Opening scene analysis - Miss Georgiou

An opening sequence is essential to a thriller film as it engages the audience into the scene and sets the mood for the rest of the film. The opening sequence is also used to introduce some of the following elements; Characters, locations, Narrative, Plot and Themes.  The opening sequence is a personal thing but when a film grabs your attention from the opening frame it knocks you out of your seat or even grinds you into it, you tend to remember it fondly, even if the rest of it fails to measure up. I will be looking at the conventions used by the director, the sounds used by the director and how he used cinematography in the 1973 film 'Halloween' which was directed by John Carpenter. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELF1DCf1ChA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tGvktfjjk


Cinematography 

In the film 'Halloween' the director uses cinematography (the art or science of motion picture photography) to create shock, surprise and suspense and to also engage the audience into the opening scene. The first use of the camera we see is the camera zooming in on the pumpkin during the credits. This create tension because as the camera gets closer to the pumpkin the audience become more tense to whats about to happen in the opening scene. This is also used because a pumpkin is a symbol of Halloween and allows the audience to make conclusions to as whats going to happen.

Another use of the camera is when the actor has the camera in his hands, this is called point of view as we can see what the actor is seeing. This is used because it creates movements of which are known by us as what we see and do, for example it creates jerky movements and makes the opening scene realistic and tense. We see this used when who we think is the 'killer' slowly moves towards the house and searches round the house for an open door or window. This engages the audience into the scene as they feel as tho they are the person going towards and around the house. At this point we also do not know who the killer is because of the point of view shot as we have only seen what they are seeing and no other view. 

We then see the 'killer' enter the house and take a knife from the draw, we see the 'killers' arm and hand but no other features, this creates even more tension as we are dying to see who his person is. In addition this also creates a relationship between the 'killer' and the audience as the audience feel as though they are the person picking up the knife and are about to kill an innocent girl. This is conventional to the thriller genre as a knife is a common murder weapon as well as the hidden identity which is also commonly used in thriller films. Both of these conventions create tension and suspense as we are waiting to see who the killer is and we are waiting for thr murder weapon to be used.

Finally the last piece of cinematography used is at the end of the opening scene when the camera zooms out from a close up of the mysterious house into a long shot of the house. This creates an emotional distance as we can see the shock on the young boys face as he has just realised he's murdered his older sister. The zooming out then creates unknown and uncertainty as the audience questions whether the young boy is the killer or not.

Sound

Sound is key in an opening scene as it creates tension and makes the scene more dramatic and interesting. We first hear the films soundtrack playing over the top of the credits, this is non-diegetic as it is added in the editing stage of the production of the film. This creates suspense as we can hear some young children chanting and makes the audience more uptight and scared about what is going to happen next. This also creates tension as the audience may think the film is going to be about little children being harmed which is something nobody enjoys watching. This also adds to the drama of the opening scene as we do not know who is walking into and around the house. This is conventional to the thriller genre as many thriller films tend to use an upbeat and dramatic soundtrack to scare the audience from the start.

We then hear off-screen sound, the clock in the background chiming. This is off-screen as we can hear the clock but we cannot see the source although this is not non-diegetic as it isnt added in the editing stage and is there when the scene is being filmed. This could signify the end of the scene and/or the end of the girls life. This creates suspense as we are waiting for something to happen because of the chiming and also creates tension as the audience are on edge waiting for something bad to happen. 

Lastly we hear some parallel sound when the 'killer' is walking up the stairs, the piano is being played in time of the killers footsteps which creates emphasis on the killer going up the stairs. This creates suspense as we do not know what is going to happen but we know something serious will happen because of the way the piano is in time. this also creates a lot of tension as the audience now start to focus onto the murderer which makes them feel more on edge and nervous about what is to happen next. It also makes the audience feel as though they are part of the film and puts them into the killers shoes which puts the audience on the edge of their seat and are then thrown into the back of their seat when the girl is murdered. This is conventional to the thriller genre as the sounds make the villain out to be more terrifying and intimidating than he would without the sounds.

Narrative
The narrative of a film is very important as it is the core of the film and other things like camera shots are focused around the narrative and what the director wants to portray throughout the film. The narrative of this film is based around the night of Halloween hense the reason the film is called 'Halloween'. 

We first see a detached house in which a boy and a girl are kissing and watching tv, this makes the audience feel as though this scenario could happen in an everyday situation like theirs and scares them more than it would have in a forrest as it is expected. In addition we then see the inside of the house from the point of view of the killer which again engages us into the narrative and makes us feel part of the story. We then watch as he walks up the stairs and into the girls bedroom where he picks up the clown mask, which is the main piece of iconography used, along with the knife. It is then revealed to us that the killer was the little boy, which creates an enigma which is misleading as we do not believe it was him.

This story line is very conventional to the thriller genre as many thriller films consist of an enigma, a villain, a victim and an every day setting. In addition many thriller films narrative are about a serial killer who kills unexpected victims.