EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF EXISTING OPENING THRILLER SEQUENCESGeorge Alden

An establishing shot is used to introduce the audience to the setting and protagonist. The wide shot of the setting creates a sense of freedom and calmness, however this is contrasted by the low key lighting that may provoke feelings of danger and fear. There is no soundtrack used here, but the sound of silence to create an eerie atmosphere for the audience. The thought of not knowing what to expect may also build tension.

A long shot then zooms to a mid shot and focuses on the protagonist in bed. The use of a mid shot allows the audience to become closer emotionally to the character. The lack of facial expressions and body language encourages the audience to use their imagination to gain an understanding of what may happen next.

Cross cutting is used between the protagonist in bed and the ticking metronome. Above the silence, it creates an eerie atmosphere for the audience. The scene then suddenly cuts to the opening credits. The quick scene changes may be as if this unknown character is trying to hide something from the audience. By creating unanswered questions and keeping the theme of mystery running, the audience is more likely to retain interest for the duration of the film.

The entertainment company titles show who made the film, shortly followed by the director, who like the entertainment companies is a key element in ensuring the film is effective within its specified genre. However there is no established character creating an element of mystery as we do not know who it is creating these files for what appears to be work purposes.

The extensive use of black across the screen creates suspense as the viewer does not know what to expect. It creates a dark, fearing atmosphere for the viewer. The informal, staggered style of writing seems rushed, which may distress viewers. The fact that half of the screen is black may infer that there is an element of uncovered mystery, and it is elements like this that ensure audiences maintain interest in the rest of the film.

The removal of skin from fingers may very well be enough to turn heads from the screen, being a particularly disturbing image to picture, however is continues to add to the element of mystery as we are yet to discover its purpose. The close up involves the audience in the action and almost victimises them and may make them feel as if it is their fingers. The background colours appear dull and dark, creating a suspicious vibe to the scene.

The flickering of the title suggests a paranormal feel about the opening to give an eerie atmosphere for the viewer and make them uncomfortable. The title of the film is introduced before any protagonist, antagonist or narrative is established. This may build suspense as the audience know the title and genre of the film but nothing else. The title uses white against the black background for emphasis.

The opening credits show only close up shots, meaning there is little material for the audience to work out and understand what is actually happening. The book may be associated with detective work or investigations allowing the audience to gain a picture of the sub-genre of the film.

The extensive use of red in the background creates an element of danger and may make the viewer feel uncomfortable. The whole sequence consists of only close up shots, meaning there is little identity revealed about the storyline of the film, in effect making the audience want to continue watching the film. The word “you” again may make the viewer feel vulnerable as the text is directly addressing them. We may also notice that the colour red is now introduced compared to the previous black and white screens, which demonstrates the development of the storyline.

The Removal of words from the text suggests that this unknown protagonist is doing editing, however it is difficult to tell whether it is being done in a positive or negative light. The colour of black masks the words, and may be representative of how this unknown character is masking what they have done wrong?

The establishing shot here is introduced very quickly. Again it displays dull colours, whilst the word “Monday” briefly sets the scene for the audience but not in enough detail for them to greatly understand the storyline. This allows the running theme of mystery to continue throughout the film.

The fact that none of the scenes are in chronological order allows the audience to use their imagination with each to try and picture what is actually happening. With each scene only lasting a short amount of time, it may become difficult for the audience to understand what is happening, thereby making in necessary to continue watching the film in order to understand the narrative that is slowly being established.

Shutter Island - The black background initially connotes darkness and feelings of death which foreshadows events further on in the film. The bold white titles dramatically contrast the background to put emphasis and importance on the information which tells the audience the setting of the scene. Editing techniques such as the slow fading of titles and slow fading into scenes may make the audience feel like they are drifting in and out of consciousness, almost to sleep. It is very effective as it doesn’t reveal too much of the storyline to the extent where the film is no longer worth watching.

The introduction of a boat may immediately make the audience question themselves over what is actually happening. The fact that is slowly appears from the foggy background helps to maintain that element of suspense. The contrast from the previous scenes brings more daylight into the story; whilst the misty background creates a magical dream like feel to the plot, the crashing sound of waves and seagulls adds realism to the storyline. Pathetic fallacy is also evident with the mist. This dream like feel foreshadows the film as the protagonist who is initially thought to be a detective turns out to be a psychopath who dreamt it all.

The “over the shoulder shot” of himself suggests a sense of vulnerability and isolation, that he is on his own. His facial expressions and handheld camera use also emphasise his feelings and emotions (distress and discomfort), which in effect may help the audience to understand the character and their current situation. The mirror may display the two sides to his personality, we view him from the surreal side, which makes sense when we consider he is not himself in the opening sequence but a psychopath. The shadow in front may also be representative of his nugatory identity, as we do not know who he truly is at this point in the film.

The dark lighting does not give too much away about the location of the character, which is a key element in an opening sequence. If too much is revealed, the audience are less likely to maintain interest in the rest of the film. The fact that the character is looking down towards the floor displays a lack of identity and low status. Throughout the opening scene, his dull coloured suit seems to match the dull coloured setting, again creating the idea that he has no identity and almost blends into his surroundings. An alternative portrayal is how the dull colours represent the dull events of the past and present, as well as foreshadowing the future.

The use of a close up shot here establishes the character in greater depth. By bringing the audience closer to the character they become more involved in the scene and the characters lifestyle. The shot shows the character focusing on something, however this cannot be viewed by the audience. This may encourage the audience to want to continue watching the film in order to understand what seems to be concerning the character. The fact that he only has a small circular window to look out of may reflect his isolation from society and mental limits. The character is also viewed looking away from the character to suggest he is hiding something from the audience.

The use of another close up keeps the audience close to the protagonist. The direct address may intimidate the audience and make them feel trapped. The heavy breathing evident here is often associated with panic and concern, in effect making the audience feel uncomfortable.

A wide shot may create a sense of freedom here, however is this largely contrasted by the hooks and hanging sharp objects which may be associated with punishment and death, in effect making the audience feel uncomfortable and perhaps vulnerable. The fact that the focus is on these hooks suggests importance and relevance to the storyline, possibly foreshadowing events later on in the film. The protagonist is in the background but is not focused on, again symbolising how he is of little relevance and an object has more significance than him.

Again, the idea of being trapped and isolated is represented by the chain fence, it may also reflect his mental state, acting as a barrier to stop him progressing in life. Despite this, the focus is prioritised to the character behind the fence to suggest he is of great importance at this moment in time.

Here dialogue is introduced as the characters have a conversation. This forwards the storyline a great deal as the audience begin to understand even more about the characters and their situations. The fact they are wearing almost identical clothing suggests they are part of the same reason to be where they are and creates a link between the two characters. A relationship becomes apparent. The sense of mystery is kept as mid shots and close shots are continuously used upon the characters, resulting in keeping the location secretive and making the audience want to continue watching the film.

Here the focus is on the character in front. This immediately shifts the significance to him and turns the audience attention to the actions and narration of that character. A flashback is effectively used here to show the characters origins and past situations. A slow paced soundtrack creates a sad atmosphere as the character tells the audience his wife died. This narration may make the audience feel sympathetic for them. The gloom of the background weather helps to set the atmosphere and provoke feelings of danger and concern amongst the audience,

The entertainment companies that produce are shown at the start of the film, mainly because they are the main producers of the film and are therefore of significance importance. A dark soundtrack plays over the opening titles, and suddenly increases in tempo and pitch at specific points such as when the title of the film is shown, again for emphasis. The writing, white, may reflect innocence and purity. However this is majorly contrasted by the black background which suggests death and darkness. In addition, the basic colour scheme ensures little is revealed about the storyline of the film.

The Sixth Sense – The black background encourages the audience to focus on the title of the film. The colour black often connotes death and all things negative, which reflects the genre of thriller. Also the continuous use of opening credits on a plain black background doesn’t reveal anything about the storyline, ensuring interest is maintained by the audience throughout the film. A serious soundtrack is used to build a tense atmosphere, when the title appears, it is clearly emphasised as the soundtrack suddenly becomes higher in pitch and tempo.

Here the character is shown in what appears to be her basement. Her shadow against the wall may suggest the unknown presence of another individual in the house. The fact that the shadow is in the darkness may suggest the presence is far from a good thing. She is clearly seen clutching a wine bottle tightly, displaying feelings of fear, which may also concern the audience who watch in anxiety. Her bright, stereotypically feminine clothing stands out against the dull background, emphasising the dark atmosphere. Being alone, we gather she may be particularly vulnerable, which provides an explanation for her quick escape back up the stairs.

The shot fades in from the previous black background to show a light bulb. The composition of the light bulb in the shot shows it not to be in the middle, suggesting there is something else in the shot that the audience are unaware of. The dark lighting in the shot creates a suspicious and disturbing atmosphere that may worry the audience who can only watch.

The shot then proceeds to pan out to the hallway in a wide shot. The couple can still be visualised in the corner making love, however we can gather that this is irrelevant given their position in the shot. The shot largely focuses on the hallway instead, however with no particular object in focus, allowing us to deduce that something suspicious has, is, or is about to occur that we are unaware of. The low key lighting helps set the tense atmosphere for whatever is about to happen, and allows us to conclude that its consequences could be serious.

Narrative is successfully established from the camera shots of the protagonists household. Character is also established effectively, we can clearly see they are in a relationship shown by the close proxemics and inter-twinning body positions in a mid shot. We can also interpret using the previous scene, that the woman clutches the man for safety purposes and comfort. This also fits the stereotypical role of a male in a relationship, who should his loved one. We can conclude they are from a wealthy background as the man is wearing shirt and tie and the women wearing a dress.

The couple then enter the bedroom, continuing to make love before finding evidence that someone has broken in. A close up shot of a phone then pans up to a broken window (next slide). The dark lighting helps to maintain that element of suspense. With the only light source being from the bathroom, it becomes the main focus of the characters and camera.

A two shot is shown of the couple both looking towards the bathroom whilst a short period of silence builds suspense amongst the audience. Again, the male is depicted in a positive light by going first to protect his loved one as well as to show strength and bravery, a stereotypical male feature. Fear is clearly displayed on the woman's face behind, and anxiety shown by her body language as she nervously holds herself in her hands. The light from bathroom is shown against the woman, whereas the man is seen in shadows, suggesting a negative fate for him. (He is shot a the end of the scene)

The camera pans round to find a man standing in the bathroom in underwear but, the camera remains before the doorway, suggesting potential danger about the character. Initially, we may feel sympathy for this character who stands scratching his arm as if he had done wrong. We may view this character as weak, vulnerable and potentially poor. Given the white and bage background of the bathroom, the character in his ashamed posture almost blends into the setting as if he is insignificant and has no identity.

This is then proven as he claims to be a psychiatric patient who could not be helped, but had come to ask for it. Upon first glance, the use of a shallow focus draws immediate to his facial expressions that suggest he feels there is no escape and he urgently needs the help. The character looks down, almost in shame of himself, which may again make the audience feel sympathetic for him as they could not help.

Despite seeming harmless, the character then pulls a gun on the man, the camera shot angles the character to almost directly address the audience and victimise them, despite being completely innocent. He then shoots him almost immediately with no second thought. The quick sudden actions may shock the audience who may not of seen it coming, some may even feel responsible as they even though they could not help, they could not prevent it either.

The character then turns his back to the camera and audience. Tension is built as it becomes whether he will back down and forgive the man or carry out a regrettable action.

The wife can be heard screaming following the first gunshot sound before the character then puts then gun to his head and immediately shoots himself. As this happens, the camera pans left away from the character, as if to forget about his existence. Despite this, the quick turn of events may retain the viewers interest who may be keen to know what happens afterwards.

The final shot is an aerial shot that sees the women crying beside the man who is seen struggling to keep alive. This is effective as the viewer does not yet know whether he dies or not, providing them with good reason to keep watching to find out. The use of an aerial shot victimises both the man and woman and clearly demonstrates how their lives have suddenly become nothing. Distress is clearly shown by both characters through their body language. The shot then fades to black to continue the building of narrative throughout the rest of the film.

Gone girl – The opening sequence begins with a black background viewing some of the production companies that were included in the films production. The fact that they are shown at the beginning of the scene reflects their importance in the film. A tense soundtrack is played over these opening credits to build tension amongst the audience, a common convention in a thriller film.

The scene fades in from black. We are then shown a female flawed protagonist with a male voiceover. “I always think of her head, I picture cracking her lovely skull, and spooling her brains, trying to get answers, the primal questions of any marriage, what are you thinking, how are you feeling, what have we done to each other?”. Immediately the close proxemics suggest these two characters are in a relationship. The silent atmosphere creates calmness and vibes of relaxation amongst the audience. This is then confirmed when the male mentions the word marriage. The idea that only the male is talking suggests his is the dominant character in the relationship.

The fact that the woman doesn’t talk suggest discomfort. When he says “trying to get answers”, she looks up to him, with a look of concern on her face. This may unnerve the audience who now understand the characters have problems. When he begins to ask questions such as “what are you thinking, how are you feeling”, she drops her head in slow motion, almost as if she can no longer be bothered down to the pillow as if to suggest she is uncomfortable in her relationship.

The voiceover then finishes when the title of the film appears, with an river in the background. A river may have been chosen here to effectively display how their troubles are being dragged out and cannot be washed away. The fact that the title is in white immediately draws the viewers attention to it, before it slowly fades away. The wide shot begins to establish location in the opening setting.

Only a dog can be heard barking initially, life seems inactive and run down. The brightening of the sky throughout the scenes shows the progression of the morning. The dim lighting keeps the element of mystery and eeriness alive. The dark and dull colouring of the buildings create a monotonous setting for the film. With each scene, we begin to establish narrative in greater detail. The mural on the wall shows the historical context of the town. The barrier may foreshadow elements of danger whilst the clock that follows the scene suggests its only a matter of time as the camera slowly pans up to the face of the clock.

THE DARK

The male protagonist is then introduced in front on a house, which we presume to be his. A distressed facial expression may give the audience reason to be concerned . He looks around unnervingly as if to do something, however he just stands and reminisces instead. A close up shows the character to be wearing smart casual clothing, suggesting he is from an educated, and considerably wealthy background. It also allows the audience to have a closer inspection of the character and make a judgement of what they think they are like in terms of personality.

A long shot of the character from a side on point of view is then shown. The fact that the character has not changed positions allows the audience to question him. We may feel that he is looking or thinking about something in particular, but it is not shown by the camera, leaving the storyline undeveloped as well as the characters.

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He seems reluctant to go back into the house, implicating that he doesn’t want to return to his troubles, one of which appears to be his marriage. This may make the audience feel sympathetic towards both characters. The low key lighting may begin to build some tension as the character begins to walk back towards the house. At this very point, the words “July 5th, The morning of…” appear in the bottom left hand corner. The incomplete sentence may make the audience question what it is the morning of. This engagement with the audience will make them want to watch on in order to answer this unanswered statement. The character then returns to the house before making his way to a local bar where he meets his sister. The fact that he goes to the bar suggests he has drinking problems and sees it as a resolution of getting rid of all of his problems.