Analysing different thriller openings

Analysing thrillers opening sequences - The Dark Knight Rises

• It starts off with an Aerial shot from the sky - It's really dark and shows the Batman logo of a bat. 
• Suspenseful music throughout entire opening sequence which builds up more and more as the scene gets more tense.
• Begins with a funeral - Most thrillers start off with a death.
• Slow zoom used getting closer Commissioner Gordon - Creates more suspense and makes you focused on him.
• The setting is in a plane - More dangerous and life threatening
• More cuts used as the scene gets tenser.
• Builds up and then has a lot of action, e.g. shooting, fighting etc.
• While the more action scenes are going on, more handheld camera movements used to make it seem more real and shaky which creates more panic and suspense.
• Opening scene ends with the villain (Bane) murdering nearly everyone on the plane and getting away quite easily - shows his power and makes it clear that he's the villain and is evil and powerful.

The 180 Degree Rule

In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character within a scene. 

An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. 

If the camera passes over the axis, it is called jumping the line or crossing the line.

This helps to make sure the audience does not get confused when two characters are in conversation.

Mind map of Thrillers

Introduction to the task

Brief

The task we have been given for our Media AS coursework is to film an opening of a thriller. It must be roughly 2 minutes long.

Their are 100 marks altogether.

20 marks = Research and planning

60 marks = Construction

20 marks = Evaluation/reviewing