Questionnaire

In a thriller opening do you want to know a lot about the characters?
Do you prefer a climax in the opening, or just basic story line?
In the opening sequence, do you prefer titles then opening, or both at the same time.
Do you prefer music in the opening sequence or more dialogue?
Do you prefer a day setting, or in the night one?
How does a thriller setting grip you most?
What kind of music do you want in the opening sequence?
Do you prefer the credits shown at the beginning or the end?

Possible Thriller Settings

1: The setting for number 1 would be ideal for a thriller opening as it looks very scary and a very unnappealing alley. However, alleys are needed by people to access their garages, so i could have somebody trying to access their garage, and then them disappearing into the blackness of the alley. This would make the audience want to keep viewing, as they would assume he has been mudered.

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2. The Second picture is very interesting as the board shows that it is a nature reserve, however it does not look appealing at all, and nature reserves are meant to attract people and meant to make people want to go there. Usually nature reserves attract elderly people and families, however this does not look attractive to either category, so nobody would want to go there.

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3. This picture does not look very attractive to anybody, which is contrasting the fact that there is a sign saying 'pedestrians'. This is a very strange way to advertise a public footpath as it is very dimly lit, and it does not look appealing at all. Even though it iss dimly lit, the pedestrian sign still shows up, which is revealing that it is meant to be seen. Also the strange orange square seems to glow on the sign, which is very strange.

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4. This picture would be a very good setting for a thriller movie as there is a random gate in the middle of a bush, which seems to be leading to nowhere, this could be interpreted by the audience as the gateway to hell, as all you can see on the other side is blackness and forestry. Also, the fact that it is a very dull,brown and not very well looked after fence suggests that whatever is behind it, no one wants to know. Also, the gate seems to be blocked by a load of bushes and un looked after plants, which could be protecting whatever's behind the gate.

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5. This picture is probably one of the best ones i took as it looks like a very threatening place to be in. The danger of death sign goes very nicely with the barbed wire positioned on top of the fence. This portrays that whatever is behind the fence is hidden for a reason and nobody is meant to go there. Also the graffiti on the fence is also showing that the area is uncared for, this ould be a perfect setting, as nobody knows or cares what happens in this area, so anything could go on.

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6. This picture is interesting as it looks like the tree is trying to escape to the left, this could be because there is something dangerous on the other side, or something is forcing it to lean left. Also all the branches on the tree are coming out of the left side, again reitterating the point that it's trying to get away from the right hand side.

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7. This picture is appropriate for a thriller setting, as it's very dark and looks eerie as you look across the park, also if you look closely, you can see the head of a couple of gravestones. The reason you can only see the head, is maybe due to the fact that they are being sucked into the ground, and that they are trying to escape it's claws and reaching for the sky. Contrasting heaven and hell.

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8. The giant black gate in this picture suggests that something behind it could be very dangerous, as the big gates are preventing it from getting out, or escaping. Or even that the giant gates are there to protect something from the people getting to it, the fact that they are so tall and thick suggests whatever is behind it, may be very big or strong, or both

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9. These 2 pillars are very strange as they seem to be standing isolated however we know that they are connected by a fence. The use of the pillars suggests whatevers behind the pillars is behind the pillars for a good reason. Also because there's 2 pillars, it may suggest the fence or wall carries on outside of the frame, maybe segregating a certain area or thing.

1. The Title- The title sixth sense is very clever, as just by reading it, it draws the viewers in, as there are only 5 senses, and this makes the audience what to know what the 6th sense is. As it appears on the screen, the music changed pitch which also adds tension as the audience can clearly detect that something is not right.

2. How the setting/location is revealed- The setting is very strangely revealed as it appears as if it is from behind the shelf. This portrays to the audience that someone is behind the shelf, and the audience automatically wantto know who it is and why they are there. It is also at the very centre of the womens body, so the status is very neutral.

3. Props- The prop of the smashed glass and phone on the floor are very important, because as we see we as the audience can recognise that there is something wrong. This helps to create the mood for a thriller film, as we want to find out why it's smashed.

4. Interesting Camera work- The high angle shot used portrays to the audience that the man is in the least commanding position as he is small on the screen and the camera is looking down on him, giving him the lowest status possible.

5. Font Style- This font style used on the opening credits is chosen very cleverly as the font is very standard and serious looking which creates tension to the audience, as they want to know why this has been chosen. The use of the colour blue is crucial as blue is a very cold colour, and may explain a bit about the story, and confuse the audience.

6. Story- The story is set up nicely when they mental guy shoots the middle class looking man. This creates a nice scenario in the audiences head as they think that he didn't deserve it, however the audience want to continue viewing the film, to see exactly why he got shot.

7. How opening suggests it's a thriller- This shot creates the thriller type feeling for this film, as the death of the man is very serious and happens early on in the film, so the audience will carry on watching the film, to find out why he got shot, and who shot him.

8. How characters are introduced- The character of the mental patient comes across very helpless and emotional. Wefirst see him standing in the bathroom naked, which confuses the audience as they wonder why he is naked, also when he appears he is very angry, so we can tell straight away that he is a very emotional character.

9. A shot i like- I really like this shot, as the side of the door frame separates 2 different images. Both images are contradicting themselved. On one side you have someone who iss really depressed and has just shot themself, and on the other side, you have a group of people cheering and who are happy. This can be percieved that it was good that the mental guy died, as they seem to be cheering at the incident.

FINAL PRODUCT

EVALUATION

PLANNING

The Brief

To create the titles and opening of a new fiction film, and to make it last for a maximum of two minutes.

Analysis of opening sequence:

'Memento'... how does it appear?:

The way that the word Memento appears is very clever in many ways. In picture 1, you can only see the word Memento in one, colour, but the title of the film changes from a dark blue to a light blue. This is clever, as the colour blue, may suggest the cold, sinister mood of the film, and may also express the confusion of the character, which will portray this to the audience, and also make them feel confused. At first, this blue title appears on a black background so that the title clearly stands out. The title then appears over a picture (picture 1) this is clever as because the title of the film is memento, (which could be a physical memory) instead the film is about a man who cannot make memory's so he takes pictures. so this is clever because it contradicts the name of the film.

Setting:

The setting is not revealed very clearly in the opening sequence as for the majority of the time on the screen iss just a guy's hand holding a photo, and writing over the top of it. However towards the end of the opening sequence you briefly see someone getting shot in what looks like a very dark and dingy basemant. This is cleverly chosen as it is a secluded area, which would be perfect for a murder. We also see a close up of 2 characters, which this hardly reveals them, to keep the audience on the end of their seats.

Key Props:

There are not many props that are used in the opening sequence, however the ones that are used are very important. In picture 6 you can clearly see a bullet, this is a very important prop as it potrays how serious the film is, and foreshadows death to the audience. Possible the most important prop is the photo (picture 2) this is of high importance as it portrays to the audience that the title of the film, has something to do with the props. Also the blood is used (picture 5) as a very important prop as it shows to the audience again hat something very serious has happened. A camera is shown and this is also very important as it portrays where all the individual photo's have come from.

Camera work and editing:

The use of the camera in the opening sequence is very important as it helps to set the mood of the film. Picture 5 is a perfect example, because the camera is on it's side, this portrays to the audience that something is not right, and to reiterate this is the blood running along the floor. A lot of close ups are used in the opening sequence to show the man holding the photo in his hand, this portrays to the audience that the photos are of great importance to the film, and to the man holding the photo. A close up of a man with blood on his face suggests to the audience that he is the victim, or wants the audience to think that he deserved what he got, as it was a more gruesome death, rather than a sad clean one. The pace of the shots is very important aswell, because the majority of the shots are slow paced and quite steady, the last shot of the man being shot comes to a surprise to the audience as they do not expect it to come out of the blue, fast and loud like it is. This is edited cleverly in this way to keep the audience gripped and forcing them to find out who and why this man was killed.

How does the opening sequence relate to the rest of the film:

The opening sequence is very useful for the start of many films as it is there to set the tone, pace and to give the audience some brief information. However, in Momento, it is cleverly used to portray props to the audience like the photo, gun and camera. These props are shown purposely to the audience to show that they are used for the rest of the film. Also the use of violence in the opening sequence also helps to reflect on the film as there is a lot of violence used in the film.