analysis of thriller openings

In our lesson we looked at the opening of 4 thriller films. out of the 4 we picked three to analyse, the films I chose were;

• History of violence
• No country for old Men
• Brick

History of violence; When two men attempt to rob a small town diner. 

communication towards audience: During the opening scene, there is blood on the counter of the motel reception area. as this blood is shown, music begins to play which then creates an intense and suspicious atmosphere for the audience. The blood indicates to the audience that something dangerous has happened and with the music playing, this adds a lot more intensity to the scene and will make the audience wonder what had happened and what is going to happen next.

 Whilst the two men are outside, there is an empty chair on the porch of the hotel. Because the chair is empty, this will be able to indicate to the audience that someone is meant to be present at the Motel but because they aren't there to be seen, it will create suspicion and curiosity as the viewers want to know what has happened to this particular person. 

In my opinion, the opening scene communicates well with the audience, it gives off a number of clues for them to be able to work out what is going to happen and what has already happened in the film.

Mise-en-scene: 

For the Mise-en-scene, the main thing that stood out to me was how the characters were dressed. One man is dressed very casual in a white shirt and blue jeans which will indicate he is a regular man and doesn't mean any harm. On the other hand, the other man is dressed in black from head to toe which implies he is a criminal and is up to no good. 

From looking at this image, it implies that the man in the white shirt is the good guy and the man dressed in black is the criminal. The body language of the two men also allows us to tell who is the more confident man and who is the ashamed and distressed man. the Man dressed in black looks laid back and confident as he seems to know what he is doing and the fact he has his hands in his pockets makes him look in control of the situation. On the other hand, the man in the white shirt looks distressed the way he is leaning onto the car, this implies he is worried about what has just happened and is trying to keep calm. 

Sound:

In the background of the opening scene, there is the sound of crickets. This will indicate to the audience that the men are somewhere down South in the country side. It also tells us that if they're in the countryside, they are quiet isolated which will allow them to get away with their crime as there isn't going to be many people around to witness what they are doing. Another sound that we can hear is the radio playing from the car, which is country music. Country music is usually associated with depressing thoughts which indicates to the audience that the two men have done something irreversible and has now put them in a bad position that is going to be tricky to get out of. 

Overall, I think the opening scene was filled with clues as to what has gone on in order for the men to end up where they were and also gives us an idea of what is to come in the film. It is a very silent opening which creates suspicion

No country for old Men: While out hunting, Llewelyn Moss, finds the grisly aftermath of a drug deal. The hunter becomes the hunted when a merciless killer named Chigurh picks up his trail.

Sound: In the opening of this film, it includes a voice-over of a man talking who has a deep southern accent. Because the voice is so deep, it creates suspicion and fear from the audience. The use of the deep voice implies that he has been through a lot and he is worn out from all that he has been through and the audience will want to know why he is in this position. Another sound used in the opening is a diagetic sound when the the cop is being strangled, whilst he is being strangled there is pure silence in the background so all that we can hear is the suffering of the cop. This creates a sympathetic atmosphere as the audience are going to feel upset for the cop as he is helpless and has no way of getting out of the dangerous situation he is in. 

Mise-en-scene: During the start of the opening scene, it shows shots of the countryside and desert where native Americans used to live before the big massacre and the fact this is shot in the middle of nowhere suggests to us that nobody is around to help if there is some kind of danger that goes on. The desert shots also imply that there is isolation and loneliness. 

From this shot we can tell it is very lonely and deserted. there is no sign of life and is very peaceful. Because it is so peaceful, this could imply to the audience that the peace will soon be ruined by an upcoming dangerous event.

camera shots: One camera shot that stood out to me was the tracking shot, the use of the tracking shot manages to build up a tension in the opening and make the audience feel as if they are in the story following the footsteps of the character which means that they are unaware of what is going to happen to them which creates tension and suspicion. 

Overall, the opening to this film contains instant action which in my opinion is not as interesting, I would prefer the opening to be a bit more hidden and contain clues as this would then match the landscape shots as they suggest isolation and loneliness but because the action comes quickly, it doesn't go well with the calm scene that the film begins with.

Brick: After receiving a frantic phone call from his ex-girlfriend, loner Brendan Frye learns that her dead body has been found. To solve her murder himself, he must infiltrate high-school cliques that he previously avoided.

Camera shots: The camera shot used in the opening of this film really created a psychotic effect. The camera zooms in onto the face which shows every detail of him and we are able to see his emotions and his facial expressions which in a way look uncomfortable, upset and confused. 

From this image, we are able to see that he is upset and ashamed. The way he has his hands implies that he is thinking about something which may have been his actions. Also, the close up also suggests some kind of psychotic personality in the man which creates a suspicious and worried atmosphere as the audience don't know what he is capable of doing. Another close up that showed up a lot was the hand close ups; 

The close up of the hands could imply that it was a part of their body that was tied up as hands are the most used body part that helps people get out of that kind of situation. Because the person is now dead, the hand close up emphasizes how worthless her hands are as she couldn't save herself. This creates sympathy from the audience. The hand shot also indicates that all murderers use their hands to kill victims.

Sound; There is use of non diagetic sound in the background which sounds like a cowbell, this gives the opening a western vibe and creates an intense atmosphere for the audience. The sound is very calm and simple but in a way that indicates something bad has just happened. 

Overall, the opening of this film was good. the use of camera shots created suspicion and intensity from the audience. The sound was also able to create an uncomfortable feel as it was very strange and didn't suit the setting of the film.