The opening sequence challenges conventions by introducing the protagonist, Michael Phillips, as an ordinary office worker to subvert expectations of a typical criminal. It establishes an antagonist dressed in black who remains anonymous. Settings of an isolated forest and confined office/bathroom aim to mirror the protagonist's feelings. Props of a gun, ties, and bag signal a crime thriller. Fast cuts and a flashforward create suspense. Camera shots like close-ups establish the thriller genre. The 18 rating and investigation narrative follow crime thriller norms, while credits are kept minimal to further the mystery.

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR OPENING SEQUENCE USE, DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL OPENING
SEQUENCES?
Jacob Widmann-Oliver

2. Conventions of an opening sequence
The opening sequence of a film is a vital element contributing to its success. It is used to establish
characters, the setting, the genre, the narrative as well as the visual style. As we decided to create
and develop a crime thriller film I have decided to focus the majority of this evaluation question on the
opening sequence of crime thrillers. The typical conventions of a crime thriller opening sequence
includes the following:
They often involve fast-pace, suspense, action and violence.
There is always a protagonist and an antagonist.
There is usually an investigation within a crime thriller.
Enigma (creates questions for the audience)
HIgh intensity (action sequences, car chasing etc)

3. Characterisation - Protagonist
Typically opening sequences introduce the main characters to the audience. In particular to crime
thrillers these characters are usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The protagonist is introduce
immediately. We see him on screen in an office carrying out regular activities many usual people
would in an office environment. We wanted to challenge the conventions of crime thrillers by using a
character which to the naked eye seems like a regular person. We hope that making this decision will
further draw the audience into the film, as such a relatable character is on screen. It will also lead the
audience to asking questions about their co workers and perhaps force them to challenge stereotypes
of criminals. The character establishes himself very early on picking up the phone and answering
“Hello, Michael Phillips.” The character soon begins to portray himself as anxious/nervous about
something through his body language. With the camera using close up shots and editing fast cuts this
really puts emphasis on this factor and again creates an enigma. The audience soon realise
something is wrong and being to question what is wrong. Further into the sequence we see Michael
leaving the ‘Directors Office’ placing the character in a position of authority and of power, again forcing
the audience to challenge their stereotypical criminal.

4. Characterisation - Antagonist
When developing the antagonist of the film we decided to create a stereotypical criminal. Wearing a
hooded jumper not only enabled us to create this but also meant we were able to keep his identity
hidden. Keeping the characters face out of shot for the majority of the sequence creates an enigma
surrounding this character. The character is not formally introduced as Michael is, his name, career
and all other aspects of this character remain a mystery. To reinforce this mystery we decided to use
a Dutch tilt as the antagonist is first introduced to us creating a sense of surrealism. We decided to
dress the character in all black, as black is often associated with death and mystery, but also power.
Although the character appears to be of a lower class than Micheal we soon see that he is in
possession of a gun, a prop often associated with crime thrillers placing him in control of the opening
sequence. Although the antagonist is seen in the opening sequence he is not introduced to us,
therefore we have gone against what you would expect to see in an opening sequence, which is all of
the main characters being introduced. We have decided on this based on the fact we aim to build an
enigma surrounding this character, which should entice the audience to continue watching our film.

5. Settings
The settings we chose were very important factors of our opening sequence as it helps to answer the
question of ‘where’ and ‘what’. We decided to follow the conventions of a crime thrillers opening
sequence by using a forest as our main location. This is an isolated area in which many of us fear due
to its density restricting our vision. The decision to use a small office and toilet was made based upon
the restriction and confined spaces they have. We wanted to echo how the character was feeling
through the location so using these isolated spaces resembled the characters feelings and emotions.
Our forest location was inspired by the film ‘Gone’ which has been previously mentioned on my blog.
To create a dense looking forest in a small woods at the back of our school we used only specific
camera angles to film our sequence. Below is a direct comparison of our shot of the woods and a shot
of the woods used in ‘Gone’

6. Genre - Props
As mentioned previously we decided to create a crime thriller opening sequence. As a group we were
hugely inspired by many works of other people, ranging from famous directors to other AS Media
opening sequences we had watched. We were also heavily influenced by our feedback from our
questionnaires which were handed to our target audience. I have previously discussed how the
characters used and the settings have established this opening sequence as one from the crime
thriller genre. The props we have decided to use have also contributed to establishing this opening
sequence as a crime thriller. We decided to keep the use of props as a minimum as we would rather
have the audience focused on trying to work out the plot rather than drawing their attention to several
fancy looking gadgets. The three key props that established this genre as a crime thriller were the gun,
the hand ties and the head bag. All 3 of these items are associated with kidnapping, violence and
crime making them important props to use in our sequence. We also decided to create an office scene
which looked as realistic as possible. We mirrored an exact copy we found of the idyllic office we
found online.

7. Genre - Editing
Through editing we were also able to establish the genre of the opening
sequence. Thrillers often contain a disordered sequence including a flashback.
After collecting our information from our questionnaire we discovered that the
majority of our target audience found that flashbacks are overused and have
become a gimmick in thrillers. To ensure we followed the conventions of a
thriller by creating a disordered sequence we decided to include a flash forward
at the very beginning rather than a flashback. This not only meant that we
followed the conventions but also included a new concept for our audience who
will not be expecting this. We have also used fast cuts to create a high intensity
opening sequence adding to the suspense and sense of urgency/anxiousness
that the protagonist has.

8. Genre - Cinematography
Similarly to editing, we were able to use different camera shots to establish the genre of this opening
sequence. The most typical shot used in thriller films seemed to be the close up, which was greatly
used in Se7en and Kill Bill. The use of a close up creates suspense and mystery. We thought that it
was a key shot which helps to establish so placed huge focus on the close up. We also discovered
through our research that low and high camera angles were frequently seen in crime thrillers. Baring in
mind these three main shots we went away and began filming. As you can see below we have a wide
variety of examples of these camera shots.

9. Narrative
After we analysed our feedback received from our questionnaire we have decided to aim our opening
sequence at young males aged between 18-30. Within our opening sequence we used strong
language and violence, and assuming this will follow on during the rest of our film and perhaps
intensify we decided it should be an 18 rated movie, based on the BBFC. The majority of crime thrillers
are rated or 18, meaning our sequence has followed the conventions of crime thrillers in this sense.
We also decided to stick with the general storyline of a crime thriller. In a crime thriller the audience
expects several things. They expect an investigation. In our film the protagonist is being investigated
by the antagonist, a twist on the usual idea of a police investigation. We have also ensure it is a fast
pace sequence with action and violence taking place. With support from our questionnaire we created
what our audience wanted. For example we ensured our main character was introduced as early on as
possible.

10. Credits
We did follow the common form for credits in an opening sequence by
superimposing the text over the video. The credit types we included were the
production company, the distribution company, the editor, the director, and the
cinematographer. We made the decision to leave out our actors names as we
wanted to create an enigma not only surrounding the character, but the actors
themselves creating a further more intense mystery.