The Lost Highway- opening scene analysis

The first scene of the lost high way begins silently, this is to help create suspense and helps to keep the audience on the edge of their seat waiting to see whats going to happen in the film. The beginning is also very poorly lit, low key lighting. This connotes danger as if something bad is about to happen and it also fits with the theme of thriller. However even though the room the man is in is poorly lit when he goes over to the window outside is very bright and holds alot of light, this suggests that there is something mysterious about the building after the prolonged silence at the beginning of the extract a long non diegetic piece of music begins playing. The long prolonged notes help to create tension for the viewer and also adds an uneasy atmosphere. The music is then cut out by a loud sound of a buzzer coming from the door. Following this is an extreme close up of the buzzer. This emphases the fact the buzzer rang and shows the viewer what the character is concentrating on. There is also a close up of the main characters eyes and this is used to show the audience his emotion and how he looks very calm. When the male character goes over to the window there is a long point of view shot of the street where the man is looking. This allows the viewer to see what the character is seeing and to experience things from his point of view. Throughout the extract the dialogue is very minimal and this also helps to keep the viewer on edge as they are unsure of what is exactly going on. However the minimal dialogue that is spoken is very simple. 

The Dark Knight Rises

The opening sequence of The Dark Knight Rises moves very quickly. Through out the opening sequence there are hints and clues as to what sort of film it is the whole way through. The opening titles of the film are on for around 2 minutes 30 seconds and the whole thing is in black and white. This makes the film seem very dark and mysterious and may also represent danger. This could portray that there may not be much happiness within the film and they are the conventional colours to represent batman.

'The Silence of the Lambs-  Opening credits Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene of The Silence of the lambs the setting seems very mysterious. The establishing shot is off a dark spacey forest surrounded with tall trees making the area seem hidden. You are able to see the woods and the text 'woods near the Quantico' in the bottom right hand corner in the text Serif. This then leads to a vulnerable looking girl running alone. People could say that this could be seen as an old horror film opening. The opening sequence holds many Enigma codes these are questions being asked whilst watching the film, such as in this film, we ask, why is she running, why is she in the woods and who's after her? Later on in the extract you find out that she is actually doing extra police training on her own and no one is infact after her. This helps us to get an idea of the sort of character she is as it puts across to the viewer that she is hard working, determinated and wants to succeed. During the clip there is a tracking shot behind her following her running through the woods. This makes the viewer feel close to the character and as though they are running behind her. This also builds character and enables the audience close contact with the women who is running. Point of view shots are also used as the women is running through the woods as this makes it appear as though she is being chased, this helps to create suspense. At points through the beginning of the clip the camera seems to be held very steady this makes it feel more realistic as though you are the person supposedly chasing her, seeing things through their eyes.
   All of the opening credits are black with a white border and written in capitals. This could suggest things may be dark and dangerous on the inside but there is still something nice on the outside. This hints to the audience the type of characters that may appear in the film. The opening credits are in a bold font and are simple almost like newspaper headlines.This also could suggest the type of film it is going to be.
   During the opening sequence the male character runs into the scene and shouts "starling" this means we are introduced to the main female character by her second name which makes the film seem more realistic and as if we already know the character. The male character is also wearing a prop which is a hat, this shows us who the characters work for, the FBI.This helps to set in scene in the film for the viewer quickly and easily. Another prop used is signs which are attached to one of the trees. This helps to reinforce the location and where the film is set.
  As the main character walks into the building she is high- fived by another female character and is greeted by her first name making the viewer awhere of her first name, Clarice. Because of the casual greeting it shows her character gets on easily with others and she can be herself around them.When Clarice is surrounded by the other characters she immediately stands out. This is due to the height difference between her and all the other characters in the shot, she is alot smaller. This could suggest she doesnt meet certain things in the criteria to be part of the fbi or that she is at a disadvatage to the other characters. Also she is wearing different coloured clothes to the rest of the characters. This causes her to stand out as the other characters look more as though they are all part of some sort of group together. This helps to focus our attention on the her, reinforcing that she is the main character.

What is a Thriller?

A Thriller is a genre of film with an exciting plot based around some type of crime. It holds a lot of suspense and usually involves something which is spooky or creepy. It is always very weird and makes the viewer feel on edge and uneasy. The main character involved in the thriller usually has a number of obstacles to overcome or a mystery to be solved. Thrillers include Antagonists and Protagonists. The protagonist is old thrillers tended to be males however in more recent thriller movies both male and females can be seen as protagonists.  

It involves conventions such as:

• Fear
• Action
• scary
• strange
• mysterious
• creepy