thriller opening sequence

1. What is the purposeof a film’s opening sequence?
The purpose of a film’s opening sequence is to get the audience on edge and
excited to watch the film. Opening sequences achieve this goal in many ways.
One way is introducing the characters. For example, in ‘The Dark Knight’ the
audience are introduced to the Joker, who is the main protagonist, through a
bank robbery. This makes it clear to the audience that the Joker is a character
that they should fear as he and his group terrorize and kill civilians. This opening
sequence also achieves its goal by reinforcing the genre. Another way an
opening sequence excites the audience is through reinforcing the genre of the
film. For example, in the film ‘Casino Royale’ the opening sequence contains
almost all the action-thriller conventions. The sequence is an intense chase
between Bond and a protagonist, and the main convention of an action-thriller
is a chase/pursuit scene between protagonist and antagonist. This instantly lets
the audience know that the film is going to be action packed and exciting, which
helps to excite the audience and make them want to watch on. Finally, the goal
is achieved by generally exciting the audience, depending on the genre. Horror-
thrillers usually have a very tense and suspenseful start. Using sound,
cinematography and editing to achieve this. For example, the movie ‘Sixth
sense’ uses a very winey underscore, that creates a sense of mystery for the
audience and keeps them on edge. It matches with what is going on in the scene
as the characters begin to exchange dialogue, setting the tone for the movie
and enticing the audience to watch on and potentially find answers to questions
they might have.
In the film ‘Skyfall’ the opening sequence is used to establish the genre,
introduce new viewers to James Bond, and refresh the memory of those who
have watched past Bond films. It also reinforces the genre which excites and
entices the audience to watch on, the opening sequence foreshadows what s
going to happen in the actual film, which is non-stop action. These features of
the opening sequence are achieved through different cinematography, editing
and sound.
To begin with, the cinematography in the
opening sequence instantly introduces James
Bond’s character. In the screenshot, you can see
that the shot has low key lighting and rim light
on Bond. From this the audience, can infer some of Bond’s characteristics. In the

2. screenshot, you can only see Bonds eyes, and the rest of his face is casted into
darkness. This suggests to the audience that he has two sides to him. One side
being the fearless hero that always saves the day. And, the other being the
somewhat cold-hearted murder that doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. This
suggests to the audience that they can look forward to seeing these two sides to
his personality, later in the film.
Also during the opening sequence
the cinematography uses an over-
shoulder/ PoV type shot. This is a
very simple, yet effective shot as it
creates an element of mystery and
creates a little bit of
tension/suspense. The audience can’t see behind Bond, which as the volume of
the underscore increases, could lead the audience to believe that Bond is being
followed. This could represent the idea that Bond is always being followed, and
by projecting this idea the audience can become intrigued as to what Bond’s
fate will be later in the Film.
Sound plays a key role in this opening sequence, as it increases the suspense
and puts the audience on the edge of their seat. The aim being to excite them
and to get them craving to find out what’s going to happen next. During the first
minute of the opening sequence, as Bond enters the room, the underscore is
very slow-paced and the tone is relatively high-pitched. As Bond explores the
room and uncovers the people who have been shot, the volume increases and
this lets the audience know that things are about to get a lot more intense. As
Bond exits the room the underscore’s pace is a lot faster and the volume
dramatically increases. It happens as Bond gets in a car and from this the
audience can infer that there is about to be a chase. This also reinforces the
genre as one of the main conventions of an action-thriller is a chase between
antagonist and protagonist, exciting the audience and foreshadowing the
action-packed events later in the film. As the sequence progresses and the
chase begins, the volume and pace of the underscore is at its highest and from
this the audience are made aware that a big chase is about to happen. The idea
behind this is to excite the audience and to put them on the edge of their seats.
Another key feature of the opening sequence is the use of editing. The editing
only really comes into play as Bond enters the car and he and his companion

3. begin to pursue the antagonists. As the antagonists become aware they are
being followed there are a lot more fast-paced cuts. The fast-paced cuts
increase the pace and intensity of the scene for the audience and a sense of
disorientation and confusion is created. The audience can become to feel on
edge as the pace increases as they are unclear of what is going on. This makes
the audience want to watch on and find out what is going on. The fast-paced
cuts also make the audience feel as if they are there with the characters as both
characters and audiences are on the edge of their seats in anticipation. These
cuts are simple, yet very effective and reinforce the action-thriller genre, by
throwing the audience in at the deep end. Exciting and enticing them.
In conclusion, the opening sequence of ‘Skyfall’ is to introduce new viewers to
James Bond, as a character, but also to reinforce the genre and to let them
know that there is plenty of action to come. And to persuade them to watch on
and be excited for what is going to happen.