Frances Thriller Openings

The Usual Suspects-
The Framework cuts off the top of one of the main male characters heads to hide his identity, which creates a sense of mystery which shows that this movie is thriller. We get the impression that both characters are antagonists due to their costumes. He also is the one who kills him.

There is non-diegetic sound of violins which creates a dramatic effect and gives an eery feeling while watching.  Also the lighting in the scene is dark which restricts you from seeing much, this gives the sense of mystery and creates suspense.
There are no extreme close ups on of the faces of the characters which suggests that the full identities of these characters don't want to be given away to the spectator. The fire in the background of the scene also backs up my point of both characters being antagonists. Both characters have a cigarette as a prop which is common when showing whether a character is a protagonist or antagonist. 

When the male character with his head cut out the frame, points the gun at the man sitting on the floor and shoots, the sound of the gun shots are heard while the camera shows the setting of this scene. You don't actually see the man being killed, therefore it leaves you guessing that he might not be dead. The different shots showing the scene where this event occurs shows that it is on a boat which backs up the idea that it is a thriller because a setting like a boat is quite reserved, therefore something as bad as murder can be easy to get away with because once the boat its burnt down there will be no evidence of this murder ever occurring. The shots which show the setting are all low angle shots which suggests that even though the viewer is being shown where this event took place, it doesn't give much away about where it is. However if high angle shots were used to show where this scene is, you would be able to

see more clearly where about it is. A flashback is used at the end of the clip which is shown by a fade to black, this flashback is used to give us a better understanding of the story line. There is a spotlight on the male character facing the camera which suggests that he is an evil character and the viewers attention is focused on him.

The girl with the dragon tattoo-
The scene starts with a fade in and it has a strong light contrast which highlights the package the man is handling to draw attention to this prop. The light surrounding the male character is dark which means it doesn't give the spectator much idea of where this scene is set. The prop used in this scene is a plant in a photo frame which creates an enigma code because it makes you want to know what this prop is and what its significance is. There is a lot of extreme close ups on the plant in the frame which implies that it must be important to the story line. At the start of this scene there is no sound apart from the diegetic sound of the male character opening up a package, however when he gets the photo frame out of the package there is the sound of violins playing which makes the scene more dramatic. The more the scene goes on the violins start to get faster and faster which creates tension.
 
After the male character looks at the plant in the photo frame, he starts to cry and we're not sure why. This creates a sense of mystery in the scene which backs up the idea that this movie is a thriller. The next scene is of a character dressed in dark clothes and its hood up, it is not clear what the gender of the character is but from the body structure it could be a young woman. The diegetic sound of fast, upbeat violin music gives a sense of mystery as we don't know who the character is or where they are going. The tracking shot behind the character gives off the sense that the character is being followed. Also the character is walking in the night time which also adds to the eery and dramatic edge of this scene.

The Lovely Bones-
The lovely bones is an american supernatural thriller about a young girl who is murdered, her spirit comes back to help her father find out who the killer is. The scene opens playing non-diegetic music of a piano, this leads to an extreme close up zooming out of a snow globe. The snow globe seems to be a significant prop in the movie as it is the first thing the camera focuses on as the scene open.
The non-diegetic sound of the piano music plays over the voice of a young girl introducing herself and telling us who she is. The scene is brightly lit that suggests that this scene is a flashback. The voice over of the young girl speaking is another factor that this scene in the movie is a flashback because there is a photo of a young girl. 


The next scene shows a similar picture in a frame in the same place however with a picture of the young girl which shows that she has grown up. The shot then cuts to a young woman laying in bed with her what seems to be husband, the shot appears to have changed to present time as the the male character who was also in the first shot, has aged.  It is suggested that this male and female character are the parents to the young girl. Also the non-diegetic music changes to an up beat strum on the guitar which makes this scene seem more lively and fun, compared to the slow music in the first scene, making it seem more serious. The costumes in this scene imply that the movie is set in the 70's and also the chunky glasses that the female character in the scene wears. Also the interior in the living room and the toys the young girl plays with supports my idea that the movie is set in the 70's.

The next shot, the young couple are passionately kissing each other which suggests that they are newly in love, however the next scene the couple are laying in bed next to each other. The male character is sleeping while the female character is reading a book in bed, this shows how the couple have lost the spark in their relationship and has become less sexually intense. 


 The words 'twelve years later' appear on screen which shows how the flashback has changed to present time.There is a shot of an extreme close ups of a big pile of books which gives you an insight to what type of women she is, someone who clearly likes reading. In the first shot of the woman laying in bed she is reading what looks like a romance book however the next shot she is reading a book about childcare.

This shows how her lifestyle has changed over those twelve years and she has clearly had more children since the young girl we see in the first scene. The two characters laying in bed appear to be a normal middle aged couple. The scene after this a young girl taking pictures of herself on what look like an old fashioned camera. The young girl seems like a happy bubbly teenager who clearly likes to take pictures of herself and likes photography.

 Zodiac
The thriller opening begins with an establishing shot and non-diegetic sound. There is 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 window.

The lighting is very dark which is suitable iconography for a thriller opening, however at this point in the sequence it isn't very clear that its a thriller film language hasn't yet constructed meaning, character, story and mood.  This creates a sense of mystery in the scene. The character is male and various aspects of his clothing are dark however his costume as a whole doesnt suggest that he is a protagonist.  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 make up, looks attractive and her clothing is suited for a female stereotype. 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 their 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. This creates mystery. 

 The scene cuts to the car pulling into a very isolated and dark setting. The fact that there are other people, creates suspense and a sense that something sinister could happen which builds to the enigma and leaves the spectator waiting for something to happen. The female character is portrayed quiet provocatively which is another stereotype of women being over sexualised. Suddenly, fireworks appeared at the car window with an onscreen diegetic foley sound to accompany it, making both the characters and the spectator jump. This is appropriate in thriller sequences to create the mood and to shock and surprise the spectator as they don't know its coming. The male characters facial expression is shocked and angry and he shouts abuse at the people in the cars, this is an 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.

This builds suspense however they drive off and the characters laugh together which is on-screen diegetic sound. There is an eye-line match from the female character to an approaching car which drives towards them and stops, there is a two shot of the characters looking over at the car and their facial expressions are very scared, however there is no movement from it which creates enigma-reinforcing the thriller genre. The car is black and the lighting/setting is very dark also.  There is a diegetic foley sound of car wheels skidding, suggesting that the car is approaching again. In the back of the frame, the camera pans the car as it becomes closer to the male and female character and they becomes edgy which builds tension as you know something bad is going to happen.

Shutter Island-
Shutter Island is a physiological thriller. The shot opens with the non- diegetic sound of a horn playing and a fade from white is used, this suggests that the shot could be a dream or flashback. 







In this first scene we are introduced to our first character who is dressed in dark clothing, his facial expression shows disgust as he has just been sick in the toilet.

 The sound of the horn playing could be either diegetic or non-diegetic because it links to the fact that the character is on a boat and the music could be put with the movie made to sound like it is the boat horn we can hear, so we cant really tell. Most of this whole scene is dimly lit which supports the fact that this movie is a thriller. As soon as the movie starts a lot of questions start to appear in the spectators mind, who is this character? Who else is on the boat? Where is this boat going? A pano shot follows the male character putting on his coat and walking out onto the deck of the boat which is followed by a two shot which shows the male character standing having a conversation with another male character.

This conversation between the two  male characters cuts to a scene with a well presented woman dressed in fine clothes with immaculate makeup. The non-diegetic music of a woman singing in a high pitched voice begins to play as the scene changes which creates an eery atmosphere as the male character explains how this woman is his wife but she died. The creepy music supports the fact that the woman is dead and can easily make the spectator feel on edge. This flashback is used to give us a greater understanding of the story line and gives us an insight to the loving relationship this couple had. 


A cigarette is normally used in movies to symbolize a protagonist and one of the two male characters pulls out a cigarette then offers the other male character one. The two characters are wearing similar clothing, a long brown coat, white shirt, a brightly coloured tie and a hat. These costumes suggest that the characters have similar jobs, maybe a detective of some kind and also the costumes suggest that they are of a middle class. The lighting in the scene is dimly lit with dark clouds which links to the idea that this movie is a thriller. An extreme long shot is used to show an island where the boat  that they are on is guessed to be going. The right side of the island is brightly lit up however the left side is dark and cloudy, this creates a contrast between the island because of course on the island one side would be dark while the other light. This makes the spectator intrigued about the island and the things that could happen on it throughout the movie. While the extreme long still shot of the island is being shown, the non-diegetic music of the horns starts to play however, this time much louder and the horns are being blown more frequently. The creates an enigma of the island and gives off the idea that bad things could happen on it. The extreme long shot of the island begins to zoom in which shows how the boat is getting closer and closer to the island. A shot reverse shot of the island then to the two male characters, shows their uncertain and worried facial expressions as they approach the island.

The closer the camera shots get to the island the deeper and louder the non-diegetic music gets which creates a terrifying atmosphere for the spectator. As the two characters get off the boat and walk on shore we are greeted with many new characters. All the characters are male and are all dressed in what looks like a police uniform. Also all the male characters have the same angry facial expressions on their faces.
Alice Creed-
The scene opens with a tracking shot of a car park. The next shot is an eye level shot of two male characters, one of the characters is breaking into a white van and the other is keeping watch. The two men are dressed head to toe in dark clothing with could be protagonists. 


The non-diegetic sound of a slow drum is playing which suggests that they are racing against time to complete whatever they are planning on doing. The following shot is an extreme low angle of the two male characters feet, walking away from the camera in what seems to be a DIY store.



 There is diegetic sounds of tools being taken off the shelves which is heard over the non-diegetic music. As the two characters take more and more tools off the shelves the non-diegetic music gets faster. A pano shot shows a what seems to be, abandoned house with ripped wall paper and no furniture. One of the rooms has dark red coloured red walls which makes the room fairly dark, this gives off a mysterious feeling as to what this room might be used for. 


There is a great amount of light shining into both windows of this room however after a while both windows are boarded up by the men. The only sound in this scene is the sounds that the two men are making with the stapler as they sound proof the room and saw through wood. There is no dialogue exchanged what so ever between the two male characters however from the things they do, the spectator can easily guess that they are getting the room ready for a kidnap, by their actions. A high angle medium shot is used in one of the corners of the room, which could have been used to show how small the room is. A under sheet is placed on the bed which is used to stop when a child wets the bed, from it soaking into the mattress, this suggests that the room they are getting ready is for a child.


Next a tracking shot is used through the woods where the two men walk with a shovel. The woods are brightly lit up which suggests that the idea that something bad is going to happen doesn't want to be given off to the spectator this early into the movie. The same facial expressions remain on the faces of both characters, their faces are emotionless so the spectator cant guess how they are feeling or thinking. A classy looking clock stands on the wall however it is replaced with a plain looking clock, this suggests that everything in that room is being made to look as dull and boring as possible. Big heavy bolts are drilled to the metal door as if to try and stop something or someone from leaving the room.


At the end of this sequence the two men change out of their dark casual clothes and put on a black suit, a tie and a white shirt. When getting changed, one of the men helps the other one to put his tie on which suggests that he is the one out of the two, in charge and has greater power than him. The two men also put on a pair of black leather gloves each which implies that they don't want their DNA to be left when completing their kidnap. After the men get changed they place the clothes that they changed out of into a black sack and dump them at the side of the road. Multiple props such as a gun, hand cuffs and what looks like a dog collar are placed in a black bag, these props used definitely supports the idea that these two men are going to complete a kidnap.