Thriller Openings- (Miller's Crossing, Layer Cake, Essex Boys)

In order to get more inspiration for my own thriller opening, I looked at the openings to a couple more typical thriller films.

Miller's Crossing

Firstly, I looked at the opening of the Coen Brother's 1990 thriller - Miller's Crossing. The film begins with diagetic typical noises of being in a bar, whilst we see, in a close up, a glass being filled up with ice and a, presumably, alcoholic drink. The camera then pans with the glass onto a table, whilst a man in a suit talks into the camera. We see classic american gangster brown mise en scene, aswell as slatted blinds. We are shown a man sat to the side, making him appear laid back and powerful. The camera starts as a long shot, and then, to add variety, uses a mid shot of the same area to zoom in and get closer to the action. Evidence of shallow focus is used through out the shot, which then changes to an effective worm's eye view of trees, which pans down and follows as we see a hat fall on to the grass, which is extremely simple yet effective. The hat connotes upper class masculinity, proper-ness, the era the film is set and manners, however the way in which it is blowing away suggests that these characteristics are forgotten and pushed aside throughout the film.

During the opening credits, the mise en scene is excellent. The brown suits that the male characters wear, teamed with the crystal glass tumblers and brown mise en scene all add up to create an excellent depiction of typical american gangster thrillers. The lighting and setting reflects the naturalistic, realistic effect that the director is trying to create for the audience. The camera work is stylish, which compliments the overall style of the piece.

Just within the opening sequence we are drawn into the narrative, and already establish some of the key themes the film intends to explore - gambling, deceit, loyalty and betrayal. From seeing this opening, I intend and hope to use a similar style of having simple yet effective shots, and also have learnt new, more interesting, camera techniques which will add variety.

Layer Cake

Another opening that I watched was Layer Cake. I found the opening to this film very effective and different to all the other thrillers I have watched and analysed so far. The film openings with a black screen, split down the middle, leaving the audience to guess what it is. As the camera pans down and zooms out, it is made clear it is the back of a van, which then explodes; creating drama for the audience, and hooking them into the action. I found this a brilliant way to start a film - beginning with action straight away. The shots following the explosion are slowed down in speed and show the chaos that has been created. The camera then pans and we enter a new scene of hippies smoking and taking drugs. The mise en scene is very stereotypical of hippies and the 60s and 70s, making it seem more realistic for us. The camera pans to follow a girl only wearing pants, showing the girl as a kind of femme fatale- sexual yet dangerous, and changes into a scene in a typical prison, where the same hippies can be seen as prisoners which icreases the continuity of the shots and helps the narrative structure. The camera pans again and we see a man walk down an aisle filled up of FCUK products, which change as he walks down the aisle, adding a modern, stylish feel to it. We follow this man, assuming he is the male protagonist who is also doing the voiceover which engages the audience and helps to build the narrative, and watch him buy something, and then walk in to an 'every day' looking house. Here we see him with 'Clark' weighing and boxing up cocaine, in a dark, dingy room which looks surprisingly clean and medical.

Throughout the piece, we see naturalistic setting, with suitable mise en scene in each setting, for example in the scene with Clark boxing up cocaine, there is a lot of white, clean, sterilised looking mise en scene, aswell as characters wearing surgical masks, which creates a very medical modern look to the film. We also see suitable lighting in each setting, with the prison being brightly lit showing how modern it is, whilst the hippies' room is dingy and smoky, giving us the impression that they are stereotypically smoking cannabis. The shots are extremely well done; showing the action using panning shots, whilst the voice-over first person male narrator is very successful in engaging the audience.

The whole sequence uses brilliant editing which makes it appear to be done all in one shot. The editing also gives the opening a very stylish feel, which i hope to capture in my opening. I also enjoyed the voiceover, and hope that I will also encorporate this into my production. I also liked the credits that the opening used, as they were inobtrusive as they were written in small writing and were incorporated into the action.

Essex Boys

I also watched the opening of the British thriller Essex Boys, which is based on a true story. The film begins in the pitch black, and then we hear the diegetic sound of a garage door opening. Light from outside the garage shines into the shot, creating chirascuro lighting, as a tribute to the old black and white film noirs. The garage creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere, making the audience feel trapped, and we see the male protagonist pushing aside spiderwebs, which are a very gothic element, yet not out of the ordinary. We follow the protagonist get into the car using close ups, long shots and panning and tracking, and view him driving out of the garage as if we are the passenger, making the audience feel engaged with the action and helping us relate more to the protagonist. Throughout the sequence there is an internal monologue in an essex accent which sets the scene. We follow the protagonist in his car, and see the thriller convention of rain lashed streets, and also a lack of colour through out the scene, which makes it appear to be noir monochrome lighting - another tribute to the classic film noirs of the 1940s. We continue with a point of view shot and enter a tunnel, another enclosed claustrophobic space which appears like the barrell of a gun, giving an indication of the kind of ideas the director is planning to portray throughout the film.

I really enjoyed this opening, because I thought it appeared very realistic, and was easy to engage with. I felt that many people would be able to relate to the protagonist, and also would like to see common, everyday settings. I thought that the chirascuro lighting and claustrophobic settings were highly effective, and would like to use these ideas in my own production.