Structure to Thriller Openings

Recently in a lesson we studied different types of openings in thriller films, there are three main types of film openings for thrillers.

1. One type is a narrative opening, where titles run throughout the opening

this is probably the most popular opening and common type to use in a film. It is normally introducing the characters in the clips but with the titles running over it, it is the most basic of all the openings. some examples of this are films such are,

• Stepfather
• Casino
• A touch of evil
• The taking of Phelam 123

 2. Another type is a discreet opening

What makes an opening discreet is the through how the titles are represented on the screen, it shows that the film is not normal and that the opening doesn't have anything to do with the films story line. An example of this would be the opening to the film se7en.  The opening to se7en has its own separate music which is only used in that part and in no other part of the film.  Only close-ups and extreme close-ups were used which shows that the character has got psychotic problems, this is also obvious by the actions he is doing. The shots that are used for the opening are through the characters eyes, we know this because we see close ups of someone writing and performing tasks such as cutting things. The camera angle is also from the angle of someone’s eye.
  

3. Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening. 

An example of this type of thriller opening is from the film Donnie Darko. It starts with the text being shown ona  black screen, and we are then faded into a dark scene, sound effects are also used also including the sound of  the weather. This type of opening is very slow and dramatic and builds the tension very very slowly.