Source Code

The opening scene of source code is very effective because of the Mise-En Scene, camerawork and music; they all blend together to make an interesting opening which was not dull for one second. The camerawork goes from the general to the specific. The music at the beginning started right from the beginning of the scene, it instantly adds suspense as the film begins. The music reminds the viewer of action which lets the audience know what type of genre it could potentially be. Near the end of the opening scene it is low key lighting because shadows are created on the face of the character. It is set in a train and the actors performs the emotion of confusion well, it is very believable. The explosion at the end makes the viewer excited about what could happen next, the confusion of the character fascinates the audience, why can he not remember who he is or what is happening.

Ghajini

I thought it would interesting to find out how other counties make thrillers and if they involve suspense in the same way American/English films do, therefore I analysed a Hindi film called Ghajini (which is an action thriller). I found the opening scene interesting it starts with a medical student and her friends working on a project about the human brain to an abandoned building with a man getting thrown through the door. The actors performed incredibility and their appearances were done well, one character stood out to me because he had a scar in his head which made me wonder what could of happened to this character and what made him attack the other person. The clothes the characters were wearing looked casual which meant it was in the present not in either the past or future. Lighting is used well to keep the identity a mystery, they used backlighting to create a silhouette and low key lighting for the effect of harsh shadows.

Zodiac

Zodiac begins as a romance because it is of a couple celebrating the fourth of july, however the fun does not last long they drive up to an isolated mountain side and eventually get killed by a suspicious character who's face is not shown (which adds to the mysteriousness). The actors performed excellently they showed emotions of excitement, fear, relaxation to finally panic through body language and facial expressions rather than just be dialogue. It looks to be set in the 1970s in American (around about this time American had a serial killer by the name of "Zodiac Killer" which the film is based around), I can tell this by the hairstyle and the clothing of the girl in the scene, also by what they were driving. Lighting used in this scene is under-lighting and low key lighting to create shadows to add to the suspense of the moment. This film definitely makes the audience want to continue watching since the opening makes the viewer intrigued to what might happen next.

No Country For Old Men

In this film the scene goes from isolation to the excitement of death. This makes the audience want to continue watching the film because they are in a sense of wonder why the actor killed the people, what made him do it and what is the full story. The actor within the scene is calculated, collected and calm, he uses unusual methods of killing his victims, one with handcuffs and the other with an oxygen chamber.

A History of Violence

The first film which I watched was "A History of Violence" this film built suspense gradually which made the audience want to continue watching the rest of the film. The clothing of the actors were casual which went with their emotions, one was wearing black leather which made him seem superior than the other and also symbolizes death. The actors are calm and collected which gives the audience false hope, the scene with the little girl the man calmly says "shhh" and then suddenly shoots her which makes the opening exciting. There are two types of lighting used, natural and dim.

Analyzing Modern Thriller Openings

In my media lesson we have been analyzing the opening of thrillers, I have analyzed mise-en scene (what is in the frame) and used the acronym C.L.A.M.P.S which stands for:

Costume (Casual, traditional, celebrating clothes)

Lighting (Back-lighting, under lighting and top lighting)

Actors (Their performances including facial expressions, are they convincing)  

Make-up (Normal, highlights specific features of the face, dramatic)

Props (What were the props? Did they add to the scene?)

Setting (Where was the scene set? Did the setting add to the scene?)

The three films which I watched and analyzed in detail were "A History of Violence" "No Country for Old Men" and "Zodiac". These three films had one thing in common which was suspense, they gave the audience a false case of insurance. 

Sound

For my thriller I am going to include this childhood nursery rhyme called "Ring Around the Rosy". The mood I am trying to portray is fear, if I succeed in my goal then the audience will feel empathy for the characters within my thriller. The sound will be parallel because the image will relate to the sound and my idea of children at a park, however when the song ends you may get a lil SHOCK!