Analysing Thriller openings

The Book of Eli

Before the film starts we are viewing the companies involved in making the film and we hear a blowing wind so we get an idea of isolation even before we see any of the actual film footage. The opening scene follows thriller conventions very well; there is tense music all the way through the opening scene. We see a lot of trees which may represent bars which creates the effect of trying to keep something in or keep something out. The scene is also very misty which maybe hiding something from the audience. Another thriller convention is running water however this is not in the opening scene but the use of falling ash could represent running water/rain. We then see an empty revolver followed by a dead body this could mean there is a war as you don’t usually have people walking around with guns, as the revolver is empty and also open it could mean the person was then reloading to carry on fighting. An innocent cat then enters the shot sniffing around the feet of the dead body which could represent the audience who is trying to find out what has happened. We then see a figure of whom we don’t see his face as it is obscured by a gas mask. When we see the masked figure we can see in the background a tent so he may have been pitched up for some time hunting. The tension is built up to the firing of an arrow by the masked figure of which just before the arrow is fired the music stops and we hear the breathing of the masked figure and then the arrow is fired, when the arrow is flying through the air a slow motion effect is used. Using these techniques it’s build up how important the shot must be for the masked figure. When the arrow hits the cat it creates a kind of anti climax to the scene.

Brick

The film brick starts with the production companies name with a xylophone playing in the back ground which might be represented by running/trickling water and almost give it a sad feeling. When the actual film footage starts we don’t see a full image of a crouched man but different parts of him i.e. his shoes, a close up of his glasses. Then we see both the crouched man and a dead female body across the stream from him. The camera then shows how her life maybe draining away into this stream and into a dark tunnel which maybe hiding something or could represent her decent into darkness. From this scene the audience probably think that he has killed her so adding a mysterious view of what might have happened. It then cuts to 2 day previous to the girls death and it shows her putting a note into the mans locker we can tell it is her from the bracelets she is wearing from her death scene, at this point we still don’t have any idea about the two characters. The guy reads the note on which it has a time and location, we then see him at this location when he gets a phone call from the girl who left the note. We find out the girls name is “Emily” and she seems distressed and worried she talks about the “brick” which is still a mystery to the audience of what it actually is. The phone booth in which the man receives the call could symbolise the guy being trapped in a situation e.g. helping out Emily. The opening finishes with a black car driving past of which we don’t see the driver and a cigarette butt is thrown from the car, having the camera focus on this could possibly symbolise life burning away.

Gothika

Before the film starts we see the Columbia Pictures logo but in grey scale this shows the audience what kind of film it is going to be. At the same time you can briefly hear a heartbeat sound this may symbolise that we’re going to look/ listen to something carefully. It then cuts to a scene with Halle Berry questioning what looks to be a patient. The two women are caged in with everything else outside the cage blurred, this gives the viewer the feeling they are watching the conversation and shouldn’t really be there, it also shows the two women are isolated from whatever is outside of the cage or they are trying to keep something in. We find out later the cage probably is keeping them trapped in as the woman who is being interviewed talks about the devil which we associate with evil and death, she also vividly describes how she killed her step father. The idea of isolation is also show by the use of shot reverse shot also showing that they are on their own.

See how these openings have influenced our thriller opening

in my film synopsis comment post!