Jess' Thriller Openings

The Usual Suspects

In the opening of 'The Usual Suspects' there are many enigma codes that connote the thriller genre, a close up of a dead body is one example that is used in this opening.

 Dark, or low-key lighting is used to portray the idea of mystery and creates an eerie atmosphere, there is a small bit of light that is provided by a fire which adds to the eeriness of the scene.

 The costumes are all black and dark colours which match the lighting in the scene and further connote an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

 At the start of the opening there is a man sitting on the floor of what seems to be an old warehouse, he lights a bit of paper and drops it on the floor which then starts a bigger fire, the audience then labels this man as a potential antagonist.

 However, because the man is sitting on floor and there is a slight high angle shot of him, it suggest he is actually in a position of weakness and is a potential victim of something.

Another man is standing at the top of a set of stairs at the warehouse and urinated on the fire that the other man started and put it out.

The medium shot and tight framing of the second man cuts off his head so the audience is unable to see his identity, because of this the audience then puts this man in the role of antagonist and this also emphasises the idea of mystery.

The use of diegetic sound adds to the enigma of the thriller genre, police sirens and gun shots are used as they are stereotypical expectations of a thriller.

 Non-diegetic, creepy, music is played throughout the opening and gets louder to match the action unfolding, which further creates an eerie atmosphere and this is another enigma code of the thriller genre.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The first shot in the opening of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is a close up of a parcel.

The audience is unaware of what is inside the parcel so this creates a mystery, which is a thriller enigma code.

There is a man sitting at a desk, the room is dark and there is only a slight bit of light coming in through the window, a close up of the mans face suggests that he is exposed and perhaps a victim or a protagonist in this film as his identity is not hidden.

Quiet, non-diegetic music is playing while the man is opening the parcel.

In the parcel is a plant of some sort in a frame, this confuses the audience and intrigues them as they know that the frame is significant but not why it is.

The man begins to get upset at what he has opened, there is a zoom shot of the man which reveals the rest of the room where he is sitting.

As the man becomes increasingly upset, the non-diegetic music gets louder to match the mans despair.

There is a close up of a black and white photo of a woman, the audience then start to wonder why this photo is significant, or who the woman in the photo is, if she is alive or if she is dead.

The man from this scene is dressed in a shirt and tie with a woollen jumper over the top, this connotes high status  and the audience assumes this man is quite wealthy.

A big desk and fancy décor around the room where he is sitting emphasises the idea of high class and wealth.

The camera then cuts to a tracking shot of a hooded girl walking along the street, the non-diegetic music from the previous scene is still playing at this point.

The girl is wearing all black, a pair of jeans and a hoody.

This subverts gender stereotypes and the girl is presented as the antagonist as a result of stereotypical costuming.

Also, the girls identity is hidden as there is only one very quick close up of part of her face, this further connotes the idea of this girl being an antagonist and portrays her as a hidden and mysterious character.

Inception

This opening begins with a medium shot of the sea and the diegetic sound of crashing waves which begins to establish a location.

A close up of a man who looks like he has been washed up on the beach suggests to the audience that this man is a potential protagonist as his identity is not hidden and he is in a position of weakness.

There is a shot from the mans point of view of two children playing on the beach, this shot is in slow motion which portrays the man as disorientated and perhaps weak.

Non-diegetic music is playing while the man is on the beach to create a mysterious atmosphere, the audience begin to wonder where this man is and why he is there.

The man is poked in the back by a soldier with a gun, the gun adds to the enigma of the thriller.

the soldier lifts up the man's jacket with his gun and reveals another gun that the man has been carrying with him.

Next there is a long shot of a building, this again creates mystery as the audience are unaware of the significance of the building.

A slow zoom shot takes the audience into a room where a man is sitting with his back to the camera, this portrays him as a potential antagonist.

A soldier or guard enters the room and places a gun and a spinning top on the table next to the man, this are the items that the first man was carrying on him.

The guards bring the first man into this room and sit him down opposite the man who is sitting at the table.

The second man asks "Are you here to kill me?"

This question makes the audience change there mind about the first man and label him now as the antagonist.

The second man picks up the spinning top and spins it, a close up of the spinning top suggests that it is a significant object, but it also creates a sense of mystery as the audience do not know why.

Mystery is also portrayed by the fact that the audience have no idea who either of the men are, why the first one is there or why the guards have captured him.

Zodiac

The first shot of this opening sequence is a pan shot of a city to establish location.

It's set at night time, so the darkness creates a sense of mystery.

As the car is driving through the town there is diegitic music being played on the radio, this is used to perhaps establish the era in which the film is set.

A tracking/POV shot reveals someone driving through a town where there are fireworks going off, the fireworks portray the evening as important or significant in someway.

The car stops outside a house and a boy approaches the car, there is a medium shot of him where his entire face is visible, he is presented as being is a position of weakness.

The camera then reveals the driver, a young female, this subverts gender stereotypes and when she refuses to let the male drive, she comes across as a dominant character.

However, because her face is also visible it puts her in the same weak position as the male character.

When the two are in the car, they go to a place that is barren, dusty and surrounded by woodland, this location gives the impression of someone being stranded or alone, it also adds to the enigma of the thriller genre.

When the two characters are sat in their car, another car approaches the back of them and a dark figure gets out of the car.

The tight camera framing cuts off the figure's head, hiding their identity, this figure is then portrayed as the antagonist.

As the figure approaches the car with the two people in it, he pulls out a gun and shoots both of them.

Both the gun and the diegetic sound of gun shots are engima codes of the thriller genre.

When the figure walks away from the car after murdering the two people inside it, there is non-diegetic music playing.

However, the music does not match the atmosphere that the on-screen action has created, this confuses and somewhat disorientates the audience.

Towards the end of the opening, there is a medium shot of of a dead body and a policeman who is investigating obscures the shot.

Again, these are engima codes and further connote the thriller genre to the audience.

Face off

A medium shot of a father and son riding a merry go round is obscured by the rest of the merry go round.

The opening is in slow motion to emphasize a sense of mystery but also suggests that this scene is a flashback.

The fact that the scene has a sepia effect on it emphasizes the idea of a flashback.

There is a close up of a sheet being ripped off of an object and reveals a sniper, this is an enigma code and further portrays the thriller genre.

Non-diegetic music matches the action unfolding.(The gun being revealed.)

The man behind the gun is presented as the antagonist purely because of the fact that he is behind a gun.

Because there is a close up of the antagonist's face, it subverts the idea of a stereotypical antagonist and suggests that he has some sort of personal connection to the father and son that were seen in the previous shot.

When the man fire the gun, there is a close up of the bullet leaving the gun the further connote the thriller genre.

The father and his son are both shot by the bullet, there is blood left on the horse and the balloons that the child was holding fly up into the air, this symbolizes the infants injury or even death.

Slow paced non-diegetic music plays alongside the action to emphasize the child's death and the fathers despair.