The opening sequence "Missing" is a 1 minute 51 second thriller about two women leaving an interview, where one gets into a wrong taxi. When the other realizes this, she has a proper taxi follow the first car, but it turns out she is now in danger. The sequence establishes suspense through a routine initial scene, hints that foreshadow danger, and introduces the characters and kidnapping plot. It represents conventions for thriller openings through its single location shooting, long shots, mystery set-up, and portrayal of the taxi driver as a suspicious antagonist kidnapping naive female protagonists, challenging women's safety.

1. How does your product use
or challenge conventions and
how does it represent social
groups or issues?

2. • The opening sequence I made is called “Missing”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=styKvLjnLfM)
• It is 1 min 51 sec long
• Its genre is thriller
• It is about two women, leaving home after an interview.
One of them gets into a wrong taxi, and when another
one realizes that and asks the driver of a proper taxi to
follow the first car, it turnes out that not her friend, but
she is now in danger.

3. Thriller opening sequence
conventions:
● Suspense
The first thing which makes the audience suspect that there is
something wrong, is the 1st shot, which at first, shows nothing special
that can cause suspense, and that is suspicious, as it hints at the idea
that everything will change after something (crime?) happens.
In these terms Dexter opening scene is similar to the beginning of
“Missing” . It demonstrates a routine scene of a man shaving and having
breakfast. However the moments of him chopping meat and the blood
from a cut dripping into the sink hint at what the series is about –
Dexter is a serial killer. In “Missing” one of the girls ask : “Speaking
about ladies staying safe, how are you getting home?”. This phrase hints
at the further developments in the film.
What especially gives the beginning of the sequence
ostentatious serenity is not quite typical ‘thriller’ mise en
scene : “Missing” was shoot outside in the daytime when
the sun was shining so the lighting was high key and the
whole atmosphere wasn’t gloomy

4. Dexter (TV series) by James Manos Jr.
genres: crime drama, psychological thriller, mystery

5. ●One Setting “Missing” was shoot at the top
car park only
e.g. “Psycho” opening scene is also shoot in
one location and contains mostly long duration
shots
https://youtu.be/1nf3D0AGZkU
●Long duration shots
In “Missing” the first shot of two girls talking is
24 seconds long
●Creates mystery
It is expected that the audience has a lot of
questions after watching “Missing” : who was
the first driver? Was the first girl really
kidnapped or is she fine? Who is the second
driver?

6. ●Establishes narrative via plot In “Missing” the
audience for sure knows that at least one girl
has been kidnapped
●Promotes a film
“Missing” introduces the characters, sets quite
clear narrative, and therefore promotes the
film
●Continuity editing
●Typical characters – antagonist/ protagonist
In “Missing” its obvious that the girls are
protagonists and the driver is antagonist,
however he seems to be not the main villain.
“Missing” reinforces a thriller opening
sequence convention of showing positive
characters at first

7. ● Opening sequence “Missing” contains written codes: title and credits .
According to opening sequence conventions, the main information, such
as the production company, is put at the beginning on a solid background.
Some of the titles are written in white and put onto the shots in the way
they contrast the background
Insomnia
(2002)

8. In “Seven”(1995)
opening sequence a
similar effect is used
to the title with the
films name. Both
sequences contain
tense music, which
is conventional for
thriller.

9. Carrie (1976)
Black Swan (2010)
Mirror reflection is conventional for
horror and thriller genre.
In “Missing” there is a reflection of
the main character not in a mirror
but in a leaving car’s window, which
still fit into a convention.
What is interesting is that both Carrie and Nina
from “Black Swan” die at the end of the film.
By the end of the opening sequence the
audience already knows that the hero is most
probably kidnapped, that’s why “Missing” is
likely to end in a similar way.
Mirrors (2008)

10. REPRESENTATION OF
SOCIAL GROUPS AND
ISSUES
The main issue of “Missing” is kidnaping of
females.
This topic is a popular base for thriller and
horror movies.
e.g. “Kiss the girls” (1998): eight woman are
kidnapped.
“Taken”(2008): father tries to find his
kidnapped daughter.
In “Missing” this convention is developed. Though the
viewers can get that the women are aware of the risks
from the phrase: “Speaking about ladies staying safe,
how are you getting home?” , they still get in trouble.

11. •In the sequence the kidnapper is represented as a typical taxi driver as
he is of middle age and is wearing a suit. The representation of him as a
villain is also typical: he is friendly and kind in an unnatural way, which
seems suspicious to the viewer, but not to the female character, who is
therefore represented naive.