I was able to take my ideas to new heights.  My film's concepts originated from the trench coat detectives of the 40s and the idea of a loving family, but then I developed it to the idea of the loving family was being ceased, which exploits the fear of losing a loved one. 

Here are some examples of where I have applied my creative confidence.

The physical intimidation used by the detective to force the suspect to confess is a historical reference to "The Johnson treatment". This was a technique used by the US President Lyndon B Johnson/LBJ to intimidate or threaten his political opponents by using his height (196 cm)

The "Johnson Treatment" in action.

Unlike the picture above, I chose to do an Over-the-shoulder shot so that the audience are able to feel the strong tension in this scene.

This two shot puts the detective and suspect at equal heights which conveys the change in their power statuses. The suspect who was once inferior is now at equal stake with the man who can throw her into jail.

I believe that I have become more creatively confident as a result of working on this project since I have manipulated the Micro-elements in order to narrate my plot subtly whilst at the beginning, I could not even define the term micro-element.  After watching and analyzing other series and films in class such as The Wire , Breaking Bad and Dexter, I started to understand the concept more and more. The key was to understand how to create meaning through technical and symbolic codes.  For example, the key for the interrogation scene was to establish a shift in power between the Detective and the Suspect.

Furthermore, I used the credit texts to paint the psychological state of our main character-The Detective. Prior to the interrogation, the texts are very stagnant but as it starts, they begin to change in opacity, size and move to convey his feeling of anxiety after his family is brought into this.

Gun suggested taking this shot from this specific angle since the Suspect/Apisorn/Dennis Lee's arms and wrists take up a significant portion of the screen's composition. Fists are often connoted with having power and the meaning of this shot is that she has the upper hand now.