The document discusses how the author created an effective title sequence for their thriller film that sets up suspense and engages the audience. Key elements discussed include establishing the narrative and genre through shots of a crying girl in the woods; using close-ups, jump cuts and camera work to build tension; introducing the protagonist and antagonist; setting the scene through lighting, location and genre-appropriate title placement; and employing special effects and music to further create suspense. The sequence is analyzed frame-by-frame to convey how various cinematic techniques were employed to captivate viewers from the start.

1. Evaluation question 1

2. At the start of our title sequence task, I knew that I need to plan and
use conventions of real thriller openings in order to target the specific
genre and audience, and make my film look more professional.
After quick research, I made a spider diagram to show the conventions
of a thriller and to support me through my work.

4. Frame 1 - Narrative

5. My film’s narrative and story are suggested at the beginning.We
can see the location of things happening and an upset-looking girl,
which immediately defines the genre and makes the audience
wonder why is she crying, what is going to happen, whether she is
going to be hurt etc.
My establishing panning shot of trees gives an idea of the place
where everything begins ( and where everything is going to end).
The shot when we see through the creature’s eyes, wondering
around the woods gives a thriller/ horror feel, as it speeds up and
shows supernatural powers.
The fact that it is in the woods, on the other hand, speaks itself of
dark powers and suggests a “bad” story development.

6. Frame 2 –Camera and Editing

7. In terms of camera work, I used variety of shots to ensure the
suspense and tense created.This helped by partly building the
genre and by giving an idea of what the plot is based on.
I felt that close-ups will reflect my main character’s feelings and
make it more interesting for the audience, as close-ups can also
act as an enigma code, releasing pressure.
As I wanted to engage the audience at the beginning of my film,
I though that close-ups, tracking, panning shots and jump cuts
will emphasize the tension being built and tell the audience
that something is wrong without giving them the full picture.
When editing, I used montage for the sequences when the girl is
running with the purpose of signifying a sense of urgency.

8. Frame 3 – Film titles

9. Titles play an important role in providing the audience with a taster
of the narrative of the film without revealing too much of the story.
"My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and
the prime underlying core of the film's story, to express the story in
some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning the
audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would
already have an emotional resonance with it.“ – Saul Bass
The reason I put my film title, which is “Captured Soul”, at the end, is
because the film is of a horror genre as well, and since horrors tend
to put film titles at the enigma of the opening, I decided that this
way it would be more interesting, as the viewer is already captured
and engaged with the previous scene when the girl screams.
What is more, the title takes away the viewer’s focus, due to the lack
of further information and increases the chance of the viewer
wanting to see the film.
I wanted the fonts of the rest of the credits to be simple enough, yet
in bold, because of the hybrid genre of my film.

10. Frame 4 – How the characters are
introduced

11. To introduce one of my main characters, I have used a wide
shot, followed by close-ups, as the wide shot shows the
audience how the girl goes out of the school, and the close-up
shows emotions.
We can see the girl crying, connoting her personal problems.
She is dressed really nicely, her hair is done and she is looking
beautiful, suggesting that it is her prom night. However, the
lighting is low key, again, giving an idea of her dark feelings.
At first the creature is introduced through with shots through
its eyes, but later we are able to see it when it rushes in front of
and then at the back of the girl. It is dressed in black.We are
able to witness its supernatural powers, as we see it speeding
up and walking faster than normal people do.
With the beginning of the sequence, we are able to define the
protagonist (the girl) and the antagonist (the creature).

12. Frame 5 - Lighting

13. For the lighting in my product, I wanted to make it darker since I
filmed outside.
As films of a thriller genre tend to use dark low key and dim
lighting, I used editing to change the opacity and make some of
the scenes darker, in order to make it look more like a thriller
and manipulate audience’s emotions.

14. Frame 6 – Setting and location

15. The setting of the majority of my opening was in the woods.
There is some shooting at the school’s car park.
Both of the places indicate that the genre is a thriller.
The creature attacks the girl at the end of my title sequence,
because at first the girl is still on human grounds (the school). It
uses her fright to make her go into the woods, where she is
going to be on its territory.

16. Frame 7 – Genre

17. The three pictures I have chosen show the mixture of genres –
thriller, horror, fantasy; and depicts how the narrative revolves
around the girl which is in danger.
The reason why the film is of fantasy genre as well, is because of
the creature, which is human-like, but in fact doesn’t exist.
The shots of the girl screaming and kneeling down on the ground
indicate the thriller/horror genre.

18. Frame 8 –Special effects

19. These two frames illustrate the use of special effects.
The first one is the color change with the second blink of the
creature’s eyes. As the suspense had already been created, the red
color connotes danger and blood and signifies the death of the girl.
The second shot shows a part of the sequence when I have used
speeding up towards the trees, to support the creation of the
heavily based tension.

20. Frame 9 – How suspense is created

21. Close-ups of the protagonist are used to build suspense, as all
the tension has been created by the girl’s expression and tears.
The audience is left to wonder what has happened and who is
the antagonist.
The music also creates tension all the way through, as two of
its most influencing points are when the creature appear and
we can see it for the first time and the other one – when the
antagonist is behind the girl and she turns around and scream.