The structure of Thriller Openings

In film, there are three basic structures in the film opening which are shown in the beginning. The film opening set the mood and give the audience a little hint of what the film is about. If the film opening is uncaptivating, the audience will get bored and judge the movie based on the opening, and so will not watch the film. The four key film openings are as follows:

A narrative opening with the titles running throughout the film-

The Shining (1980)

A narrative opening establishes where the film is, who the characters are and little bits of the story before the movie title is revealed. This is so the audience can 'digest' what the film is about just from the opening. In The Shining, the titles move up like credits at the end of a film.This is so the continuity of the film doesn't break - it 'flows'. Another ecample is in Panic Room; when the casting sequence comes on, it is placed at different angles and places to suit the shapes of the buildings in the city.

Panic Room (2002)

A discrete title sequence-

Enemy of the State (1998)

 A discrete opening sequence could be described as "nothing to do with the film" - For example in this movie, it has cctv footage of crime commited in America, but they have nothing to do with the film. None of the characters are shown, but the audience have an idea of what the film could be about. A discrete title sequence ia also very heavily edited - this could be from the font or the effects of the film done by computer. Coming on to the casting sequence, it is always shown first, before any of the movie starts. This is to build tension for the audience.

Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening-

Donnie Darko(2001)

 

Credits over a blank screen as the film opening gets straight in to the film. In Donnie Darko, it first starts out with the production and distrubution companies shown infront of a blank screen. Then some of the film is shown and the movie title is revealed. However, in some openings the cast names are shown over a blank screen - in Donnie Darko, none of the cast names are shown.

Stylized Editing-

Mezrine (2008)

Stylized editing contain different types of editing; for example, in Mezrine, the screen is diveded in to two - some of the shots include the actress walking on one side and then on the other side, having the same shot but delayed by a second. Another effect in Mezrine is the camera shots; The male character is walking on one side then on the other side the same man walking and doing the same actions but from a different camera angle. This would catch the audiences attention and keep them entertained with the two screens and/or effects.