Section 2: Research into Examples of Thriller Opening Scenes

Title of Film: Se7en

Narrative Structure

The film is based around the seven deadly sins and in a very constructed order as the film is set in seven days, also the detective has seven days until the detective retires, this shows how organised and thought out the killings were and how clever and deceiving which can give an intimidating atmosphere between the detectives and the killer showing how the city can be deceiving but also organised.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

Also we never know the name of the city which give a sense if mystery ans eeriness. Also the city is a very dull looking place with no sun or colour, all the building are grey, this sets a dull atmosphere and implies that there is going to be something bad and mysterious going on.

Camerawork

Close ups and extreme close ups are used through out the opening credits. all the shots are short. This makes the pace of the sequence fast, and tense. The shots are still and help keep the flow of the sequence.

Mise-en-Scene

Seven is set in a busy city, this gives the idea that crime could go unnoticed. The city has lots of high tall buildings which can give the impression that the city can be intimidating and make finding things very difficult. The setting plays a big part in setting the atmosphere, and mysteriousness. By the city being unnamed it highlights how the city is mysterious and not many would want to stay there, also that many things could happen that are mysterious which shows how the city could be dangerous and very unwelcoming.

Sound

The music adds even more tension to the scene and establishes genre. The music is non diegetic but includes sounds from a fire, a record scratching and from heartbeats. The sound from the fire symbolises danger which contributes to establish the genre of thriller. The sound from the record scratching adds an ear piercing effect and provides an awkward atmosphere making it almost uncomfortable to watch. The effect of the heartbeat promotes horror and the heartbeat is beating fast which shows nerves and promotes tension.

Editing

The editing also establishes genre. There are a large number of cut shots in the scene this builds up tension because it give the scene a fast pace. There is also a great deal of flashing. This almost shocks and thrills the reader building them up for what is to come in come in the rest of the film and establishing genre.

Graphics

The titles are white and are placed on a black background. This highlights the titles and makes it very clear. The titles are dotted around the screen throughout the clip and are well spaced out this shows that it is a cluttered atmosphere maybe the investigated has been going on for a large amount of time resulting in a lot of paperwork. The font of the titles is a note taking font. This adds the effect of mystery and quickness of note taking.

Title of Film: Red Eye

Narrative Structure

2 pictures of attractive, young, sporty girl, 1 picture of the girl with a mystery man. The wallet of a particular man with possibly the initials JR is stolen. There also seems to be two plots within the opening sequences, between the girl and a crate fish being transported overseas, which seems to have a case hidden inside. This makes the audience start to ask more questions.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

The open scenes portray the characters as anxious and frantic int their actions. This persuades the audience to ask questions like "Who is JR?", "Why has the wallet been pinched", and "Whats in the box?".

Camerawork

There are lots of close-ups of the mystery man to make sure he is kept hidden. Only parts of his body are shown in detail. The camera also makes a lot of tracking shots to focus on items in the shot which show some significance.

Mise-en-Scene

The settings shown are also mainly domestic. Props are used such as blue prints of buildings along with photos of the buildings.

Sound

The sound starts of slow giving a tense atmosphere. it then quietens until a crescendo is used when the wallet is pinched, then the music starts to speed up. Also, diegetic sounds such as the creaky door add to the mystery.

Editing

All the edited shots used are all around 3-12 seconds. After the wallet is stolen, the shots get shorter and last around 3-6 seconds, helping the audience to keep their interest.

Graphics

The graphics used are simple and there is no background used. The font gradually shrinks like an aeroplane, referring to the title 'Red Eye'. Also the colour scheme is black and white, representing good and evil, then red comes up last, signifying danger.

Title of Film: State of Play

Narrative Structure

A man is running, desperately in a hurry, causing havoc in the surroundings he passes. As we gather this, we guess that he is trying to escape an unseen pursuer. The running man is kept a mystery and is unseen until he stops. At the end he is killed by the pursuer, who also shoots a pizza boy, who is revealed to be breathing still at the end of the clip.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

The man running frantically creates tension, and raises questions like "who is he?", and "Why is he running?". In the end he is killed by a man with a briefcase. This also raises questions like "What is in the briefcase?".

Camerawork

The beginning shows an aerial shot of Washington, setting the scene. Pan shots are used to make the viewer feel as if they are following the running man. A steady cam is also used to make the opening sequence seem more voyeuristic.

High and low angle shots are used to express heights of which the man is jumping. Close-ups of his face are used to show the face in great detail, as well as a forward track used on the pizza man to show he is still alive.
Mise-en-Scene

The aerial shot of Washington sets the scene, as well as suggesting a political element to the film. We then see a busy street with some innocent old people walking, when they are suddenly knocked over by a desperate man running for his life. This contrasts two different backgrounds.

The man in a hurry is then revealed in great detail, and shown to be black and have bad teeth. This could suggest that he may be a drug dealer or a gangster. When he is shot, a pizza man witnesses and is shot, but revealed to be still alive, which creates a sense of excitement towards the viewer.

Sound

A lot of diegetic sound is used to create suspense, therefore there is no need to add much music to create a tense atmosphere. Examples of this are things such as the bullet shot, sounds of the city like sirens, helicopters. Some sounds add more effect, like when the runner ran into the old woman, it was visceral.

There was also however some non-diegetic sound, such as the ominous music, although this was only for a short while as it wasn't desperately needed to create suspense.

Editing

At the beginning, long shots are taken to set the scene until the hurrying man appears. His presence makes the shots smaller and speed the pace of the film up.

Graphics

Universal and Working Titles logos appear first. The font is put with the scene as the background to set the location(Washington). The colour of the font is blue suggesting calm, and as it is set in Washington it could suggest a democratic image. When the title of the film is shown after the opening sequence, it flashes red, white and blue, conveying an American genre.


Title of Film: Strangers on a Train

Narrative Structure

Two strangers meet on a train going to New York.. One called Bruno, a rich, clever and psychopathic man, and Guy, an amateur tennis star. Bruno has the idea of a perfect murder where two strangers swap their targets and end up killing strangers, which becomes a detached motive. The opening sequence also comments of the concept of fame, fate and destiny.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

The plot seems to revolve around murder, with Bruno, who is extremely eccentric. Also, the setting is in a public place, which is conventional, and links to John Cawelti's theory "The Exotic", where thrillers took the elements of ordinary life and added an exotic (in this aspect, different)element.

Camerawork

At the beginning, when both Bruno and Guy are getting out of their taxis, low level shots are used to give an added sense of mystery. Point of view shots and shot reverse shots are used to make conversations more realistic. At the end of the opening sequence, a two shot is used to put Bruno and Guy together. This creates a metaphoric connection, that brings them together.

Mise-en-Scene

The setting of the train station is very grand, leading us to believe this is going to be a grand story, giving it a grand concept. Both Bruno and Guy take taxis, making them both anonymous. Bruno has eccentric shoes proving his eccentric personality, whereas Guy has bland shoes proving his straightforward personality. The gates in the train station have lots of people walking through, referring to the title "Strangers on a Train".

The train tracks are also a metaphor. When the tracks intertwine, they foreshadow how Bruno and Guy's life's will intertwine. When the train is moving on the track, it goes straight, then takes a sudden turn. This could metaphorically foreshadow one of either Bruno and Guy's life taking a turn, maybe for worse, maybe for better.

Sound

The introductory music is epic and grand, suggesting romance, which is not typical of a thriller. The pace of Bruno's walk is also in time with the music. As Bruno is walking on the train, the music turns suspicious.

Editing

The shots as both Bruno and Guy are walking towards the train are put together in a sequence which portrays both characters walking towards each other. This metaphorically suggests that both Bruno and Guy's fates are intertwining. This adds a cross-cutting effect, which the character Bruno quotes "criss-cross"

Graphics

The font at the beginning of the film is extremely large. A mixture of bold and calligraphy fonts are used to divide the opening credits. Calligraphy is mainly used on areas of importance, in this case the words "Albert Hitchcock" were put in calligraphy to show his importance as he was the director of that film.


Title of Film: Die Hard 4.0

Narrative Structure

A government database is supposedly running a test on the security system. A woman is collected data(or packages) from different people. A young teenager is also shown, who seems to be an amateur hacker who brags about making a lot of money, he is then killed in an explosion. We then are taken to an FBI base where we are shown that the computers are shut down by a computer hacker, which is revealed to be the woman at the beginning collecting data. However, we are lead to be believe this is not a test.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

The FBI base shown is in Washington which leads us to believe that the plot has a political element to it. It is also said in the film "are you sure this is legal". This brings the element of law into it. A mystery van drives off after the explosion as well, leaving the audience confused and drawn into the movie.

Camerawork

The opening sequence uses close-ups of faces to help understand their attitudes. Also close-ups of the computer system helps lead us to believe that a computer is going to be hacked. Low level shots are also used, like when the house was shown. This helped set the scene. Wide shots are used to display the FBI Unit and show the scenery in great detail.

Mise-en-Scene

The 20th Century Fox is shown as usual, except at the end the picture becomes distorted and the shot disappears like it is being powered down, like a computer virus, which could foreshadow a computer being hacked.

The dark room is then lit by lamps, conveying good and evil. It seems to look like a warehouse, suggesting that the work being done may not be legal. After, the woman collecting packages of data, is acting mysteriously. We are then shown a young cocky boy, who creates the impression that he is an amateur hacker. His computer appears to be broken, then his house is blown up along with a mystery van that drives off after. Could they be related to the woman collecting data?

The FBI Unit shown hints that the story will have a political element to it. The computers being shut down in FBI reveals that the woman collecting packages was doing this. This confuses the audience as she earlier said that it was a 'security test'.

Sound

Non-Diegetic sound is used to create suspense. Whilst in FBI, mysterious music is used after the power is cut. Dramatic drum beats are also used to create suspense.

Editing

Many of the shots used are put together using match on action, making them flow together. They range from 1-9 seconds, making them quite shot, keeping the attention of the audience.

Graphics

20th Century Fox is shown to establish whose production it is. The names of actors appear in white on a black background, making the text bolder. These are also placed in between shots making the beginning unclear. The letters change when they disappear like they are being decoded or encrypted, suggesting hacking of data.


Title of Film: The Bourne Ultimatum

Narrative Structure

A man is limping, whilst being chased by the police.He runs onto a train to hide and then gets off again. He then breaks into a pharmacy, looking for drugs carelessly. He then takes an injection. This reveals flashbacks of his past. He is then found by two men, one of which he shoots, the other he lets free.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

A majority of the opening sequence is dark with shadows, symbolizing mystery and evil. Police are also chasing the man, suggesting crime, and creating suspense.

Camerawork

A low level hot of the feet sets the scene with mystery as the shot doesn't reveal the whole body, creating mystery. Pans are also used to emphasize movement and pace the opening sequence, creating anxiety.

Mise-en-Scene

The beginning sequence is set in Moscow, Russia. This connotes communism to the audience that the story may have a political element. The man, Jason Bourne, is limping, hinting to the audience he is in trouble. Police sirens suggest to the reader that a crime has possibly been commited.

Sound

Non-Diegetic sound is used to make the audience anxious to see more. I keeps the pace fast, such as the fast ticking in the music.

Diegetic sound also creates tension, such as the police sirens and the glass breaking. Also when Bourne is groaning as he jumps off the train it is almost visceral as if you can feel his pain.

Editing

All the shots are relatively short. They range from 1-7 seconds. This creates pace and keeps the momentum of the movie quick.

Graphics

The Bourne Ultamatum is shown on a black background with white text. The letters appear one by one, like a puzzle, conveying he may be looking for missing pieces. Light also shines on the words, and moves from side to side like a flashlight, conveying he may be searching for something.

Both these conventions portray what has happened in the previous films, and what is about to happen in the actual film which is that Jason Bourne is searching for the missing pieces of his memory, as he has amnesia.