The start of my project…

Hey Cambridge! So, this is the start of my project my partner and I decide to do the genre thriller and mystery. We still have to come up with ideas, but we are most certainly not changing this genre. We had to research three opening films from the genre and analyze, discuss, and research the films. Here is what I picked.

Film Studies 

Opening Content:

The first thing I wanted to talk about was the overall story of the movie Us by Jordan Peele. The opening of the film shows a rabbit in a cage as if it was trapped. Us's opening title sequence uses a variety of visual and sound devices to create a scary and uncomfortable mood. The music is ominous and  the storm sound effects are used to represent the coastal environment and potential characteristics during the Universal introduction and dining scenes. The film opening introduces a main, unsettling image with a scary close-up of dozens of white rabbits in cages inside a dark underground building. The duality of the "Tethered," which is the underground copies of the people who live on the surface, is symbolized by this imagery. Since the Tethered eat raw rabbit meat, the rabbits represent their fear, innocence, and struggle to survive. Important information about rabbits includes: Opening Images of multiple rows of white rabbit cages are shown in the opening credits; it is then revealed that these cages are located in the tunnels where the Tethered live. The cute looking but wild and psychotic rabbits represent humanity's duality.

The second movie is Scream 1996 version, I personally liked the opening sequence of this movie because the Scream (1996) opens with the audience in a state of tension and uncertainty, which is essential for both mystery and thriller genres. With just one character at home at the start of the scene, there is a false feeling of safety. The danger seems closer and more obvious in this everyday environment. The movie uses conversation and sound to create tension instead of immediately revealing the threat. Questions are brought up by the mysterious phone calls: Who is calling? Why are they so knowledgeable? What are their needs? The audience is drawn into the mystery and kept thinking because there are no quick answers. The Scream Killer over the phone is the most important audio aspect. That is a piece of voice over that is crucial to the story. However, there are numerous other audio clips that serve more as eerie elements than as narrative techniques. For instance, the popcorn is always popping in the background. Tracking is the first significant example of consistent camera work. There is a lot of it, and it works very well. It creates a sense that someone is observing the main character, even though they are pursuing her. These kinds of shots help show the audience that she is not alone and that the house is not as secure as we would all like it to be. POV is another useful shot type. After about two and a half minutes, she turns to face the patio. Because they place the viewer in the character's shoes and increase their engagement with the story and the sense of unease, these shots are excellent for thriller and mystery.

Finally, the last movie is Get out I personally love this movie not only for the visual aspect but the suspense and tension this movie gives. A young black man strolling by himself at night in a predominantly white suburban area opens the movie. A vehicle arrives and starts to pursue him. He turns around and moves in the opposite direction out of fear. He turns to see that the door is left open and the car is parked. Then an unidentified person attacks him, drags him to the car's trunk, and kidnaps him. The character's realization that he is no longer alone and that he is being followed in this opening scene instantly creates tension and suspense. It's clear that something horrible will occur. The song "Run Rabbit Run" is softly playing in the background as the car pulls up. The song becomes even louder as the man is attacked. This creates an unsettling tension by contrasting the upbeat tone of the song with the violence on screen. The audience has no idea who the man is, where he is going, or why. His attacker's identity is also hidden because a helmet of some kind completely hides his face, and no explanation for his kidnapping is provided. You have a lot of questions about what transpired and what will happen next as a result.

Sources:

 Opening sequence analysis: Scream. (2013, November 3). South of Heaven Site.

https://southofheavensite.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/opening-sequence-analysis-scream/

Hibbs, L. (2013, November 3). Opening sequence analysis: Scream. South of Heaven Site.
https://southofheavensite.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/opening-sequence-analysis-scream/

Sandra. (2022, January 21). Aspects of the “Get Out” opening scene that can be applied to writing. Medium.
https://medium.com/@sandrayvonne/aspects-of-the-get-out-opening-scene-that-can-be-applied-to-writing-dd88bfd2c041