Brick Opening Sequence

We can tell by the film Birck, by Johnson is a thriller film within the opening two mitues by the conventions of a thriller film used. One of the main things that we see in every opening sequence of a thriller film is the use of close ups. We see loads of close ups because they want us, the audience, to be asking questions about what is going on. By showing us loads of close ups, they are hiding crucial information from us. This is one technique that all thriller films use.In this film it made us ask questions such as:
-How does the girl die?
-Why are they there?
-Who is the boy to the girl?

Another convention used to show to us that this film is a thriller is through the eerie music being played. It sounds like a stringy guitar being played as if it was a western film.

(Sixth Sense) How obvious isit from the opening sequence that this is a thriller?

You can tell that the sixth sense belongs to the thriller catorgory by the use of many conventions used in a thriller opening sequence.
The first convention that we notice is through the sound. We have long opening credits with eerie music being played over the top of them. We suggested that by having long opening credits with this type of music being played over the top, it sort of sets the scene. The audience can get ingaged and get in the zone and the right frame of mind to watch this film. The music mixed in with the titles mix together well to build up tension to get a great atmosphere within the audience.
The shot types in the opening sequence of 'The Sixth Sense' are conducted very well. The reason for this is because they use voyeuristic shots to give off a sense of some one is watching her. The camera is positioned behind the wine rack and she walks straight over towards it. By the producers using this technique it almost makes the audience want to get involved. To tell her to get out because it seems like some one is watching her from the position that we are watching the film.

The mise-en-scene used in this sequence brings off a sense that something wierd is going on down in the basement. By the fact that cob-webs are layered all over the benches and they look rusty shows to us that the basement has not been used in a long time. It is only used to store things and to hold the wine. Also, in the background of the shot we see that the door behind her is half open. This makes us as the audience feel uneased as we don't know what is in that room.
In the opening sequence like any other typical thriller film, it makes us ask questions. The main question that I would ask is why is she getting cold down in the basement? Isit generally cold or is something in the room making her cold? Also, the use of sound makes me ask questions. The sound of they keys rattling and the sound of some one walking on broken glass would freak anybody out when you do not see any other presense in the room. So the question that I would ask about that is where are them noises coming from?

Cape Fear

Yet again, like any other thriller film, it will make you ask questions because you feel a little bit confused. Even though this film was made years ago, it still has the same conventions.

One of these conventions are is the music being played over the shots of the man walking through the town, into the hotel. The music sounds like organs being played. This type of music builds up tension because it sounds very dramatic.

Cape Fear makes you ask questions. The five questions that I noted down which I would like to know are:
1.Who is the man walking?
2.Where abouts is he?
3.How comes the colour changes from black and white into colour?
4.How did he get into prison?
5.What is meant by the title of the film 'Cape Fear'?

The following camera shots are being used through out the opening sequence of this film:
-Establishing shot over the prison
-Long shots of different people walking through the town
-Panning shot following the man
-The man smoking the cigar (close up)

In the newer cape fear introduction there is a main part what I liked which looked very spooky and eerie. The part is at the end of the opening sequence where the colour of the eyes change. I have tried adding this into my opening sequence when Elise is brushing the dolls hair.

Wallender Opening Sequence

In this lesson we concentrated on looking at another Thriller genre but in this case it was related to a programme called Wallender on BBC. Even though it is a programme and not a film, it still fits into the Thriller genre and still consists of the techniques and the conventions used in a thriller film.At the start of the programme we see a quick sharp shot of darkness. A blank screen. Just by the producers doing this, it makes us feel uneasy as we can not see what is going on but we could hear sound coming from the screen. On the screen at this time we hear rattling noises as if some one is trapped in, this makes us feel unsure and nervous. You can tell that I was unsure because when we saw the action, it was a helicopter flying over the sea. The sounds that I was hearing was the wind blowing in the background making a impact noise and then it comes to a stand still when we see the girls.
When we see the two girls, they looked as if they have just done something very serious. You can tell this by their faces and the deep panting noises they were producing. Also, the rock and rolla dress sense is a bit wierd, this gives off an impression of a bit loose in the head. Furthermore, the girl holding the knife had a red streak in her hair. This could symbolise that she is hot headed, rebellious and is a fiery character.

When watching the opening sequence of this programme it made me ask questions again, like what would happen in any other opening sequence of a thriller. The questions that I was thinking to myself were ; Where is this place? Where are they walking? Who are they?Blood in the car so how did it get there? What happened?

Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly is again like Double Identity and Cape Fear another old fashioned thriller film. As it is a old fashioned thriller film, the techniques used were very basic and that includes filming the film in black and white. Modern day thriller films are not filmed in black and white but in some parts of the film, for example a flashback, black and white screenings are used to create a effect. Another thing that is interesting about this film is that the opening credits are shown by falling down the screen but backwards. I liked this technique because i had to catch on to it to understand it. Another convention that is used well in this basic thriller film is the hyperbolic sounds. We can hear this when the woman is deep breathing really loudly and when she is running. The camera shots where simple as well as the shots that they mainly used were tracking shots and close up's of the girl running and on her feet. With the film being filmed at night and the car travelling on a dark road with the forthcoming roads were hidden, the front lights of the car showed the road before them but this builds up tension as we dont no what could be in the distance. The music also creates a effect for this.

Double Identity

Double Identity and Kiss Me Deadly are very similar and is an old style thriller film. Unlike the latest thriller opening sequences that we have watched, Double Identity is a basic black and white film that has a simple but effect bed of music that builds and creates tension.Unlike any other thriller we don't actually get a clue of what the film could be about. The whole opening sequence is the credit's so we have got no idea of the type of characters that are involved or the story line. Normally we get close ups of something suspicous and not right but we just see the opening credits and a establishing shot of a street and a rail-way station. The only convention of a thriller film that fits in with this opening sequence is that it is at night time which is dark and the bed of music that builds up tension.

Memento, 15

Memento is a thriller film which includes all of the conventions of a typical thriller film. These things are the use of cinematography, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. Another crucial element that a thriller film must do is make us ask questions when we are watching the opening sequence. They hide information.

Cinematography:

• Close ups of the crime scene to hide information of the surroundings
• Close ups of the weapons
• In the opening sequence the main types of shots that we see are close ups. The reason for this is because they want to make the audience ask questions about what is going on.
• Camera shots vary so that the audience are intrigued into the movie and what to know more.

Sound:

• Eerie music being played within the titles
• The bed of music in the background builds up tension to get the audience engaged into the screen
• The music that we here being played gives off a sense of sadness
• Hyperbolic sounds

Editing:

• We are shown the opening sequence in reverse order
• This is typical of most thrillers because they try and confuse and twist the minds of the audience
• Black out when the man gets shot. Unexpected.

Mise-en-scene:

• The picture that the man is holding is slightly tilted
• This could represent that something is not right
• This could then relate to the person holding the picture that something could not be right about him and later on in the film we find out that he has an illness
• The blood dripping down the walls shows violence

What questions does the opening sequence make us ask?

1. There is blood on the floor but how did it get there?
2. What the picture is that he is holding?
3. Why is the opening sequence in reverse order?
4. Why did he kill the man?
5. Who is he?