Happy Easter!

Thought it would be a good idea to actually upload some of the thriller work I've done!!! Ive uploaded footage from youtube of the opening to 4 films. Psycho, Memento and two of my favourite films Fight Club (which I'm currently watching!) and Se7en. I also studied The Usual Suspects but couldn't find any clips of the opening scene for me to upload.


Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock



I cant decide whether I like or dislike this opening. The titles I think are both simple and complex. Created by Saul Bass, they certainly are memorable titles. The broken feel you get when watching the titles as they become disfigured as initially the words are concealed and then become pieced together. The music is very dominating within this sequence. Strong orchestral music with staccato notes really engage the audience as it is so impacting. If i were to take inspiration from the opening of this film it would be from the music. I like the fast paced rhythm the music has but it is still within the thriller genre and doesn't slip into an action/adventure style piece of music due the tone and notes of the music keeping that eerie yet on the edge of your seat feeling.


Memento - Christopher Nolan


Personally I think this is one of the most successful opening sequences to a thriller film for engaging the audience and fulfil the expected conventions of a thriller. All elements from music to mise-en-scene follow a thriller style. My favourite thing about this film opening is the narrative structure, as we see the polaroid picture become increasingly blurrier and less visible, the audience catch on to the fact that the film is being portrayed in reverse. I really like this idea and we are hoping to combine a similar sort of cross cutting technique within our film as it makes the audience quite confused yet desperate to work out what is actually happening.


Fight Club - David Fincher



The way the David Fincher has chosen to begin the film is very different to his other works such as se7en as the elements used within it do suggest that it is a action/adventure movie with its fast paced 'rock' music supporting the title as well as the vast amounts of cgi used. However the audience concealment is used as the camera appears to be zooming out from the cgi created 'particles' gradually getting faster and faster revealing a character with a gun pointing at him, throwing the audience straight into the plot of the film. the opening to this film has lots of energy created by the fast titles, fast music, fast action on screen and the way the audience are instantly faced with a dilemma. I like the impact this style creates on the audience as it takes a different approach in order to shock the audience.




Se7en - David Fincher



This is my favourite opening out of all 4 of my clips as i think it successfully fulfil the thriller conventions in the best way. the variety within in music tempo and camera shots form close ups till tilted angled views i think generates enough imagery for the audience to be led into making their own predictions as to what shall happen within the narrative. Audience concealment is a common factor of a thriller genre and it is used well within this film opening, we only see a persons hands and no more within the film, performing a variety of things such as photocopying texts and cutting words out of paper documents. The music is an intriguing element within the sequence as it is quite difficult to determine what it is exactly is being played, a variety of simply odd sound effects on top of a repetitive rhythm creates quite a tense and eerie atmosphere fr the audience.
My favourite thing about the opening to the film is the way the titles have been portrayed. I like how the text flashes in a disorientating way and also how it breaks up the sequence of the film. how it cuts to a separate frame to display the credits and then back to the action. All of my group liked this idea and we hope to use a similar style for our titles especially as our film is based upon a diary so the hand written style of font as scene within the opening to this film would also be appropriate for ours.

ALSO we have decided on the name for our film.......drum roll please.............*attempts to make noise on keyboard!*......

"DIARRO"

Pronounced 'Dee-ar-ro' which means Diary in Latin......(we think!)

The End