This graph explores the establishment of various aspects regarding narrative within the openings of multiple thriller films, displaying how effectively each aspect has been developed by how close it is to the outside of the circle. In general, we can see that some of the main focuses for thriller films lie in character, themes, tone and location. However less so in plot and genre. Character and tone are incredibly important in the Thriller genre, as they set the film on course, and give the audience the atmosphere and feelings that they should expect from the entirety of the film, as well as presenting them with, often, the character that will guide them throughout the narrative. Some of these examples focus on themes and tone, such as the disappearance of Alice Creed which creates an incredibly sombre and menacing atmosphere. others focus more on genre and location such as sin city which tries to present itself as a modern take on the classic film noir genre.
Figure 1
One example which focuses on character specifically above other aspects with its opening is se7en, which uses close ups and mise en scene, and the respective connotations of items and colour to allow the audience to build an expectation and an understanding of the personality of the presented character through his surroundings without directly experiencing his personality. An example of this is the shot of our characters possessions before he collects them, with all 3 items lined up with equal spacing between them(figure 1). Just from this we, as an audience, can infer that this character is probably an organised, sensible and theoretical person. Another example of this is the gun which he picks up(figure 1, right hand side), which is carefully laid down on the table in its holster, signifying the potential danger and power that this character holds but more specifically the fact that he isn't a trigger-happy or corrupt power, but rather a controlled, restricted and possibly even reluctant wielder of this power. This method is further developed after our character meets the newcomer and is, in contrast from the first scene him preparing to go to bed as opposed to getting ready for his day ahead. He sets off a metronome in order to help him to get to sleep(figure 2), and immediately we can infer that this character has some sort of psychological unrest, perhaps a dark past or disturbing experience that changed him, the specificity of this is unimportant as we gain a sense of the constant ticking away of the thoughts in his mind metaphorically and already as an audience we are given an insight into his past through the simple use of an object and its connotations.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Differently, The disappearance of Alice Creed's opening chooses to develop the tone and themes over other aspects, it creates an incredibly claustrophobic and menacing atmosphere through the use of close ups followed by various shots in enclosed and tight areas(figure 3). It also uses absolutely no dialogue and only the gestures and eye contact between the two characters as their development. This eye contact and the general composition of many of the shots(rule of thirds, quadrants, symmetry) creates a clear hierarchy, and we infer that the older man holds some authority over the younger character.
An example of the rule of thirds being used to emphasises this characters authority and power
An example of symmetry and metaphorical lighting used to create a menacing atmosphere
This opening also uses various extreme close-ups to emphasise the characters attention to detail and precision in their work, a fact that only contributes to the already building enigma about why these two men are building this room. The close ups often focus on the construction of this room, perhaps symbolic of the two men's orderly and respectful relationship or their professional and formal manor. This attention to the precision of the men's work builds upon the tension and atmosphere established, as by simply first establishing the tone of the film with the repetitive yet slowly building and sinister soundtrack and dull, bleak settings and colours and then presenting the audience with this construction of a room, we can tell that there is clearly some brutal or cruel intention in building this room simply from what we infer given the atmosphere that we have experienced through the last 2 minutes of the film constructed by mainly mise en scene and location, yet also the lack of dialogue which is incredibly unsettling for the audience given that the whole opening contains these two characters consistently interacting with one another.
Figure 4
An incredibly similar technique is used here(figure 4) to Se7en, where the layout of these specific items is used to give the character a personality through only seeing these objects, again similarly to the character presented in Se7en we can infer through the orderly and linear placement of these items that these men are theoretical, precise and orderly. However given the enigmatic and unsettling atmosphere that has been developed in this opening we can perceive this in a much more negative way, perhaps these men are ruthless, brutally stubborn and methodical in their methods of violence and harm. There is also significance to the negative connotations associated with these specific items, many violent and imprisoning, but also cruel and torturous. Therefore as the audience we come to the conclusion that these two men are intelligent and methodical in some way, and therefore are likely to be planning to do something sinister and violent, making this opening incredibly effective at telling a story through only visuals and sound, and with no dialogue whatsoever.
Before we even see Thomas Shelby, we see the reaction of another character in response to a request given by him, immediately assigning power and authority to this unseen "they"(which is him).This is followed by an incredibly long cut to black which creates an incredibly ambiguous revealing of this character, and the opening sequence runs with this ambiguity in order to emphasise the power held by Thomas Shelby. The first shot we see of Thomas Shelby is a slow orbiting shot (figure 1) which is composed in a way that the movement of the camera doesn't reveal his identity but instead emphasises his smart costume and power that he acquires through riding a horse. This separation contributes to Thomas's power as it shows the audience just how important this character is by literally clearing out the streets which were previously bustling with life simply because he rides his horse into it. A POV shot is then used (figure 2) to establish the fear felt by surrounding people concerning Thomas, and again our view is obstructed as the composition of the shot has the audience hiding behind an object which prevents a clear shot of Thomas, further developing his superiority. We clearly see his face for the first time at around 1:45,(figure 3) and instantly the character seems less threatening and more emotional,showing how effective this technique is for establishing power and hierarchy.
figure 1
figure 2
figure 3
The imagery used in the following scene presents Thomas as a more obscure character, with not only connotations of witchcraft and the supernatural or sceptic with a spell being cast but also the obvious connotations of the colour red within figure 4, blood, danger, anger, passion etc.. This develops his character as a more mysterious figure, not in the sense that we don't see his face as before, but as a more worrying individual, as the audience we begin asking questions such as why is he trying to perform a spell and how this is connected perhaps to the power that we have previously seen that he holds.
figure 4
The soundtrack is also effective in developing this power, as we hear it begin before we see Thomas and it's unrelenting nature and repetitive sounds build tension and emphasise his sinister aura that seems to part the town and crowds in front of him. The soundtrack also builds up and in volume in order to assert Thomas's power as he moves through the street instilling fear into the surrounding residents. The music is incredibly sharp and aggressive, and perhaps reflects Thomas's tendencies towards anger or brutality as a character, being slightly unsettling whilst building tension for the audience.
The Title sequence of se7en (directed by David Fincher) uses synchronous editing and a disconnected soundtrack to convey a sense of instability and the twisted, obsessive mind of an individual. In particular the imagery, editing and mise en scene used portrays this psychological repression, with rapid cuts between seemingly random images and objects, as well as the use of ellipsis to confuse and disconnect the audience. Also in general the frantic nature of the sequence, with sudden cuts and flashes of light along with the appearance and disappearance of scratchings on the film creates an incredibly intense and dark tone and emphasises the surreal and psychological elements in the opening sequence.
Figure 1
Throughout the title sequence, overlayed images are frequently used to create connotations for the audience. One aspect of this that can be explored is the movement of this second image in cases where the two images are the same such as in figure 1, where the original image is still in the frame, however the second overlayed image is slightly skewed to the left of the first and pops in and out of the frame back into the first. This creates a feeling of confusion for the audience and could be a metaphor for the insecurity or unstable nature of this particular character. Developing this technique even further just after the first instance is seen(figure 2), two separate images are overlayed, the first being the previous shot and the second being seemingly random scratchings of writing. This gives the audience an insight to the character very effectively, as it puts us inside of his mind and allows us to experience his emotional and psychological tendencies, quickly changing and building on the audiences opinions of the character and events during the opening sequence.
Figure 2
In terms of mise en scene used in the opening, there is a very clear sense of something dark and mysterious, possibly even obssessive or psychotic constructed with skin shaving with a razor(?), creepy polaroid pictures of crime scenes and the compilation of some sort of evidence, we are very quickly aware that something sinister is occurring here. Furthermore the use of colour, and in particular neutrality and bleakness, with very dark and de-saturated colours used, emphasises this sinister activity and sub-consciously gives the audience an idea of the tone and atmosphere surrounding this character and the location we see him in through the use of connotations.
The main connections we can make between the opening sequence and its soundtrack are their spontaneity and unpredictable nature. Synchronous editing is used in an interesting way as although the basic beat and rhythm of the soundtrack are parallel with the cuts between shots, the highly electronic and computerised noises of the soundtrack are used in the way that just as the soundtrack is seemingly random and unpredictable, the fast paced editing and various techniques discussed earlier are used to the same effect in order to set the tone of the opening. The soundtrack uses very little traditional instrumental or natural sound, effectively unsettling and possibly disturbing the audience in much the same way as the imagery and themes used. In this way the soundtrack is incredibly successful as it simply develops further and emphasises the thoughts and emotions that are intended to be felt by the audience during this opening sequence.
Furthermore the use of juxtaposition through imagery and fast paced editing, the non-linear approach taken within the montage and the seemingly random sequence of images showing no pattern create a confusing yet comprehensive vision for the audience, through representing the character through their choice of editing and sound, as if the character himself had edited this sequence, the same choices would be made. Juxtaposition runs throughout the sequence, through light and dark, metaphorically as the idea of good vs evil and also through the imagery and shapes seen in the frame, this only adds to the disorientation of the audience as we are presented with two opposing concepts, blurring the lines between characters or even reality in the case of the scratchings made on the film.
