Opening Scenes in Thrillers

The opening sequence in a thriller film should establish the scene as well as set a
mood/theme. A good opening scene will develop a narrative hook of which will
make the audience want to watch more of the film.
Skyfall [brief]
The film Skyfall uses a chase to identify the binary opposite characters and
gradually set the location and theme. The Chase also foreshadows the films
intensity and danger accompanied by the fast-paced editing and varied
camerawork.
Spiderman 2 [brief]
Another film that effectively uses the opening scene is Spiderman 2 connotes
Peters clumsiness and shows how he isnt very good at his job, which could
foreshadow the rest of the film indicating that he might not succeed later.
However, when it transitions to a shot of Spiderman swinging with pizzas, it
contrasts his alter ego and establishes his power and superiority as Spiderman
himself.
Bourne: Identity
In the Bourne: Identity, the universal logo cuts straight into a gloomy storm,
which could connote the sudden danger and giving
this initial shot a dramatic tone. The genre isnt that
clear through this, yet the theme of the film is
implied to be ominous and exaggerated. The director
cleverly used pathetic
fallacy to reinforce and foreshadow the rest of the
film, making the audience believe that it will build up
with intensity and drama. Mystery is strongly
developed through the tone of music and diegetic
sound presented when the sailors are shown, they
are speaking a foreign language which in theory is a generic convention for
an antagonist, however they are in the middle of the storm which could weaken
them, alongside the high angle shot, creating misconception and curiosity.
Parallel editing and fast cuts between the body in the sea and the men on the
boats builds up tension and gives reason for the audience to question what is
going on as well as juxtaposes the tow characters
which makes them seem very close. The way that
the silhouette is used reinforces the idea of
mystery. Shot reverse shots and POCs are used to
display what the sailor is looking at and what his
reaction to it is. The confusion on his face could
connote that he didnt kill the man in the sea and that he wants to help and the
tempo of the music begins to increase. When the body is brought to the boat,
both non-diegetic and dietetic sound is used to create connotations of intensity
which could reinforce how the sailors want to help instead of hinder.
To conclude, opening scenes have a typical and common convention to introduce
the main character in some way, similarly, the films Skyfall and Spiderman 2

introduce the protagonist by making them take part in action/conflict. Whereas

we can see that more psychological and crime related thrillers such as Bourne
use a more subtle approach to keep the audience guessing to who the
protagonist is, yet maintains the authority over the other characters in the
scene.