The opening scene of Nightcrawler establishes conventions of the thriller genre. It introduces the protagonist, Louis Bloom, as he cuts a fence at night which seems suspicious. When a police officer confronts him with a flashlight, Bloom appears uneasy and smug, making the audience unsure of his intentions. The camera angles and lighting create mystery and tension as the power dynamic between Bloom and the officer becomes ambiguous. A cut then reveals suspicious items in Bloom's car boot, furthering the sense of danger and mystery around his character. The scene sets up Bloom as an antagonist and the officer as a protagonist trying to resolve a disrupted situation, common in thriller genre openings.

1. Nightcrawler genre conventions
and opening scene conventions

2. The first part of night crawler is him opening a fence witch to us as an audience
looks like a crime, especially because of the dark gloomy setting around us with
bright vivid lights around to portray that somethings coming. Also a boot full of
goods is shown in the back of his boot which could suggest two things to the
audience. One being its part of his job and, two suggesting that its stolen goods as
we have already established therefore he's cutting into a fence which obviously he
shouldn't be. This therefore creates a realisation of danger which links to the genre
thriller.

3. His face is then revealed with a mid shot and the bright light of what's opposite
him beaming upon him revealing his identity. He immediately looks like a fairly
uneasy person and a moment of suspense is built as the audience is unsure for
what is to come. His smug smile makes you feel like he's up to something bad, on
the other hand you could suggest he's trying to hide the fact that he's guilty. The
character himself looks like he takes care of himself which can make him appear
more intelligent, I can tell that he takes care of himself from him slick back hair and
well zipped up jacket to keep warm. Immediately you are able to identify that
there's something not quite right about this character as he seems slightly edgy.

4. The long shot camera is used so the audience is able to see both the characters, in this
case the night crawlers dilemma that is supposedly stopping him. It also show a better
view of where they are. The bright beaming like not only blinds the him but the audience
themselves which is used to put us in him shoes and from his perspective but at a
different angle. The main character is perceived higher from the angle of the camera
shot as its slightly tilted up to show him at a higher authority to the police man. This
creates a good opening scene as Its fairly mysterious as you are unsure of the
characters and if he's doing right or wrong.

5. As the space between them gets closer and closer it created more uncertainty and
the climax of the scene is built. Also the light is blocked out slightly from the
audience which suggests its all on the main character. They have chosen to do this
to show the intimidation towards the main character and to present the torch as a
weapon for the police man.

6. A quick cut is then used to show his materials in his car , this not only tells
the audience his background but is shows an aspect of danger and possibly
theft, which builds up tension to suggest what he's doing with these
materials. It gives a gloomy effect and can be quite chilling as it leaves us in
mystery. The lighting is low key with a glimpse of high key lighting so we’re
given an insight into the boot of the car.

7. These scene clearly present the ‘battle’ between the protagonist and
antagonist as the night crawler is portrayed as the antagonist as he’s the
one in the one in the wrong. The protagonist is then the police officer who
is in mercy of the antagonist, as he’s trying to resolve the problem when
faced with a disrupted equilibrium, which is a main genre conventions that
thrillers intel. The shadows highlight the fact that its night-time as the
bright lights light up the centre and creates a shadow over the main
characters which creates a sense of mystery also with the long shot which
presents that no one else is around and establishes the setting.