COMPLETE Research Task (jack)

Initial Research - Analysis of Five Thriller Openings

Opening 1 - Touch of Evil

Useful links:

http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2007/05/long-take.html

http://ruthlessculture.com/2009/03/09/cinematic-vocabulary-opening-scene-of-touch-of-evil-1958/

Introduction

The car is tracked as it weaves through the crowds, creating
great dramatic irony. When is the bomb going to explode?

Touch of Evil is a crime thriller film from 1958 directed by Orson Welles. It is particularly famous for its very lengthy opening shot lasting for 3 and a half minutes. The opening shot is so acclaimed because it manages to create a  feeling of prolonged tension - we, as an audience, know full well that the bomb exploding is a complete inevitability - yet the characters don't, and the normal hubbub of the city creates a strong contrast to our knowledge that any second now we can expect a dramatic change in atmosphere - it is only a question of when, making the scene very unnerving. The tension just keeps on building throughout the scene as we don't really know when the bomb is going to explode. Also, the camera primarily tracks the movements of the two main characters yet the thought of the bomb is subliminally always there in the back of our minds. Maybe it would be a good idea to incorporate some sense of dramatic irony into our opening because it is a very good way of building tense for the viewer.

Mise-en-scene and Sound

The props and lively jazz music help depict normality

Both the Mise-en-scene and the sound are important in conveying across to the audience both a sense of time and setting. The props such as the man wheeling the cart across the road, the men directing traffic and the men and women on dates holding hands all create an atmosphere of a normal, social, working city in the nighttime.  The joking, relaxed manner of the border officers also help to portray an ordinary night in a place that does not expect a bomb to go off anytime soon. The men and women also look quite sophisticated, as they are wearing elegant, expensive, formal clothing and driving in very glitzy, beautiful vehicles, showing that this is an upmarket, sophisticated kind of place. The jazz music from the background buildings is very lively, contrapuntal - it is a happy, lively, upbeat, so maybe giving the impression that people go here to enjoy themselves. We as an audience are in the knowledge that something terrible is just about to happen - and the dramatic irony portrayed helps convey a sense of agony for the viewer - we are completely powerless to help save the victims of the bomb. It also helps create contrast and emphasize the shock when the bomb does finally set off. The two main characters can be heard optimistically talking about their happiness, and also about their future together, again re-iterating this sense of irony that happiness is about to end very soon. Towards the end of the scene, the woman in the car exclaims that she can 'hear a clicking noise!', which bring our minds and our consciousness back to that of the bomb inside the car. It may also give a false sense of hope to their viewer, that maybe the people inside the car may just gt outside in time. Of course, they don't, showing that by the use of voice the scene is playing tricks with our minds. This also helps create a sense of irony, almost as if we could ask ourselves, 'If only they'd listened to her'.  

Camerawork and Editing

The 'kiss of death' creates contrast and false sense of security

This sequence is unique from most opening scenes in that it is formed from just one take. I think the main reason for this lengthly shot is to convey a sense of realism - it makes the scene very believable when we are not distracted by cuts and transitions. The whole scene is filmed in real time which emphasises this feeling of just an everyday town. In most films, the 'disruption' comes within the middle part of the film, so we do expect such a big moment to occur right at the very beginning of the film.
I like how the camera is able to scan over the town - we can zoom in and out and tilt and pan to perfectly capture the scene. A wide range of shot types are used, including close ups, long shots, extreme long shots, that are elegantly blended in with each other to both establish the setting and to track the movements of the characters and the doomed car. The sequence begins with a close up of a man setting a bomb timer for precisely 3 minutes (this is perfectly timed, because it is exactly at 3 minutes into the film that the bomb goes off, so we do, if we are engaged enough, able to tell when the bomb will explode). The camera then cranes across to show the shadow of the man against the wall. This is a brilliant shot, because a shadow can connote multiple themes - secrecy, danger, mystery, evil, and it also helps emphasize his fast paced run across to the car. We then catch up with the man as he placed the bomb into the trunk of the car, and as the camera zooms out it reveals to the audience the doomed couple as they get into the car (their elegance and relaxed nature is contrasted with the quick, nervy start of the man at the beginning). Then camera then cranes over the top of the building and the 'liqour' sign, establishing the location and the setting to the audience. At about 1:25 seconds in the lead characters walk into shot and actually cross the path of the doomed car, creating a very tense moment, when the audience know full well the bomb could go off at any time. From then on the couple and the car move side by side, sometimes the car moves ahead and we as the audience think the couple will be safe, but then the couple catch up with the car and again we find ourselves in great anticipation as to the fate of the newlyweds. Welles is simple teasing with his audience, testing their emotions. I think the kiss at the end of the scene is symbolic of a 'kiss of death', and the emotion of death mixed with the emotion of love juxtaposes the scene, helping to engage the audience and make them feel a range of emotions. Maybe we could build up tension in our opening to reach a dramatic climax.

- Normality of mise-en-scene and background music helps build a sense of dramatic irony and suspense

- Long, continuous shot helps realism and shows link between characters

- The length of shot builds the tension gradually to a big climax

Opening 2 - Se7en

Introduction

Se7en is a 1995 thriller film directed by David Fincher. The title sequence is particularly famous for its use of jump cuts and overlays, mixed with very short, pacey shots of a person crafting some sort of journal, then combined with the edgy rock tune of Nine Ince Nails 'Closer to God', presenting a very exciting, fast paced, nervy, dark, avant-garde introduction that helps us identify the mood of the entire film, and find out what the character featured works with (pictures of crime scenes, mug shots). There is a great sense of subconsciousness (and the 'unknowing' throughout this scene), largely down to the fact that the shots are so quick, and are frequently jilted or overlayed with other shots, increasing our sense of disorientation - it doesn't  allow us time to reflect and interpret. 

Mise-en-scene

- The cutting of film strip

- Stiching - very carefully

- Writing, highlighting, perhaps a diary? - secrecy

- Bandages on hands - mysterious, suggests danger

- Focuses on hands - combat - no shot of face to identify with or see emotion

- Removal of dead skin

- Obsessive

- Meticoulous, Tedious

- Sensitive area - hands

Shots like these show some sort of detailed journal, connoting secrecy and obsession

The mise-en-scene in this opening sequence is very important in introducing the character and his world of work. The opening sequence begins with the camera focused on a blank book being surveyed over by a hand - first of all, any book or journal left blank may be associated with a diary, connoting a prevailing sense of secrecy, or maybe the art of being undercover. This is a very vague shot, and it is only when the sequence develops that we are able to see the true importance and the context of the book. The next significant shot shows a drawing of two seemingly broken hands on a piece of drawing paper. The lighting used in this shot is used in such a way to make it look as if the hands are reaching out of the darkness and into reality, making it a particularly discerning, mysterious shot. There are a fair few shots throughout the scene that show blood, gore, or the photographs of dead people, which may give clues as to this person's type of profession - a patholigst maybe? Or is he an antagonist? The next few shots are in quick succession and detail particularly on the use of hands and fingers of the character. He is shown writing, cutting, sticking, gluing, and generally adding to his journal featured in the opening shot. His movements and techniques seem very precise and controlled - maybe he is a professional - but they all feature fairly meticulous and tedious processes, such as dipping photos or writing reports, which may show that he is particularly dedicated to his work, or maybe even obsessive. The focus on hands instead of facial expression almost dehumanise this person - hands show very little emotion, so maybe he is the kind of person used to dealing with blood and gore on a daily basis The camera also shows several bandages and plasters on the man's hand, again connoting mystery and danger, and maybe a sense of hardship. Our hands are one of the most sensitive places of our skin so this emphasises a feeling of edginess or tension.

Sound

- No diagetic sound

- Diagetic sound is that of the music. Music is discordant, works well with shots

- Music build up in tempo, no real words though

- Ends with 'You bring me closer to God' - gives clues to supernatural, spiritual

It is important to note that there is absolutely no diagetic sound in the opening sequence of this film. The sequence is overlayed with the music of Nine Inch Nails 'Closer to God', which works very well with the type of shots used. At the beginning of the song there are lots of drilling, whirring, twisting sounds which make it sound very disjointed and uncontrapuntal. There is a 'ticking clock' sound throughout which connotes to the audience a sense, perhaps, of being nervous, and of being under pressure. 

Disjointed music emphasises edginess

There is also an underlying rhythm of the song that resembles a heartbeat, which could connote a sense of danger, or fear, because a heartbeat is at the very core of human life and therefore resonates very strongly in our perceptions of people 'living' (juxtaposed with the photos of people being dead). The music gradually builds up tempo, continually discordant, getting louder to fit with the increasing pace and disjointedness of the shots, until it reaches a climax of the words 'closer to God', which gives reference to a spiritual, religious term, a theme explored in great detail throughout the rest of the film. I think the use of music to emphasize or reflect whatever is in the shot is a very good way to build upon tension or create pace and edginess, so maybe we could incorporate this into our opening sequence too.

Camerawork

- Lots of extreme close ups

- Particular attention to book

- Some POV shots

- Moves very quickly - very ominous

The camera work in this sequence is crucial in setting the mood of the scene, and indeed for the rest of the film. A great deal of shots are either close ups or extreme close ups of this mysterious journal/scrap book, it is truly the centerpiece of this opening scene, and the man is simply a slave to its production. Because the shots so zoomed in and so close to the book, it makes it very difficult for us to focus, to take our time and fully interpret the shots we see. The close-up nature of the shots used shows clearly the meticulous and tedious processes of the man as he stitches together his journal. Many of the shots are POV shots, showing the journal from the man's point of view, allowing the audience to feel empathic and to put us 'in his shoes'. 

Editing

 - Very quick, pacey, disjointed - makes it difficult to take it all in

 - Short length of time text is on screen makes it difficult to read it

- Lots of overlaying shots

- Camera moves very quickly, very unnerving, disjointed

- Sepia tone?

An example of one of Se7en's edgy, paceyjump cuts

I really like the editing used in se7en's opening sequence. There are frequent uses of jump cuts and overlays, and a great mix of slow and very quick, almost subliminal shots that make it very difficult for the audience to take in every shot. This makes for an incredibly pacey, edgy sequence that will leave the audience almost feeling exhausted by the time its finished. Because of this overwhelming disjointedness, the atmosphere becomes very dark, almost surreal, it just feels very unworldly and unnerving. The pace of the transitions accelerate, building up tension throughout the sequence, then climaxing when the words 'Closer to God' are spoken, which pays reference and drawing attention to arguably the most prevailing theme in the entire film.I also think that the editing used expresses distance over a period of time. Some shots appear quite light, some appear dark, so this emphasis used by the excessive cutting of shots may show that the man is spending a great deal of time over this scrap book, and therefore re-iterating this meticulous, obsessive nature he may have. The use of depth of field, with some things moving in and out of focus within one shot, adds to this feeling of the transition of time and unworldliness. I think we could perhaps use some of the effects in Se7en's opening sequence in our own thriller opener. I really like how it's very ominous and disjointed, because as a viewer it is very difficult to take it all in and therefore creates a lot of questions for us to ask, engaging the audience. Some of it is almost subliminal.

Opening 3 - Cape Fear

Introduction

Cape Fear is a thriller film from 1991 directed by Martin Scorsese. It features an excellent starting sequence that has almost a mystical, psychedelic feeling to it. It comprises of two main shots, with the first being very long and showing normal sea waves as they gradually transform into colorful, psychedelic patterns with fades of a human eye and a human body appearing and disappearing infrequently. The next shot is that of a girl in uniform, speaking in a narrative style as the camera zooms out from her, creating a slightly unworldly feel.

Mise-en-scene

- Waves/water - sets scene - connotations of drowning, being isolated?

- Waves turn into a sort of pattern - psychadelic?

- Womans is uniform, nurse-like - connotes health/death

- Crow - connotes sin, evil presence, fear

Crow connotes evil, screen is split between red/blue - which
could signify split emotions

The use of water is particularly important in mise-en-scene because water has many connotations. Perhaps the feeling of isolation, of being distant from normal civilization - or the feeling of being in danger of drowning, may all be conveyed in this particular shot. Around 40 seconds in appears a shot of a crow flying - again this has many connotations, as a crow can symbolize danger, or death, or sin and fear, or a theme of bad luck or bad health. As the sequence progresses the waves gradually turn into patterns of water, making it all seem very unworldly, and also somewhat uncomfortable. We can't predict what happens next as this seemingly calming water turns into a mysterious, unworldly pattern of psychedelic colour - this conveys a sense of distorted mind, maybe paying reference to mental instability? In the second part of the scene, the woman is uniform, almost as if she is some sort of nurse. A uniform may connote a sense of institutionalization - one of the main themes of the movie (prison), or a nurse's uniform may symbolize a need for health of security. The background behind the woman is very dark, most light is focused on her face and on her uniform, which helps outline her voice. The lighting however, does not seem completely natural, coupled with the fact that there is some sort of waterfall in the background, again pays homage to the previous sequence, showing that there must be some sort of connection between the two.  

Sound

- Big dramatic opening note, sets scene

- Music builds up to a climax, progressively louder

- Woman's voice is almost enchanted and very poetic, mysterious

The music in this opening sequence is brilliant because it manages to create lots of suspense, accompanying the shot sequence very precisely. Just after the opening 'Universal' sequence and just as the wave sequence begins sounds a single loud, edgy note, mainly consisting of violins, creating lots of dramatic tension and uneasiness - it is very unexpected and almost takes you by surprise. This really makes the audience pay attention to the scene, helping to engage them and be mystified by the accompanying shot sequence. The music gradually builds up getting louder and pacier, whilst the sounds get much fiercer and sharper, helping create and bolster tension and suspense and an overall feeling of 'danger'. The music is very rhythmical though, which may mirror the patterns of the waves and their ripples. The music is able to create an underlying feeling of danger and worry, its almost so overwhelming that you want it to stop, or at least quieten down. There is an absence of diagetic sound throughout the sequence which makes the gradual transition from normal waves to psychedelic patterns seem all the more mysterious. When the sequence cuts to the next scene of the woman, her voice is very calm and harmonic, which contrasts greatly with the discordant music in the first half of the sequence. Her voice is however fairly poetic - it is monotonic yet in an almost poetic, enchanted manner, which may play homage to the psychadelic/hypnotic manner of the patterns of waves in the first part of the sequence. She speaks slowly and softly which engages the audience, drawing you into each and every one of her words, while the underlying theme of 'water' (the waterfall) still trickles subconsciously into our minds in the background. 

Camerwork

- Close up of eyes, shows fear, isolation, innocence

- Camera draws away from woman, reveals her location

The camerawork shows the crow in its full flight, which may symbolize that an evil force is in full, complete control. The second sequence begins with a close up of the woman's eyes (dissolved from the previous shot), which outline her emotions very clearly, as eyes are often the clearest way of showing someone's emotion. She seems innocent, yet maybe isolated. She looks directly at the camera as it zooms out, which helps keep our focus entirely on her face, also aided with the depth of field which focuses primarily on her instead of the vague background.    

Editing

- Credit location matches with the waves

- Blue sea turns to red - evil

The main editing used in this sequence is the gradual fading of the waves as it slowly evolves into a  psychadelic pattern. This type of effect evokes a feeling of mystery and the unknowing. The patterns are almost hypnotic, and the gradual change between the waves and the patterns may create a feeling a sense of a dreamlike, hypnotic, unworldly scenario for the audience. There are also overlays of people's eyes throughout the second half of the sequence onto the patterns, suggesting a link, or suggesting some sort of mental deficiency with these people. The girl's eyes act as a join between the waves and the girl talking, which help to link between the two parts of the sequence and showing there must be a connection between the two. The sea also gradually turns to red, showing, perhaps, that there is some some sort of evil presence prevailing, conquering innocence and the serenity of the rippling waves.

Opening 4 - Vertigo

Introduction

The intro from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Vertigo starts from 2:51 and ends at 4:08. It shows a chase scene from which the protagonist, James Stewart, jumps onto a slanting roof and struggles to hold on. A police officer tries to save him but slips off of the tiled roof and falls spectacularly to his death.

Mise-en-scene 

- Night-time setting - danger

- Roof top connotes danger, worry, - Vertigo established

- Outfits of criminal and police officer determines the protagonist and the antagonist

- The roof tiles fall - adds danger

- Introduces lead

The opening shot shows the roof top of a building with San Francisco, a major city with lots of tall, empowering skyscrapers, acting as a dramatic background. This allows firstly to set the scene of the film, yet secondly and most importantly to introduce the film's primary theme of 'Vertigo', or being scared of heights. From the first few seconds of this film, Hitchcock has immediately established a setting that the male lead character would feel very uncomfortable in (Scotty suffers from Vertigo, and the main plot of the film is how he overcomes this setback). Vertigo or, acrophobia, is not an uncommon fear, so as well as being worrying for Scotty, it may spark intense worry and suspense for members of the audience watching this film - if anything we are immediately able to sympathize and relate to Scotty because of this fear.

Next, the outfits of the police officer and the criminal quickly show who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist. The fact that Scotty runs with the cops (and not away from them), yet is not wearing their uniform , may show to the audience that he is a unique, special and hence lead character. The timing of the opening sequence is at night, and again the feeling of 'phobia' is again experimented with, reaching and digging at people's common fear of the dark, or nyctophobia. Phobias and the weakness of the mind are key elements of psychological thrillers, so both the fear of heights and the fear of the dark are vital in developing the genre of the film.    

Sound

The sound used in the opening sequence is very fast paced and edgy, using violence and various string accompaniments to create a great sense of fear and anxiety, paying reference to the fear and anxiety Scotty may be feeling running on the rooftop of the building. The pace of the music mimics that of a quick heartbeat, which is something we almost always associated with excitable, anxious, or tense moments.  There are many different instruments playing at the same time which makes it difficult and confusing to concentrate on the overall sound, mirroring the confusion and sense of disorientation associated with such phobias. There is little diagetic sound, apart from the sounds of policemen and robbers clambering onto buildings or roof tops tiles, which is fairly insignificant. There is however some dialogue, when Scotty almost falls and the police officer tries to save him, the 'Give me your hand' may symbolically reflect a 'hand of God', seeing as Scotty is so close to death. It may however, and more likely be, used simply to emphasize Scotty's guilt later on in the film, as he fails to offer his hands and, consequently the police officer falls to his death. 

Camerawork

- First shot shows hands hanging on rail -gets us close to the action, establishes a ladder

- Panning shot shows full extent of the scene, shows how high the scene is, build tension gradually

- 'Vertigo' shot, creates a sense of whirling and dizziness

- Looking down enables us to realise how low down it is, and the fate of the police officer

- Long shot shows the San Francisco skyline, location

- Male lead is powerless, inferior, has to overcome flaws

The first shot in this sequence is of the top of the ladder, just at the point where the criminal raises his hands and clutches onto the railings. This brings the audience close to the action and, as the camera zooms out to a mid-shot, we're fairly quickly able work out the scenario of the scene - the usual cops v robbers type setting. The close up of the ladder also helps to establish the fact that we are on top of some sort of building, rather than on the ground (because why would you ever have a ladder leading up to ground level?). The panning shot is very long and gradual, enabling the audience to really take in the setting and the panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline. When Scotty is inches away from his death, Alfred Hitchcock introduces, for the first time in cinematic history, the 'Vertigo' shot (when the camera moves away manually from the object while zooming in). This helps to create a POV shot with great disorientation and unworldliness, mirroring the state Scotty's mind may be in in such an uncompromising, fearful situation. The dizzy, whirling sensation evoked from this 'Vertigo' shot perfectly captures the theme of the film and the psychological denotations that a fear of heights may have. When Scotty is just seconds from potential death, there is a close up of his face, where we are able to see the sweat on his forehead coupled with the great anger and anxiety in his eyes. Scotty, the lead character, is completely powerless, which both builds tension yet also develops to the audience a protagonist with a flawed character - as said before, one of the main elements of the film is Scotty overcoming his flaws.

Editing

- Rule of Three - criminal and police officer make jump, we expect Stewart too, unexpected that he fails

- Panning shot is lengthly helping to establish location and scenario, builds up tension

The most prevalent use of editing in this sequence is when the cops and robbers attempt to jump onto the slanting roof. Hitchcock uses Rule of Three here - the camera is positioned in the same place, completely still, for around seconds, the effect being to draw comparison with the first cops successful jump and Scotty's failed one. We see the criminal jump clearly then we see the copper jump cleanly too, so we fully expect the male lead to do the same. However, he fails, which firstly introduces his phobia, and emphasises the fact that he is 'flawed' compared to his high-ability counterparts. The shot transitions increase particularly when Scotty is clinging on to the gutter of the building - we see him look down, then it switches to a POV 'Vertigo' shot, then we see him looking down, then the 'POV' shot is repeated. This helps build tension and give a clear indication of the dreadful scenario Scotty has found himself in. There is a reverse shot between the police-officer and Scotty, maybe to emphasize the police officer acting as Scotty's only reaming hope. It might be worth mentioning that Hitchcock follows the 180 degree rule perfectly throughout this sequence, but then, what else would you expect. 

Opening 5 - Disappearance of Alice Creed

Introduction

The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a British thriller film released in 2009. The opening scene depicts two men as they collect tools to fortify and furnish an apartment and turn it into a prison for their hostage. The apartment is used to hide Alice Creed, the subject matter of the film, hence, the reason for the opening is to introduce the main setting of the film, introduce the audience to the two antagonists, and also establish the themes of secrecy and being 'locked away'. The opening sequence is very gripping and engaging because it manages to establish the characters and the setting in a very slick and stylish way, giving subtle yet frequent clues as to these people's manner and profession.

Mise-en-scene 

- Normality of the shop, the car park - as if this could be any typical car park

- Clothing, basic, practical

- Room gets gradually darker - sets atmosphere

- Lighting, cloudy, but very typical weather - again shows mood and atmosphere

Already, at 16 seconds in the camera shows two men breaking into a Ford Transit. The audience is quickly able to establish that these two men are criminals - their cheap, practical clothing also conforms to this mindset - but we can also establish that they are fairly intelligent/experienced - one of the men acts as a lookout while the other successfully breaks in without causing the alarm to ring. Many of the next shots conform to this type of pattern, of filling a routine, a set of criteria - such as getting a numberplate from a scrapyard, or getting tools from a DIY store, and they are duly successful in achieving these goals. Because they do not speak, they obviously have no need to ask each other what to do, and therefore it seems that they have planned their task and routine out beforehand - these men are experienced, intelligent criminals, with almost an almost military style agenda. I think the weather also helps to establish the two characters by using pathetic phalacy - with the weather being quite grey and grim, it makes the two characters seem quite grim, emphasising a lack of emotion or facial expression. The overcast weather also has an effect on the lighting, making everything in the scene seem fairly emotionless and downbeat. 

Aside from the characters, the apartment-turned-prison room gradually gets darker and more simplistic throughout the scene - gone are the furniture and ornaments that might have had personal value to someone, and in comes very basic furniture, with no windows, no lights, no ornaments, but just a bed - this dehumanizes the room, and sets the atmosphere of the room as being a very dark, lonesome, isolated place.

Sound 

- Creaking of Sofa

- Squeaking of the trolley wheels, high-pitched

- Sound from the Staple-gun - emphasises the unison and the military precision between the two

- Gothic music, chello, dark resonance

The most important thing to mention about the sound is that there is no dialogue between the two characters. As said before, this shows that they know what they're doing - they're in control, they have an agenda, and hence they have no need to ask any questions or share phatic talk that would divert from the task in hand. This has the effect of making them sound fairly emotionless, however, with a lack of heart and basic humility. These people obviously do not care that they are creating a prison cell for a kidnapping, it is simply their job.

The sounds of the equipment are, in my opinion, over-emphasised, to make the audience really take notice of the unison between the pair - the curtains are pulled of at the same time, the staples shot in at the same time - the chewing, the sitting, the walking, it is all done simultaneously emphasising the precise, military order the two antagonists share. Finally, the music is of a cello, which creates quite a gothic, mysterious mood with dark resonance, perfect for this sequence because it is also quite mysterious, with dark undertones.

Camerawork

- Tracking and split framing, very precise movements of camera emphasise unison

- Low angle close up of trolley wheels - mystery - what are they collecting?

- Slow movements of camera introduce the apartment

- Zoom in to door, will it open?

Most of the shots are either tracking and panning, and they move very gradually and clearly to again emphasise a sense of unison, and maybe mirror the calm (yet emotionless) attitude of the two antagonists - steadycam would not have the same effect. Most of the shots follow a pattern of an extreme long shot, such as in the forest or in the car park, then moving in closer to find out and show the audience the purpose of that particularly task. This, again, could adhere to the military style and precision of the two antagonists (the close ups also emphasise the unison between the two - such as when they pull the curtains off, the camera is directly in the centre of the two). The camera shows multiple shots of the apartment to really introduce the audience to the main setting of the film, almost like an estate agent would to a prospective buyer. The camera work then zooms into the door, particularly to the door handle, creating tension and asking the audience multiple questions - will the door open? Who will open the door? Sometimes certain things are brought into focus by using depth of field - such as when the man reaches for the saw in the supermarket, the saw becomes focused while the background does not. This creates an effect of drawing the audience into the shot and, maybe also into the set, pointing specific objects out to them that will have an importance later in the sequence. Most of the two men are midshots at eye level, which means we can see them quite clearly in their situation, yet we are unable to focus on their facial expression, and we are neither inferior or superior to them - we are meaningless to them, emphasising their lack of humility and emotion.

Editing

- No dialogue

- Foley sounds seem emphasized

- A wide range of very lengthy shots mixed with quite quick cuts, makes you second guess, creates pace

The editing in this sequence uses a wide range of close ups, mid shots and long shots with varying degrees of speed (in terms of camera movement) and length. For instance, when they are fortifying the room the first few shots of the taking the curtains down, of stapling the sound-proof walls and taking the bed out are cut in fairly quick succession, yet they are then contrasted with the slow, calming nature of the shots of the empty room beforehand. This allows for the film to build and keep up pace, yet also makes the viewer second guess what it going to happen next. There are no fades are dissolves used, and especially no wipes - all transitions are simple cuts to mirror a simple, basic, precise task and, again, to mirror the military style agenda of these two antagonists.

Conclusion

Overall, after analysing these 5 film openings, I think there are lots of things to consider that we can incorporate into our own thriller opening. I particularly liked the Disappearance of Alice Creed because of its use of weather to convey emotion, its slick, smooth way of filming, its lack of dialogue and its multitude of interesting and believable settings. A Touch of Evil was also really quite good too, I thought it was amazing how the use of just one shot was able to build up so much tension and suspense.

Anyway, over the next week we will be planning our opening sequence and hopefully begin storyboarding. I'm quite excited about the ww2 bunker because there is also a crater very nearby which has a whole range of possibilities, however I think we should use a wide range of locations and not just the forest. I quite like the idea of introducing some sort of phobia too, a bit like in Vertigo.