The following presentation shows analysis upon the opening two minutes of multiple thriller productions.

1. Analysis of a Range of Opening
Titles
Lucy & Stacy

2. Memento
New Market, in association with Summit Entertainment,
Team Todd
 Director: Christopher Nolan
 Actors: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
 Plot: A man juggles searching for his wife’s murderer and
keeping his short-term memory loss from being an
obstacle
 Mise En Scene: Picture of man that’s been attacked and
blood which is murder and maybe deliberate, wearing a
suit shows his role in society as being potentially upper
 Camerawork: Close-up/extreme close up shot is very
intimate, tilt reveals the character
 Sound: There’s contrast between the non-diegetic and
diegetic sound, where the soundtrack is soft as the
opening begins but as the scene progresses, the sound of
the gun meeting his hand and the scream of the man
being shot is harsh and emphasises danger
 Editing: Rewind the shot of the scene which is linking to
his memory loss and it’s going backwards
Relation to Lucy and I’s Media Product:
Like Memento, Lucy and I will also adopt similar shots such as
close-ups within our opening two minutes to intimidate and
alarm our target audience.

3. New Line Cinema, an Arnold Kopelson Production
 Director: David Fincher
 Actors: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
 Plot: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran,
hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly
sins as his modus operandi
 Mise En Scene: Low key lighting shows mystery
and danger
 Camerawork: Extreme close-up
 Sound: Non-diegetic sound is the soundtrack
and it gets more intense as it builds up
 Editing: Superimposition, random cuts and
transitions
Relation to Lucy and I’s Media Product:
Lucy and I plan to utilize low key lighting for the
same reasons as ‘Se7en’ – to create vulnerability
and exposure.
Se7en

4.  Director: Martin Scorese
 Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark
Ruffalo
 Plot: In 1954, a U.S. marshal investigates the
disappearance of a murderess who escaped from
hospital for the criminally insane
 Mise En Scene: Costume is two men, who look
important/professional and are wearing suits and
looks like it was filmed in the 50s, low-key lighting
creates shadow and fear
 Camerawork: Close-up, long-shot, over the shoulder
 Sound: Non-diegetic is the soundtrack and shows the
man that is being approached and is mysterious,
diegetic sound is the dialogue and talking of death
(girlfriend maybe)
 Editing: Pace of editing varies
Relation to Lucy and I’s Media Product:
In regards to Lucy and I’s media product and Shutter
Island, we too plan to utilize a variety of editing speeds
to illustrate suspense.
Shutter Island

5. Spyglass Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures, a
Kennedy/Marshall/Barry Mendel production
 Director: M. Night Shyamalan
 Actors: Bruce Willis, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment, Toni
Collette
 Plot: A boy who communicates with spirits that don’t know
they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child
psychologist
 Mise En Scene: Costume of woman wearing bright and
coloured dress and contrasts the darkness of the room (also
relate to colour)
 Camerawork: Close-up of light bulb to show/set the scene,
eye level shot through shelves as if the audience aren’t
meant to be there, rule of thirds – she is at the edge of the
shot which shows she is less important and there’s
something more (death?) to come, POV shot from ‘ghost’ in
the film
 Sound: Diegetic – ambient sounds where you can hear
surroundings, no music which creates tension
 Editing: Slow paced to try not to break the quietness in the
room and build up and make the audience anticipate what’s
about to occur
The Sixth Sense

6. Universal, MCA Company, Paramount, VistaVision
 Director: Alfred Hitchcock
 Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel
Geddes
 Plot: A San Francisco detective suffering from
acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old
friends wife, all the while becoming dangerously
obsessed with her
 Mise En Scene: Costume – policeman wearing black
uniform showing darkness in the character and then
the man being chased is wearing white which can
mean innocence which is a contrast and this is reverse
as the ‘criminal’ is in white (rooftop scene)
 Camerawork: Close-up shot of hands holding on ‘for
dear life’, aerial shot showing where the man could fall
to his death
 Sound: Use of dramatic tense orchestra soundtrack
(non-diegetic), gun shot sounds are an element that
create thrill for the audience
 Editing: Slow pace but then goes into fast pace as
scene carries on
Relation to Lucy and I’s Media Product:
In terms of our media product, Lucy and I know
importance of costume is very importance so the
audience can identity who is who.
Vertigo

7. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures
 Director: Darren Aronofsky
 Actors: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent
Cassel
 Plot: A committed dancer wins the lead role in a
production of Tchalkovsky’s “Swan Lake” only
to find herself struggling to maintain sanity
 Mise En Scene: Low key lighting as it’s dim and
dull and you can see the shadows being created
 Camerawork: Tracking shot of the chalk moving
around, extreme close up of the chalk being
intensely used
 Sound: Non diegetic – piano being played
starting soft and elegant but starts to get more
intense and matches the speed of the chalk
(These can relate to the movement of the ballet
dancers)
Black Swan

8. Warner Bros, TimeWarner Company,
Touchstone Pictures, New Market Films
 Director: Christopher Nolan
 Actors: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman,
Scarlett Johansson
 Plot: Two stage magicians engage in
competitive one-upmanship in an attempt
to create the ultimate stage illusion
 Mise En Scene: Costume – the magicians
wearing suits
 Camerawork: Wide shot of the stage and
audience
 Sound: Non-diegetic voiceover – dialogue
shows direct mode of address
 Editing: Fast pace, parallel editing – both
indicate the chaos of being a magician
The Prestige