Phone Booth

Antagonist

Who is it?
The antagonist is always in opposition of the protagonist. The antagonist is otherwise known as the villain. The antagonist in the Phone booth has no name, this adds to the suspense of the movie, as not only does he have no name but he cannot be seen and is only heard as a distorted voice.

Are they typical of the genre?
Yes, they are typical of a thriller genre, this is because there always has to be an antagonist for it to be a thriller. He is typical because of the way he acts and behaves towards the protagonist.

How would you describe their character?
In Phone booth the antagonists character is portrayed as very evil. This can be told straight away when he picks on an innocent man, Stu Sheperd played by Colin Farrell. I would also describe him as psychotic as he gives 'Stu' orders that he must obey. He says things like, "your going to learn to obey me" and "if you tell them the truth i will kill you." This shows that the antagonist will not hesitate in killing him.
He is also very controlling. He wants things done his way. If not he will threaten to kill Stu, his wife, Kelly played by Radha Mitchell or his girlfriend, Pamela played by Katie Holmes.

What defines them as the antagonist?
The fact that the voice-over threatens to kill 'Stu' mainly defines him as the antagonist. Also due to the point that 'Stu' and the audience never actually get to see the face of the antagonist.

Protagonist
The protagonist is usually the main character and is usually the hero towards the end of the film.

Who is it?
In the Phone booth the protagonist is Stu Sheperd played by Colin Farrell. However, he doesn't really turn out as the hero because the film finishes on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience in suspense wondering what happened next.

Are they typical of the genre?
Protagonists are typical in a thriller, as the antagonist will always need someone to go after. However Stu is seen as the protagonist as he was picked on by the antagonist, but he doesn't turn out to be the hero. In fact towards the members of the public and the police in the film, he looks like the bad guy, as they think he shot the innocent by-passer.


How would you describe their character?
I would describe their character as innocent but deceiving. I would describe Stu as innocent because he was picked for no reason and was set up. We can tell that Stu is the protagonist by the way that he is dressed. Wearing a shirt and blazer, showing that he was maybe on the way or his way back from work.
However, i would also describe him as deceiving as he has a wife, Kelly and a girlfriend, Pamela. This shows that he is not truthful, as he tells his girlfriend that he is 'not married' and so she is surprised when she gets a phone call telling her different.
The audience feels that they have to sympathies for the protagonist as he begins to tell the truth, however the antagonist refuses to believe him due to his nature and background. He is also very vulnerable as he cannot move from the phone booth with out being shot at.

What defines them as the protagonist?
The fact that he is weak compared to the antagonist and is very vulnerable to them defines him as the protagonist. Also because he has been targeted, not chosen at random. He has been watched, and the antagonist knows where he lives and his daily movements as well as his lifestyle.

Typical Thriller Conventions

Music- The music used is settle and calm, this constrats with the genre, thriller, as it is nothing but that.
It is used not only to show opposite, but to create mystery. Using foley sound of the phone ringing.
It also plays a slowed heartbeat sound in the background. Representing the change in the heartbeat of the protagonist. Also showing how the protagonist is scared and vulnerable.

location-The audience can hear and see the liveliness of the new york streets, showing its location.

Camera-Hand held camera shows the protangonist looking around, showing his vunerability. Its shows alot of windows, adding to his and the audiences confusion of where the antagonist is hiding.
The change in camera positions also show the confusion.
Camera shots change to show the protagonists feelings. For example, if Stu really begins to worry the camera shots cut at a much faster pace, showing different people and the different locations in the new york city.
The framing is very rough. This shows that things are not going smoothly and calmly, like usual, but the opposite.
There are also alot of high angles, used showing that Stu is vulnerable and in some kind of danger.

There is a scene where there are four different scenes on one screen. This is of four different news channels showing the same story. This shows the importance of that topic, which is Stu in the phone booth with the gun.