Sophie - Opening Sequence Research
- 1. Media Research- Teen Thriller l BY SOPHIE JONES
- 2. TWILIGHT- Breaking Dawn Part 2
- 3. Genre Conventions The films opens with the words ‘Summit entertainment’ with the mountain logo in the back. This shows who the production owners are and the titles and credits come shortly after. An over head tracking shot is being used at this point as the camera moves quickly above the forest. This builds tension as it leaves the audience feeling tense as they are wondering where they are going. It is essential to build tension at the very start of a thriller film as it grips the audiences attention making them want to carry on watching the film.
- 4. Genre conventions An establishing shot is used as the film title appears on the screen. This shows a landscape of hills, trees and the sunset. The setting looks quite dark and mysterious which appeals to teens and makes it more like a thriller. The title of the film fades on in front of the long shot and then turns from red to white. The colour red could signify death or love which are two popular themes in thrillers.
- 5. Genre Conventions An extreme close up shot of an eye is then shown. This makes the film seem a bit weird and unusual. This is done to grab the target audience attention (teens). The fact that the eye is red is very unusual too as eyes are usually green, brown or blue. This could have been done to represent danger which is also a key theme in thrillers.
- 6. Genre Conventions The extreme close up then suddenly changes and zooms out to show both eyes (a close up shot). It’s clear that the person being shown is a young pretty girl so the audience automatically assume that she will be a main character in this film. The fact that she is young may grip the target audiences attention as they are teenagers aswell.
- 7. Genre Conventions Shallow focus is then used when the close up of the hand is shown. All the attention is on the hand as the trees in the background have been totally blurred out. This has been done to attract attention to the ring on the finger. Once again, this leaves the audience wanting to know the story behind this all and it makes the film seem mysterious (like most thrillers do).
- 8. Genre Conventions A close up shot is then used to show the characters relationship with eachother. The audience assumes that these people are together and in love. They are young so teenagers would be able to relate to this. As there is a man and a woman, this could be stereotypical to thrillers as its usually the woman getting in trouble and the man then saving her.
- 9. Genre Conventions In this over shoulder shot, the characters look concerned about something which may mean there is a problem that needs to be sorted out. There always seems to be a problem in thrillers and the main characters are the ones who are mostly involved and seem to get hurt.
- 10. Genre Conventions In this over the shoulder shot, it shows the reflection of the two main characters. This confuses the audience and builds tension. The audience want to know whats going on as it's weird that we can see the back of the characters as well as their reflection in the mirror. It makes the opening seem more mysterious which grabs attention and causes the audience to carry on watching it.
- 11. Genre Conventions In this over-head tracking shot of a forest with many trees, the audience feels as if they are flying over it in a helicopter. This builds tension because it makes the audience wonder where they are going. This is conventional to thrillers because it keeps the audience guessing as to what is going to happen. This could link with the theme of the film as it's supernatural.
- 12. WARM BODIES
- 13. √ Opening/Genre Conventions The film opens with the 'Summit Entertainment' logo and the titles then appear on the screen afterwards. This shows the production company's that were involved with making the film. It gives the audience a bit of information about the film. The background behind the logos look very mysterious and creepy which is stereotypical for thriller films.
- 14. l Opening/Genre Conventions l During the opening sequence, the title of the film appears on the screen. The fact that it is in a bright orange colour, it stand out to the audience more. Also, its in a strange font which may signify how the film is a bit unusual and weird. It fades in the screen with a magic type of dust then fades out again as it's squashed. This could signify drops of blood which can be linked to thriller films as there is often violence and fights.
- 15. Genre/opening conventions This shot shows the first close up of the character and is shown straight after the opening titles have finished. The fact that he is the first character to be shown may suggest that he is one of the main characters. His facial expressions look dull and miserable. His lips are blue when usually they should be a pink colour so this is mysterious and makes him appear to be weird and different.This attracts the audience's attention as they can tell that something is not right which makes them wanting to watch more and find out whats wrong with him.
- 16. Genre conventions Then, there is a mid-long shot of an older aged man also looking very dull holding a mop. The fact that he has the same expression as the younger man may suggest that they're both miserable for the same reason and can relate to each other with whatever situation they are in. By now, the voiceover has already told the audience that all these people are dead to help them understand what is going on and makes the audience wonder why they are all walking about. The use of dull, gloomy, dark colours are very conventional to thrillers because it makes the setting seem intense and builds lots of tension.
- 17. Genr e conventions The camera then cuts to a short scene with an old man and it's clear to the audience that is a flashback. The use of brown colour on the screen and a thick black outline around the edges suggests that it was quite a while ago. Also, the man is holding a mop just like the previous screenshot which shows a link between the setting and what the characters are doing. This is a genre convention in thrillers as the editing techniques used (continuity editing, jump-cuts, fades etc...) are effective as they build tension and leave the audience with unanswered questions.
- 18. Genre conventions In this shot, many different images appear on the screen each one fading into the other. A superimposition is used whilst there is a voice over. The word on the screen is in a big bold black font which stands out and attracts attention. The colour black is very popular in thrillers as it's very dark and dull. The image in the background of two people in protective suits may imply that they need to be protected by something (e.g. a disease). This may be the reason why everyone is dead. The superimposition builds up suspense even more as the screen becomes over powered by the different images. Also, the fact that they are all behind the main character could suggest that they are watching over him or hovering behind him. This creates a tense atmosphere and leaves the audience feeling worried.
- 19. Gen re conventions This is a point of view shot showing weird skeleton creatures looking straight into the camera as the main character is in that position. It signifies danger and violence as they look as if they are going to approach the character. This starts to make the audience understand whats going on as they can associate these creatures with being the bad guys. The setting is conventional to thrillers as it looks dark and scary which creates a tense atmosphere.
- 20. Genre conventions Shot reverse is then used between the main character and two young children. They do not say anything but just look at each other straight in their eyes which creates a mysterious vibe between them. It's like there is a connection between them which gives a sense of hope to the main character and reassures him that he is not the only one in the situation. There is non digetic sound (soft music) being played in the background which can be related to how the character is feeling now.
- 21. Opening/Genre conventions This opening sequence ends with an establishing/ high angle shot of an airport with the main character walking towards the plane. This is a conventional shot for a thriller film as it makes the audience interested in what is going on. By showing a plane, the audience assume that the main character is going somewhere to do something that will eventually lead into the main plot.
- 22. ADULTHOOD
- 23. Opening conventions The opening sequence starts by showing that the film is a 'UK film' which may be important to some viewers as they could be interested in that. The black background makes the white bold writing stand out.
- 24. Genre conventions A close up shot is used again in this scene which shows a man in a car who's windows have just been smashed by a teenage boy. This is once again an example of violent behaviour which typically is shown in thriller movies. The fact that the man is looking away at this point may have been done to mock the older generation to prove a point that teenagers are more clever and can get away with more. The dark colours represent danger and makes the audience feel scared and worried.
- 25. Genre conventions A mid-long shot is then used to show a gang of teenagers standing in a group. This makes them seem very intimidating to the audience as they don't look happy and have dull expressions on their faces. No one seems to be happy which may suggest that they are angry about something and are ready to fight/argue. Violence is a convention of thriller films as problems are always dealt with by fighting.
- 26. Genre conventions This close up shot shows two teenagers smoking and it appears to be night time. This is conventional to teen thrillers as smoking is a stereotype of what rebellious teenagers do so many teenagers will be able to relate to it. The fact that it seems to be at night may signify that these teenagers are out to cause trouble without getting caught as not many people will be out to stop them.
- 27. Genre conventions In this shot, we see two teenage boys and one of them is holding a gun. The fact that there are guns involved signifies danger and violence. The background looks dark and rough which makes the audience feel tense as they think something bad is going to happen and is conventional to thriller films.
- 28. Genre conventions There is then a tracking shot which follows a teenager and a police man. The fact that a police man is in the scene suggest that the teenager is in trouble for doing something bad. Both characters don't look happy here which must mean that there is some sort of problem that needs to be resolved.
- 29. Genre conventions In this mid-long shot, the main character appears to be facing away from the camera. This suggest that he is going somewhere and is on a mission to find something/ someone. As it is day time, the character seems to be covered up as if he doesn't want people to see him or know who he is. This could be because he doesn't want to get caught for something that he might have done. This is conventional in thrillers as someone is always on a mission to either find someone or get away from someone.
- 30. Genre conventions This shot shows a group of black teenagers on the bus. People on the bus may feel quite intimidated by there being such a big group. They all look as if they're going somewhere to do something bad which is a typical stereotype of what most older people think about teenagers. This could also be conventional to thrillers too as there are always trouble makers in thriller films.
- 31. Genre conventions This mid-long shot shows one of the main characters by the door of someones home. We don't know who's house it us but we automatically assume that this boy is going to do something bad as he isn't a nice character in this film. The area looks very run down and rough which may be why the teenagers are bad and cause trouble.
- 32. l OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
- 33. Opening/ Genre conventions An over-head tracking shot is then used showing a forest with many tree's that are covered in snow. This gives the audience the impression that they are travelling somewhere and its effective as it builds suspense and makes them want to continue watching the film.This is a thriller convention because it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering what is going to happen next.
- 34. Opening/ Genre conventions This films opens with the Millennium logo and the titles which list the production company credits. There is a black background which makes the lighter coloured writing stand out to the audience.
- 35. Opening/ Genre conventions There is a fade in of the titles before all of the action starts. Once again, the background is black which makes the words stand out. A variety of different colours are used on the title which is unusual and different just like thrillers are. The audience can see the American flag waving behind the title which includes the colour red.This could signify anger, danger and blood which are all related to thrillers. The font used is very bold and it makes it seem more threatening. This is conventional to thrillers.
- 36. Genre conventions Next, there is an establishing shot of a street. A large cabin is shown with many lights and is the centre of attention. The setting looks very dark and gloomy as it's night time which makes the audience think that something bad is going to happen. This is conventional in thrillers as most of the action/violence happens at night time. However, as the cabin is the only thing lit up, it makes it seem mysterious and scary in some ways. The contrast of colours are conventional to thrillers are it builds tension and makes the audience feel tense.
- 37. Genre conventions Then, a birds eye view shot of two men fighting in a boxing ring is shown. Boxing is a violent sport which involves contact with both people and this is conventional to thrillers because there is often physical contact with the characters. The outside of the room is dark making the audience focus on the to men. This creates tension and make the audience feel quite uneasy and afraid.
- 38. Genre conventions This shot shows a car that has just crashed and it's the first main action in this film. A worms eye view shot of the limo is used to create a sense of fear and makes the audience feel worried about what has just happened. This crash is quite tragic and is life threatening for the main character. This is a thriller convention as the audience feel worried and scared about the situation.
- 39. Genre conventions A mid-long shot is then used to show the presidents facial expression. We can see his pain and fear as his mouth and eyes are both wide open. The audience doesn't know what he is looking at but can tell that it's not good.This builds up tension and keeps the audience interested in the film.
- 40. Opening/Genre conventions The very last shot of action that is shown in the opening sequence is a birds eye view shot. It is also seems very gloomy and dark colours are used to portray this. This is conventional to thriller films as bright colours wouldn't suit this genre. The next shot has '18 months later' which clearly shows a change in time.By doing this, the audience assume that things have changed as time has gone by. This is conventional to opening sequences as it builds tension leaving the audience feel gripped to the film as want to know what happens next.