Thriller Title Analysis: Se7en

Representation in the opening scene

In the opening credits we see a pair of male like hands. The man is being represented as the antagonist.This starts off the film well as it brings mystery straight into impact as we find ourselves wondering why this person ids doing it. The credits then blank out into showing 'An Arnold Kopelsan production'. This then reminds you that the film has not got actually started and we are not established with the characters yet. The credits then move onto what looks like a book with a picture of someone's disfigured hands resting on a page. I feel this is used in the opening credits because it brings again a sense of mystery and almost confusion as we are wondering what this picture has to do with the film. The opening credits then cut to a scene where it looks like tools are being cleaned or sharpened to be used in some way. Then there is a freakish scene where there looks to be a man skinning his own finger with one of the tools he was sharpening, This brings the gore factor into the thriller and makes the viewers skwint and even look away in some circumstances. After a few more distorted scenes we see the man start to write in that book or journal we saw earlier. This reminds you that the book must have a major part to play in tis film and all these scenes are showing him preparing to write in the book. The last scenes of the opening credits just show this man adding more and more to his book in the means of pictures, more writing and even passages of work being stitched into it. The sequence consists of hint's about the characterisation of the film's antagonist. For example, the audience is shown the word 'God' being cut out of a dollar bill. This single image conveys a lot about the antagonist and what the film will be about which is the theme of God.

Titles of each opening look like 

It then shows the two main actors names in small bold white writing which flickers and stays on the screen for 3 seconds each. The film title , Se7ev then appears in the same font. From then on it shows names  of the actors/actresses which have the smaller parts but only shows them for a smaller amount of time. The way it comes in is very flashy which gives the chilling thriller effect. The font of the writing is quite weird and spooky looking to create a thrilling effect on the audience showing the clear conventions of a thriller. The style of the credits reminds me of the type of thriller sub-genre crime and things like investigation.          

Camera, Sound and Mise-en scene

The music (non-diegetic) in the opening credits sounds distorted and the typical thriller music as it builds up suspense and confusion and brings the scenes into another dimension. camera angles consists of close-ups that are put together like a montage. This serves to intrigue the audience with minute detail and distance the audience by not showing any wider shots means not given a clearer view of the character. Which therefore focuses them on the movie when it begins. There are also a loads of matched cuts, just skipping a bit of time, and this again, get inside the audience' head creating a tense atmosphere.

The music in the opening credits is very slow, you can hear a heartbeat, it sounds very machanical, very echoy. then it sudenly picks up its pace and the suspense and tension rises. 

Narrative in the opening scene match the conventions of the thriller genre

The music used in the opening connotes the suspense and tension of a thriller movie. In one of the frames we see someone drawing a line through some eyes this connotes a bad situation and gives a moody sense to the opening. 

What may happen in the rest of the movie....

I think during the movie the character we see in the opening credits will be revealed and I think they will have a main role to play in the movie. Also I think the movie will be based around a some kind of serial killer or murderer that will be hidden until he is found by the police or detectives that his killings that will be infamous and that will dangerous towards the public. I think it will be a movie that will build a lot of suspense with the theme of times running out.

Thriller Title Analysis: Jaws

Representation in the opening scene

Jaws shows a negative representation of teenagers as they are being careless and wild which is presented through the way they act and the setting their in which was night time suggesting it was late considering they where the only ones on the beach at that time which suggests they should not be there at that possible time at the bomb fire they where drinking alcohol and smoking. Which is negative representation of them as it looks like they are not supposed to be doing that at there age. Also when the girl goes skinny dipping in the sea no thinking it would be dangerous. Shows teenagers as having a carefree nature. It looks like they've sneaked out. Its not in their favour especially because she ends up dying. The setting seems to be an American beach town. You can tell this from the opening sequence because of the accents of the characters. The opening sequence tells us that the film will most likely be set on the beach most of the time because it is to do with a shark. It is also shot in the ocean as the opening credits spent a majority of the time underwater.

Titles of each opening look like

Jaws opens with a black screen then it is followed by the production company which gives a sense of institution then there is typography of the credit's. The colour red used connotes danger and blood which foreshadows what is going to happen later on in the film. The opening sequence of Jaws is a Linear Narrative which means their is a clear sequence of events. This narrative is driven through the communication of characters and the events that unfold.

Camera, sound, editing, and mise-en-scene

The shot types used at the beginning the camera pans along the characters. This creates a great establishing scene amongst the teenagers. The director is trying to create an atmosphere one of a predator picking it's prey. The shots consists of various close-ups, great for the audience to analyse and establish the surroundings and characters. The opening contains a shot reverse shot, which engages the audience into the film as they feel that they are involved through the use of psychological camera positioning. With the camera positioning the most effective shot that is the point of view shot from the shark. The female character is positioned as vulnerable object therefore the audience knows that something is going to happen beteewn the binary oppositions. The opening sequence all has some long shots to help create the setting for the audience. Continuity editing is used throughout to help with the flowing of one scene to another. Match shots and shot reverse shot are used between the girl and the boy to show the sexual attraction between the two. Cross-cutting is used during the attack scene when it cuts back to the boy laying peacefully on the sand. This gives the audience a slight glimpse of hope that the boy might actually rescue the girl. Also, at the very end of the sequence two shots are dissolved into one. An early night shot is dissolved to a late shot to show the passing of time.Graphics:The title is in block capital for emphasis. They credits are on screen as the film is playing and are centered in the middle of the screen. With the sound the beginning starts quietly, then the middle part where the tension becomes gradually louder and louder until the climactic ending becomes silent again. The silence at the end is a good representation of death. The screaming ans splashing about when the attack is happening is a great contrast to the boy lying peacefully on the sand near her. You kind of expect the boy to hear her struggle and the audience get a glimpse of hope that the boy will come and rescue the girl, but when that doesn't happen, the shark successfully kills the girl and the scene becomes silent once more. The sound non-digetic music used at the beginning is icongraphic. Which makes the audience be introduced into a sound motif which is alarming to the audience as it is played the shark is in the scene or nearby creating the suspense to make it a thriller. We see that the director thought about the conventions of a thriller when deciding the setting and background and props and what effect it would have on the audience as we see that the setting is dark therefore we cannot see everything which makes it tense for the audience. Causes suspension and leaves the audience thinking what is going to happen next.

Narrative in the opening scene match the conventions of the thriller genre

I think one of the reasons we can categorise Jaws as thriller movie is because of the suspense it makes the audience feel. This is present in the . Jaws features alot of stereotypical thriller conventions: this being the tension filled music, the female character being the victim, having the other character – who could possibly save her- being unaware that anything is wrong. The girl, thinking she is safe when she swims to the boy but is infact going to be eaten. Enigma codes feature strongly is this scene, this is from the sharks perspective closeing in on the firl, automatically ask, 'what is watching the girl?', 'Is it dangerous?' Also never seeing what is attacking her is an example of partial vision this fear of the unknown a typical convention of a thriller.

What may happen in the rest of the movie...

I think later on that more people will end up dying and near to the end people will try to get rid of the shark. But before they know what is causing the deaths they will put restrictions in for the teenagers and they will start to see the seriousness of the situation. Also as the movie goes on the audience will grow tense we will start to figure out the pattern and be more drawn into the movie as will wont be able to stop the characters. (Its strats to get the audience involved)

Thriller Title Analysis: Panic Room

 Representation in the opening scene

It looks like its representing city life in New York. It can be seen as a positive and negative representation depending on how the audience think of it. It can be a positive representation as it shows how modern society has developed through the buildings style. What also makes it look like a positive representation is the fact it shows the park full of people enjoying themselves setting a postive scenario for the audience. Also the people on the street looked like they were going to work and the streets where busy which could place new yorkers in a way to show them as hard working. It could be seen as a negative representation as it could shown them as over working and the streets as congested. The two women at the end of the opening sequence seemed to be rushing so to the audience it could be seen as their jobs always keep them busy. They looked like they dont have time to socialise, like they have to a narrow day to day rountine.

Titles of each opening look like

The credits in this film are all moving in different angles by the camera doing pan shots. This is an interesting and unconventional way to show the credits as its in a way for the audience to engage with as it moves along the page. I would say typography was used as a silver, bold writing, embedded in the scene and buildings of the city being showed in establishing shots. The style of writing is modern which fits with the modern buildings therefore it relates to the setting of the movie giving it an authentic look. Also the way the writing is set can possibly relate to the storyline. As the writing is bold and in capitals it could indicate the style of the film possibly having a strong, action filled storyline. I like how the titles emerge whith the buildings and skyline as it shows that they have thought about every aspect of the movie. Sometimes with the titles they cut to the next title or they use a pan shot skimming the title for the audience to have enough time to read it. The non-digetic music used when this was happening added tot he tension and suspense building up in the audience to get them focused and readyh for the movie. Which shows it showing the conventions of a thriller.

Camera, Sound, Editing and Mise-en-scene

Panic room has tall city buildings at the bottom we see the road busy with taxis and cars which I think symbolizes to the audience the stereotypical view of New York looking at their busy life's. New York would be the establishing shot, with the first set of text appearing on screen, the text is bold and clear and is also 3D, this is an effective way of drawing the audiences attention towards the credit rather than whats happening in the background shot of the city. Also the women we see at the end of the sequence backs this view up with the way they are presented to us which were wearing suits the sunglasses suggest the feminity they still have. Also they were speed walking and talking adding emphasis on the busy scenario they are in. The non-digetic music was slow with a low pitch which made the atmosphere chilled and tense. Also effective on the audience as it draws them in. The sound was clear it was like a violin then halfway through it started to go fast paced which got the audience more alert which is a convention of a thriller.  There was a ticking sound which was always in the background of the music which rings in your ear building the suspense. For me as part of the audience it will make me feel nervous and uneasy thinking what will happen during the movie, so you get more eager to want to watch the movie. The used the jump cuts technique to jump to different titles whilst using the pan shot shot to show the title in a steady pace. The blunt cuts help to build suspense and let the transitions go smoothly into another scene. The camera angles used in the shots are extreme long shots, high and low angle shots. They zoomed out enough to show the background to help the audience interpret the setting of the movie.

Narrative in the opening scene match the conventions of the thriller genre

The non diegetic sound used in the Panic Room really portrayed the conventions of thriller which could get the atmosphere more clearly across to the audience. The characters set as regular people helps the audience to relate to the movie. For example the music was creating tension. Along with the steady slow movment of the camera creating suspense. Also the fact that they do not give away alot in the opening credits helps to focus and draw the audience in therefore making them think of whats to come next. Also the themes they seem to portraying I would say is crime and death which are common themes used in Thrillers. Which I got from the title of the movie.

                  How Production Company might influence what appears in the film

Colombia pictures corporation contributed to the making of Panic Room They could influence the movie in a positive or negative way. Which they influenced the movie in a positve way as they are a popular production company which means they have a lot of links in the film industry therefore they have people that can help gain the movies they are working on popularity. Colombia pictures do diverse movies from comedy to action and they've been around for a long time therefore they have expeirience working different types of movies and have understanding on how to make it success. So they might help suggest things to help the movie give the boost it needs to succeed. From the movies they've worked on they will of been bound to pick up fans which will then help attract people to watch the movie and that will result in them gaining more money back than what they spent making the movie.

What may happen in the rest of the movie....

I think those women in the start of the movie will be put in a situation that is abnormal to their day to day rountine. I think it's going to challenge the people involved to find oput what kind of person they really are. The situation will be filled with suspense filled moments where there in danger. It's going to involve more than one antagonist with jumpy scenes to create the suspense for the audience.

Thriller Title Analysis: Vertigo

Thriller Title Sequence: Vertigo

Representation in the opening scene

In vertigo we see a negative representation. The use a woman close-up gradually moving upwards until we have a full screen of her eyes in which she starts to look around her which connotes that she is worried. We do not know who the woman in the opening sequence yet but thats a good thing in order to draw the audience in more. Her lips twitch nervously, introducing anxiety and a close examination of the characters physical appearance.

The female character is clearly on edge and not comfortable with the viewers scrutiny This scene introduces some more key conventions of the thriller genre: anxiety, paranoia and the notion of looking. Being watched and being seen watching someone else are also conventions of thrillers.

Her eye is zoomed in an a illusion effect when the titles appear on screen. It helps to create the atmosphere and the feeling of the movie which is suspense and tension. Which is a positive representation of a thriller as it contains the conventions of a thriller. But the representation of the woman is negative as she is being shown as helpless, in a panic and scared. They are portraying a common stereotype of women as the victim. Their not showing her in a positive light which would be going against the stereotype and portray women as strong and independent.  It then zooms in one of her eyes which the screen goes red and the color red represents danger. Which can connote a shift in the mood linked to the introduction of the theme of identity which confirms the sub-genre of the film.

 After the zoom in of the eye, a rotating, spinning, spiral appears from the centre of the eye, enlarging after every rotation keeping the same circular shape of the eye (Iris wipe). This is clever of Alfred as it shows he has thought about his opening; (the word vertigo refers to dizziness, where there is feeling of motion when one is stationary) he has incorporated the meaning of vertigo by adding the spirals and disorientating images, focusing on the dizziness referred to the word Vertigo, and using it as his opening giving the sequence a lexical field of disillusion. This also adds to the denotation meaning, as the audience then associates the symbol of the spiral and dizziness to the word Vertigo.  The spiral images continues leaving the audience waiting in suspense wondering what is going to happen, leaving them puzzled to question themselves. The last spiral then focuses back to the eye, and the blood red color, rotating to the shape of the eye. The scene then fades into blackness, leaving the audience wanting to watch on. 

Titles of each opening look like

The titles in Vertigo are in a serif font they are bold and white which makes them clear it does not block anything out behind the writing. when the main movie title starts we see the background change  color which adds emphasis that it is the main title. The way the titles are set out makes it clear to the audience the genre of the movie. I would say these are unconventional title styles as usually you would have a black background with with a clear white font but the way it is set out is different. with a different style of background and font style but some parts of the style are conventional.

Camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene 

In Vertigo they do not use a variety of shots. They use mainly extreme close-up which is every effective as it draws the audience in. Pan shot is used to have a close-up of only one of her eyes. The sound used in the opening is mainly non-diegetic and its a sound track. The pitch is high but when a title comes on the screen it suddenly  changes to a low pitch with a fast pace then it will fade out back to its original sound. Which built the suspense leading to the start of the movie. With mise-en-scene the woman has no make-up on which makes clearer her face and the emotions she is portraying. There are no props in the audience wonder more where she is the effect used makes it more authentic to the conventions of a thriller. With the editing it does not cut each scene it is a continuous shot that is always blended into the next shot. Even when it goes to the main sub titles it fades out from the woman's face. This adds more emphasis of the setting in each shot.

Narrative in the opening scene match the conventions of a thriller genre

The narrative in Vertigo matches the thriller genre, as it includes the conventions of a thriller like the tense high pitch to sudden low pitch music creating suspense and tension. The themes of unknowing is portrayed through the mysterious character we see in the opening. It makes people think about what is happening it is not straight forward. 

How the production company might influence what appears in the film

Paramount pictures made Vertigo it may influence what is in the film depending if that company is know for a certain style or genre of movies. Also where their name is placed whether mentioned in the ending credits or the opening scene. Also if the company is well known like paramount they will have a lot money they will be able to use to have a lot of power to say how to do something.

What may happen in the rest of the movie....

I think the woman we have just seen will have a main role to play in the movie. I also think that her character will be seen as a victim in the movie and be trapped in a position that she cannot get out of. Also from the opening sequence the movie looks like it will be filled with puzzles which are always going to leave the audience members thinking. I think the main storyline is going to involve a man also.

Initial Ideas: Brainstorm


1.  For a Disaster thriller in which we follow a character getting ready e.g. showing her rushing getting ready for something big to come. Then we use a jump cut into shots of deserted streets with intense music to add to the suspense we want to create. Then do a shot of  someone's body in which the camera gradually goes upwards on the characters body and stops at the characters mouth where they will say 'it's time' then the camera will make a sudden movement onto the characters eyes. Whilst the titles fade in and out onto the screen. But the main idea is to follow a characters journey trying to survive.


2. An idea for a Political drama in which we would go with the idea of a important dictator that is being hunted down and in the opening a sniper takes a shot at him but misses therefore during the movie he will be hunted and the chase would be on with the police to try and find out who is hunting him down before time runs out and during this process there will be secrets that will be uncovered about the dictator that will reveal how he does not play by the rules in the political business.


3. For an idea of a Crime thriller involving a transaction of important documents between two people but something goes wrong and the documents end up in the wrong persons hands which leads to a lot of trouble and the mystery is what the documents contain that is so important.The documents link to a lot of people that will always leave the audience questioning who is behind all of this.

Research Questionaire & Results

1. What Gender are you?


Male           Female




2. How old are you?


10-14     15-19    20-25      30-35    40-45      46+




3. How often do you visit the cinema?


Never     Once a Week       Fortnightly       once a month        once a year     other


4. What sub-genre thrillers do you prefer?


Political thriller      Disaster thriller       Psychological thriller     Crime thriller    Conspiracy thriller


Supernatural thriller     Other (please state) ...........................................






5. What types of Iconography would you expect to see for a thriller movie?


Weapons      Blood      Death     Car chase      Police (e.g. F.B.I)    




6. How much information should a film opening contain?


No information      The title      The title and main actors    title, main actors, production company


title, main actors, production company, crew names




7. What type of shots catches your eye?

Scenic shots      outdoor shots      indoor shots     other


Here are the Results:

Question 1: What gender are you?

Which shows that we tried to ask and even number of male and female people. To keep the results fair and reliable.

Question 2: How old are you?
This Shows the majority of people we asked where around are age group.






Question 3: How Often do you visit the cinema?

This Result shows that the cinema is not popular these days. This could be due to the fact that there is easier access to films from blockbuster rentals to the internet. So if they gop to the cinema the movie has to live up to a high standard in order to rake in a high rating. So it shows that we need to think about the audience we are focusing on in order for are opening sequence to be something to catch there eye.

 Question 4: What Sub-genre thrilers do you prefer?

This result shows that crime thrillers eem to be the most popular sub-genre at this moment so I think when planning are opening sequence we need to think about basing are opening on a popular genre right now in thriller.






Question 5: What Iconography would you expect to see in a Thriller?

 As you can see that death is the common thing people said they would see in a Thriller I think we as a group should include an element based around death into are opening.

Preliminary Task 


Aim: To show that we can use three key camera movements. Shot reverse shot and match on action. Understanding the effect they have when used.


The main idea for the preliminary is based of the genre drama as if to be a romantic drama but ares is to follow two people having relationship problems trying to solve them with a dramatic ending. (Portray a love story in an unconventional way)
Shot reverse shot- Which will be the two characters having a conversation
Match on action- The character coming through the doorway but when shot from the inside and outside everything is done the same e.g. the hand used to open the door.














Our Actors where James Fearn and Aaron Joseph


Camera man: Jake Codd
In charge of props and actors was : (Me) Lawreeta Grant
                                                        Jenny


The Script


The scene is a college corridor with double doors at the end and doors on either side of the corridor.
James walks through the double doors and the camera follows him down the corridor with a reverse tracking shot until he reaches a door on his left. The camera cuts behind him as he opens the door and enters class room.


The camera then cuts to inside the room as James walks in and pans to follow him over to a table  where Aaron is sitting at a table. 


James sits down opposite Aaron at the table and a over the shoulder shot facing aaron captures aaron talking. 


AARON: Hey James thank you for coming  (Shy smile)


JAMES: Im sorry Aaron, I don't think I can do this ... I thought I could but its just too hard...


AARON:  Please James, I need to explain! (Looks upset)


JAMES: No Aaron, its gone to far, I cant do it, goodbye, you wont hear from me agin...


James gets up from the table and walks out 
Aaron gets up also and goes over to James




This is the finishing outcome: