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.