We analysed Group One's thriller opening sequence. They combined the four micro areas to create an effective and tense 2 minute opening to a thriller film. It opens with a logo they created with their company name 'MGA' and a picture of a film roll next to it. This is followed by a black screen with 'MGA Pictures present' written in white and in capitals. The simplicity of these gives a professional start to the film. The font is slightly too big which can make the opening sequence look amateur. Any writing used within professional films is very small, this is to give an expert and polished effect.
The camerawork in this piece helps to produce a tense, scary atmosphere along with explaining the narrative of the opening sequence. The first shot is an out of focus medium shot of a girl (Mimi Dulake) waking up and lying on the ground struggling with her hands behind her back. The camera then zooms in on her face for a moment before zooming back out while her name appears in a small black font in the bottom left corner. This creates an enigma as to why this girl is lying on a forest floor and how she got there. Due to her serious face and struggle to get up, we understand that she is not there from free will. We then see a close up of the girls hands behind her back and we learn that they are tied up with rope. This confirms the viewer's suspicions that this girl is in this situation due to the act of someone else; the viewer assumes that this is the antagonist. We then see a close up of the girl's confused and scared face squinting at something in the distance. This builds suspense as we sonder what she is staring at and why she is so scared of this. There is then a Point Of View shot as the audience see exactly what the girl is seeing. The Point Of View shot is an out of focus long shot of a man digging a hole in the forest floor with a different girl tied up struggling beside him. As we see the girl further panicking and struggling to get free, she falls to the ground. The camera follows this in a Dutch shot. This explains to the audience that the girl is still encaptured and in danger. The audience are left on the edge of their seats as they worry about the girl's safety and if the antagonist will notice she has woke up. There is then another out of focus point of view shot on the man still digging. Because we are seeing the blurred shot through the girl's eyes we assume that she is enduring blurred vision, the audience begin to wonder if she has been drugged by the antagonist. This cuts to an extreme close up of the girl's widened eyes, this portrays her fear and panic to the audience. The viewer's have sympathy for this young victim. They are left in suspense as there is then a flashback of the night before, however they become excited to find out how these girl's got in this situation. Within this flashback there is a long shot of two girls walking down the street singing before stopping as a car containing a young man pulls up beside them. It then cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the girls looking at the pulled up car as he asks them where they're going and if they want to go to a party. As they agree and get in the car there is then a Point Of View shot from one of the girls sitting in the back looking at the suspicious male driver. It then goes back to present time and we see a medium shot of the girl still in fear then the male antagonist coming up behind her and putting his hand over her face. There is then the title 'Buried Alive' on a black screen in red capitals and medium font. Like the company name, the title is in a font that is too big. The group should have copied many professional films in containing very small font writing. However, the two colours black and red mirror the suspicious and thriller theme of the film.
When the logo and name of the company is on the screen a quick and eerie sound is heard. This is a typical element of a thriller film. Before the opening sequence has even started the audience know that this film is not a comedy or love film. The non-diegetic eerie music continues as the girl is shown lying on the forest floor. As we see her struglling to get free we also hear the diagetic, ambient sound of leaves rustling beneath her. We then also hear the sound of her heavy breathing as she begins to realise what has happened to her and starts to panic. This causes the audience to understand that she is confused as to how she got there and is not there due to her free will. As there is a close up of the girl's hands tied up with rope behind her back there is a louder and faster version of the eerie music used for that shot. There is a score when that image is shown again with the same faster, louder music. As the girl starts to get very scared and panicked the music gets louder aswell as the ambient sound of rustling leaves.There is dialogue used when the girl sees the antagonist digging a hole in the ground and says to herself 'no' repeatedly. This explains to the audience that the character is assuming what they are to, that he is digging the hole for her. As there is a flashback we hear the diagetic sound of the two girls singing as they walk down the street. Dialogue is used again as the antagonist pulls up beside them in his car and asks them to come to a party with him. This is frustrating for the audience as they know what will happen to the girls now they have got in the car. This is an element used frequently within thriller films as it gets a reaction off the audience as they watch it. The eerie and scary music then starts again as the flashback stops and we see the girl sitting on the forest ground in fear. The unsettling music reaches its peak as the antagonist is seen elaping on the girl covering her face with his hands.
Fades are frequently used within this opening sequence. However, the logo and company name at the start of the sequence both fade in and fade out. A fade in is also used when the girl notices the antagonist digging a hole in the forest floor. This gives a dazed effect as though the victim is confused and is fading in and out of consciousness.
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