Detailed Analysis of opening sequence of Thrillers

In order to help us engineer some more ideas for our own opening sequence, I decided to watch a few more opening sequences and analyse them. The thrillers I watched were all successful, yet different in their own way. Below is my analysis.

The Godfather (1972 Francis Ford Coppola)

Whilst the production company is introduced, and the title is shown, traditional Italian non-diegetic music is played. The slow violins create an eerie yet intriguing atmosphere. The title fades to the opening shot. The music stops as the character first speaks. As the character talks about how is beloved daughter was hospitalised in a violent attack, the camera zooms out ever so slowly. At first the audience think he is talking directly to the camera, the room is dark and the background is blurred so we don't realise anyone else is present. As the character becomes upset, the protagonist (the Godfather) comes into shot. At this point we realise there is more than one person in the room, and that the initial character is pleading for help, to get revenge. The revenge theme and the insight to the plot, engage the audience and help to create a narrative enigma.

The dark setting and the early establishment of a revenge theme are typical conventions of a thriller, and the unfamiliar surroundings is also typical of opening sequences in a thriller. I will consider these conventions when planning the opening sequence of my own Thriller.

The Godfather: Part II (1974 Francis Ford Coppola)

The sequel to the original film starts very much the same as the first, in a dark unclear environment. The section is accompanied by a similar eerie non-diegetic tune. It then however cuts to an extreme long shot of an outdoor scene where people begin to cross a desert-like environment. This scene is accompanied by a different tune, which is not as eerie, yet however has a sad feel to it. Text is displayed on top of the shot, and explains how the protagonist's father was murdered by the local Mafia and how is brother had sworn revenge on the murderers and disappeared into the hills. As the text fades, we cut to a closer shot and realise that this is the funeral of the late father.
Gun shots are heard and the characters disperse, it is quickly revealed that brother that swore revenge, was shot by the Mafia. Again this creates narrative enigmas and keeps the audience interested. It also derives sympathy for the mother and protagonist.

The theme of revenge also occurs in the opening sequence, just like it did in the previous film. Questions are quickly raised, and these keep the audience interested. I also aim to raise questions and create suspense in my opening sequence to keep the audiences interest.

Lucky Number Slevin (2006 Paul McGuigan)

As the camera pans across a notepad, the names of the director and actors etc appear. Non-diegetic eerie harp music accompanies the sequence. As well as this other noises can be heard. We can hear what sounds like a sports commentator uttering numbers of the players, police sirens, a news report on a shooting, police radios and other various day-to-day sounds. The notepad shot then fades to a medium shot of what appears to be a Hotel room, a telephone is the focus of the shot, however the shot quickly fades to an unusual shot of a lift and then this shot dissolves to a medium shot of a man walking through a multi-storey car park to his car. As the man is about to unlock his car door he is shot twice with a silenced gun. The killer then picks up the victim's folder and walks away. Suspense is built because we never see the killers face. The silenced gun implies that the killer is stealthy and that the man was targeted specifically. The shot then cuts to the notepad again and then to another scene where the killer commits murder again, and again takes the victim's folder. Just like the first murder, it is stealth like and we don't see the killers face. This further derives suspense and engages the audience.