Research into Thriller Opening

Research into Thriller Opening

The purpose of an opening sequence of a thriller is to build suspense, and to set the scene for the film that is to follow. Opening thriller sequences contain three key elements of shock, surprise and suspense, this is to engage the audience making them to want to watch on. I have watched and analysed the opening thriller sequence of the film "Halloween" then began to see which typical conventions have been used throughout the sequence as they would also in a typical thriller film. These typical conventions include, cinematography, editing styles, characters, sound, mise-en-scene and the narrative of the thriller film.

Narrative

The narrative from the clip of "Halloween" conforms with the conventions of a typical thriller film. This is because the film is based around an unidentified killer assulting and/or murdering an innocent victim for which is unknown to the audience. The whole narrative creates enigma throughout the clip, which is conventional to all thriller films as this creates suspense, which leads to surprise and shock which are typical thriller conventions. 

Cinematography

Within the opening sequence of the thriller film "Halloween" a shallow focus is used as the camera is directly focusing on the house. However in the bad ground in a blurred focus is a full moon which usually symbolizes something bad is going to happen. As the full moon is beaming over the isolated house. The audience will begin to worry as this has created a sense of foreboding and will wonder what will happen to the characters within the house.

Furthermore, a shallow focus is also used as the unidentified killer takes a knife from the drawer. By doing this, the knife becomes the focus of the shot. This creates suspense and begins to build up tension as the audience begin to wonder what the purpose of the knife is and who it will be used on.

Towards the end of the scene we see the unidentified killer is revealed as the camera begins to zoom out, we see that the killer is a young boy who is holding a knife in his hand surrounded by his parents. This creates enigma and suspense as the audience begin to wonder why the boy has the knife in his hand, and why he has killed his sister.

At the end of the scene a high angle shot is used above the isolated house. This gives of a sense of vulnerability for all the characters within the house. This creates tension as the audience will begin to wonder if the character who has just been stabbed will survive, and will also wonder why the incident happened, keeping the audience watching on.

Editing

Film editing is part of the process of film making. Film editing is used from the traditional process of working with film, but now it involves the use of digital technology. 

Various editing techniques where used throughout the "Halloween" thriller opening sequence. Firstly, slow motion was used as the unidentified killer was looking through the outside window and secondly walking upstairs as he walked towards his innocent victim. The reason for using slow motion at these points is to create suspense and tension for the audience as they are impatiently wondering what is going to happen to the protagonist, fearing for her safety. 

In addition, the scene is filmed using a hand held camera, this gives the impression of somebody point of view, in this case it is the unidentified killers view. The audience know that this is the unidentified killers point of view and begin to fear for the character as her safety is jeopardized as the killer becomes closer to her.  

At the end of the scene when the protagonist has been attacked, the masked antagonist begins to walk quickly down the stairs the pace of the scene also increases. This is because the antagonist wants to make a quick escape, without being caught. The audience then begin to feel on the edge of their seats as they see cars faintly in the background of the scene, hoping that the killer will be caught.

Characters

A typical character within the thriller genre is a masked antagonist/unidentified killer. This is because it helps to build the three main elements of the thriller genre, shock, surprise and suspense. The unidentified killer in this film is the younger brother, which is unrealistically revealed in the beginning of the film, however still creates enigma as the audience want to watch on to see why he has attacked his own sister. Furthermore, by having an unidentified killer this creates all three of these elements as the audience wonder what the killers intentions are, why they have the intentions, and who is hidden behind the mask. This not only creates the three elements, but also creates enigma which is a sense of mystery, making the audience want to watch until the end.

Another typical character within the thriller genre is a vulnerable, scared woman, alone typically in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere. Within the opening sequence of "Halloween" the innocent, vulnerable women is the protagonist. This is a conventional character as it creates suspense for the audience as they fear for her safety and wonder what will happen next as she tries to defend her defenseless self.

Soundtrack

Sound is a very important convention in thriller films. Music can help change any scene to build suspense and tension for the audience watching. For example, if a man was walking down a dark corridor this would create less suspense and tension whereas if there was eerie music building up throughout the scene as the man approached the end of the corridor, to the moment where something or someone would stereo typically jump out. Sounds are also used in films to create an understanding for the audience and create more meaning about the characters and their emotions.  

Firstly, non-diegetic sound is used as the light turns off in the upstairs bedroom. This noise is both loud and exaggerated and could be compared to high pitch screams. This could foreshadow the screams from the protagonist as she is attacked by the masked antagonist and creates a foreshadowing on the characters as the audience begin to wonder at this point what will happen to the characters in the bedroom.

Furthermore, another non-diegetic sound is the eerie music that begins to play as the antagonist walks up the stairs. This begins to build up tension and creates suspense for the audience as stereo typically at the end of the music, something usually jumps out or happens.So the audience will fear for the protagonist as they will wonder what is going to happen when the eerie music ends.

Another sound used is not a stereotypical sound used within the thriller genre. Church bells are used when the masked antagonist reaches the top of the stairs, this sound is both diegetic as the characters within the scene can hear this however is also tied in within the eerie music. Church bells are used to signify a specific time to let people know when the time has reached a new hour. Church bells are at churches, in which churches can be directly linked with funerals. This can then cause worry, tension and concern for the protagonist as this foreshadows her attack and possibly death as her safety is jeopardized.

Along with the conventional sounds listed, another conventional sound is eerie silence. The eerie silence begins to build up tension as it can never stay silent for too long. This also creates suspense and tension as the audience begin to wonder what is going to happen to break the silence and wonder if it will be the screaming and crying of the protagonist, keeping the audience watching on.

Codes and Conventions

The setting in the clip from "Halloween" is conforms to the thriller genre as it is located in an detached, isolated house far away from everyone, which also has a garden surrounding it which appears to not have any fences. This is a convention as you will see all thriller films will have a isolated or trapping setting which makes it difficult for the protagonist to escape, which creates a sense of foreboding and the audience begin to realise the protagonists safety is in jeopardy. 

Another convention used within the sequence is the use of iconography. A knife is clearly shown as it becomes the focal point due to the use of a shallow focus. A knife is a typical weapon used in the thriller genre as it has connotations of blood, death, pain and brutality. The use of the knife creates a sense of foreboding for the protagonist due to these connotations as none of the outcomes are positive.

Another conventions used within "Halloween" is the use of low key lighting. This is used throughout the scene as it creates a gloomy, dark atmosphere. This creates suspense as the vision is slightly impaired in darker vision so it is harder to see what is going on and what is hiding within the darkness. This makes the audience sympathizes for the protagonist as she is not aware of what is about to happen and has less of a chance to defend herself as she has not seen what is coming.

By researching the conventions of the "Halloween" opening thriller sequence this has enabled me to see what is conventional to the thriller genre and to help me enhance the shock, surprise and suspense within my thriller opening.