What do directors seek to establish in the openings of thrillers?

My thriller cobweb illustrates the key aspects directors focus on in the opening of thriller films, such as Sin City, Layer Cake and Se7en. The most important things directors seek to establish are themes, character and sometimes location to give a sense of the tone and the character's morals.
however , establishing the plot and genre are only hinted at in the openings of thrillers, in order to create enigmas and keep the audience intrigued.





Se7en establishes the bleak city location and the fractured lives of the characters in the opening scene.

figure 1

Figure 1 is a shot of objects, neatly arranged. It establishes detective Somerset's character as the pen and gold police badge signify him as smart, professional and devoted to his work. This shot also hints at the theme because the knife establishes the theme of violence or danger, but doesn't give away the plot of the film.

figure 2

The director establishes the location well as figure 2 connotes the bleakness of the city as it is constantly raining and they are surrounded by bars on the buildings, establishing their entrapment in the location. This also emphasises the bleak atmosphere.

figure 3

The main aspect of the thriller that the director has established in the opening of Se7en is the characters for example in figure 2 detective somerset's character is established as lonely and disturbed by the events of his past as he falls asleep to the sound of a metronome ticking. Figure 2 establishes detective Mills' character as confident and seeking more power in society and work. The director uses props and mise en scene to establish the characters and their dark past or morals,
The objects also create an enigma foreshadowing what will happen in the film and establishing the bleak theme.








Layer Cake focuses on establishing the theme of the thriller in the opening sequence as the Mise en scene presents the theme of drugs and violence. It also establishes the characters as power greedy and smart.

figure 4

Figure 4 establishes the location and character as the lighting creates dark shadows signifying a dangerous location and the character's shadow connotes the evil within him. The bleak location also establishes the theme. Also the isolated surroundings establish the character as lonely.

figure 5

This shot from Layer Cake establishes the location as grand and luxurious which emphasises the characters' power and success. The shot was taken from a helicopter, which also connotes the rich location and establishes a theme of wealth.

Figure 6

The costumes shown in figure 6 establish the characters as smart and professional.
Establishing the plot and tone isn't prioritised in the opening of Layer Cake, the plot is only hinted at, so that it keeps the audiences attention.











The opening scene of Sin City establishes location and tone, however is the least of all the films to establish many of the aspects from the film, such as character and plot aren't shown in depth.

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In the beginning of Sin City the character and location are immediately established as the director uses Mise en scene in the red costume to connote her character as a femme fatale and lonely as there is a lot of space around her in the shot. Also the low angle shot of the city and the diegetic sounds of sirens and rain establish the location as dangerous and bleak.

figure 8

Figure 8 and 9 show that the opening scene establishes the theme of the film because the use of the gun connotes a theme of violence and enigma towards the plot. figure 9 connotes a theme of romance and establishes the relationship between the characters.
The tone is mysterious and bleak whereas the plot and genre aren't obvious in this opening.

figure 9

This research of what directors seek to establish in their opening of thriller films will influence how i use similar techniques in my own thriller opening to establish aspects of the film. I will focus on establishing the characters by using props and Mise en scene. To establish the location I could use bleak settings and tones, highlighting the entrapment of the location. I will avoid establishing the entire plot of the film in order to maintain the enigma of what will happen.

How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

The director uses the setting, mise en scene and enigma to establish the characters in the pre-title sequence. 

 The film opens with the detective in his home. The room establishes his character because the objects connote his loneliness such as the chess- board, which also connotes his intelligence. Also there are animal ornaments on the shelves which implies that they belonged to his late wife which emphasises his loneliness. The camerawork creates no head space, the director deliberately does this to suggest he's stuck in this world that he wants to escape from, and the framing makes the shot claustrophobic. The use of quadrants brings focus on the props, as in the corner of the screen are the animal ornaments and at the bottom of the screen there is the chess board then the character is in the centre of the shot, this could be to connote all the aspects of his life and draw attention to his loneliness.

The detectives objects are neatly arrange and summarise the important things in his life. The gold police badge signifies his important status and professionalism. The knife connotes violence, suggesting he is involved in a dangerous lifestyle and it could foreshadow things to come. The pen shows he is smart and the rose suggests he is sentimental, and it creates an enigma as it could have belonged to his wife or be a reminder of her. 


This shot shows him removing a speck of dirt from his jacket, neatly laid out on the bed. This connotes his obsessive cleanliness and sense of order.







The director uses lighting to establish character. There is a shallow focus on the other detective in the background , him being out of focus brings the attention on detective Somerset, it also implies that the detective isn't as superior or significant in the plot of the film.

  The director introduces detective Mills . His character is established when he checks out a passing woman then he bumps into a man angrily and the second time a man moves passed him he moves out of the way. This connotes that he is overconfident of his status and sometimes arrogant. It could also suggest that the people aren't very nice or friendly there. 

 The setting is very bleak and the director uses diegetic sounds to emphasise this such as when it's constantly raining and the police sirens, which connote that the city is dangerous. This shot of the two characters is a low angle shot which makes it seem uncomfortable between them as there is a conflict of power between them. The setting also connotes imprisonment as there are bars on all the buildings emphasising the characters feeling of being trapped in this city. 

Detective Somerset sleeps with a metronome ticking next to him. The metronome creates an enigma as it gives a sense of curiosity into why he listens to it while he's sleeping. This gives an insight into the detective's character as it signifies time ticking away or his life running out, which could also suggest he is traumatised by the things he has seen in his job. 

 

From looking at the opening of Se7en I have taken ideas from it on how I can use this to help plan my own thriller opening. I would like to use similar techniques in the planning of my opening such as how the character is established through the use of props. Also I will think about the location, as in se7en the grim setting connotes the characters entrapment which I could take ideas from by looking at the metaphorical locations, such as bars on buildings or a tunnel, to connote the character wanting to escape.

 

How does Drive use quadrants as a composition and framing technique?

In the film Drive the director uses compositional techniques such as quadrants to create divisions and narratives for the characters. By referencing the 'Drive (2011)- The Quadrant System' video I have analysed the different shots from the film that use these compositional techniques.

In the beginning of this scene she starts in the centre of the screen, before the sides of the screen part in two...

Each side of the screen tells a different character's story. There are two features and our eyes keep switching between the left and right side of the screen.

In this scene the composition is also split into two quadrants and the dynamic of the frame is top and bottom..

The top quadrant is of a triangle of faces telling a story, which connotes their friendly relationship and the balance of power between them. The composition is full of vertical and horizontal line.

The bottom quadrant shows the characters hands which can signify a lot about the characters, on their own. Their hands tell a story about them, for example the two men on the left are holding rags and are covered in grease which connotes them as workers. In contrast the woman has her arms around the child which connotes her as a caring and protective mother. you can also see the child's face and because the child is shown in the lower quadrant this could suggest that the child is less superior or has less significance in the film compared to the other characters inn the frame.  

 The next scene starts with the character in the top- left of the frame, making us assume that the next shot will be of a character in the top right of the screen..

 But instead the director unconventionally places the character in the bottom- right quadrant of the screen, also creating lots of space around them. This connotes that they are lonely or confused.

This shot and the one below show that the two men are in the same quadrant and their eyes in the same spot on the screen, which connotes that they are fighting for the same position.. 

The character Irene is in the dead centre, out of focus which suggests she's not in control but is part of the scene, and could also suggest that she is what the other characters are fighting over.





This scene uses framing to tell a story from the character's behaviour, from both where we look and where we don't look.





this shot has a compositional balance- left and right.






This shot also uses compositional balance as the frame is in quadrants. This gives us things to notice in the top, bottom, left and right of the screen, making the shot more complex and interesting.