Real Media Research

• Reservoir Dogs• The butterfly effect • Gone girl• Sixth Sense • Jaws

Reservoir DogsOpening sequence conventions:In the opening sequence the director of the film is shown to allow people to know what type of film they are going to be watching as certain directors have their own styles. The title of the film is also shown, the colour of the title is a dull yellow which connotes caution and sickness which could warn the audience what the film is about. The opening sequence also introduces the main characters with close up so you cans see the emotion on their face, this allows the audience to make a first impression on the characters. Also the costumes the characters are wearing allows the audience to know the characters are formal but also has questions such as why they are wearing suits. This is good in an opening sequence as a convention of a thriller is mystery. The long shot when the title is shown allows he audience to see when the film is set which may help the story line and allows the audience to feel emerged in the story.

The Butterfly EffectOpening sequence conventions:The producers of the film are shown at the beginning.Also the opening credits show the actors of the film and the director. The opening credits are hand written which leaves questions for the audience such as who’s writing it and who they are writing to as there are questions in the background. This is a convention of a thriller as it makes the audience think and have questions which will also make them curious an therefore want to watch on to answer their questions. Also the opening sequence does show any characters which makes the start of the film more tense as the audience don know who the protagonists are and who the antagonists are.

Gone Girl

Opening sequence conventions:The opening sequence for Gone Girl shows the title of the film with a picture of the women however doesn't’t show her full face and this allows the audience to have questions and be more intrigued while they are watching the film. However the opening sequence tells you a lot about the women character suggesting she is a main focus of the film. They have used shots of the women writing along with a lot of pens which allows the audience to know she is a writer without even saying it which is a convention of a thriller as it is allowing the audience to make up their own story and ideas. The close up of the women smiling allows the audience to think that she is happy but the dull lighting and colours contrast with this leaving the audience to wonder why she may be unhappy. Also the eyes hold a lot of emotion so by leaving them out it makes the shot a lot more tense as the audience don’t know the reason behind the smile or if its even true.

The Sixth Sense

Opening sequence conventions:In the opening sequence to gone girl the producers of the film are shown and so is the title. There is a close up of a women's face which allows the audience to see her emotion however they have questions as to why she is worried or scared as the shots don’t show that. Also the location is dark and eary which makes the scene more tense and will make the audience more on edge. Also the opening sequence gives away some information about the character such as that they are wealthy as they have a big wine rack however doesn’t specifically tell the audience this.

Jaws

Opening sequence conventions:In the jaws opening sequence the colours are all dull implying something scary or bad is going to happen. The beginning shows the producers of the film and also the title of the film which is written in red which connotes danger. This is a convention od a thriller as they tend to involve danger or fear. Also the news paper allows the audience to know the film is about a shark however leaves all other questions unanswered. By showing an arm with no body it makes the audience wonder what has happened to it and also who's arm it is.

Conclusion From researching other thriller opening sequences I can see that common conventions are close ups to show emotion as this make the audience worry or have questions as to why the character may be feeling a certain way. Also the colours are all dull or black which creates tension as it makes it harder for the audience to notice things making them on edge throughout the film.Another convention is having the opening titles, this includes the name of the film and the production company and some of the main actors, this informs the audience on who they are watching. Opening sequences also tell the audience a bit about the character without actually saying it meaning they give hints such as in Gone Girl they show the women writing implying she is an author or loves to write. Another convention is high pitched music as that makes the audience feel like something bad may happen.

All of the conventions help to create a suspenseful opening sequence which leaves the audience a lot of questions left unanswered.