5 Thriller Openings By James

SEVEN

What enigma codes are constructed from the opening?

• Why does the Morgan freeman character live alone?
• Why does the Brad Pitt character fight to get the job with Morgan Freeman's character?
• Why does the Morgan freeman character carry a knife as opposed to a gun?
• Why does the Morgan freeman character start the metronome before he goes to sleep?
• Restricted narration is created in this piece when the Morgan Freeman character goes to the murder he looks at the body yet it is hidden from view and we cannot see a lot. this has been achieved by partial framing of the door.
• We find out in the beginning scene that Morgan Freeman is always very precise in his actions, and he asks many questions, this appears to make him rather unloved by the other policemen. however it doesn't particularly effect his abilities.
• The Brad Pitt character is more layed back and naive he is a much more modern type of detective and he is very different to Morgan freeman's character.

• The Mise en scene in this piece seem relatively normal, until we arrive at the scene of the crime. we then see blood and a brutal murder this is very shocking to the audience.

ASSASSINS

What enigma codes are created from the beginning of the film?

• Why is there two men in suits exchanging briefcases of money?
• why did the man in the white suit get shot?
• why did the man shoot for the heart not the head?
• why did he shoot the man in broad daylight?

• Restricted narration is achieved by use of alot of close up shots and we can hear the little girl singing off of screen. when the assassin is setting up his sniper rifle we can only see a P.O.V shot and we never see his face. we don't see the face of the guy in white until he looks up as the assassin shoots.

• We automatically see that the assassin is a perfectionist as he is very precise in the way he sets out his gear. everything has its own place and it is all concealed around his body then produced, assembled and placed in its correct position very quickly. also when he lines up to tke the killing shot there is no hesitation and it is sighted quickly.

• we can see that the man in white is an older gentleman and he is quite relaxed and at home considering he has a large amount of money in his briefcase. when he looks up we see that he is quite shocked to see the gun pointing at him yet he does not scream or shout this makes us see that maybe he has a trick up his sleeve and he is experienced at the kin of work that is going on.

•  Mise en scene in this opening is very typical of the thriller genre. weaponry and money is displayed here. while costume is quite sophisticated almost James Bond like. The location is definitely foreign as it has the feel of a paradise location which is immediately shattered by the brutal killing.

MEMENTO

What enigma codes are constructed from the opening?

• Why is the man shooting the other man?
• why is he taking a photo?
• why is the sequence playing in reverse?
• why is it in colour one minute then black and white the next?
• Restricted narration in this opening is created by the use of close ups being the mane shot in the beginning this means we struggle to see what is happening.
• We don't see the guy who gets shot face although we know it is a man we don't know why he is being shot or why he is kneeling.
• We can see that Leonard played by Guy Pearce is well dressed although slightly haggard looking. He has blood on his face and we don't know why. he does not hesitate when it comes to shooting teddy and therefore we know either he doesn't care that he is killing people or that he has done it before.
• We don't get to know teddy at all as we only see the back of his head however he is sweating a lot as if he knows what is going to happen and also he is not as well dressed.

• The mise en scene in this piece is very dark. It is set in a bathroom this is quite a confined space combined with the close ups making this a claustrophobic scene. there is a gun in this scene and it is used to shoot Teddy. However the most shocking and confusing technique is editing the scene is reversed. this creates suspense and confusion in the audience. 

THE BONE COLLECTOR

What enigma codes are created by the opening of this film?

• why is the doll hanging?
• why is everybody there?
• Who is he?
• Why are they in the tunnel?
• why is it him who is both the csi guy and the victim?
• why did he wake in hospital?
• how did the body get to where it is?
• who dropped the block on him?
• Restricted narration in this film is created through the use of low key lighting which makes it hard to see. also we hear alot of voices of screen because we are not focusing on the area but only him. he is in a tight enclosed space and we are only seeing a close up. Like Memento this makes the scene claustrophobic.
• We can see that he is a well distinguished man he is the author of several books and he is a decorated policeman. we see that he is well liked among his colleges as they all great him and follow him. this may be because he is a man who has recieved great success at work and earnt the loyalty of his men. 

• we also see that he is willing to go trough things most people would not usually do at work when he forces himself under all of that concrete to get to the body where he could of assigned someone else to do it. 

In conclusion I see that most thrillers start with a murder. This is done to entice the audience into watching. Restricted Narration is paramount to keeping the audience interested and guessing. as to what will happen next. Costume is a way for audiences to see who is the "goodie and badies" (binary opposition). However as it is thriller this is not always what you would expect. Props are also used to create enigma and fear in the audience. I feel that for our piece originality whilst still keeping some typical thriller conventions is the best way to proceed. I also feel time manipulation like in Memento could be a clever thing to do.