When deciding upon which of our many ideas we would use in our final thriller film, we decided to do some research into the opening two minutes of other thriller films. This would give the group as a whole many ideas and hopefully would show us how to film our film correctly and professionally. I decided to analyse the opening of the psychological thriller ‘The Jacket’ (Dir. John Maybury, 2005).
The very first shot the audience sees in the film is of a war zone, shown through the eye of a gun, possibly a sniper rifle. A square is in the middle of the screen, showing where the gun is being aimed. This immediately gives the viewer connotations of what is happening. War and guns are associated with death, which is a conventional topic found in thriller films. This makes the audience feel on edge straight away, as they are now expecting some terrible things to happen in the film. The sound is also war like, with diegetic sound of a man talking frantically through a walkie-talkie, getting cut off once in a while. There is also ambient sound of a typical war, with the sound of gun shots and bombs being dropped. This makes the audience feel involved in the film and feel surrounded.
The whole shot is green, and stays that colour for the whole of the opening two minutes. This is partly because of the view through the rifle, allowing the shooter to see his target c
learer. This could also show envy, jealousy or revenge, emotions that the colour green is associated with. This gives the viewer enigmas, as they wonder who the shooter may be and who he is aiming at.
As the opening credits roll over shots of the war zone, with people getting shot in the background and bombs going off, the credits have a font that is scribbled and blurred, another aspect that is associated with thrillers. Also, as ‘The Jacket’ is anchored on screen, there is a slight sound of a man faintly screaming and breathing out fast. This may be telling the audience what is to come and that they should be afraid of said ‘jacket.’
The very first shot the audience sees in the film is of a war zone, shown through the eye of a gun, possibly a sniper rifle. A square is in the middle of the screen, showing where the gun is being aimed. This immediately gives the viewer connotations of what is happening. War and guns are associated with death, which is a conventional topic found in thriller films. This makes the audience feel on edge straight away, as they are now expecting some terrible things to happen in the film. The sound is also war like, with diegetic sound of a man talking frantically through a walkie-talkie, getting cut off once in a while. There is also ambient sound of a typical war, with the sound of gun shots and bombs being dropped. This makes the audience feel involved in the film and feel surrounded.
The whole shot is green, and stays that colour for the whole of the opening two minutes. This is partly because of the view through the rifle, allowing the shooter to see his target c
learer. This could also show envy, jealousy or revenge, emotions that the colour green is associated with. This gives the viewer enigmas, as they wonder who the shooter may be and who he is aiming at.As the opening credits roll over shots of the war zone, with people getting shot in the background and bombs going off, the credits have a font that is scribbled and blurred, another aspect that is associated with thrillers. Also, as ‘The Jacket’ is anchored on screen, there is a slight sound of a man faintly screaming and breathing out fast. This may be telling the audience what is to come and that they should be afraid of said ‘jacket.’
After the main credits have finished, ‘Iraq, 1991’ is anchored on screen for a few seconds. This immediately makes the audience think of death and destruction, as Iraq is a country that has seen a lot of war and terror. This makes the viewer feel scared, and also feel sorry for the soldiers that have had to go there and fight. As the anchorage stops, a non-diegetic piano-led ballad begins. It is a very soothing piece, and is contrapuntal to what is happening on screen. It is usually used for relaxation and calmness, and here it sounds like music used at a funeral, telling the viewer that there will be many casualties and that many funerals will have to be held for these soldiers.
As the non-diegetic soundtrack continues, very quick, almost subliminal message-like shots of politicians are shown on screen. Most shots are of American Presidents. This makes the audience think that people like the President are responsible for what is happening on screen and that it is their fault. The quick flashes of images stick in the viewers minds and make them feel brainwashed and unwell, much like many of the soldiers will feel. As these shots are happening, diegetic sounds of orders are being barked by highly ranked soldiers. Things like “get on your f*cking knees!” are used to make other people feel weak and small. Even though soldiers are shouting these things, with the shots of politicians on screen at the same time, and it makes the audience feel like they are being forced into this war and being made to work harder and harder by people in higher power than they are. This makes them feel angry at those people, and will make them feel more emotionally attached to the main character Jack Starks when he is introduced.
The opening two minutes of ‘The Jacket’ is a prime example of how to begin a thriller film well. It creates many enigmas for the viewer, and immediately draws them into the story.
- Taylor Gladwin
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