Conventions of Thriller Openings

Conventions of Thriller Openings

There are a few main conventions of Thriller openings these include; camera shots and movements, sound, and lighting  

• Camera shots and movements- It's important to include camera shots and movements that fit with the genre because they help to create a feel for the film and give you a sense of body language and emotion. The majorly use close-ups, this helps to see reactions of your characters and to build tension, establishing shots, they help to establish the setting and area so you get a feel for what may happen based on the surroundings. Also, long shots play a large role in opening sequences of thriller films because they show all the action in the shot. The idea is to show the audience things that maybe the 'victim' may not see, giving the scene and the audience a sense of tension throughout. 
• Sound- The music that you use has to fit the genre and the scene. The music shouldn't be used to add tension if you don't want there to be tension in the scene, it shouldn't be too loud and overbear the actors if there is dialogue. It also needs to fit the genre so it should be eerie and tension building. 
• Lighting- There must be low key lighting to fit the genre of thriller. If the scene is set in a dark place like the woods, then the lighting shouldn't be high because it needs to fit and not look out of place. 
• The build up of tension is important to a thriller opening, it sets up the atmosphere for the rest of the movie. Tension should be in every thriller movie. 
• In many thriller films, there is an equilibrium at the beginning, giving people a false sense of security this can be used to make the big event that is to happen a little more dramatic. For example, in the Sixth Sense, everything seems to be okay with Anna and Malcolm as they are celebrating his work as a child psychologist, this gives us a false sense of security as when they go upstairs he gets shot.