Thriller openings research- Frances

Inception 2010:

The film opens with the words 'legendary pictures' and then 'syncopy', they fade into the screen and the font looks like a maze. This suggests that before the film has even started that it might be about mystery or someone trying to solve a problem. The film then starts with the diegetic sound of waves crashing against rocks which suggests that its sent in present day. We are then introduced to what seems like the protagonist of the story, there is then an eye line match of the protagonist looking at some children playing in the sand, these children appear to be a figment of his imagination as they are moving in a ghostly way. This suggests that the film could be about dreams or the protagonist imagining things. We are introduced to 21st century looking weapons which suggests that the film is set in present day. Already the film sets up many questions for the audience; Who was the man who was in the water? Who is this Chinese man? What does this spinner mean? Where are they? The scene then suddenly jumps back in time with no indication of how long ago it was, however this flashback appears to be in the same room and the same Chinese man as the scene before the flashback which could indicate a significant part in the film, it also suggests time travel. The characters have a conversation about the 'dream state' which implies that the film is about dreams and creates quite a dark atmosphere. There is then a diegetic sound of the building rumbling and the sound of a clock ticking which then has an extreme close up of a watch which suggests that this scene is not reality. The target audience for Inception is 12a however I feel that the target audience for this movie should be at least a 15 as it is hard to work out what is happening in certain scenes in the movie and it has quite a confusing story line.

 The Dark Knight 2008:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0

The film opens with the logo 'warner bros pictures' on screen. The colour of this logo, which is usually a golden colour, is a dark blue colour which sets a dark atmosphere for the start of the film. Also the logo for 'legendary pictures' comes on screen. Next flashes of different comic characters flash on screen and words 'DC comics' appear. Navy blue clouds of smoke cover the screen then a bat logo appears which already sets the idea that this movie is a thriller. We are then introduced to an establishing shot of a building where the window is blown out and immediately it is clear to the audience that we have just been introduced to the antagonist as the camera shots mainly focus on him. The scene then switches to a man standing holding a clown mask and there is a ten second focus on this mask, suggesting that it is a significant prop in the movie. This man could be another antagonist or a protagonist it is hard to tell at this point. In this thriller opening you don't see any bare faces of all the characters as you just see them in clown masks and then the back of the head of the man standing holding his mask, this creates the question of who are these people?

Now you see me 2013:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAiXJFe7us8

The film opens with the logo for 'summit entertainment' and then also an animation of k/o paper products. We are then introduced to what looks like the protagonist of the film by an establishing shot. There is non-diegetic sound of what sounds like this protagonist narrating the movie and he is doing tricks with cards which implies that he is a magician. The room in which is he is standing in looks like a room in an apartment and it is dimly lit which creates a quite dark atmosphere that could mean that the character is good or evil. The next shot is an extreme close up of the protagonists face with a blank, emotionless facial expression. An establishing shot of the city of chicago is the next shot we see which suggests that this is where the film is set and it also implies that the movie is set in current day due to the city buildings and the costumes of the characters in the next scene. The whole way through the film opening, the protagonist shows no emotion on his face, even when he's having a conversation with someone, this creates the impression that he is mysterious as we still dont know quite who he is. At the end of the opening there is a low angle extreme long shot of lights shining on a sky scraper which is part of the trick he has just performed with non-diegetic music of drums which creates an exciting atmosphere for the characters and the viewer, this sets the mood for the rest of the movie.