Analysis of "Super 8" Thriller opening by Harry McHale

Super 8

The sign suggests something bad has happen

Through the opening credits we hear a joyful sounding orchestra playing, which suddenly turns to a single string playing through the rest- this signifies a happy start that turned wrong; in the opening shot we see a “days since last accident” sign which is slowly taken down and replaced. We understand that the music changed for this reason, someone has passed away in this accident.

The LS emphasises the teenager's isolation

Cutting to a new scene reveals a snow covered house with a teenager sitting on a swing chair. From the composition of the shot we can clearly see that the teenager feels isolated from the world around him; he’s been left alone when there’s clearly plenty of people inside the house- as seen from the amount of cars parked around the house. We can see, even from the Long Shot, his body language- slouched down and avoiding looking up, as if not wanting to see anyone if they try to talk to him. The single note soundtrack continues playing through this shot, emphasising on the solidarity that the teenager feels and the fear that will come later in the film.

The teenager is clearly depressed.

In this close up of the teenager’s hands we see the redness of them, this make-up effect shows the coldness that he is feeling, physically and mentally. We can tell that he is affected by a death due to the darkness of his clothes, as if he is going to a funeral. From his body language we can see him gripping tightly to a locket - this is probably a gift from the person he cares about before that person passed away. The soundtrack suggests that in his past he was happier than he is now. Panning up from the previous shot we get a close up of the character's face which unsurprisingly his facial expression looks quite depressed. The audience there hears an off-screen dialogue "I'm so worried for that boy" before cutting to a different shot with the people inside the house whilst the sound continues onto to the next shot.

The woman's facial expression implies her worry for the child.

The next shot begins with a two-shot with two characters in focus. The characters conversation is about the teenager outside, showing concern for him. From this we can deduce that the boy that the boy outside has chosen to escape the other people, not seeking their comfort. The man behind the woman lacks emotion compared to the other characters in the shot. The lady's facial expression implies she feels sympathetic for the boy. The lighting inside the house is darker than outside therefore suggesting a darker mood inside the house than the outside of the house - this could also explain why the teenager is outside because he may feel more comfortable outside.

After a short conversation, the audience finds out that the teenager's mother has passed away which means the father is left on his own with him. Further into the conversation we find out that the father needs to 'step up' suggesting he isn't a decent father which could also explain why the teenager is outside as he feels secluded from his father and this also could show why the mood is darker inside than outside.

This thriller opening has a great set up to the plot. There's clearly emotional attachments being made and broken in this scene which draws the spectator in to the film even more. Playing with the spectator's emotions is a technique used in various thriller films because it's draws the viewer in.

Analysis of "Seven" Thriller opening by Harry McHale

Seven
The non-diegetic sound (music) automatically conducts a thriller mood and atmosphere because it has a spooky feel to it. The opening scene is titles of the film credits and the font is editing in a spooky way, presented in way to conduct that it is a thriller. Also, the background is black and the titles are white which conveys a thriller. 
There is a transition to a drawing of two hands, with a red line down the middle of them - the colour red signifies death which is an inevitable event to happen in thriller films. The hands presented in the drawing are very dark, veiny and knobbly designed to scare, suitable iconography for a thriller.

There is non-diegetic foley sound of floorboards creaking, and a cut of a hand holding a metal tool (ECU) with non-diegetic sound of tools turning. There are a series of cuts of different metal tools, which is also appropriate iconography for the thriller genre and is designed to scare the spectator and construct the appropriate mood.

There is a cut to an ECU of a fingers holding a metal blade, with dark lighting and shallow depth of field where the focus is on the blade. This is a good technique for a thriller as it hints to the spectator what's in store for the rest of the film. As this is presented, there is non-diegetic sound of a noise designed to scare as it is increased in sound compared to the non-diegetic sound of the music, and there is non-diegetic sound which sound likes screams.

The sequence continues in a continuous pattern, with series of cuts of spooky scenes, and then to the titles and non-diegetic sound of creaking, and spooky music. There is a cut to a scene where there is a lot of red colouring, a colour often used in many thriller, along with black and white which is also used a lot in this opening of 'Seven'.  There is no introduction of any characters, therefore there is no protagonists or antagonists displayed, however there is a BCU of hands cutting a picture of a young child. This creates enigma, building tension for the spectator as it's the first sign of a possible story or meaning to the thriller. Also, on one of the fingers shown there is a plaster wrapped round it which suggests that he is injured, however its restricted narration therefore as a spectator we cannot view how badly injured. This foreshadows that later in the film there will be violence and characters will get hurt. The hand in the series of shots is the same one through-out, implying that it could be the main character/protagonist/antagonist. 

There is a cut to  black and white shot of a CU of a picture of somebody, with only their head in the frame. This builds enigma because it leaves the spectator guessing who this person is and whether they're a victim or what their role is in the film. 
A shot of paper is shown with blood splattered on it, which is perfect iconography to convey a thriller. Blood suggests death, largely seen in thrillers therefore the film language is suitable in constructing the mood appropriate for a thriller.

There' a cut to a shot of a book turning, the shot is in black and white with highly dark lighting therefore the shadow of  hand is shown on the page to give a eerie feel, commonly used in thrillers.

A shot is shown of a black pen, crossing words out on the page of the paper so that it is not visible, where a silhouette of the pen is shown over the page to create a spooky atmosphere. This builds suspense as it leaves the spectator wondering what the meaning of doing that is and what is being hidden. 
There is a graphic match as the pen is shown drawing over a picture of a mans eyes - symbolising a blind fold. This is also good iconography used in thrillers as it builds tension for the spectator and excitement as it leaves the character more helpless than the one in power. It cuts to a shot where the man in the pictures face is completely scribbled out by the black pen, and the back ground around him is red. This could signify the death of him or hint to the spectator that death will take place throughout the film as red signifies blood. There is a crescendo as this happens and the music (non-diegetic sound) becomes louder. 
The opening sequence continues with many different shots consisting of red, black and white colours and the book. This suggests that the book presented through-out the opening is significant to the film as a whole, as are the pictures being used in it. There is a dissolve to a shot of picture of  somebody with a sharp tool going into the back of their head - this is very gruesome which is the right effect for a thriller genre.

The pace of the shots are very fast to create enigma, changing with the use of dissolve and graphic matches. Many of the shots are of sharp nails and tools, which could be to construct the story of the film or just to set the mood appropriate for a thriller. 
The non-diegetic sound of the music changes and there is another crescendo. In one of the shots, the hand is seen binding the pages together, which supports my previous point that the book has relevance to the story of the film and is significant. The sequence ends with an establishing shot.

Analysis of "Zodiac" Thriller Opening By Harry McHale

Zodiac

The Male Character is probably not the protagonist

She Supports the femininity stereotype

Enigma building up for the spectator

The thriller opening begins with an establishing shot and non-dietetic sound. There is a cut to a scene where the character appears to be in a car which is driving along a street as you can see a series of houses pass by through the car window. The lightning is very dark which is suitable for a thriller opening, however at this point in the sequence it isn't clear that it's a thriller. The car stops outside a house where we are introduced to the first character. The character is male and various aspects of his clothing are dark however his costume as a whole doesn't suggest that he is a protagonist. He runs over to the car (MS) and the two characters exchange dialogue (on-screen dietetic sound). There is a shot/reverse shot between them which allows us to view the female character. She supports the femininity stereotype as she has blonde hair, is wearing makeup, attractive, and her clothing is suited for a female stereotype. Her body language could be portrayed as suggestive and sexual as she is inviting the male character into the car with her.

The car pulling into a very isolated and dark setting.

The camera pans the car as it drives away and there is a cut to the male and female characters approaching a restaurant, the non-diegetic sound is replaced by diegetic sound such as foley sounds of car horns beeping as the environment they're in becomes busier. The female character seems to become uneasy and uncomfortable through her body language and facial expression whilst driving through the restaurant car park which creates the mood appropriate for a thriller text as it builds enigma for the spectator as they wonder what is suddenly wrong with her.

The spectator and characters are both shocked.

The female character behaving in a flirty manor.

The scene cuts to the car pulling into a very isolated and dark setting. This is an appropriate setting for a thriller genre because it gives a sense of a spooky atmosphere and hints that something sinister could happen here as its very quiet with no one else around. Diegetic sound of music in the car is playing, and the characters exchange more dialogue where the male character says to the female character "You seem weird", and there is a shot/reverse shot sequence. This constructs an appropriate mood for a thriller text as the female character isn't acting normal by pulling up in a dark, isolated setting and the male characters facial expression looks confused and slightly scared. There is a cut to two other cars nearby and there's diegetic sound coming from them. The fact that there are other people create suspense and a sense that something sinister could happen which builds to the enigma and leaves the spectator waiting for something to happen.

Male character is angry as he directs abuse at the culprits

The female character is portrayed quite provocatively through her body language as she is touching the male character in a flirtatious manor. This is another stereotype of women being over sexualised. The fact that the male character is acting uncomfortable towards the female characters behavior suggests that she is not acting normally, changing the mood and atmosphere for the spectator as they can sense that there is a reason for her odd behavior, building enigma.
Suddenly, fire works appear at the car window with on-screen diegetic foley sound to go with it, making both the characters and the spectators jump. This is appropriate in thriller sequences to create the mood and to shock and surprise the spectator as they don't know it's coming. The male character's facial expression is shocked and angry and he shouts abuse at the people in the cars (on-screen diegetic sound) which leaves the spectator fearing for the male character that the group of people who set the firework off will retaliate, building suspense; however they drive off and the characters laugh together (on-screen diegetic sound).
The opening works because it includes the ingredients needed to make a thriller opening such a iconography. Suitable iconography has been used in this opening of 'Zodiac'. Also, elements of mise en scene such as dark lighting/coloring and dark, isolated settings have been used to create the atmosphere and mood for a thriller. Other elements such as facial expression, and body language with the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound have been used to build enigma for the spectator through-out the opening.

Analysis of 'The Usual Suspects' Thriller Opening by Harry McHale

'The Usual Suspects' analysis by Harry McHale

 The usual suspects is a crime thriller film. The plot of the film is about what, exactly, has happened on the ship. This short opening sequence is set up to grab the audience's attention. It not only moves us forward along the story's ploy line but is also littered with clues that foreshadow what may happen later on.
The establishing shot is an ECU of a book of matches struck alight - the fire already foreshadowing danger and juxtaposing the water surrounding the boat. We are introduced to the character named Keaton (although at this early stage the audience is yet to learn his name) with an MS on a burning ship with several dead men about. Immediately, the contrast between the ECU and MS restricts the narrative, making it uncomfortable for the audience. Keaton lights a cigarette and starts a fire that will kill him and another man on the ship. The fire snakes along a line of oil, passing a dead body before being extinguished by a shadowed figure (Keyser) above Keaton who urinates onto the flame. The fact that Keyser is above Keaton forms a sense of power and also suggests he is the antagonist of the scene. He is also either in shadow or silhouetted making it difficult for the spectator to make out any of his features. keyser descends down the stairs and lights a cigarette in front of Keaton. "How you doing, Kid?"
Keaton, "I can't feel my legs, Keyser."
Keyser flicks down the lid of the lighter and pulls a gun out of his pocket. Keaton asks the time which becomes even more poignant when seconds later Keyser fires two shots, leaving the words to resonate like a doctor calling a time of death. It then cuts to various LS and ELS of the boat and its immediate surroundings so although we do not see the violence or Keaton's death we can infer it (similar to many other thriller movies).
Throughout the whole sequence, their is an emphasis on the edgy, anxious and dramatic atmosphere. The camera briefly focuses on a leaking water pipe, which exaggerates the tension, suspense, but also futility as the camera then cuts quickly to a CU of Keyser's gloved hand dropping a cigarette, reigniting the boat. Keyser's silhouette is seen climbing down the ladder and escaping before it explodes. 

Emily Ferguson's textual analysis of "The Usual Suspects"

The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects has a mysterious opening scene that is all about guessing and about ‘what has happened’, it is used to interest and immerse the viewer into the mystery/crime/thriller genre of the movie. Through out the opening sequence, there is a creation of enigma which affects the spectator by keeping them on ‘the edge of their seats.’ This is created by the rise of intensity and becoming involved within the film narrative.

Camerawork

The opening scene starts off with a close up on some matchsticks as they are lit; the camera is tilting up to a medium close up of a wounded character. A panning shot is used to show a barrel and its fuel, the fuel within it is flowing out straight next to the wounded character. The wounded character drops the match to light the fuel. As the fuel is lit a series of cuts are used to show the flow of the fire towards the direction of the fuel barrel. As the fire flows, throughout the cuts, in the background the camera shows a dead body laying there, this explains parts of the narrative of the film, as it shows that the opening sequence is a crime scene. The shot of the unknown character, otherwise known as Keyser, restricts the way in which we see his identity by creating a tilt shot and movement. This restricts the information we receive. Through out the opening scenes, restricted narration is played out with high built intensity.

Mise en Scene

Mise en scene plays a huge role during the opening sequence. The unknown character dressed in all black symbolizes his characteristics and connotes the genre thriller. His costume suggests he is a bad, mysterious and thrilling character. There is constant low-key lighting generating a thriller feel. The flames from the fire creates enough light to contribute to the affect of thriller. The audience’s attention is directed to the flames, which begins to contrasts the rest of the scene. The colour is a bright orange and harsh yellow belonging to the flames which we know as dangerous. This is a highly dominant colour through out the scene. Due to the lack of lighting in this scene, it is hard to establish where the characters are placed; however, because of the props and some long shots we understand that it is taking place on a boat or a ship. As it is set at night, and we are only shown the two characters, there is most likely know one around to help. This scene is also non-linear which is used to make the spectators feel excluded from the narrative, as if they have missed something from the start. This creates confusion, which is a typical convention of a physiological thriller.

Editing

The cutting frequency of the opening sequence of The Usual Suspects is quite slow. This then shows that there is little action occurring and emphasizes the dialogue and the movements of the characters more. The slow pace of cuts also helps draw out the suspense as no one knows what to expect next. The scene is carried out chronologically. This is shown by the matched cuts and lack of a variety of transitions, keeping the spectators attention focused on the events that are taking place. Shot reverse shot is used to help spectators consolidate towards the dialogue between the two male characters. The use of continuity editing helps spectators understand the action and perceive the orientation and composition of the characters. This helps the spectators to focus on the narrative and plot rather than being confused and disorientated. 

Sound

The Usual Suspects opening soundtrack connotes sadness which contradicts the calmness of the water in the first shot. The scene begins with an equilibrium and then goes into a disequilibrium from the previous ‘last night’. The sadness juxtaposes the water and can also be paired with it. The water could represent something melancholy. However, this is deliberately left ambiguous so it confuses the spectators and keeps them on the toes, leaving them wondering.  The beginning of the film is also very silent with only diegetic sounds, for example: footsteps, water dripping and the crackling of the flames. The low volume sounds and lack of diegetic and instrumental sounds creates a subtle meaning whilst adding ambience to the scene. The music crescendos as the unidentified character moves closer to the man who cannot walk. This is connoting he is a powerful and mysterious man. As the gun shots are fired, there is a long break in the music- this emphasizes the Foley gun shot sounds. This creates suspense as we do not know when the gun is going to be fired. The spectators can only presume it will be fired during the shot of the gun, until it cuts to another shot of the ships and boats. This happens unexpectedly. There is a lack of diegetic sounds through out the opening scene, this is because the visuals are meaning to be more powerful as the visuals. The dialogue between the two men is very minimal, giving us less information of the plot in the narrative. This reflects from the restricted narration of the unknown character who fires the gun. This builds curiosity for the spectators and makes the film extremely thrilling and intriguing.

The Usual Suspects Analysis - Nathan Wilkins

Mise En Scene

The opening scene of The Usual Suspects uses elements of mise en scene to create a sense of suspense.

The abandoned setting of the ship creates fear due to the lack of people around, meaning nobody to help if something goes wrong in this dangerous looking setting. This makes the spectator fear the worst, as the loneliness of the setting makes us feel like something bad is going to happen. This idea is reinforced by the prop of the fire, which connotes danger and death. The hot red, orange and yellow colours emitted from the fire also help to create the idea of death as well as evil, and additionally creates the eerie low key lighting we see on the characters.

The characters costumes are dark and simple, so that all of the attention is on the dialogue and action in the scene. They fit the dark tone to the scene, and are fairly dull and intentionally unobtrusive. The costume of the character who’s face we don’t see is very loose-fitting in order to keep his figure completely unrecognisable, meaning his identity is completely hidden, which is a crucial element of the film.

The prop of the gun creates suspense when it is taken out, as we do not know for sure what it will be used for. It is a prop often used in thrillers, and the use of a common thriller convention at this point in the film allows the spectator to connect with the film and get a grasp of what’s to come.

Sound

Non diegetic high pitched music is used for the majority of the sequence to add atmosphere and suspense. The limited number of instruments and low volume of the music means that it is subtle whilst still adding to the ambience in the scene. There is a break in the music when the gun is fired, meaning we can hear the gunshots perfectly. This also creates suspense when the music pauses as we don’t know when it will be fired, we can only assume that it will happen due to the positioning of his gun before the cut to another shot.

There is limited diegetic sound within the scene, as the spectator is supposed to mainly focus on the visuals in the sequence, however there is some dialogue and sound effects. The foley of the footsteps is another thriller convention, as it creates suspense in the spectator due to the repetitive sound of the steps. It adds to the action of the character walking, and we don’t know where he’s walking to which produces uncertainty and tension.

The dialogue is very minimal, and what we do hear doesn't give much away in terms of the plot at this point. Only around five lines of quiet dialogue can be heard before we hear the gunshot and assume the sitting character to be dead. This lack of knowledge we are given at this point makes for a more interesting and intriguing film.

Camerawork

The camera movement in this scene are slow and minimal, to match the sombre mood being created. The most important camera movement we see is a tilt upwards from the fire to reveal the character urinating on it from above. The camera stops tilting just before we see his head, which conceals his identity, just like much of the rest of the film.

Shot distances are used to highlight important parts of the scene. The box of matches at the beginning is shown with an extreme close up, to give the spectator a clear view of what it is and the way it has been lit, in order to then light the cigarette and then be dropped to start the fire. Another important prop, the gun, is shown as a close up so we can see the way he is holding it, pointed towards the man opposite, as well as getting a clear view of it. An extreme long shot of a section of the ship is then shown when the gun is shot, to give the impression of how far the sound is travelling.

Editing

Generally frequency cuts are used in this scene in order to keep a slow pace, so we can see every action in detail. The low frequency adds suspense because the spectator is allowed lots of time to ponder on what’s going on.

Shot reverse shot and eye line match are used during the section of dialogue to create continuity in the scene, therefore helping the spectator to easily understand what is going on and to comprehend the orientation of the characters. This means that the spectator is allowed to fully focus on the content of the plot, due to there being no confusion in their positioning.

Ways in which we helped camera stability

The first shot we took was at a low angle and needing a smooth effect tracking Zach along the corridor. To create the smooth tracking, I used a large and heavy door stop for the college doors. This worked well along carpet due to the low fraction along the metal and carpet. Just by making do with this prop, it helped us as a team create a perfect tracking, low angle shot of Zach to set the scene.