Analysis Student Thriller Openings.

Here are the 3 student thrillers I chose to analyse, they are called; Inner Evil, Redemption and Insignia. 

 

Inner Evil-



Close-up

The student made opening was effective as it included the right camera angles, editing, sound and mise-en-scene, that builds tension. The scene is a girl, waking up and getting ready for the day, then she seems to be walking somewhere, but we are unaware where she is going. A few examples of a good use of camera work that I noticed was; right at the beginning there is a close-up of the girl lying on the ground with a gun shot in her head. This builds tension because we are unaware of what happened to the girl, and why she is lying on the floor. There is also a long shot of the girl walking down the street and someone is following her, we are unaware of who this person is, they are wearing all black, which we would associate with someone who is a criminal, suggesting that the girl is in danger of being hurt. Finally there is a shot that fades into focus of the face of the person who is following her, and it turns out that the 2 people are the same person, hence the title 'Inner Evil'. 
When looking at the editing there is a technique used to make the audience feel like their eyes are playing tricks on them, the shots overlay each other, this is a good technique that the students used because it made the audience wonder what was actually going on, and whether or not they could trust what they've been told. As well as this, there is a use of dream sequences that shows the girls 'inner evil' making us wonder which one of these characters is the real one. 
There is a piano playing fast tempo music that get louder, it adds tension to the scene and without it, I don't think the scene would have the same effect that it does. It was a good choice by the students. It was set in pretty normal places, her house, along the street and in park, these places aren't what we would consider you're average thriller film settings which is why I think that it is effective as it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. There are little props, which is good because if there was too much going on it would take away from the main story line, however the one that is used is a key. the key causes her to have a thought of how she could use the key as a weapon, showing her inner evil. 
The main character is wearing normal, every day clothes as it is set during the day with high key lighting, showing the normality of the world she lives in, contrasting her abnormal thoughts and feelings.Overall I think the scene is good as it involves a lot of the conventions that a thriller opening should, suspenseful moments, good use of camerawork ect... it also leaves you on the edge of your seat, as you wonder where the girl is going on her walk, or what has cause her 'inner evil'. However to improve, I would've given a little more away in the opening with the use of dialogue or storytelling. I would've done this to insure that the audience stay interested in the film.

Redemption-

This is the over the shoulder shot

This student made opening has a solid story line, with the motive that has caused the situation to occur unknown keeps the audience watching so they could find out more about it. It is set in London, with a lookout point and a car park as the main places where the action takes place. The story seems to be about the protagonist 'Jason' needing to buy a briefcase that could contain something important from the antagonist and his group. The camerawork helps to show this as it starts with an establishing shot of London, to show where it is set. This could've been used to go with the convention that thriller films are sometimes set in cities as the most damage can be done here, with the high population density. There was also the use of a close up of the antagonist- to give the audience a definite idea on who to trust and who not to trust. There is also an over the shoulder shot used to show us how the protagonist, Jason sees the situation. A final piece of camerawork used that I thought was effective was the pull focus from Jason's face, to the briefcase. This shows the motive of the whole situation clearly and makes you wonder what he is after/ trying to protect people from. It gives the whole situation perspective. 

This is the establishing shot.

The opening fades in at the beginning. This gives you a sense of equilibrium that is soon to be broken. The editing shows fast cuts as the fight scene breaks out, this was used so the audience wouldn't miss out on any of the action. A match on action was also used to show the same action seen from different points of view without breaking the continuity. It also fills the scene without jeopardizing the the reality time aspect of the action you see. 
In regards to the sound, the music is calming in the beginning, again giving you this idea of an equilibrium. However it gets louder and more prominent as the scene goes on, adding and building the tension as the fight scene breaks out. The protagonist  Jason, has little dialogue throughout the scene, maybe only one line. This adds suspense as we don't really know whats going on. 
The protagonist, Jason, is wearing all black, this could indicate he is trying to hide or not be seen. The antagonist is wearing a full suit, this could represent his high paid job, especially if it is set in a city. The only props that are used are, guns- a convention of thriller film and the briefcase, which is the object for the whole opening. The lighting was high ket as it is set mainly outside, which goes against the convention of a thriller film because usually it has darker lighting. 
Overall I think the scene was well produced and it looked very professional, to improve I think that their could've been more dialogue, maybe giving the audience a little information about what was going on, it could make them more interested. 

Insignia-

This is the extreme-long shot

This opening, is about a boy who wakes up in the middle of nowhere and he doesn't know how he got there. He goes home and finds his family gone and all his furniture, yet he doesn't understand what has happened. The camera shows an extreme close-up of the boy's eyes as he opens them, this could be used to establish where the character is and how he doesn't understand where he is. This is closely followed by an extreme long-shot of his location, to further in force his is unaware of where he is, and also that he is completely isolated from the rest of humanity. He rides his skateboard towards the camera in order to get home and the camera zooms out as if to explain how he has a long way to go. When he gets home, the camera pans the empty room, which is abnormal as he lives there. They used a high angle shot to show all the 'research' on the floor, this was done to show us that the character must be onto something if he lost his memory because of it. The final shot of the scene is a mid-shot of him as the doorbell goes off to again show his confusion with this situation.

This is the extreme close-up

The soundtrack used, is tension building, it gets more intense as the scene moves on before completely stopping when the doorbell goes up. This could show how the whole scene was building up to that moment. The dialogue is relative to the conventions of the scene, he calls his mum saying he's scared, and he's lost. This shows that he still has this child-like innocence within him, making the audience feel more sympathy for him. 

The editing shows fast cuts as he runs around the house looking for someone, and trying to remember what happened to him. This was used to show the audience the panic he feels as he wants to remember. There is a match on action, showing the normality of the setting hes in. Finally right at the end, it fades to black, this leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more. 

The mise-en-scene shows that this is a thriller film as, he is wearing all black and it is set in a remote location at first, slowly followed by his house that is empty. This all doesn't make sense to the audience or the main character- bring the feeling of suspense to the scene. The lighting is high key as is set in the early morning and the only props he uses are his skateboard, that he promptly discards and the paper research, as he scrambles to get his memory back, but ultimately in the opening fails. 
Overall, I think that this opening was the best one that I looked at, showing all of the key ideas your meant to include clearly, it makes you wish there was more to it in order to find out what happens to him and what had already happened. 

Our Pitch Idea

This is our opening pitch.




This is the Prezi presentation we put together in order to give our presentation. It outlines our key ideas and plot, a few locations we have decided we may want to use, the props, costumes and make-up we have considered. As well as this there is a little information on our 3 main characters. Despite the presentation, we are free to change and alter our final idea as we please.

We received some feedback from the other people in our class. They said things like; they think the plot is nicely structured, and well thought-out. As well as this they liked our key moment of suspense, along with the choice of camera angles, the close- up of the hand in particular and they thought that our idea for music and sound effects was good. Finally they thought the idea of us going against the stereotype of women being the more dominant sex was good as it contradicts many of the current films that show them as being submissive in comparison to the males. 

However our constructive criticism brought up some ideas, that maybe we hadn't thought of- like how the main idea has a lot to fit in, within the 2 minute cap and it comes across as a little confusing. I understand this, but it was only some initial ideas we had, obviously we will not be able to fit everything in, we will condense it down so it isn't as confusing for the audience as well as that there will be a use of short takes and the dialogue will be minimal. Another point was that it seems to be cliche (man cheating on woman idea) and we thought we'd include some twists that make it less cliche, like the dominant women idea. Some people had some concerns about our locations. The office, we can make as you won't see much of it, only the computer- most of it is implied with the sounds. Another location was an old factory but this was only an example of where we could film, its more likely that we'll use an attic or cellar in one of our homes, or Brooke may have a stable that we can use. A final piece was the fact our woman was dominant and why we were doing that and I think we chose it to show woman in the 21st century and how they shouldn't still be seen as the submissive in a relationship, as they are more equal now than ever before.  

Initial ideas

This is the initial ideas for the thriller opening, here is the mind-map we created. 

This is the video where we discuss the ideas as a group, saying what we like and dislike about each:

Our overall ideas include; a school shooting, a crime thriller, a homicide or mass suicide  a kidnapping and a deadly affair. We also discussed locations we could set the opening of the thriller as well as what we would like out antagonist and protagonist to be like. We said, that our antagonist should wear dark clothes, and we should never show their face to create suspense as well as this they should be seen to be reserved almost. Our protagonist to come across as naive and young. They should also fit into the stereotype of a female as the protagonist will also be the victim. She should also have a hidden past as well as she shouls show fear. 
Our 3 top ideas are: 
1. The Deadly Affair
2, A crime thriller involving murder
3. A gun/ hate crime (a school shooting, homicide ect..) 

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is a supernatural horror thriller film released in 1999 written and directed by  M. Night Shyamalan. It is about a child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe who feels he has to help a young boy, Cole Sear who 'can see dead people'. It stars Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette and Olivia Williams. The reason we watched this film is too look at how it uses suspenseful moments throughout the whole movie and what effect that has on the audience. 

Close-up of Anna

One scene I choose that I thought has a really good use of suspense was the very opening scene where Anna (Williams), Malcolm's wife goes down into the basement to get a bottle of wine, and she gets spooked by something and runs back upstairs. There is a close up of a naked light bulb gradually turning itself on. This is used to build the anticipation and suspense. It may be used to represent the gradual understanding that Malcolm gains spending time with Cole as well as symbolising the understanding the audience gains as the film progresses and they find things out about the characters. After this there is another close-up, this time of Anna, looking for a bottle of wine, in the dark basement. This is used to

This is the naked lightblub

obviously add suspense to the scene as well as to establish the setting. It shows the eerie basement, which could be used to establish how Shyamalan wanted the theme for the film to be. There is a long shot of Anna, after she shivers and her facial expression changes, this is something that many of the characters experience in their own way when faced with 'ghosts' As well as this it also makes the audience worried about what might happen to Anna, she seen as the victim in

This shows you her outfit

this scene. It also shows us what she is wearing, it seems to be an expensive dress, showing that she is of a higher class and in thriller films it is usually people of a higher class that become the victim, again creating the tension that something bad is going to happen. The final piece of camera work that I thought was used to make this scene filled with suspension was when there was a shot of Anna's feet running up the stairs, back to the light filled house where she has her husband to protect her. The reason she is running is because she is afraid of the dark, something she cant see. This is the opposite to Cole, who is afraid of the dead people that he can see. Throughout the scene there is no soundtrack; only diegetic sound of what Anna is doing, this adds suspense because at any moment that could change, meaning the audience is on the edge of their seats hoping that nothing bad happens to Anna.

The second scene that I think has a really good use of suspense is when Cole is invited to the birthday party. The boys in the house lock him in a little room and he has some type of panic attack and injures himself because he can't get out and his mum can't get him out either. 

The balloons as the scene starts

When looking at the camerawork, there are various different angles that weren't used in the opening scene but still work well together to create suspense. Firstly, there is a low angle shot of the balloons on the front of house, this indicates that Cole has gone to a birthday party and we know that he isn't very sociable at school so we automatically worry for his safety, creating tension. When Cole is sitting at the bottom of the stairs, after his magic has been rejected by one of the other boys he lets go of his balloon. There is a close up of his face as he watches the balloon float off then it cuts to where it is going, up too the top of the spiral staircase. This is known as eyeline match. Commonly there are negative connotations associated with thriller films, so again we worry as we know he will go and get the balloon. Furthermore, the camera slowly follows him up the stairs, showing because he is just a little boy he is still afraid of things. This makes us sympathise with Cole because even though he is going through almost adult things, he is still only 9 years old. Then there is a high angle shot of the boys walking up the stairs, following Cole. We as the audience worry about him and what these boys might do to him.

Mid-shot of Coles mum

Then we see them shove him into the cupboard. There is a mid-shot of his mum panicking when she is trying to get him as he has a panic attack. This scene is seen to be quite emotional because many people can understand a mothers love for their child, this adds suspense to the scene. This links to the editing because when she finally pulls him out, it goes into slow motion, this could again show her fear that she is going to loose her only son, making us worry for his health and his safety. 

Cole looking at his balloon

The mise-en-scene adds suspense because it all seems pretty normal, its a little boys birthday party. Cole is wearing smart-casual clothes, this could show how is trying to the impress the other kids at the party as he just wants friends, to be normal. The lighting seems to be normal for a birthday party until he lets go of his balloon and he has to go and get it, this could foreshadow the danger he gets himself into. The sound is also pretty normal, diegetic sounds that we would commonly associate with birthday parties. That is until we start to hear the voices that Cole can hear, making us sit on the edge of our seats. Finally, there is the sound of the balloon popping, which could be seen as foreshadowing his future injuries. The balloon plays an important role in this scene as there are various shots involving one and how they can represent Cole, creating suspense. 

Long shot of Cole in hospital bed

The third and final scene, I thought added suspense really well to the movie was when Cole is in the hospital and he tells Crowe that he 'sees dead people.' At first there is a long shot showing Cole in the hospital bed, this shot is used to establish the setting for the scene as hospitals are seen to be creepy within the thriller genre. As well as this, the shot again reinforces the idea of Coles vulnerability, this is later proven again in the same scene when he is seen wearing socks that are too big for him. There is a shot reverse shot used when Crowe is trying to tell Cole a story, this adds

Close up of Cole talking to Crowe

suspense because we are worried for the little boy in the hospital bed as he is so little people still tell him stories. The camera then zooms in on his face, showing how afraid he is and the shot stays this way throughout the rest of the scene, it becomes especially important when he tells Crowe he sees dead people as it fully enforces the vulnerability of the little boy as well as how afraid he is, via the tear that are in his eyes. 

Shot of his socks

There is little to no sound throughout the scene until the pair start talking about Coles secret. This adds suspense because it leaves the audience waiting just as Crowe has been waiting to find out Coles secret. When the music does begin to play it is the same instrumental that's seen variously throughout the film, including in the opening credits. It is what we would commonly associate with thriller films, low pitch, very intense and extremely dramatic in comparison to the whispering voice that belongs to Cole. 

Analysing Horror Thriller Film Openings

Analysing Horror Thriller Film Openings-

A horror thriller film is the type of thriller that blends with horror, focusing on suspense, tension and adrenaline while having an emphasis on fear, terror and gore. Some examples include; the Saw franchise, The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs, Jaws and The Exorcist.

Saw-

This is Adams point of view shot

Saw is a 2004 Horror thriller directed by James Wan. In the opening sequence, Adam and Lawrence are trapped in a dirty bathroom with nothing but a corpse lying between them. This film can be classified as a horror thriller because the camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene suggests it. When looking at the camerawork, there is a few shots and movements that I saw that help to show this film is a thriller; firstly there is a close-up of the protagonist ( of the opening sequence) Adam, he is underwater and his eyes open and he begins to panic. This shows that Saw is a thriller because he is clearly afraid which adds tension and makes the audience worried about what is going to happen to him. As well as this, there is a point of view shot from Adams point of view as Lawrence turned the lights on, the image is blurry, showing us exactly what he sees again adding tension as we wait to find out where he is. When Adam sees the corpse of the floor, he tries to walk towards it as the camera moves backwards which could symbolise the danger that these characters are in. Finally there is a mid-shot of Lawrence, he is tied up to the wall and his clothes are destroyed, indicating he'd been there a lot longer than Adam, the reason this shot is used to is to establish the characters as we have already met and to make us feel sympathetic for these characters in order to develop the idea that we want to see them succeed in whatever they do.

This is the mid-shot of Lawrence

Saw film poster released in 2004

When looking at editing there is one key use of it that stands out through-out the whole clip and that is when we first see the corpse to draw attention to it, there is use of a spiral. This is done to allow the audiences to really take in what is happening in this situation. There is also really quick cuts between the males in the situation to show the danger they are in and too add a sense of suspension to the scene.

The mise-en-scene of the opening really relates to the idea that it is a thriller film because at first the lighting is dark, creating the sense of mystery and suspense throughout. The outfits that Adam  and Lawrence are wearing are seemingly normal, but are covered in unknown stains and look as though they haven't been changed in a while, this builds tension as it suggests these men are being held hostage and this makes us feel sympathy as we want these men to stay safe and succeed, we worry about them and their situation. There aren't many props in this scene, only the gun and tape recorder that the dead man has in his hands. This is common in a thriller film as the gun is a weapon, whether is it used for protection or a weapon is unknown, but it doesn't matter it is stereotypical of a thriller film.

There is little sound used in the extract but what is used is very effective as the soundtrack is very quiet but tension building as it gets louder as the progresses' to add to the tension that is already there. The dialogue suggests the men are scared or worried about their situation, the use of swear words implies this.

Overall I think the opening of 'Saw' is a strong opening for a thriller film because it starts of already into the action of the film and this attracts the audience's attention- this is something that every director, writer and producer aims to do in their films.

The Shining-

This is the establishing shot

This is the birds-eye-view shot

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror thriller film directed by Stanley Kubrick. In the opening sequence the camera is following a car drive through a grand landscape. The camera shots, angles and movement are peculiar because they never get closer than a long shot to what we are following, this could suggests it is to be afraid of. It starts with an establishing shot of the landscape we are following the car through, this is used to as the shot suggests establish the setting for the film, however it could also be done to add tension to the scene and that can also establish the theme for the rest of the film. As well as this, various Ariel shots are used to show again the landscape we are in, but also add tension, we are following something and the use of the Ariel shot allows us to follow it at a distance. There is a birds-eye-view shot of the car which tells us exactly what we are following through the mountains; this creates tension because we want to know what is in the car, who is in the car and where it is going.

This is the ariel shot 

The Shining film poster released 1980

There are a few editing techniques used throughout the clip, firstly there are used to transition between shots, this is done to make the film look professional but you could consider the fact that they are done to show the car, that we are following, has been driving for a long time, this again causes you to wonder where the car is driving too. In addition to the fades, there is also a use of slow cuts, which is the opposite to the opening of 'Saw' but I think they have the same purpose, excite the audience. The slow ones get the audience excited to know what is going to happen next, subsequently making the tension surrounding the film to build. 

When looking at the sound used in the scene, there isn't much apart from the music, which is loud and the instruments build up throughout the sequence. As well as this, it eventually adds some special effect sounds such as an evil laugh. One of the biggest indicators that this soundtrack builds the tension of the film opening as we follow the car is the caesura (also known as a false ending or a dramatic pause.) A caesura is typically a short break that happens abruptly and can be placed at any point throughout the measure. It is used to add tension to the scene, and grab the audience's attention.
The mise-en-scene is also limited in the scene, the only things we get introduced to are; the landscape where the film may be set and right at the end the large house that could be the main setting, but you as the audience are unaware from just the opening clip anything about the characters, props and costume. The lighting is high key, as it is outside; this could suggest the film starts off in a normal way and not straight into the drama like 'Saw'. 
Overall, I'm not sure if this is as strong as an opening in comparison to 'Saw' but I think in its own right it has some good qualities as it is definitely a tension builder and it has some really weird but wonderful use of camerawork.

The Silence of the Lambs-

This is the close-up shot.

The Silence of the Lambs is an American horror-thriller film released in 1991. It was directed by Jonathan Demme based of the book of the same name written by Thomas Harris. It starts off as trainee FBI agent Clarice M Starling running through the forest doing some sort of training/ an obstacle course. Then she is told by another agent that 'Crawford wants to see you in his office' and so she rushes to go and meet him. This suggests to the audience that Crawford is someone of importance, maybe a boss or section leader. 

The Silence of the Lambs poster
released in 1991

The camera movement plays a large role in this opening as it moves quiet quickly in order to keep up with Clarice as she runs the course; this suggests to us she is dedicated to her work and that she won't let anything stand in her way. They use shots from the side as well as close ups of her feet to also emphasise this idea. There is a close-shot of the other FBI agent who is wearing an FBI baseball hat, this is used in the same way that an establishing shot would be done, to establish the setting. By this we know that the opening sequence is set at an FBI academy or field office, something we hadn't known prior to this. As well as this, the mid-shot also immediately makes the audience anxious because if the woman we saw is a the 'good guy' there must be a 'bad guy'
The editing in this scene is fast paced in order to keep up with her fast paced lifestyle as well as showing us that she is pushing herself to the limit. This is used to make you feel sympathetic towards her as she is already pushing herself so hard, what if it's not enough to save her life?
When she is running the obstacle course the music is classical and very loud, it's used to draw the attention to the screen and also to build tension. When paired with the low-key lighting, misty forest it brings together this really creepy, almost scary atmosphere. This however cuts off when she leaves the forest to go to speak with Crawford. It is replaced with diegetic sounds of a work place, noises from the kitchen, elevator noises ect.... This could suggest that Clarice isn't safe outside, on her own. It could even foreshadow a possible future for the protagonist. She is seen to be wearing work-out clothes, which again suggests she's pushing herself to her limit which has the same effect on the audience that the editing does. 
Overall I think this is a really strong thriller opening because it sets the tone for the film in the first minute, like I previously mentioned, possibly foreshadowing Clarice's future then brings you back to reality where you see she actually isn't in danger just yet. 

Analysing Political Thriller Film Openings

Analysing Political Thriller film openings-

A political  thriller is a government based thriller that involves corruption on a governmental or a corporate scale. As well as this it is usually set against the backdrop of political struggles and involves various illegal plots. A few examples include; Day of the Jackal. Syriana, Michael Clayton, The Ideas of March and The Ghost Writer. 

Day of the Jackal- 

The political thriller, 'Day of the Jackal' is a 1973 film that focuses on the idea that an assassin is hired by French paramilitary group to kill the president of France, Charles De Gaulle. At the beginning of the film, there is a narrator. The job of the narrator is to give the audience a little background on the political information for the time this film is set, so we understand what is going on in the beginning. It talks of how many people thought the French president had betrayed the country by giving Algeria its country back. Revenge was the number one priority for many extremists. This is used to educate the audience on the context and to create tension. The music used also contributes to this idea as it has a sound you would commonly associate with the army or military, linking to the idea that it is a political thriller. The music is effective when we are following the man, who I assume is ‘Jackal’ as it is at its loudest. This supports my claim that it allows tension to be built as you wonder who he is, where he is going and what he is doing. Eventually the music dies down when you see him pull up near the French government building, its cleat his intentions are to harm or even kill the people inside as it is a thriller film.

There is a long shot of the clock showing us the time, and then there is a close up shot of Jackal on the motorbike to show his expression. These shots are used to show that he is planning something or waiting for something to happen at a particular time. This is common in thriller film and it may have even been used to create a tense setting for the audience. The camera also pans with the movement of the car leaving the government building; this could be used to show that someone important is in the can. It could be foreshadowing the future of the person in the car, showing that they are Jackal’s target and he is planning for something bad to happen to them. There are various shots of people walking out of the building, we can see that they all hold some sort of importance in the French government/. We can tell this because they are all wearing a suit, which influences us to believe that they are people of a higher class than Jackal We can tell this because of their costumes. 

It is set during the day, which means there is high key lighting, this makes you think that he is just planning, the best way to execute his plan and has not actually doing it. This is because it goes against the convention of a thriller film. It is set in France during a time of political instability, this links to it being a thriller film as we are worried about what is going to happen to the government in the wake of their angry constituents.  

This whole opening sequence is good because it constantly builds and adds tension; you're always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen, hoping that something happens so you feel better and not worried/anxious. This shows that it is a strong thriller opening as it involves many conventions of thriller films.

Syriana-

This political thriller is about the petroleum politics and the globalisation of oil. The idea is that America is running out of oil and soon they will be completely out. The most amount of that oil we have left in the world is in the Middle East. It is all about the idea of how to get the oil off of the rich people in the Middle East. 

The opening scene starts with an establishing shot over the city of Tehran, Iran (which is specified on screen), this could be used to foreshadow the idea that it is there, in the middle east where the main plot will take place. Then it cuts to a shot of an Islamic woman, putting her respectable attire on before leaving the house wherever this may be in the city. It shows the corruption of it and how things go on behind the scenes that we aren't sure of, it is indicated that she may be a prostitute, which again shows the corruption. Through the whole section their is low key lighting, which is a common convention of a thriller film, again this could foreshadow the idea of danger and corruption in the area. Then it goes to a group of people, who look to be quite important based on their attire, which consists of suits and ties, which could show their importance and wealth. However the theme of corruption still comes in to it as they are all smoking, and drinking. The conversation is also about drugs, a male character, which looks to come from the area, asks the American male, Bobby if he has ever tried liquid MDMA. This however seems to be a business transaction or deal as he then goes on to ask if they are 'gonna do this'. Despite the reoccurring theme of corruption, when the shot goes to the other person, he looks annoyed and says 'after prayer' so clearly that contradicts to their behavior. 

Overall the thriller opening, isn't as strong as some we have looked at because it doesn't build a sense of tension also without prior research you would be confused as to what is going on in the film or what the film is even about, hence why it isn't a strong opening. 

Michael Clayton-

This political thriller opening is a monologue, someone addressing the character of or maybe too Michael and it seems to be a warning of some sort. The character speaking addresses a situation that happened to him a few a few days earlier. The screen starts off black, with just the title of the film in the corner. There is a voice over, like I mentioned before. He addresses him with an urgent tone; he wants him to listen to what he has to say. This is true to a political thriller film because it's important that Michael understand what’s going on in order to help the man. The voice over continues when there is a montage of an empty business building, a law firm. The man talking's voice tells the story of what happened to him as he left the building. He talks quickly and with urgency and the cuts increase between videos. There are various different shots throughout the scene, we then follow a man through the building, he looks to be the mail man. We have low-angled, close-up shots of his feet to show how quickly he is moving. Slowly the shot zooms out and we get to see his face, it lingers there for a minute. This indicates that the character is an important one. 

Overall I think that this is a strong thriller opening because it adds a sense of tension, we don't quite know what’s going on but we want to find out so we keep watching, this is a good convention of a thriller film. However we aren't quite sure what is going so at the same time we could become a little confused, but we still watch, so that everything will make sense eventually.