Opening sequence analysis.- Miss.Georgiou

"How does the opening sequence of the film Halloween inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller?"

The purpose of an opening sequence is to prepare the audience into watching the film as it this is often where the main themes of the film are revealed to the audience, so they are able to get a brief insight into what type of film they are watching.Quiet often the directors or producers decide to introduce the antagonist in the very first few scenes so the audience can possibly feel more shocked as they have already been exposed to the main killer.

Cinematography 

At the end of the scene there is a zoom out which is when the camera moves away to create an emotional distance.In this zoom out the audience have an extremely big shock as they see that the killer that was previously concealed was in fact a child who later find out to be the brother of the victim. To create more tension and shock the zoom out is quite slow so the audience are able to completely absorb the situation, as the killer is a child it adds to the shock. This conventional to a thriller as quite often a slow zoom out is used to create the emotional distance and allows the audience to take in more of the situation and what surrounds it again adding more tension,suspense and shock to the scene. During the scene of the kill a POV camera show was used which is used to show the audience the point of view from the character or in this case the killer. The main point of this particular camera begin used is to conceal the identity of the killer creating a larger enigma about the killer and the whole scene in general.This camera can also help add shock and suspense when the audience are eventually able to see the identity of the killer. POV camera angles are relatively conventional as quite often the identity of the killer is completely concealed or revealed later on in the scene. Another camera angle was used during the kill which was a high angle, this is when the camera is position above the object, making it look smaller.The use of this angle allows the audience to interpret that the antagonist is a lot more powerful as he is looking over the female character who is laying on the floor dead, which was the main purpose of this camera angle.Overall all of the camera angles mentioned can be classified as conventional as they help to shock the audience and allow them to have a better understanding of what is happening in the scene.


Editing 

During the scene where the killer walks up the stairs to the victim there is a use of slow editing which is when the clip are juxtaposed together at a slower pace.The purpose of the editing technique being used here is add a large amount of suspense of the scene. This editing style was used when the killer was walking up the stairs, this allows the audience to absorb more of the scene as the scene doesn't not cut as often which results in more tension created also.This editing  editing style is conventional as many thriller films use this technique in order to add both suspense and tension to the scene . A reaction shot was used when the camera shows the face of the boy and the mask is ripped off, a reaction shot is any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot.This shot was used as when the mask was taken off the audience would have a big shock as it the killer is revealed as a little boy which the audience will most probably find hard too believe.This is quite conventional of of a thriller as slow editing and reaction shots are often used to create suspense,shock and surprise.

Sound

At the beginning of the scene there is a silence used as the character was watching one of the character from outside in the darkness trying not to be seen.Silence is specifically used to create tension within the scene as it allows the audience to focus further on what is happening in the scene which in this case is the a character stalking to others by watching them from the outside window.Some digetic sound was also used when the killer started to stab the female characters. Digetic sound is music or sound that belongs within a frame which can be considered to be a natural part of the narrative.This sound is often emphasized as the directer want the audience to clearly hear the sound as this will shock them even more if they are able to hear the actual stabbing. Non digetic is also incorporated in the scene when the killer walks up the stairs. Non digetic sound is sound of music that is added on after such as in the editing stage. In this scene eerie high pitched music was added in order to create more suspense when the character is walking up the stairs are the audience are oblivious to action the character is about to commit.These techniques used within sound are conventional to thrillers as they help enhance the three elements of a thriller and engage the audience.

Conventions

A large amount of low key lighting has been used throughout the scene this makes everything seem more mysterious and also keeps the audience more vulnerable to shock,surprise and suspense.When the antagonist is walking towards the house this style of lighting helps to conceal his identity further or what he is about to do. A blonde female victim was also used in this film which is very typical of a thriller films, they use blonde females as the audience often see them as vulnerable however we also have the conventional male antagonist which is always portrayed as very strong and powerful.A kitchen knife has been used as the main iconography which always seems to be quiet common when the scene is set in a house, once the audience see a knife they are able to assume that a killing is a bout to happen.Overall every point mentioned is very conventional of a thriller as they all seem to be used in almost every thriller films to create more suspense and possibly set up further shock later on in the scenes.

Narrative

The film was based on the night of Halloween which is associated with death and enigma, it is also set in a house which is conventional of most thrillers as a house is something that all the audience members can relate to which makes the experience a little more personal.The killer like i have mentioned before has a sealed identity, this was done with the use of POV which did not reveal any physical features of the killer, we later find out that the killer was in fact was a little when the parents lift off his mask while he has the bloody knife in his hand. When the camera focuses on the boy we can see that he has been stricken with fear almost as if something had control of him. The realization that killer was a little boy shocks the audience leaving them feeling a little confused as to why he would commit an action like this.


Characters

At the beginning of the scene we see two teenagers who seem to be be very oblivious to the killer who is standing outside watching them from the shadows. The victim here was the female which is very conventional of a thriller as they are often used due to female characters seeming more vulnerable in comparison to the powerful male killer. The nature of the two teenagers at the begging gives the audience an implication that either of the teenagers may become victims.The little boy becoming the thriller is not as conventional as they are often seen as older men who are able to over power there victims but in this case it leaves the audience questioning how a small boy could murder which adds to the shock once the mask had been taken off the killers head.When the parents take off the mask they have a very similar reaction to the audience as they are both shocked at figure that was holding a bloody knife.

In conclusion the opening sequence to "Halloween" informs the audience of the conventions of a thriller as it successfully engages with the audience making them feel the suspense, shock and surprise.This analysis will help me determine what  conventions work best for my thriller film for example i am almost certain that i will have a theme of enigma as it constantly leaves the audience in suspense.