Analysis of a thriller opening sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tek8QmKRODw
Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock

The colours used in this thriller opening sequence are black and grey. These are very dark and mysterious colours which are mostly used in horror/thriller films. The use of grey lines which are slightly close together sliding onto the page from different directions really confuses the viewer and the way the white lines fade out really shows the creepiness and the confusion of the film linking to the title 'Psycho'. The text is cut in half and then joined together as they grey lines move which shows how effective the thriller is messing with the viewers mind. The camera work is fast and has a good pace, by being fast and jumpy this excites the viewer. The music starts off with fast powerful low pitches from a violin and builds up to create tension. At the end of the opening sequence it ends with a sound of high pitched violins which finishes the sequence off dramatically and effectively. The music is very fast paced and lively which frightens the viewer and makes them unsure if they would want to watch on but keeps them going throughout the opening sequence and does not distract them.
The credits and music really draw the viewer into the film as they are so powerful. The way the credits are shown by being cut in half and moved around draws the viewer as they have become so fixed into what they are watching it makes it hard for them to stop. Not much mise en scene is used, no props, costumes as it is just the title opening sequence, but the way the credits are set out really confuses the eye and mind.

Improvements On Children's Film

Watching our children opening film back, there are a few improvements that could be made to the sequence, such as

1. The length of the opening sequence is far too long for an opening sequence therefore we could of shortened it as it sort of drags on for too long and gives away the whole story.

2.Throughout the sequence, there are a lot of pauses which we could of improved on and made the clips faster as it draws away attention. This is a main area to improve on because the main thing to focus on is to draw peoples attention to the sequence and it needs to have a good flow.

3. Sound is also something to improve on. Background noise occurs in the sequence which shouldn't be in there which ruins the film a little bit. Also I feel as if we could of used more lively music in the sequence to represent happiness whereas I think the sequence is fairly quite and only has a few interesting noises in. Shadows and a few jumpy movements also occur in the sequence which we could of improved on. If we ever do this sort of thing again we know to be extra careful when performing this.

Psychological Thriller Conventions.

* Central theme of identity - mistaken identity, stolen identity, dual identity, doppel gangers, confused identity and amnesia.
* Perception and reality - Seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters, a character having a different perspective of what is and isn't real compared to the norm established in the film.
* Memory - The torture of an individual with a traumatic memory, the trauma of a specific lost memory.
* Stream of consciousness - This is a devise often used in psychological thrillers to give an insight into the psyche of a particular character usually the main character.
* Unreliable narrator - Psychological thrillers often play on the idea of the inherent trust placed in the narrator or the character that the narrator follows.
* Technical devices - Flashbacks and repetition in editing is common.
* Imagery - Eyes are a frequent motif.

Preliminary Task

We had to use many different shots, which were: establishing shot, close up shot, match on action shot, reaction shot, long shot, filming conversation.