Genre Conventions: The clip begins with a wide establishing shot of a dark and dimly lit corridor with the light focused at the end. This creates the sense of eeriness and tension as it makes the audience feel nervous as if there is something waiting in the dark at the end of the corridor. The black contrasted with the red credit connotes blood which is associated with anger/fear/horror therefore heightening the tone of tension. The credits flicker rapidly suggesting the theme of being mentally unstable – a convention of a psychological thriller, indicating to the audience that this might be how the protagonist is. Opening Conventions: Credits can be seen which is an opening convention as it establishes the characters and directors, for example this could give away the genre of the movie because of the association with the directors and what types of movie they direct. It is introducing and setting the scene which enables the audience to think about what could follow on. An establishing shot is used, denoting to the audience a location within the film, this is a typical opening convention as it allows the reader to know where it is set and possibly foreshadows what may happen during the movie, for example this establishing shot appears to be in a prison and therefore implys to the audience that this may be a key location in the movie.

Genre Conventions: The sequence then rapidly moves on to a swirling staircase which appears to be revolving, looking like an illusion which possibly infers and reflects mental states of characters in the movie; they are unstable and possibly out of control and unpredictable, whilst also causing the viewer to feel disorientated. The colour use of red credits against the black background highlights that the film is of serious content which the audience would assume because of the associations of the colours; black to imply fear and threat whilst red to imply danger or anger. There is a lack of bright, bold, happy colours which establishes that the film is set to be of dark, mysterious content. Opening sequence conventions: A key element here of an opening sequence convention is it is attracting the audience’s attention by being unique and causing suspicion of the movies content as it is using a shot of a staircase as an illusion which makes the audience question what a revolving staircase signifys. This then fulfils its job of being an opening sequence convention as the audience are intrigued due to verisimilitude being created; a typical convention of Thriller opening sequences.

Genre Conventions: The clip then rapidly cuts to a gate, half open, enticing the audience in, creating enigma and causing them to question what awaits behind it as it appears something dangerous may be lurking in the dark. Pathetic fallacy is used here as rain can be seen which possibly foreshadows that something negative is about to happen and creates a melancholic but eerie atmosphere. Once again, the scene is dimly lit connoting danger and mystery which is a convention of a thriller film and makes the audience fearful as tension is being enhanced. The gates could be an alternative to represent prison bars as they create a look of being trapped implying to the audience that this may be a dominant theme within the film.Opening sequence Conventions: Wide shots establishing various locations which are obviously vital in the movie are shown, denoting to the audience where the film is set, giving them a clear indication of what to expect as the shots establish what type of location it is; this shot establishes that one of the locations is empty and deserted creating verisimilitude as the audience questions as to why this is being shown. Furthermore credits featuring a deadly, bloody red colour can be seen which is a typical feature which enhances the mood by being a colour that denotes negative circumstances.

Genre Conventions: A genre convention of thriller films is danger, which can be seen here as what appears to be a dark room is alit with flames, creating a sense of fear as to why a fire is occurring, that someone is in danger or that perhaps the antagonist( a key feature of thriller films) has provoked the fire. Fires are associated with revenge and rebellion which are major themes revolving around plots in Thriller films; the antagonist normally seeks revenge and the audience question whether this may be the case of the fire. Opening Sequence Conventions: Once again, credits can be seen establishing what actors are in the movie. Due to there being a fire in the background of the shot tension is created and heightened as a fire is an extremely dangerous hazard which alarms the audience and entices them in to watching; a key feature of opening sequences. It is typical in opening sequences to have a key, dramatic event occurring in order to let the audience know what’s in store for the rest of the movie, this shot does this by knowing that the audience will be intrigued by the fire and wonder what the circumstances were for it, allowing them to be gripped from the very beginning.

Genre Conventions: The sequence then cuts to a close up shot of a shoe stepping on a gun and then slowly dragging it away; a key feature of thriller films is that they contain harmful weapons, of which a gun can be seen here. By the character slowly dragging the gun away the audience are left wondering if a crime has been committed or is intended to be committed as it has created a sense of danger. The character is not shown so suspense is heightened as the audience are left intrigued by who the character is and why they are in association with harmful weapons. The shot still consists of dim lighting which implies danger and the tone of being unsafe. Opening sequence Conventions: Credits can be seen establishing who is in the movie. However, the credits are no longer in red but have changed to white, obviously to create an effect. This leaves the audience wondering as to why the credits have been changed in colour and what this is supposed to foreshadow and think of the contrast between the black and white colours and what this could alternatively connote.

Genre conventions: A low angle shot consisting of a prison cell can be seen, implying to the audience the location of the sequence and establishing that characters in the movie may be dangerous to society which is typical in thriller films; normally the antagonist is. As this shot infers that the location is in a prison the audience make associations and are caused to think about other features of thriller films. For example, now this has been established that there is a prison the audience engage with thought revolving around weapons; knifes and guns which are convention mise-en-scene in thriller films and are also typical of why people may be in prison. The shot uses dim lighting to enhance the eerie tone whilst there is a lack of people in the shot which further enhances the eerie tone as mystery is created as to why there is no one there and makes the audience fearful. Due to a low angle shot being used an inferior tone is created and possibly foreshadows the status of some of the characters in the movie.

Opening Sequence Conventions: The shot establishes the location and so implies the plot of the movie to the audience, opening sequences normally let the viewer gather thoughts and interpret events for themselves whilst also hinting at what is to come. This is done by the prison being established and thus therefore letting the viewer know that this will be where the film takes place but also allows them to collect thoughts on as to why it is set in a prison.

Genre Conventions: Within thriller films a dominant convention is danger. This shot consists of showing someone literally ‘playing with fire’ and striking a match whilst not showing the individual who is doing this. This foreshadows to the audience that there is a character within the movie who is dangerous and should not be messed with due to the serious nature of them striking a match like it is nothing. It appears that the individual may be committing arson, a serious offence, possibly denoting that they are involved with crime, which the antagonist normally is within thriller films. The shot is only lit up by the flame of the match which could alternatively represent that the movie is dominated and overpowered by crime and danger.

Opening Sequence Conventions: Within an opening sequence, an event normally happens that denotes to the audience danger and normally entices them to want to watch on. This is used here by an unknown character striking a match and appearing to be dangerous as it is a simple procedure but creates fear within the audience due to the earlier shot in the sequence of a room in flames. This causes the audiences thoughts to connect with the earlier shot and heightens them wanting to watch it as tension is strengthened by still not showing the characters face.

Genre Conventions: The font of the opening credits denotes to the audience what type of genre the film may be; different genres have different typefaces and fonts that are associated with particular ideas. For example this font type denotes thriller film as it appears eerie as it as if it is writing that has been scrawled and fits to the convention of a psychological thriller film, it is extremely unlikely that this type of font would be used in an action or romcom film. Therefore this establishes to the audience straight away that the genre is thriller and causes them to make associations with what may occur in the film due to the use of the font type used and what it could alternatively connote. Furthermore, the shot consists of a book being flicked through but does not show what is inside the book or who it is flicking through it; this creates mystery, a typical convention of thriller films, as it makes the audience consider who the person is and why they are not being shown and what is so important about the book.

Opening Sequence comventions: The name of the production company can be seen and immediately causes the audience to form associations; by the company being stated the audience can collect thoughts on the film based on other films the company may have produced. New Line Cinema is a company that has frequently made thriller films and so therefore establishes the type of film inthe beginning shot, a common convention of an opening sequence.

Genre Conventions: Dim lighting is used here to create an eerie, mysterious atmosphere whilst the shot focuses on a pair of crippled, wrinkled hands; denoting a sense of eeriness to the audience as the shot appears creepy and unusual. It may be considered weird to have a picture of old, wrinkled hands stuck into a book so the audience question as to why this may be, drawing them in into the unusual but creepy atmosphere that has been created. Furthermore the hands appear to be old and discoloured which could possibly foreshadow death which is a key occurrence in Thriller films. The shot is a canted angle and so creates the feeling of disorientation, letting the reader know what possibly lies ahead in the rest of the film with thoughts revolving around instability. Opening Sequence Conventions: Titles of who the film is produced by can be seen, this allows the audience to have expectations of the film due to the associations with the people featured in the titles. The credit is in white and in contrast to a black background and is rapidly flickering; this causes the audience to have thoughts to do with mental instability as the flickering credits have been used to place thoughts in the audience’s mind.

Genre Conventions: Double vision is used here to distort and confuse the audiences view whilst making the shot appear similar to a dream as the vision is blurred and hazy which occurs sometimes within dreams. This makes the audience question what they’re watching as they are confused and inquisitive as to why this double vision is being used to alter their perception of reality. The writer’s face cannot be seen and leaves the audience wondering who they are, what they are writing, and why they’re not being shown causing them to create their own interpretation of why this may be. Within psychological thrillers the protagonist or antagonist normally appears to have an unhealthy mind state which this shot supports as it appears they may be anxious as they are writing extremely quickly, which is further supported by the feature of serial killers writing down their thoughts or plotting things. Opening sequence conventions: Once again, credits of people within the movie can be seen, establishing to the audience the tone of the film as they form associations to what they may have seen them in before. Normally, in opening sequences the film company display the famous actors in a bold font and with colour, however this is not the case here as ‘Richard Roundtree is in a white contrasting colour to the black background and in a small font which creates a different feel and thus lets the audience know that the film may be full of surprises.

Genre Conventions: In thriller films a key element to show the genre of the film is mise-en-scene of props; in thriller films this is through the use of weapons. A sharp, long, knife can be scene here denoting to the audience that whoever possesses it may be dangerous as normally the antagonist in thriller films owns a knife or a gun and in some cases threatens to do harm with it. This causes the audience to already fear the unknown character whilst making them intrigued as to who it is and what they could potentially do with the weapon as it makes them appear powerful over others as they own something that other characters may not, creating suspense. The character appears to intensely cut a strip of film reel. In psychological thrillers a convention is being mentally unstable which leads to stalking an individual, this convention is associated with this type of movie, causing the audience to wonder if this is the case and if the character is cutting up photos of another individual. Once again, the individual is still unknown and creates mystery enticing the audience to watch on and want to find out why they are doing these actions. Opening sequence conventions: An aspect of opening sequences is making the audience want to carry on watching the rest of the film which is done here through the use of hiding the individuals face combined with dim lighting to create an eerie tone.

Genre Conventions: The background of this shot is black which is a typical colour used within thrillers; they lack bold, bright colours and instead use colours of black, white or red to show that the movie is of serious content whilst creating alternative connotations. For example, the colour black could represent fear or death and so leaves the audience wondering if these colours have been used to represent that and whether these are dominant emotions within the film. However, the white credits contrast to this and give a bright, positive look with connotations of purity and innocence and again, makes the audience question if this has been used to represent them themes. However, these two themes juxtapose each other creating mystery. Furthermore, an image of a males face with his eyes crossed out can be seen, this is normally associated with killers crossing out their victim, this creates a tone of empathy towards the victim and a tone of hatred for the killer as they seem to have no sense of remorse for their victim as they are establishing they are dead with no pause and in a sinister way. There is also an overlay of writing which appears scrawled and appears like it has been scratched out with a knife creating a tone of instability as it appears someone mentally unstable has scratched out the writing. Opening sequence conventions: A typical convention of opening sequences is shots of things which the audience do yet know know about in order to entice them in to the rest of the film which is done through the image of the male who the audience do not know of and why he is supposedly dead.

Genre conventions A shot with a colour other than black, grey or white in it is used here for the first time, a noticeable difference to the audience, causing them to wonder why the change has occurred. Red connotates anger, fear or even simply blood which could further denote death all of which are major features in thriller movies. A split shot is used between a hand picking up what appears to be another photograph whilst the other shot is of a pen being scrawled across a piece of paper. This creates the interpretation that there is a significant contrast between the two as they are being opposed to one another to create an effect on the reader and think of what they are suggesting and why they link to each other. The shot is slightly blurred distorting the audiences view and perception of reality which supports the contrasting split shot which also does this. Opening sequence conventions: Credits can be seen establishing who composed/did the music within the film in a minimal, simplistic font. Due to the credits being miniscule instead of being bold and dominant a relaxed approach to the film is created in contrast to what can be seen in the shot.

Genre Conventions: As in the previous slide, the theme of the individual collecting photographs and sticking them in a book is carried out heightening the eerie and creepy toned created and confirming to the audience that the unknown individual is mentally unstable as they seem obsessed with other individuals; a typical convention of the genre of thrillers. This is furthermore clarified by the photograph of the male having what appears to be a sharp object stuck into his head, this is extremely disturbing and the fact that the unknown individual glorifies this establishes they are dangerous, normally an attribute of the protagonist in thriller films. The shot has a sepia effect added to it, which adds to the shot being of a book; the effect creates the impression that the book is yellowed and alternatively has been in use for sometime which heightens the creepiness. Typically, within thriller films the protagonist/victim is normally a female and the antagonist a male but in this shot there are photographs of both genders showing that both may have been victimised and are equal in this sense; gender equality is not typical in thriller films.Opening sequence conventions: Information about a character within the movie is being given away through these shots by informing the audience of their mental state and characteristics but still prolongs the anticipation of them being revealed creating suspense and urging the viewer to watch on; normally done in opening sequences to entice the audience in.

Genre Conventions: This shot doesn’t give any information away about the type of genre the film is. The colours of the production company logo are bold, bright and eye-catching creating a bright, positive approach, however this could lull the audience into a false sense of security so their emotions will be heightened later on in the film due to the false start at the beginning. However, the audience being lulled into false security is dominant within thriller films in order to create suspense and tension throughout, so a genre convention is used here.

Opening Sequence Conventions: The first shot within a production’s opening sequence is typically the production companies logo and so this stereotypical convention is followed here, stating that it is extremely important as it is the first shot the audience lay their eyes upon. The audience are caused to engage with whom the production company is as it is stated so dominantly and straight away that they are caused to think about who the production company is and what type of films they have made before and how good they are, giving them an outlook on what the production may be like.

Genre Conventions: The font of the titles resembles an old typewriter which creates quite a creepy tone as it appears slightly sinister. The black background with the font in white is effective; the two colours both have connotations which contrast eachother; black represents fear, danger and death whilst the colour white signifies purity and innocence. The use of these contrasting meanings could signify that these are dominant within the sequence and so have caused the viewer to engage with these themes before the sequence has already starting, perhaps suggesting what may be in store.

Opening Sequence Conventions: Stating the actors names first in the sequence is a common convention. This allows the audience to assume what the characters within the film will be like if the viewer has seen them in previous films which allows them to judge beforehand what the film may be like.

Genre Conventions: This shot gradually fades in, slowly making the audience anticipate what is going to be revealed within the shot whilst also building up tension as the slow gradual pace creates suspense and makes the audience fearful. A eerie atmosphere is created here through a typical convention of thriller films which is dim lighting. Dim lighting creates the impression of danger or as if there is something lurking in the dark and makes the audience question the setting as it appears mysterious due to the lack of light. The black background denotes mystery as it isn’t possible for the audience to see anything. There is also an absence of sound which heightens the eerie atmosphere as it appears disturbingly silent.

Opening Sequence Conventions: Enigma is typically created within opening sequences to entertain the audience, this is created here through the use of only showing part of the setting and concealing the rest through darkness.

Genre Conventions: A hand-held point of view shot is used here in order for the audience to empathise with the emotions of the character and what they’re seeing. The character of the point of view shot is walking slowly as if they are scared and thus makes the audience take on this emotion too due to the slow pace of the shot creating suspense and connoting this emotion. By creating this sense of involvement for the audience it allows them to be more emotionally attached and therefore more affected by the film.

Opening Sequence Conventions: By using this angled shot it allows the audience to meet the character at the same time as the persons whose view point gives us a clear understanding of what is happening in the scene and so makes the audience want to carry on watching as they will be familiar with this character.

Genre Conventions: Mise-en-scene elements of weapons are normally used in thriller films in association with the antagonist to entitle the audience to know that they are dangerous and not to be messed with. In this shot a male can be seen looking severely stressed and pointing a gun to his head. This lets the audience know that he may be mentally unstable and ruthless which are two characteristics that are normally typical of the antagonist in thriller films. The gun denotes crime and danger which is also frequently apparent in the genre of thriller. The shot also consists of one side being lit and one side being in the dark; this could be alternatively suggesting that the male character shown may be this way and have two sides to his personality, foreshadowing the content of the movie.

Opening Sequence Conventions: The quick change in the camera angle from the last shot combined with the loud music grips the audience and intensifies the mood, making them intrigued and thus gripped which is what an opening sequence intends to do.

Genre Conventions: The use of the aerial shot creates the impression that the character shown is being watched by, for example the supernatural, which is what the film’s topic surrounds, establishing this to the viewer. This creates a uncomfortable tone for the audience. Dim lighting is also used to heighten the eeriness of the shot whilst making the character appear vulnerable. The dim lighting combined with the type of shot makes it seem as if the character is inferior making the audience sympathetic as if it seems something is overpowering him as the shot focuses down on him.

Opening Sequence Conventions: The audience gaining sympathy for the character is an essential factor is determining whether the viewer watches the rest of the film; if they feel connected then thus they will want to carry on watching. By introducing a character within the opening sequence then the audience are able to connect with this character right away and want to see how they progress in the rest of the film.