Ronan Roux

What makes a good thriller opening?

Low key lighting

Quick cuts
Shadows
Tense music and atmosphere
Black and white shots
Montage of shots
Meeting the characters through the showing of characterisation e.g.
protagonist/ antagonist and possibly a victim
Setting
Soundtrack: Orchestral and ambient
Key props shown, foreshadowing possibly. Usually some sort of weapon
Black and White?
Flashbacks as a part of characterisation
Makes the audience ask questions enigmas and action codes
Cast and major crew titles introduced e.g. lead actors and directors
Text as backstory
Title of the movie

No Country for Old Men Opening (Characterisation)

The antagonist is silent and kept in shadow at first, until he kills the police officer
that arrests him with his handcuffs in the police station. He is shown to be calm
and collected but also takes no nonsense. He carries a mysterious tank of
pressurised air as a weapon, leading to questions such as Why is he carrying
that as opposed to a more conventional weapon?
Camerawork
Opening is establishing shots of desert country, a montage to establish the
Midwestern America setting. No one is in the area so if you are under threat then
no one can help you, makes the audience feel threatened. The camera doesnt
focus on the antagonist until he comes into focus after loosening his handcuffs
ready to kill the police officer in the station. Close up of the pressurised air tank
as it is the primary weapon of the killer. Disconcerting shots of the police officer
being killed, showing how he is struggling to stay alive but is hopeless.
Editing
Slow paced as it uses establishing shots. Pace speeds up when the action starts.
Flashback through the narration at the start. Straight cuts throughout apart from
the fading in of the titles.

Ronan Roux
Mise-en-scene
Actor was chosen well for the role of the antagonist. Has a disturbing presence
on the screen. Natural yet dull lighting. Darker inside the police station than it
was outside in the desert, contrast. Prop of the gas tank to create intrigue.
Stereotypical villain as he is not American, opposite of what the other characters
are.
Enigmas
Who is narrating? What is the weapon used? Who is the antagonist and what has
he done to be arrested?
Atmosphere
Sense of isolation due to the desert e.g. car driving down the empty road. Nondiegetic sound to add to the isolation as we can only hear the wind etc.
Titles
3 production companies and a fade in of the title of the movie. Very subtle