Useful techniques used in thriller openings

The use of an extreme close up in this shot creates a panicked atmosphere whilst introducing the audience to who we expect is the main character.






This shot is very interesting as we see the character entering and exiting the shot which shows the audience that she is a lead character.

This shot uses overlaying to create a blurred effect, this suggests that this scene may be a memory or a figment of the characters imagination, this also gives us a hectic and rushed atmosphere.

In this shot the characters head is cut out and the focus is on the characters hand which leads the audience to believe that what is in her hand is important, it also create suspense the audience becomes curious as to what is in her hand.

In the scene the audience become aware of what is in the characters hands (a key). The close up shot of the key gives us the impression that the key is important to the plot.

The Usual Suspects analysis

In the the opening scene of "The Usual Suspects", the audience first see darkness which gives us a sense of mystery. This darkness is directly contrasted by a match being lit and we are then introduced to the first character, who is smoking. The next cut we see is a panning shot of a gas can dripping. This gives the audience the impression of danger.

When the first character drops his lighter to allow the fire to spread, we are introduced to the second character who appears to be an antagonist as he puts out the fire with his urine, this leads the audience to believe that he is destroying hope. The camera then pans upwards to reveal his silhouette within the shadows, This leads us to believe that he is a mysterious character with an unknown identity. Whilst the second character walks toward the first character, the camera only tracks his feet leaving the antagonist to remain faceless adding to his obscurity. A low camera angle is used to show the antagonist (however hi face is still not shown) which makes him seem powerful, this is contrasted with the high camera angle used to show the first character, this makes him seem inferior to the antagonist.

After the first character and the antagonist finish talking, the antagonist raises gun gun in  the characters direction, leaving the audience in suspense, it then cuts to a long shot of the boat that the characters are on, and the audience hear a gun shot without seeing anything. The audience then see the antagonist setting the boat on fire and leaving the scene which leaves the audience wanting to watch more so that they can discover the background of the scene.

Conventions of Thrillers

Sixth sense

This title sequence has some of the generic conventions of a thriller, for example; the atmosphere is very shadowy and dark, however, the action starts from the very beginning which is different to many other thrillers and the title opening credits start after the action.

Gone girl

This opening has none of the usual conventions of a thriller which is mainly due to the music which seems to be very upbeat and happy, this adds to the mystery of the film, however the film angles used in the film creates mystery as the audience is not shown the face of who appears to be the main character. This is usually a typical feature of a thriller.

La Hain 

The opening of this film is very atyical which is evident from the fact that it starts with a scene of men marching,which is directly followed by an eery silence for a few minutes which creates an air of mystery. The up beat reggae song in the background is also very atypical of a thriller movie and doesn't go with the clips of the riots that play in the opening sequence.

Similarities and differences of Bourne Ultimatum and The Usual Suspects

One difference between these two opening sequences is the fact that in Bourne Ultimatum  the camera shots are hand held which creates a hectic atmosphere and emphasises the fact that the character is being rushed or is in an uncomfortable situation. However, the opening sequence for The Usual Suspects use more static shots to show that both character were calm, although low cameras were used on the second character to show that he is the authority figure, this was also emphasised from the fact that the first character was looking                      

up at the second character. In this particular shot from The Usual Suspects, the second character appears to obstruct the shot even though the camera is focused on the first character. This shows the second characters dominance.




In the opening sequence of Bourne Ultimatum, the first character constantly has flash-backs which appear blurred and suggest that the characters memories are unclear yet very similar to his current situation.

Both of these opening sequences use dark shadows to create mystery. For example, in The Usual Suspects, dark shadows are used to hide the identity of the second character and it also makes him appear in control and important.
In the Bourne Ultimatum, dark shadows are used when the main character is hiding from police. This shows he want to be hidden.