The document discusses how the opening sequence for a thriller film challenges some conventions of the genre while adhering to others. It does not feature any weapons like knives or guns but instead establishes the protagonist's drug and alcohol addiction through props. It aims to build suspense rather than launch straight into action. Sound effects like fire, laughing children and a clicking gas oven are used to create tension. Low key lighting is employed to set an eerie mood and obscure the killer's face. The characters follow the simple killer/victim trope seen in many thrillers. Bold but not overly dramatic title credits are chosen over more dramatic fonts to seem professional while highlighting the serious nature of the film.

1. CONVENTIONS USED AND CHALLENGED IN OUR
OPENING SEQUENCE: PROPS
Although the majority of opening
sequences of the thriller genre
feature violent objects such as
knives and guns, the props featured
in our opening sequence challenge
this convention. This is because our
project does not involve any form of
weapon, but instead uses props to
establish information about the
protagonist, such as his drug and
alcohol addiction. The reason why we chose to challenge this convention is due to the fact that
we wanted our opening sequence to build suspense rather than launch straight into the thriller
action, and therefore felt it would best if we did not involve any attacks in the scene yet. This
leaves the audience not only asking who the hooded figure is, but also what is going to happen
next – whether he will attack, or whether he is simply there for something else.

2. CONVENTIONS USED AND CHALLENGED IN OUR
OPENING SEQUENCE: SOUND
An important part of the thriller genre is building suspense through sound - typically low, eerie
noise. We therefore made sure, as we wanted our opening sequence to create a tense mood
similar to other thriller opening sequences, that we used suspenseful sound effects ourselves.
Some of the sounds we used were noises such as fire burning, eerie children laughing and the
clicking of a gas oven. We also used, which was most typical of a thriller genre, a sharp violin
noise at the very end of the sequence before it cuts to black. This worked to build tension
before suddenly ending, leaving the audience in suspense and, as a result, wanting to find out
what happens next.

3. CONVENTIONS USED AND CHALLENGED IN OUR
OPENING SEQUENCE: LIGHTING
Almost every opening sequence of the thriller
genre uses low key lighting, and it is rare to
see one that does not, due to the fact it is
important in setting an eerie mood to the film.
Because of this, it was vital for our opening
sequence to also utilise low key lighting, in
order to make it typical of a thriller and to
establish the mood of the opening.
Furthermore, low key lighting allowed us to
create an air of mystery to the killer, as the
darkness worked to help mask his face from
the camera – which, in turn, leaves the
audience asking questions about who he is.

4. CONVENTIONS USED AND CHALLENGED IN OUR
OPENING SEQUENCE: CHARACTERS
Much like lighting and sound, our characters were made to be typical of their genre, following
the simple killer and victim trope that is often found in many thrillers, in which the antagonist is a
psychotic murderer and the protagonist is the clueless victim. Whilst the antagonist is not
properly introduced in our opening sequence, it is clear from the clues alone that he is
dangerous, as shown by his hooded figure walking past in the background and the smashed
photo frame that is found upstairs. The protagonist, or victim of the story,
is also typical in that he is oblivious
as to what is going on, and is
therefore the source of tension to
the audience, as they are aware of
the killer whilst he is not. This is
typical of the thriller genre, as the
killer/victim trope is often used as
a way of keeping the audience on
the edge of their seats, suspenseful as to when the protagonist will realise
what is happening and what he will do once he does.

5. CONVENTIONS USED AND CHALLENGED IN OUR
OPENING SEQUENCE: TITLE CREDITS
The typical convention amongst
title credits within the thriller genre is that
they use a dramatic font, one which is fitting
to a tense atmosphere and yet still remains
fairly subtle during the scene. Whilst our
opening sequence uses a bold font, it is not
necessarily dramatic, as we felt that the
dramatic fonts we tested on our opening
sequence appeared unprofessional and did
not help to set an uneasy atmosphere. For this reason, we instead used forceful, bold but not
too dramatic font, which worked to be unobtrusive throughout the scene and appear much more
professional than it would have if we had used a much more ‘decorated’ font. However, it still
works to highlight the serious nature of the film, and provide easy to read information at the
same time.