The document discusses conventions used in thriller movie openings including quick cuts, dim lighting, eerie music, and establishing the protagonist vs antagonist dynamic. It analyzes the opening of the 1995 film "Seven" which uses extreme closeups, jump cuts, and lighting to emphasize disturbing images and create unease. Credits are created using animation and double exposures to add mystery and show the killer's engrossment in his plans. All elements are meant to build curiosity about the super evil antagonist within the conventions of the thriller genre.

1. Thriller opening analysis by Aleks

2. “ I was really into horror movies when I was a
kid and I used to get frustrated when they’d
hold back the monster to the very end. It
occurred to me to get an idea of the killer
before they finally catch him. We wanted to
get the audience curious about what this guy
is going to be. He has to be super, super
evil.”
- Kyle Cooper the designer of the opening

3. CONVENTIONS.

4. Some thriller conventions include;
-Montage of shots
-Quick cuts
-Dim/Low key lighting
-Shadows
-Protagonist vs Antagonist (usually male)
-Eerie music
-Fast paced music
-Breathing
-Heart Beat
-Creeks
Through sound effects and music

5. CAMERA SHOTS AND MISCE EN
SCENE.

6. Motif established.
Through this brief close up the word ‘God’ is focused on, while the image
is just one of many for the audience it is visibly a significant aspect for the
character.
This shot parallels the idea of John Doe (the antagonist) as overzealously
religious as well as playing God; punishing people for their sins.

7. Extreme close ups are used to bring about a
sense of partial vision; focusing solely on the
characters hands and the props used, in turn
effecting misce en scene by making the setting
an enigma.

8. A selection of
disturbing images
flash on screen, some
for less than a
second; enough to
shock the viewer.
The extreme close ups
of the person shaving
his fingertips brings
about a feeling of pain
and self harm,
undeniably resulting in
questions. The hands
also seem to be those
of a male, following
the conventions of a
thriller.

9. EDITING.

10. The frequent use of jump cuts creates a feeling
of unease amongst the audience as well as that
of time passing, signified further through the
use of the journal and the flicking of its pages
and the fingertips of the antagonist ; first
shaven, then bandaged.

11. Editing of credits
It must be noted that nor the title or the names were laced in a
computer effect; Animation was created editorially with each
name taken separately, scratched on a scratchboard and
scanned; an animation was created and then exposed to varying
light resulting in 15 or so different cuts per name.

12. Double exposures are used, mainly when
showing time passing, with for instance the
blacking out of words in newspaper clippings,
showing how a lot of time and work has been
put into this plan as well as the characters
mentality; he’s fully engulfed by these tasks; his
life revolves around them.

13. The main actors names are placed on a solid black background bringing more
emphasis on them compared to the secondary actors who’s names overlay
the stills on screen.

14. Credits
It’s unavoidable to mention that while Kevin Spacey plays a key role in the film his
name is not mentioned in the credits. This is done on purpose, creating a sense of
mystery; (which IMDB defines as a genre of this film: ‘mystery, drama,crime,thriller’)
If a thriller loses its sense of mystery, with all being laid out for the audience on a
plate, it rids it of a major part of the experience; the assumptions, red herrings, all
going to loss.

15. LIGHTING

16. The use of lighting places emphasis on the main
focus of the opening; the hands.
With the distorted shadows of the hands
through the pages

17. POST PRODUCTION ASPECTS
In relation to our own opening; some things to take note of.

18. ‘Chekhov’s Gun’
‘‘Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say
in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the
second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going
to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.’’
(All props used in the opening are used to build the character
of John Doe.
His notebooks and scrapbooks all come up as part of the
investigation and the conundrum of his shaved finger tips is
vital in the main narrative.)

19. Story Board
A fragment of the story board for ‘Seven’ 1995