We decided to analyse Group Two's opening thriller sequence. We will explain the ways we think this group produced a good opening sequence and the ways in which they could have done to improve it.
Within the first few seconds of the clip starting, the production company is introduced as 'droplet'. This production logo is suitable with the name as you can see a physical droplet therefore, it looks quite professional. However, the font looks amateur as it's a basic font, Arial, which could be a lot more imaginative and creative. The music starts from as soon as we see the opening. Then it fades to black to a handheld shot walking down an alley. With this stereotypically thrilling location, the lighting should have been a darker tone to make it look more scary. The view is blurry and unclear however which does create a better effect. It is followed by a cut to black with white text saying 'Droplet Production Presents'. While this is shown the music changes to a harsher tone which adds tension and emphasises the writing. The same handheld shot is carried on. Then, for one second of the clip we see three girls dancing. This makes us assume that they hold an important role in this clip. The clothes they are wearing are suitable for the types of characters they are and creates a more realistic feel. It then cuts again to black with more texts saying 'A film by Lauren E Tarling'. Which is followed by another handheld shot walking up to a house. Pip Stokes and Greg Warkins names are shown in the bottom left of the screen. The font they have used has been the same throughout which adds to the professionalism. However, the size of this font makes it look basic. A cut is then used to three girls posing for a photograph. The three girls in this shot are different to the girls in the earlier shot that was seen. This creates confusion and disrupts the continuity. The camera then shows someone entering the house, using an eye view handheld shot. As this is shown, you can see that it is in slow motion from the speed of the movement from the characters.
A flashback transition of someone's bedroom is then used to show a outer border effect, to show the emphasised view point from the character. This is again handheld so the movements are very quick and sudden, adding to the tense and rushed moment. While this shot is happening, diegetic sound is heard. The loud breathing we can hear is clear and helps the audience understand the panicked atmosphere. It then comes out of the flashback and back to reality with the handheld shot walking outside. From this scene, it shows another scene of the bedroom and then another scene of a injured character. This creates confusion as we are not sure what is going on. This is repeated three times, showing all three different scenes in the same order. This mixes up the flashback and the reality. The end of the clip includes the injured character falling to the ground with a cut black screen with the title 'Playback'. Throughout the whole clip, the same music has been used. To add more suspense and thrill to this clip they should have thought about adding some more tense music to go parallel with the drama happening. When the title comes up, the music stops but is replaced with a loud sound effect. This sound is similar to a lightning sound effect. Having this extra sound added completes the opening sequence of the film. However, the sound is not relevant to the narrative and it is a completely different tone to the other music we heard.
We have noticed many things they could have improved to make this opening sequence better. I think the music could have been changed a little through certain scenes. I also think they could have experimented more with locations as it would make it look more professional. The continuity was disrupted because we noticed the change in the characters we were initially introduced to. The camera-work is not really varied enough as the main camera shot is handheld. Handheld is a really effective shot to use for a thriller opening yet, different camera angles makes it a lot more interesting to watch. The editing in this clip is limited. Most of the shots are long durated which is unusual and uneffective in a thriller opening sequence. This is because short shot duration creates a panicked effect. To improve the intensity of this sequence would be too make each scene play together in a short amount of time. This will unsettle the auidence and increase the panicked effect. However, the mis-en scene is good. The costume and make-up designed for the characters adds to the realism of the drama. The setting in the male characters room was good because it established a stereotypical male features such as the Arsenal wallpaper and the messy appearance. If I graded this work, I would give Group Two a C grade. If they included some more editing and camera techniques this clip could have got a B grade.
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