What is a thriller film?
Thriller films are composed of many different conventions which make the film as effective as possible in achieving its target of scaring the audience.
They highlight to us what genre of film we, the audience are watching, and what type of story-line and events should be expected to occur within the duration of the film.
Enigmatic opening scenes are a common convention of a thriller film, as they instantly draw the audience's attention to the events taking place, and further enhance the ambiguity surrounding the reason as to why the victim is the target of the attacker. An example of the use of this type of opening scene is the mystery in the beginning scene from Saw, as the audience is confused as to where the captives are, and why they have been brought there, unconscious. This is also an example of an isolated narrative as the location of the characters isn't immediately identifiable to the audience. They are chained up in what seems to be an abandoned, dirty bathroom, and as no establishing shot was used in this scene, the audience has no idea where they are. This further enforces the effectiveness of the enigmatic opening scene.
This convention also creates a sense of escapism, another convention, as the victims want to escape their situation, but there is no obvious way out. It creates an almost pre destined demise for the characters which is recognisable to the audience, as they know that there is unlikely to be an easy way out of the situation. This builds the audience's anticipation for the rest of the film, as they are keen to know how the characters will meet their downfall.
This enigmatic opening is made even more effective when an unidentified character, out of shot, responds to the question of "where am I?" by the first male character we see. The voice replies, "I don't know yet," highlighting to the audience that even the characters who are in the setting, have no idea where in the world they are. As well as providing the character with the information that he has no idea where they are, the mysterious voice also informs the captive that "there's no point in yelling, I already tried that." This reinforces the isolated nature of the location, and makes the pair appear even more vulnerable in comparison to their unidentified capturer.
As well as these two conventions, two of the "3 s'" (shock and surprise) are included in the initial few minutes of the film. The first male character who is introduced to the scene conveys his instant shock at regaining consciousness under water through his facial expressions. This instantly catches the audience's attention by highlighting the fact that he has no idea where he is, or why, and causes the audience to wonder who could've brought him here.
As the second male character is introduced to the scene, the room is flooded with light as he locates the light switch. It is then that the two men have the gruesome surprise of a dead male victim laying in a pool of blood.
Iconography is another convention used in this section of the scene, as it is shown through close up camera shots that the victim is holding a gun in his hand. This connotes to the audience that he may have taken his own life, after realising the alternative fate that was awaiting him, locked in this room. This causes a sense of foreboding as the audience assumes that the same fate is awaiting the two captives.
Before the lights are turned on, the scene is filled with low key lighting, to further enhance the enigma as to where the characters are, creating a scarier and more dramatic opening scene.
However, a key convention of thriller films which is not included in this opening scene, is that of a vulnerable female victim. In this initial opening sequence, both of the captives are middle aged white males, a contrast from the expected young, female victim.
The fact that the characters don't match the traditional stereotypes of who the victim would be, confuses the audience's expectations and perceptions about the upcoming events. It is clear to the audience that for these two, fairly strong characters (in comparison to the vulnerability of a female) to have been overpowered and taken captive, the attacker must have been extremely powerful. This is in comparison to the conventional killers in other thriller films, such as the middle aged female and her teenage accomplice who were the attackers in Scream 2, or a mentally deranged young man dressed as his mother in the classic slasher film, Psycho. This adds a sinister atmosphere to the opening scene as the audience again wonders about the identity of the attacker, and building suspense for what gory events could be in store for the comparatively helpless victims.
This opening scene provides the audience with a hint of what sort of action will take place in the rest of the films, open ended questions answered, and genre of the film instantly highlighted. From this three and a half minute opening sequence the audience forms questions which they would want to know the answers to by the end of the film. For example, who are these two men? Why are they here? Who brought them here? What caused the deceased male to have so little hope that he saw no other option than to kill himself? Already the audience's expectations are being built, and there is no doubt in the fact that by the end of the film, the motive of their captive will have been revealed.
Many of the conventions used in the opening of Saw, can also be identified in the opening sequence from Scream. As the scene begins, Drew Barrymore's character Casey answers the phone to an unrecognisable voice, who asks her many ambiguous questions. From their very first exchange, the identity of the attacker is kept a mystery, the enigmatic theme which runs throughout the whole of the film.
When the attacker is introduced to the scene a few minutes later, their identity is hidden behind a clever use of iconography - a sinister mask and black floor length cloak, which connotes ideas of death in the minds of the audience. This use of iconography is not only good at keeping the identity of the attacker hidden, but the menacing face of the white mask is sure to stick in the minds of the audience, and makes him seem even more threatening. This builds the anxiety that the audience feels whenever the attacker appears in the scene.
Another key convention used in this opening scene, is one which was excluded from the initial sequence from Saw, although even in Scream, this convention is twisted and warped to make the attacker seem even more powerful. Casey meets the stereotype of the weak, young, female victim and her vulnerability is connoted through the ominous nature of the attacker's voice, while he's on the phone to her. The line, "I want to know who I'm looking at," is the audience's first hint at how dangerous the attacker is. For him to be talking to her on the phone, while watching her every move, all without her realising something is even wrong, the attacker is assumed to have some kind of omnipotent control over everything happening in the scene.
The power of the attacker is further enforced when it it revealed that Casey's boyfriend, who, according to her is "big and he plays football!" has been taken captive and been tied to a chair on her patio. The audience realises that it must have taken a lot of strength and power to bring him to Casey, and when he is so easily killed off in the "game" that the attacker wants to play, the danger to Casey becomes even more realistic and terrifying. Therefore, while the convention of the vulnerable female victim is included in this sequence, it has been twisted. The first bloodshed we see is that of a young, strong football playing victim, where although the murder isn't conventional, it is effective in connoting to the audience the danger that surrounds the victims, when being pursued by the attacker.
The film does keep to one traditional convention however; the setting of the opening sequence is explored through an establishing shot, and identified as an isolated narrative, similarly to the type of narrative used in the Saw opening. This shot shows Casey's house to be surrounded by trees, and when her parents return home it is obvious to the audience that she is in a remote location, completely enclosed by deserted fields. This too creates a sense of escapism, as Casey has nowhere to run, and no one to help her. This is further enforced when Casey states that she's going to call the police, and the attacker replies, "they'd never make it in time, we're out in the middle of nowhere."
Similarly to the opening sequence from Saw, the audience viewing Scream will build certain expectations as to what will take place throughout the rest of the film, captivating their attention and enticing them to carry on watching as the plot unfolds.
Undoubtedly, the questions playing on the minds of the audience the most will be those surrounding the attacker. Who is he? Why did he choose to attack Casey? What are his motives? Through the stereotypes of thriller films, the audience knows that the attacker will strike again, but the audience are left wondering who it is, how are they (if at all) related to Casey's character, and will they survive the terrifying ordeal?
Through the similar conventions I have identified in these two opening scenes, I have been able to highlight which conventions are most important in creating an effective thriller opening. When making my thriller film, I will make sure that I include an effective enigmatic opening, to draw the attention of the audience and make the events taking place appear even more sinister.
I will also attempt to use iconography in concealing the identity of my attacker, as I believe this is an effective way of building fear for an attacker.
I would like to use the convention of a female victim in my opening as it is then instantly recognisable to audience members for the type of film that it is, although I believe that straying from the stereotype of this convention can make the attacker seem even more threatening in comparison.
