This document analyzes how a student film opening for a thriller genre film both follows and deviates from typical thriller opening conventions. It follows conventions through the use of an antagonist wearing dark colors, props like earpieces and briefcases, an urban location filmed at night, suspenseful music, and a plot twist. However, it deviates by having female protagonists rather than male, younger main characters rather than middle-aged, and filming the location at night for lighting effects rather than typical daytime filming. The opening both compares to and deviates from real thriller openings in its characters, style, and plot.

2.  - characters
 - costumes/props
 - locations/setting
 - visual & audio style
 - credit sequence, font choice & title
 - use of enigmas
 - plot twists
 - build up of suspense
 - creating tension

3.  Our thriller opening uses the typical character role of the
antagonist, that would most commonly be seen in “real world”
thriller openings. This is shown through the use of a male
character being the bad guy (antagonist).

4.  On the other hand we have produced something that is different
to the typical thriller openings, as the two main protagonists are
females, whereas it would usually be a role taken up by a male.

5.  Another way we have tried something different is through the
ages of the main characters, for example in a typical thriller
opening the protagonists and antagonists are usually a males in
their middle age (30s-50s). But in our opening the antagonists and
protagonists are younger.
 At the same our thriller opening still compares to the typical
opening as it shows that the younger generation are more into
taking risks and action.

6.  One of the ways our opening follows the typical thriller opening is
through the use of costumes/props. For the example the
antagonist wearing dark colours.

7.  Our use of props also follows the typical thriller theme. For
example the use of and earpiece , hard.-drive and briefcase.

8.  One way our opening is similar to real life thriller openings is
through the use of our urban location.
 On the other hand we have tried to do something different in the
sense that we decided to film in the evening, as we felt there would
be a better effect if the lights of the buildings where shown if the dark
background.

9.  Through our visual style we have created a theme of danger, which is
commonly associated with the thriller genre. We have done this the
use of the red interior in the opening scene at the restaurant.

10.  We also used typical audio style that would be found in “real media
products”. An example of this would be during the scene where the
antagonist was being hunted down by the two protagonists, we used
a fast pace action track, which would be typically found in a action
thriller.

11.  Our font choice for our credit sequence and title is typical of a
thriller opening, as it is in big, bold and white writing which allows it
to stand out.

12.  Our use of plot twist and enigma would typically be found in a action
thriller. For example our enigmas would be something along the lines
of (why is he laughing when they've take the briefcase?), (where did
the hard-drive disappear to?) or ( is there a double agent?).
 In our opening our plot twist would be that after getting the brief
case from the antagonist, they open it to discover that it is empty.

13.  One technique that we have used that would be common in typical
thriller openings to create tension (build up suspense) would be our
use of slow motion. For example In the scene where the two
protagonists are chasing down the agonist, this helps create tension
as it makes the audience anticipate what would happen next.
 Another technique we have used is by putting the audience in the
antagonists point of view looking up at one of the protagonists, which
also makes the audience anticipate what will happen next.