Music, typography and lighting are some of the main elements when putting a scene together. Each one of them is used in order to create a specific feeling on the audience ,also contributing to the storyline on giving each genre its own characteristics.
I am about to analyse these elements in three different thriller opening scenes below.
SE7EN
Music & Sound: The SE7EN opening scene starts with non diegetic loud sound straight away in order to make the audience feel uncomfortable and warn them about the mystery in the movie from the very beginning. The non-diegetic crash that is incorporated into the soundtrack creates an unnerving atmosphere. It sounds like there is diegetic sound of the character's actions mixed with the non-diegetic music that goes along the entire opening scene and that creates some kind of confusion within the viewer. There is non diegetic sound of muffled screams in the background which could suggest another possible character ,not seeing the character adds to the mystery of the sequence. The sound effects used continue through a number of shots which suggests they are all somehow linked. The music during this scene is jumpy just like the transition between shots which adds to the effect on the viewer's feeling of confusion and unawareness of what is going to happen next. However there is non diegetic upbeat music in the background that also predicts an interesting film rather than just creating the feeling of suspense and fear.
Typography: The typography has a great impact on how the viewer perceives the film from the start. In this scene the tittles are unclear and blurry almost difficult to read increasing the theme of mystery for the viewer. The very first actor's name that we see is Brad Pitt which is used on purpose as he is one of the Hollywood most famous and with most influence actor. The movie tittle is small and blurred which makes the viewer work to be able to see it and then immediately jumps out to another cut which creates a sense of disorientation. We would expect the film to emphasise the major Hollywood actors, yet the fonts are small which goes against of what we expect and that further confuses the viewer. Overall the tittles changing size ,moving around the screen and coming in and out of focus puts the audience on the edge.
Lighting: The blurred background immediately introduces the theme of mystery and drags the audience straight away to a mysterious storyline. There is low lighting throughout the entire scene which conveys mystery and fear that fits in with the conventions of the genre. The only colours used up to some point are black and white which interprets a dark mysterious storyline then is jumps to a red shot. The connotation of the colour red would suggest anger, blood and death to the viewer. We can also see many shadows throughout the scene ,which predict danger and interprets to the audience is concealing themselves. The little lighting in all of the shots indicates the action is either taking place at night or in a dark room.
MISERY
Music & Sound: The scene starts with Non Diegetic sound of a type writer before the scene is in the view which hints the presence of a typewriter on the following scene. The sound eventually turns into diegetic sound , immediately after the scene starts showing a man typing on his typewriter. Throughout most of the scene there is only diegetic sound of the typewriter emphasising the importance of what the man is writing making the audience focus on the scene.Then it goes to non diegetic sound of slow paced music but with a little bit of a strange tone which creates a feeling of confusion within the audience. The sound becomes more distinct when we see the front 'untitled' page , suggesting this piece of work is vital. Then there's diegetic sound when the character pops open the bottle of champagne suggesting celebration for the finished work and the fat that he is celebrating by himself which could suggest that he is a lonely middle aged man.
Typography: The use of typography is not used as much in this opening suggesting a smaller impact of it within the audience. It starts with the name and logos of three production companies ,Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Columbia Pictures and Castle Rock suggesting that they worked together in releasing the film through convergence and synergy. The director is the first individual to be mentioned in the credits showing that this film is being sold more on his name than the actors. The colour of the font is red which is very typical in thriller films, because red is meant to predict danger.
Lighting:
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