Opening scene analysis. Miss Georgiou

In this blog, i am looking into what makes a good opening to a thriller opening. The purpose of an opening is to set the scene and time frame. It also sets the mood and engages the audience in what the genre of the film is. In thrillers especially, the opening scene creates an enigma amongst the audience. I will be looking at the opening scene of Halloween and how the editing, cinematography, sound, characters, narrative and conventions make this a perfect opening scene.

The first analysis point is editing. The editing types used in the scene are fading, continuity and a straight cut. The one particular style that was effective in this scene is the continuity editing. This is were the shot is the same throughout and really links the audience with the scene. Also used in this scene was a montage of pumpkins. This connotes the fact that it is Halloween and just helps the whole audience really engage with the film.

This clip also contains cinematography. Two main features of cinematography are used in this clip. Point of view shot and a hand held shot.

These two points hold hand in hand as we step inside the killers’ shoes as he brutally kills his sister. The point of view is used in a hand held manner to give the audience a feel for what it is like and we can only see what he sees, enhancing the overall experience by allowing you to focus on events, solely from his perspective.

Another point i am analysing is sound. Once again i picked up two key points from the clip. These being parallel sound and off screen sound. The parallel effect is the sound of footsteps on the stairs in synchronised time with a piano sound. This gives the scene a weird eerie feel that makes you aware that something is going to happen, you are anticipating an event. The off screen sound is the ticking clock effect, not seen at all in the scene. This could portray the feeling that all time has slowed down, adding a feeling of suspense to the audience.

Character analysis my next focus.  The killer is kept very mysterious throughout the whole clip; the audience is given very little information about the killers’ physical appearance. This creates an enigmatic feeling about the character. The girl is another character seen. She is in her room at night. This immediately gives the audience a feeling of foreboding, this happens because it is a characteristic scene set up of a conventional thriller.

The narrative used is another point of notice. The location is in an ordinary suburban area that puts you at ease and feels very homely. It could almost be your town. The area is very stereotypical and in doing this makes you on edge and fearful even after the end of the film.

Using the clip the following points all link together.  Shock, surprise, and leave the audience in suspense, hidden identity, enigma, open door, quiet house, iconography, low key lighting, and a female victim.

I hope to take all of these convention and use my own analysis to create a chilling thriller which keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and keeps them looking over their shoulder in the dark when they hear a noise.