Thriller

During today’s lesson I looked at the opening sequences of thriller films. I looked at the conventions of thriller films and the way it has an impact on audiences. I then looked at the way it uses techniques to engage the audience’s attention and to create tension and suspense. I looked at the camerawork, editing, sound, and mise en scene of each opening sequence and how they were used to create atmosphere and meaning in the opening of the thriller films.

I noticed how the camerawork in most thriller films often started with an establishing shot as it shows a clear view of everything in the mise en scene. Also it helps to create isolation and creepiness, and it makes the audience aware of the location of the film. Over the shoulder shots were used in most thriller films to create tension and to build atmosphere within the sequence. There were often extreme close up shots which was used to show the feelings and emotions of characters. This helped the audience have a good knowledge of the characters personality. Also there were often low angle shots and close up shots which helped create suspense and atmosphere.

I also noticed that mostly non-diagetic sound was used, and it often started with a low pitch and tone and then gradually it built to a high pitch and tone towards the end of the opening sequence, which made the audience tensed and want to continue watching the thriller.

I then looked at examples of previous media student’s thriller openings and looked at the sort of mise en scene they used. This helped me come up with ideas of the sort of mise en scene I could use for my own thriller. I then came up with realistic and natural mise en scenes as it would be easy for us to find the place and take shots. As a group we were discussing ideas for our thriller and we were also coming up with lots of different ideas of what kind of camera shots and sound we could use to help create tension and atmosphere.