Section 2: Research into Examples of Thriller Opening Scenes

Se7en

Narrative Structure
Linear. Personal. Two contrasting storylines. Lots of mystery (books, sanding fingerprints off, mechanical objects).

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Story is personal. Lots of questions are being asked by the viewer ("Whose hands are they?", "What's this person doing?", "Why is that person sanding off their fingerprints?"). Premeditated crime is implied as being part of the main storyline.

Camerawork
Attention is drawn to the hands, fingers, mechanical objects, maps and plans via closeups. Jolty camerawork maintains the unstable nature of the film to represent the villain's mind.

Mise-en-scène
The room is dark and dingy but stylish at the same time. This is a visual effect for which the director, David Fincher, is renowned. Lighting and footage are manipulated to achieve this almost-colourless and cold effect. Cluttered objects on the table are seen but are not implied to be important to the film in any way; they are simply there to represent the killer's mind, which we can assume is cluttered and filled with junk.

Sound
The opening song, Nine Inch Nails' Closer (remixed), is a song about getting "closer to God" through physical interaction. We can assume this was used to symbolise the physical interactions the killer has with his victims, as he believes he is doing a good deed and cleansing the Earth of scum.

Editing
Fast editing maintains the jolting nature of the film to represent mental instability.

Graphics
The titles are big (important), white (good) and against a dark background (evil). They flicker a lot (mental instability).

Psycho

Narrative Structure
Linear. Personal.

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Story is personal. There is a pretty girl (stereotype). Lots of questions are being asked by the viewer ("What is happening?", "Who's this woman?", "Why are we being shown this?"). Mental instability and murder are part of the main storyline.

Camerawork
Jerky movement to represent mental instability.

Mise-en-scène
Suburban setting.

Sound
Legendary theme music is used to build suspense and strike fear into the viewer whilst preparing them for something worse.

Editing
Smooth editing; not too quick or long. Keeps the pace right.

Graphics
Black background (evil), white titles (good), huge font (important).

Red Eye

Narrative Structure
Linear. Personal. Begins in a domestic setting, soon intercut with contrasting storyline. Lots of mystery (girl, fish, wallet).

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Story is personal. There is a pretty girl (stereotype). Lots of questions are being asked by the viewer ("What is this building?", "Who's looking at these people?", "What are these blueprints for?"). Money and corruption are implied as being part of the main storyline.

Camerawork
Attention is drawn to the wallet at the start via a zoom. A closeup is used on a box. At one point a panning shot is jerky, but one must assume this apparent mistake is intentional as the film is directed by Wes Craven, an established master of this genre. A low-angle shot of a building makes viewers wonder if this building is the one seen in the blueprints beforehand.

Mise-en-scène
Photographs of loved ones, including children graduating. Wallet on the table is snatched away hastily by a hand, the owner of which is unknown. Contrasting storyline shows an apparent seafood company's employees unloading crates of fish. Crates have a stamp on them ("Inspector-approved"). Location is shown to be Florida via more information on the crates.

Sound
Sound of airplane at start of film - "red eye" flights depart late at night and the film starts at night-time. The music is paced perfectly, works with the airplane sound and changes when the film swaps between storyline. Domestic but creepy noises: door creaks, wind, etc. The music and visuals both end at the same time.

Editing
Smooth editing; not too quick or long. Keeps the pace right.

Graphics
The titles fly away like planes. They are big (important), white (good) and against a black background (evil). The main title is huge (very important) and red (Red Eye).

State of Play

Narrative Structure
Linear. Begins with a man fleeing from something or someone, creating mystery. Equilibrium - destruction - resolution. Mini-cliffhanger.

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Chase scene, gunshots and apparent assassins are shown, all in the opening sequence. Questions being asked by viewer ("What's in the briefcase?", "Why has the hitman already got the case when the pursuer is usually after something?", "Has the black guy seen something he shouldn't have seen?").

Camerawork
An establishing shot is used to show us that the story takes place in Washington DC. This backs up the claim that the film is a Political Thriller. A closeup on the fleeing man shows fear. No two-shots yet (impersonal, strangers). White supremacy (black man being killed by white). Point-of-view shot (focuses on briefcase and then corpse). Pizza delivery boy survives being shot (mini-cliffhanger).

Mise-en-scène
Dark lighting and costumes convey the scene's mood. The briefcase conveys importance. The story takes place in Washington DC, backing the film's status as a Political Thriller. Scared man running conveys fear for life. Traditional political city (bright buildings, contrast to dark night). Black man has horrible teeth (drugs, crime, poor, maybe from slums). Group of people save pizza delivery boy's life (democracy).

Sound
Sounds of the city (cars, chatter, footsteps). Man panting whilst fleeing (weakness, close to death). Music (escalates tension and suspense, drums foreshadow violence). Silencer on gun (hitman, professional). Symbol of innocence dying (bicycle falling over, thunder loudens to signal climax).

Editing
Fast editing (conveys pace of scene). Starts slow, speeds up, builds suspense.

Graphics
Titles are red, white and blue (American patriotism) and against a black background (good vs. evil, light vs. dark). Blue (cold, dead, merciless).

Strangers on a Train

Narrative Structure
Linear. Two strangers meet, talk about life. One reveals his plan for the perfect murder, but the men then part ways. Train tracks (criss-cross, life paths collide). One person (purposeful walk) lose masculinity (other walk normal). Unusual shoes (unusual person). Feet bang together (connected).

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Sound begins in dramatic way, suddenly turns happy. Main plot focuses on murder. Questions being asked by viewer ("Why is the strange man so pushy?", "Why are we only seeing shoes at the beginning?", "Are they going to carry out the perfect murder?").

Camerawork
Low-level shots (no faces, strangers). Shot-reverse-shot (characters assessing each other).

Mise-en-scène
Train station, old taxi (strangers, anonymity). Shoes (distinctive, two people). Feet (travel). People look respectful, unconventional for murderers to look as such. Trains (inescapable fate).

Sound
Orchestral music (grand, theatre-like). Sudden change to happy music (Tom and Jerry-like). Sudden change to epic music (distinguishes characters' separate personalities). Sudden change to dramatic music (surprise).

Editing
Cross-cutting. Almost looks as if the two main characters are walking towards each other, and therefore their fate / destiny. Speeds up as they get closer.

Graphics
White and black (good vs. evil, light vs. dark). Titles against action, not just solid colour. Lots of fonts, massive size, classy.

American Psycho

Narrative Structure
Linear. Personal.

Thriller Codes and Conventions
Story is personal. Lots of questions are being asked by the viewer ("What's going on?", "Why is this man suddenly turning violent?", "Why has no-one noticed this man's sporadic violent remarks and actions?"). Money, vanity, mental instability and corruption are part of the storyline.

Camerawork
Extremely smooth camerawork lulls the viewer into a false sense of security; one would expect a film with the word "psycho" in the title to be jumpy and violent, eg. Hitchcock's Psycho (the main killer American Psycho is a reworking of Psycho's killer), but this is the opposite. We can assume that the camerawork represents the main character's state of mind, as he is a calm and very well-presented citizen most of the time, but sporadically turns into a violent killer. The calm camerawork may represent the calm before the storm.

Mise-en-scène
White tablecloths and very well-presented customers also lull the viewer into a false sense of security; again, one would expect this film's title to indicate violence, but this is also reversed. The colour white is pure and good. We can again assume that the main character's state of mind is represented here, as the white colour is pure, but the main character's purity is tarred.

Sound
Calm, sophisticated music lulls the viewer into a false sense of security again. One would expect this film to contain senseless violence right from the beginning, but this stereotype is also reversed. We can once again assume that the main character's state of mind is represented here through the "calm before the storm".

Editing
Smooth editing; not too quick or long. Keeps the pace right.

Graphics
The titles are very calm. These also lull the viewer into a false sense of security; again, one would expect this film's title to indicate violence, but this is also reversed. The franticness one would expect from a film like this - possibly with jumpy titles like Se7en - is not present.