I researched two thriller openings to find out what they are like and what is usually included in them so that I have some ideas to use in my video. The thrillers I watched were Smokin’ Aces and The Dark Knight.
Smokin’ Aces
Mise en Scene:
The scene starts outside in a street at night and it is dark with little visible lighting. There are a few cars and a large van parked in the street with buildings lining the pavement.
The scene starts outside in a street at night and it is dark with little visible lighting. There are a few cars and a large van parked in the street with buildings lining the pavement.
Next we see inside of what is assumed to be the van, with one character sat facing towards the camera and another just off screen. In the background are computers and screens that seem complicated and suggest that the characters are spying or watching someone, and are members of law enforcement. There are food wrappers and drink containers scattered around the place which makes it seem messy, yet more realistic as it shows that the characters have been eating.
Next is a shot from outside the van looking through trees into a house. This adds to the impression that someone is being watched. The house is large, perhaps a mansion and is full of chandeliers and protected by wrought iron gates. This insinuates that the place is owned by someone rich.
Sound:
During the opening sequence, there is a lot of talking between the two characters. They insult each other jokingly and talk about seemingly random things, but once the man in the house uses a phone they go silent, as well as telling anyone who is on their walkie-talkie frequency to be quite. We then hear a phone conversation from the man in the house.
During the opening sequence, there is a lot of talking between the two characters. They insult each other jokingly and talk about seemingly random things, but once the man in the house uses a phone they go silent, as well as telling anyone who is on their walkie-talkie frequency to be quite. We then hear a phone conversation from the man in the house.
During the sequence, there is some diegetic sound like the crunching of wrappers and the sounds of machines and movement when the camera is in the van.
The final piece of sound is a small conversation between the two characters in the van who realise that a man is being targeted by bounty hunters. As they realise this a small amount of background music starts to fade in which adds to the tension and drama.
Editing:
The editing starts off slowly, with extremely long takes before a cut. As the sequence goes on, more and more cuts are used. This makes the beginning look boring as though nothing is happening, but it gradually changes into something exciting as the characters realise what is happening. Straight cuts are used to make it simple and to the point.
The editing starts off slowly, with extremely long takes before a cut. As the sequence goes on, more and more cuts are used. This makes the beginning look boring as though nothing is happening, but it gradually changes into something exciting as the characters realise what is happening. Straight cuts are used to make it simple and to the point.
The beginning of the sequence starts with a black screen with small white writing at the bottom, giving a rough overview of what the film will be about.
Camera:
The scene starts with a tracking shot of the road, with the camera moving from right to left slowly. This makes the scene seem quite spooky and is as though something is happening that needs to be kept quiet. There are then a mixture of zooms and close ups used to add some drama to the scene once the characters realise what is happening.
The scene starts with a tracking shot of the road, with the camera moving from right to left slowly. This makes the scene seem quite spooky and is as though something is happening that needs to be kept quiet. There are then a mixture of zooms and close ups used to add some drama to the scene once the characters realise what is happening.
The Dark Knight
Mise en Scene:
The opening sequence starts by showing a huge city with lots of sky scrapers. We then see a window blown out of one of the skyscrapers and a zip line goes across to a lower down roof of another skyscraper. In the next shot we see the city at ground level with cars going past on the roads and people walking past. The final location is inside a bank, which contains some citizens and computers in a huge room, with a vault at the back that contains lots of money. This arouses the audience suspicions as they wonder why the bank is being attacked by a bunch of clowns, and makes them want to watch to find out more.
The opening sequence starts by showing a huge city with lots of sky scrapers. We then see a window blown out of one of the skyscrapers and a zip line goes across to a lower down roof of another skyscraper. In the next shot we see the city at ground level with cars going past on the roads and people walking past. The final location is inside a bank, which contains some citizens and computers in a huge room, with a vault at the back that contains lots of money. This arouses the audience suspicions as they wonder why the bank is being attacked by a bunch of clowns, and makes them want to watch to find out more.
Sound:
The sound used is all diegetic, and includes gun shots and footsteps that echo when the characters are in the bank. The voices of the clowns are slightly muffled, as would be expected as they are wearing masks, while the voices of the people in the bank are panicked and clear. This creates a contrast between the two and makes the audience wonder who the clowns are.
The sound used is all diegetic, and includes gun shots and footsteps that echo when the characters are in the bank. The voices of the clowns are slightly muffled, as would be expected as they are wearing masks, while the voices of the people in the bank are panicked and clear. This creates a contrast between the two and makes the audience wonder who the clowns are.
Editing:
The editing used is all straight cuts between each shot, with gunshot flashes added in to add effects. This makes the action seem faster and creates more drama and adds to the audience wanting to keep watching.
The editing used is all straight cuts between each shot, with gunshot flashes added in to add effects. This makes the action seem faster and creates more drama and adds to the audience wanting to keep watching.
Camera:
The camera techniques used vary in the sequences. It starts with a high angle shot showing the huge city and they goes into a tracking shot that follows the two clowns go along the zip line. We then see a close up when on the streets and then once in the bank a variety of zooms, pans and close ups are used to show what the characters are doing.
The camera techniques used vary in the sequences. It starts with a high angle shot showing the huge city and they goes into a tracking shot that follows the two clowns go along the zip line. We then see a close up when on the streets and then once in the bank a variety of zooms, pans and close ups are used to show what the characters are doing.
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