In order to gain background information on the 'Thriller' genre, I have viewed multiple films in order to explore the thriller conventions; through analysing the title sequences in detail.
Fargo(Coen Bros, 1996)
1)The titles are in uppercase and begin on the first screen, with thin black text appears on the screen.
2)It starts with a misty blue backdrop. This blue, which is later revealed to be mist, is a unique way of having a clear background to the titles as well as its value as a creator of tension.
3)Creepy orchestral music with sharp violin tones begins.
4)After titles it cuts into the view of an oncoming car within a snow storm from the original blue backdrop. This is accompanied by a heavy drum beat.
5)A tracking shot follows the car as it travels along the road.
6)The next shot shows the car arriving within a town and passing past a illuminated bar.
7)He walks into the bar and looks around as if he does not know the surroundings. The driver remains unidentified until this point with the darkness within the car hiding him throughout earlier shots.
8)The man who enters the bar begins to talk to the guy across the table from him, who is sat beside a man who is sat with his head back, seemingly asleep. Having the two characters who were all ready there sat next each other, allows the audience to identify them as associates early into the clip.
9)The dialogue works only to show the groups in the scene and cause confusion over the man arranging the kidnapping of his own wife.
The conversation works well, in that it adds a object of interest for the audience whilst not giving any reason why. This gives a narrative enigma, preparing the audience for the rest of the film.
Columbia Pictures title screen. Known icon.
Super imposed titles change angle, see as 3d in the
changing backdrops
*Each backdrop is of a busy city with high rise buildings.Thin lettering . All titles take up same amount of screen space*
1.
high establishing shot-Columbia pictures
presents
2.
mid way up skyscrapers-a hofflund/polone
production
3.
long shot of multiple towers-an indelible
picture
4.
tracking shot moves across side of buildings,
bringing title into shot- Jodie fostyer
5.
pan across from water tower bringing title into
shot- Forest whitaker.
6.
Long shot of huge advertisements board on side
of building + traffic below- Dwight Yoakam
7.
Tracking pan of side of building –Jared Leto
8.
Tracking long shot across skyline and across
film title-Panic Room
*Dramatic music turns more sinister although
remaining slow paced to build tension*
9. Pan onto next building- Kristen Stewart- with
the introduction of faster paced music with higher keys creating excitement.
10.
Long shot featuring street and advertisement-ann
magnuson-ian buchman
11.
Closer to road with bust traffic-patrick
bauchau – paul schulze.
12. High
Angle of road – casting by laray yayfield
13.
Pan across buildings- costume designer Michael
Kaplan
14.
High angle shot or street- music by howard shore
15.
Shot rises up building- film editors james
haygood.a.c.e – angus wall
16.
High angle is lowered – production designer
Arthur max
17.
Low angle
of building- director of photography-conrad w.hall- darius knondji a.s.d.a.f.c.
18.
Tracking shot produced by gavin polone-judy
hofflund-david koepp-cean chaffin
19.
Low angle shot –written by david koepp
20.
Shot of green grassed park fields with many
groups of people seated upon it with a treeline of Autumn coloured trees in the
distance separating it from the city-directed by david fincher
Speech starts on park shot and continues over a busy pavement where two
people walk towards the camera talking.
Woman: “I wrote it all down 4200sq ft,4 floors,
perfect,courtyard and backside facing the garden”
Teenager: “Shouldn’t we just wait for the car service”
Woman: “no”
This works well with the calm yet enticing titles being abruptly cut with the conversation.
This contrast is made stronger with the confusing topic of the conversation creating a narrative enigma.
Dexter is NOT a movie and instead is a TV series. However, the outstanding opening sequence makes it something to aspire to.
Dexter(2006)
1)Black screen, central thin writing in white – Showtime
presents
2)Close-up of man’s face resting on pillow
3)He swings hand across arm in foreground knocking bug off arm
and opens eyes, awake
4)Faded tea stained edged paper with light shining bright
through the centre and red capital lettered writing- DEXTER with blood splats
and smudges.
5)Out of focus view over the shoulder of someone looking art
the mirror, bottom left of the screen is red title-Michael c. hall
6)Closeup of man shaving under his chin from his
throat.-centre screen-jennifer carpenter
7)Closeup of out of focus hand with small smudges of blood on
first finger shot of plughole on left half of screen-text bottom left –Erik
king
8)Blood drop lands on right hand side close up of section
between plug and blood drop
9)Second blood drop joins onto it –camera shakes- lauren velez
10)Blood soaks across white tissue, from right to left towards-
david zayas in bottom left
11)Blade slices though raw meat in a close up
12)Shot shifts in even closer and title appears top left- and
james remar
13)Out of focus saucepan with titles appearing top left- developed
for television by james manos jr
14)Mid shot of saucepan with meat being dropped into pan
15)Closeup of meat being moved in pan by cooking implement
16)Closeup of brown bubbling fat along edge of meat strip
17)Clean metal surface with titles at bottom left- main title
theme by rolfe kent
18)Egg lands onto surface from above and splats onto surface
19)Closeup of egg from above being cut into with knife,held by
fork, right first finger visible- title top left- music by Daniel light
20)Knife and fork laid on plate with red blob falling onto
knife-title right middle-productions designer brady alexander
21)Coffee granules falling into clear cylinder with water
being added-
22)Close up of Bubbles
23)Knife cutting orange- 'director of photography Romeo tirone'
24)Orange being squeezed-'produced it Robert Lloyd lewis'
25)String being tied around finger-'consulting producer Melissa
Rosenberg'
26)Floss around both first fingers moves towards camera which
is above-'co-executiuve producer Daniel Corone'
27)Close up of neck with bottom of hands moving up and down into
shot and out.
28)Closeup of converse shoes being laced up- 'executive producer
Clyde Phillips'
29)Black jacket zipped up over white shirt
30)The person now in full view of camera walks to left
looking in the cameras direction
31)He nods at the camera in acknowledgement
32)Screen goes black.
For the location I had allready decided on a carpark nand knew of a place which would be suitable. This is because it is unlikely to be busy and is easily accessable.
I am planning to only see the arm of the person within the second vehichle but this is just as important. A dark jacket and gloves shows that they too, are attempting to conceal their identity. If their face is visable in the mirror an additional balaclava will be used.
