Conventions of a thriller opening.
There are a few recurring elements or themes in a
film that are typical of the thriller genre. These include; violence, crime,
drug use and tension. These themes are conveyed to the viewer through the use
of camera, sound, editing and mise en scene.
Another key point to mention about films falling
under the thriller genre is the recurring use of juxtaposition, this means the
inclusion of extraordinary events in ordinary circumstances and is something
that is a common convention in a movie under the thriller genre.
The opening to a thriller film is what we
are planning on doing for our coursework, and to make our film more believable
and true to the constraints of the genre I have decided to analyse
the openings of two thriller openings.
Die Hard 4.0 is a typical action
thriller, its opening introduces the viewer to the typical elements of a
thriller. Initially the main character, played by Bruce Willis is a way of
displaying the general conventions of a thriller to the audience; the clothes
and props used and worn by Willis in the opening sequence of this thriller are
typical of the genre and make it clear to the viewer the type of film it is.
The open scene shows Willis using a police badge and wearing typical masculine clothing,
jeans and white t-shirt. The use of the police badge shows the involvement of
the theme of crime in the film - making it typical of the genre.
The lighting and setting of this scene is
also typical of the genre, the lighting in the dingy apartment is low-key,
giving the scene a dark and depressing feel. This is a typical thriller
setting, the underground or slightly derelict scenes or setting.
The comparison that the audience
automatically makes between the protagonist – Willis and the inhabitant of the
flat is another aspect of the thriller genre, and more specifically the action
thriller genre, the sidekick character. This situation is typical and is more
stereotypical because of the differences in stature between tall, rugged
looking Willis and the thin and short sidekick character make this situation of
sidekick and hero more clear to the audience.
The props used by the skinny character in
this opening scene are also typical of the genre, the inclusion of the
computers and the images shown on the computer screens make it obvious to the
viewer that he is a computer hacker and the theme of cyber terrorism is one
that occurs in many thrillers and is again something typical of the genre.
These individual elements of a thriller
film, all occurring in the opening sequence are no doubt included to help the
film to fit into certain stereotypes and to fit certain expectations of a film
falling into that category of action thriller.
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