Summary of openings

Enigmas

Enigmas in the openings are created by a number of ways e.g. text, colours and music.

·         Text is often used as link for the audience to the film, but the audience aren’t aware of the link yet.

·         Colours such as black are used to help create a sense of atmosphere. E.g. Awake

Introduce key characters

In many of the film openings we watched, the ways in which key characters were introduced in ways that helped the audience understand their character.

·         Introduced by another character- for example: in the film opening Awake, in main character was introduced by his friend who gave the audience some brief information about the character.

·         Camera shots are also used to help emphasis key characters. E.g. a mid shot was used in Underworld to show the main character.- This was more useful that a close-up, because not only did we see the characters face, but seeing their body’s movement and costume, helped the audience create an relationship with them.

Introduce key themes

Key themes in the openings were introduced in a number of different way according to the sub-genre of thriller it was. 

·         Religious artefacts were shown in the Da Vinci code, which helped make it clear that religion is an important, theme in the film.

·         Love as a theme was introduced by intimate situation between the characters. e.g. Five Fingers

·         Iconography such as: knives and guns were used to introduce pain and death in the openings of a number of films:  Le premier cercle (the inner ring), Se7en, the covenant and haunting in Connecticut. The fact that all of these thrillers have these themes in them, shows that death and murder are very dominant themes in the genre Thriller.

Introduce genre

The way in which the genre of any film is introduced in the opening is very important, because it helps the audience recognise the genre.

·         The typical dark background and setting was used in the majority of film opening we watched. This helps create a mysterious and scary atmosphere that is usually associated with thrillers. e.g.Underworld, Blade, Awake and Haunting in Connecticut

·         A piano was usually playing as part of the non- diegetic sound to help add to that atmospheric opening. Also, it causes the audience to concentrate on what is happening on screen because, the music is usually has a different feeling to the visual aspect of the opening. E.g. Haunting in Connecticut  

·         There was usually a death in the opening to help introduce the genre. This helps show the audience that the film is going to have elements of death in it.

·         A car chase is often used to show an action aspect of the thriller e.g. the inner ring, the Grudge and Goodfellas.

Use of titles

Titles and the way they appear in the opening are a very important aspect of the opening, because they help add to the effect that the ofter aspects of the opening are trying to create.

·         The font and the colours used for the title link to the film- this is important and effective in the opening, because it helps to create an relationship between the film and the title, Also, it creates possible ideas about the film.

·          The text used such as: psychotic – in the film Se7en, helps create a sense of atmosphere before the film has started. Which helps ready the audience for the film and possible emotions and feeling they may feel as they watch it.