thriller opening research.- Sam

1. Casino royale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkTOlmSudkE&feature=related m< Video
The opening to casino royale is an extremely gripping and sets up the feeling of a thriller extremely well it does this in a number of ways.
the first thing you notice about the establishing sequence is that its in black and white, this adds to the atmospheric effect, and really gives a tense feel to the sequence, also a lot of the shots are long shots in the first 30 seconds or so, and this is combined with movement (tracking) through a corridoor to give the impression were following our opening character through this dark building. also we have low angle shots used in a really clever way, these are used to show power in the male character we first see, but they are actually used to deceive the audience as we do not know what is about to happen, we are lured into a false sense of knowlage, which is then revealed to us when our first character is the confronted with our actual protagonist. The costumes are also very official in this opening with both characters wearing suits, this gives them status and lets us know they both play an important role in the film, and opening sequence.
The scenes are really dimly lit and this is boosted by the fact the scenes have been shot in black and white, this helps build the tension from the moment the first character enters the building.  facial expressions also give away information when we see the first character remove himself from the car his eyes scan the area, which makes us think hes not supposed to be here. Sound in the opening scene is paralell to what we are seeing on the screen the opening track is very dark and creepy which mixes extremely well with the black and white screen play and the dim lighting. the editing is mainly cuts, apart from a couple of extremely quick fades, when we enter and exit flash backs, in the flash back moments we see alot of quick cuts as the flash back is of a fight this makes it seem as though everything is happening faster then it is.

2. Underworld evolution ( i am well aware that the film contains supernatural beings, but it possess more thriller qualities then it does horror)
The opening to underworld is very effecteive in gripping an audience and setting the story, we start with an editied in peice of text explaining the backstory behind this film, and what happen in the first one. this method has the audience hooked on the screen as they read the text, we then cut into a extreme close up of one of the protagonists eyes, which zooms out slowly revealing the whole face, this grips the audience even more and creates suspence as we want to see who he is. the opening setting was chosen extremely well, and is filmed at night to create tension, we see a hamlet that has been attacked and set on fire. our protagonists have showed up to investigate the attack. the sound in the opening scene is paralell to the suspense we are seeing in the screen play, as we get closer to a big event the dynamics increase and more intrumental layers are added. the style in which this is done enforces the tension and how important it is, before an event happens. the opening is set in 1202 AD and this is reflected in the costumes, and props within the opening scene, our protagonists as they seem to be, are dressed in full armour and all mounted on horse back. also our setting, looks like a hamlet in 1202AD would be expected to look, wooden houses, with a few small out buildings. with thatched roofs, this really helps enforce the time period the directors were aiming for. the lighting is dim  which is a feature of thriller, as the darker a scene is lit the more sinister or tense feel we gain from it.


ANDREW: this is not all of my research but i havent had time to copy the rest over into the blog. i will have the rest up by tomorrow but i have to go to work.