The document analyzes the opening sequence of a thriller film. It discusses how the sequence builds tension through its title reveal and ambiguous setting. It also examines how the costumes of the protagonist and antagonist establish moral ambiguity and mystery. Through shots like long takes and point-of-view shots, the sequence draws the audience in as voyeurs and suggests the film's genre of thriller. Overall, the sequence utilizes techniques common to thrillers to unsettle the audience and set up the story.

1. By Anthony Richards

3. The first frame is the title of the film. It appears at the end of the sequence,
allowing the opening sequence to build tension before dramatically cutting
away to the title, leaving the questions that the rest of the film can pick up on.
“Following” is a title that suggests the subject matter of the film and also
creates a sense of ambiguity intended to unsettle the viewer. This technique is
typical of thrillers e.g. Misery.
The second frame showcases the setting of the film. The setting
was chosen because of its relative anonymity, enhancing the
ambiguous feel. This type of wide shot is typical of thrillers
because it allows the viewer to see the location of the film more
widely as well as better locating the film in the real world. A
generic sense of place is utilised in films like Fight Club and The
Matrix.
The third frame displays clearly the costumes used in the sequence. The
protagonist (left) wears darker clothes to show his moral ambiguity,
while the antagonist is dressed in bright colours - red to signify the
danger he poses to the character. He wears a hoodie so that his face is
hidden, playing on fears of the unknown and adding a sense of mystery
to his character. This challenges audience expectations because they
normally expect he protagonist to coloured distinctively in clours such as
white to emphasise his purity. A sense of moral ambiguity is seen in
many thrillers and suspense films for example the character of Sam
Spade in The Maltese Falcon. The antagonist, however, conforms to
audience expectations by wearing a hoodie – typical clothes for a
stalker/criminal figure as is portrayed in the sequence.
The fourth frame is an example
of how characters are
introduced in this sequence.
The antagonist’s defining trait
is watching and this can be
seen in his introduction – an
over-the shoulder shot of him
surveying the protagonist.
Through this, the audience is
drawn into the antagonist as
they too are voyeuristically
watching the scene play out.
Hitchcock was a proponent this
technique as seen in his thriller
Rear Window and spy films such
as Skyfall.

4. The sixth frame represents the camerawork and
editing typical of the sequence. The frame is a long
POV shot, showing the audience the antagonist’s
perspective, while the protagonist is walking into the
sunlight, showing his prevailing goodness. This type of
long shot is often seen in thrillers such as the films of
Alfred Hitchcock.
The ninth frame shows the style of the title and the font used. It was
deliberately made minimalist so it did not distract from the visuals of
the film. This method is common in thrillers that attempt to create a
slow buildup like Psycho.
The seventh frame is the opening shot of the film and
serves to set up the story of the film. This is done through
the main protagonist (right) receiving a text message. The
audience does not hear the exchange and so is left
wondering what occurred and why he leaves quickly in
the next shot. This opening technique (in medias res) is a
feature of many films in the thriller genre including
Memento and The Usual Suspects.
The eighth shot is an example of how the opening sequence suggests
genre. In this shot, it can be seen that the main antagonist is following the
protagonist. This is a very common trope of suspense of thrillers, especially
crime thrillers such as The Departed and the Bourne series
The fifth frame shows the special effects shot
of the sequence. This was done to make it
clear to the audience that something strange
was happening. The effect also helps to create
atmosphere as it makes use of shadows and
light. David Fincher uses special effects to
heighten atmosphere in films like Fight Club.