Analysis of Student Thriller Project

This piece was effective in creating a convincing beginning for a Thriller film. It achieved this through the use of several different themes and techniques.
A very common technique used in Thriller openings in the creation of suspense and intrigue, this asks question of the audience and almost without fail will grab the viewers attention and probably keep them hooked til the questions are answered and longer. They create this intrigue through the events of the opening. who are these people why are they dancing? What's the story of their relationship? Why, and this is a clever use of the soundtrack music being part of the action, is there a man playing a piano? Is this part of the plot or surrealistic? And the big question, what is it that leads the man to killing? The fact that all these questions are being asked.
Also this technique is often used in Thriller films; that of an event (like a shooting) and then the rest of the film are the events leading up to it and often past it.
The use of music, calm, serene during the romantic sections and then tense and less musical, as it were. Sometimes, often in fact, when you're trying to film scenes like the one at the end of this opening music can hinder and some of the most dramatic and effective scenes like this have been filmed with no soundtrack at all apart from the noises of footsteps an then a deafening gun shot. Of course there are also many examples of ,often happy, music being played over scenes of violence etc to great effect. One of the most famous such scenes being the one at the end of The Godfather where the religious church organ music is playing among scenes of the shootings.



I also thought the variety of shots was also good. Again highlighting the difference the more romantic beginning and more violent end, there tended to be more longer shots in the first section and certainly more shorter shots with slightly more cutting in the end section.
Another thing I really liked was the use of titles, the effect on the '36' was very professional. But the thing I liked the most was the fading in and out of the titles and the shots, these is a technique I've seen a lot and one I like. It was certainly one I was hoping we could use for our Thriller project. So it is encouraging it's worked here.
It also included stock things like guns and violence/murder, which almost always crop in one way or another in Thriller films so this is another thing that firmly secures it in this genre.
All these different things contribute to making an effective and well made Thriller opening.