Research (1) : 'The Bourne Identity'

Analyzing successful films such as ‘The Bourne Identity’, in the thriller genre, is an effective way to understand what makes a good opening to a thriller film. The opening starts off with stormy weather and a man with gunshot wounds who found floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea. The use of dark weather sets an atmosphere of suspense, darkness is frequently used in thrillers. Brought ashore and nursed back to health by fishermen, he wakes up with amnesia. This is a psychological thriller as the character is on a quest of identity and the film is based on his mental health. The audience only knows as much as the character, (which is not much at all) and the foreign language adds to the curious feeling which alienates the audience, and also gives the feeling of being lost and vulnerable. The audience is plunged into the world of the character with the same lack of knowledge as him.

Camera position/angles

• Underwater shot; low angle looking up to the floating body.
• Camera movement unsteady; makes the audience part of the scene; rocky motion of the ship.

Editing

• Series of shots of him being pulled up.
• Black out used to create a point-of-view of the character.
• Reaction shot of fisherman's face.

These shots and positions are typical of thrillers as they demonstrate detail in terms of how the characters feel, i.e. the blackout and the rocking motion of the ship. There is also the low angle shot of the body which is from a distance, creating suspense and uncertainty.

Allowing audiences to feel uncertain, lost and in suspense are typical of thriller films. Some of the the ways in which this is acheived are stated above with only a few examples from the film.

Using the typical shots in the opening establishes the genre and creates the desired effect.

Sound

• Non-diagetic soundtrack used to create suspense and tension.
• Diagetis counds: thunder/lightening/creaking lights and floorboards on the ship
• Foreign language alienates audience

Mise-en-scene

• Cramped boat;men playing cards
• Stormy setting: isolation of the boat
• Contrast of the CIA office: calmness
• Worried look on CIA man's face

Thriller films work by combining all of the above to create an intellegent peice of film which builds the audiences' anticipation of what will come next. This opening is successful in acheiving the expected audience response as narrative enigmas are present. This is also proven as this film is a successful blockbuster and shows that people have been attracted to this film.




This film is a great example of a thriller and demonstrates the key elements into having a good opening scene.




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'A Room for Romeo Brass' : Opening Film Credits

The opening film credits introduce the narrative and genre of the film, it details the main people involved in the making of the film i,e. actors, director and production crew.

The opening film credits introduce the characters who are two good friends and this is obvious through their dialogue. The location is also established and the tone of the film.
The audience are captured through the visuals/audio of the scene. The soundtrack is greatly involved in this as it establishes the tone of the film; elements of comedy because of the upbeat rhythm, however the lyrics are more of a "life lesson": "Stop your messin' around, better think of your future...or else you will wind up in jail". This gives an idea of what themes would arise in the rest of the film.

The setting are local giving a feel of "shooting-on-your-doorstep", especially for british people, this setting will allow them to have more of a connection with the characters and themes.

There are images between the credits which break down the credit sequence, volume goes up when credits are shown and down when the images are shown, when the music ends the credits are finished.



The use of music in representation of the themes in thrillers are a good way of promting the audience of what is to be expected; because it is the first peice of non-diagetic sound heard by the audience it sets a mood for the viewers to become captured in the film.

• This is a strong element to use in my thriller opening scene to determine what will occur.
  

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Reseach on Psychological Thrillers

Psychological thriller: The conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.

Generally, thrillers focus on plot over character and emphasize intense, physical action over the character's psyche. Psychological thrillers tend to reverse this formula to a certain degree, emphasizing the characters just as much, or more, than the plot. The suspense comes from within one character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them.

Common themes of this type of thriller include:

• Death: The character usually has a fascination with death, or a death.
• Perception: Often characters misperceive the world around them, or their perceptions are altered by outside factors within the narrative.
• Reality: Characters often try to understand what is true or false within the narrative.

This type of thriller interests me, like British films, have an unexpected twist which i beleive would be suitable to feature in a low budget film in order to allow audiences to engage to the narrative without the need of special effects. I have picked three themes out the common themes as i beleive this would be the most suitable for the product. The opening will include some enigmas which are associated with these themes.

What makes an effective 'Thriller'?

According to Martin Rubin, there is no such thing as a 'Thriller'. The 'Thriller' is in fact a metagenre which "gathers several other genres under its umbrella". An effective thriller should keep the audience in a state of mind where they only know as much as the characters within the film, and there should always be unanswered questions (narrative enigmas), playing with or deceiving the audiences' mind. A thriller is designed to keep the viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action

Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and keeping people unsure about what is going to happen. This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece of media which usually ends in a resolution answering all unanswered questions. An example of this sort of suspense is featured in the film 'Memento' where all the ends of the questions gradually meet and lead to the ultimate initial question which was set in the beginning of the film, which is answered at the end (to justify why the main character has shot his friend). Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings. 'The Bourne Identity' can be used as an example of the conventional chaotic actions and exotic settings.



Gary Braver described thrillers in the following words, ‘dread drives thrillers. You know who the good guys and bad guys are. Dull moments will lose an audience, and writers can't afford to lose an audience, even for one page.’ Although Braver was refering to text Thrillers his quote is still usefull, as both text and film thrillers have the same conventions.We learn from Braver's quote that in order to make a successful Thriller, it is essential that the film produced maintains the viewer’s interest as well as make the good and bad characters known. I planned to use Braver's advice inorder to ensure my film complied well with thriller films as well atracted it's audience.

Along with this Braver presented 10 key points that when included in a Thriller, will make it succesfull…
1. You need to have a good story. (we drafted many copies of the storyboard improving it everytime)
2. Write about the underdog.
3. Multiple points of view give great range in a thriller.
4. Have an action scene in the introduction.
5. Reveal what the protagonist fears and aspirations are.
6. Make your characters miserable.
7. Your main characters have to change.
8. Pacing must be high: Strong Narrative Thrust.
9. Show—don't tell.
10. Teach the audience something.

The effect of openings

Narrative enigma is a question that underpins a story and will usually be answered at the conclusion of the film.

Narrative enigmas, especially doubled with psychological thrillers would, in my opinion, make an interesting film. Although the product is an opening, and what the conclusion would be has not been decided, the opening sequence achieves to create enigmas from the very beginning:

• Who is that man?
• Who is that woman?
• Why is she doing that?
• Why is he being tortured?
• What are their relationship?
• Where are they?..
• Why?

There could still be more to ask, but more importantly, the opening should set the narrative of what is expected to happen or what has happened.

Todorov's theory of equilibrium, disruption and resolution gives a balance of a thriller. However, setting the disruption first within the opening makes it more likely to attract audiences and concerned with the narrative.