Thriller- Opening Scene Analysis

As a group we thought is would be highly beneficial to analyse the conventions within the opening scenes of different types of thrillers, the first scene that we watched being
Pulp Fiction 1994- Directed by Quentin Tarantino.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jomr9SAjcyw
This clip showed some of the most common conventions of a thriller such as weaponry and crime, but we mainly focused on the opening titles and the credits as it will have to be included in our final piece.
Opening Credits
-fast paced music
-dark background
-included people such as the director, and production company first
-Each of the actors and actresses were listed individually in order of the role size
-The title appeared with in a large bold font
-Each clip of the actors and actresses was on screen for roughly 5 seconds each.
Blue Velvet 1986-Directed by David Lynch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDEzzFtrCTs
This clip opened playing eery mysterious music, whilst showing the opening titles which then quickly contrasted to happy music to create an image of a perfect town, enabling the audience member to have an uneasy perception of the town. This is then followed by a lady watching a graphic crime drama film which is a major convention of thrillers.The music then becomes distorted as there is a close up on the hose pipe breaking, the sign of something going wrong starts to create tension as the scene finishes with the man dying. This instantly shows the thriller genre of the clip.
Run Lola Run 1998- Tom Tykwer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiq1lturAao
Run Lola run, starts with a flashback to a drug exchange between one of the main characters. The part of the opening sequence that was most memorable for me was the opening credits. It was shown through a cartoon video game of the character Lola being chased. This shows it is a quirky  film and also introduces the principle of Lola's character as she has done something wrong so people are chasing after her. Also when all the actors and actresses were introduced their names and images were laid out like police identification images introducing the convention of crime and theft.
Summary
Importance conventions to consider when creating an opening sequence to fit the thriller genre...
-music- build tension if needed
-specific camera angles eg high angle
-lighting- to create shadows
-mise en scene
-characters
-opening titles
-narrative

We then ended the lesson by watching the homefront trailer; this was done to clearly distinguish the difference between a trailer and an opening sequence so we don't make the mistake of creating a trailer for our final piece.
The aim of a trailer is to briefly show the whole plot of the film so the viewer can decide whether it is for them or not.
Conversely the opening sequence is to introduce the major themes not show the audience what will happen through out the narrative.