Opening sequence Analysis- Miss Georgiou

How does the opening sequence of the film Halloween, inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film?

The opening sequence to a a film is very important as it can convey the whole mood of your film in a short scene, the film can also start at this point and the rest of the film can be based off of this one scene when something bad happens. In a thriller films case, the introduction is supposed to create enigma, shock, surprise and suspense. The opening of Halloween shows the audience all of these and they even show the thriller genres codes and conventions throughout the opening sequence.

Cinematography



The first example is a Point of view camera movement which is used throughout the whole of the opening scene as we are seeing the perspective of the antagonist while he spies on his sister and walks around the house. This is used to create enigma as the audience haven't seen this person at all even after the girl is killed. This is done to intrigue the audience and so they pay attention later in the film to understand why the antagonist did this. This is conventional to a thriller as they want to confuse the audience at the beginning so they understand later on. Right at the end of the scene there is a zoom out after it is revealed that the killer was just a little boy. This is done to create shock for the audience as this almost like the audience have been taken aback by this, this engrosses the audience to make them feel as if they are there with the characters. This is conventional as the camera always tries to create shock for when the killer is presented to us and in this case the reveal is quite shocking for the audience. The very last shot is a high-angle shot of the boy and the house he has just killed someone in. This is done to make it seem as though the boy and the house do not seem so threatening, this clearly contrasts with the scene that just happened. This is used to gain confusion within the audience as now they are presented with the antagonist not being as threatening as before. This is conventional to a thriller as they always want the audience to be confused on the scenes they have just watched.

Editing

Slow editing is used as the character is going up the stairs inside the house. This is done to prolong the sequence and to build up suspense. The audience relate to this as they feel that suspense and the slow build up going up the stairs. This is conventional to a thriller film as they always try to build up suspense.The next bit of editing is fast paced editing as the timing of the shots have increased to make the scene seem more fast paced. The scene shows Michael trying to leave after he has killed the girl. This shows the killer is trying to escape. The audience relate to this as they know why the scene suddenly speeds up. This is conventional to a thriller as they always try connect the mood of the scene with the filming of it, so the scene shows a murder which increases the pace of the film. The last use of editing is a reaction shot of the boy when someone takes the mask off. This shows the conventional theme in thrillers which is shock which again relates back to the audience as they also feel this shock which builds up a relationship with the characters reacting to the fact that the killer Michael is just a kid which is conventional to a thriller.

Soundtrack

The first bit of sound in this scene is off-screen sound when there are kids in the background are chanting and singing Halloween songs. This is done to show the time of year it is but it also informs the audience of the age of the killer. This laughter is contrasted later as a small kid killed his own sister. This is conventional to a thriller as they leave little clues to who the killer is and small bits of information that can be related to them. There is a diegetic sound of a clock turning as the killer goes up stairs. This is supposed to suggest that the killer will kill the girl and the audience relate this clock noise to the girl and realize she is now out of time. This is conventional to a thriller as they always try to give something away before it even happens. There is silence when the killer gets to the top of the stairs and is looking at his sister. The silence is used to create suspense, but it also shows the audience that the killer doesn't want to get caught. The audience relate to the tension as the audience feel it throughout this scene which is conventional to a thriller.

Conventions

The first shown convention of a thriller is low-key lighting  in this when the killer is looking at the house. This is used to show little and makes it seem unclear as to what the object is. This is supposed to build a relationship with the audience as they also do not know much about this as it is unclear to the audience as well, not just the characters. This is conventional as thrillers always try to confuse you. Iconography is used as well when the boy takes the knife out of a draw in the scene where he is walking through the kitchen. When the woman dies it shows a conventional theme to the audience as most of the time the woman is always in danger and the weapon itself that was used is also conventional to a thriller film . This makes the audience feel sympathy for her character. The identity of the killer remains a secret until after he has done the kill. This is conventional to a thriller as it builds up suspense for the audience.

Characters

The first character to note here is the point of view shot of his perspective throughout the intro scene, the antagonist. This creates enigma as we don't see what he looks like so we have no personal attachment to the antagonist and shock for the audience after it has been revealed that the killer was just a kid. This is conventional to a thriller as it leaves the audience confused as to why he did it but it is also quite menacing as he doesn't seem to have a motive, he just did it which makes him a sadistic killer. The victim is the second character in this scene a blonde girl. This is conventional as most thrillers have a blonde victim get killed, this is because blonde girls or women look more innocent, so as soon as the antagonist kills them it shows that he has no mercy and that he won't stop at nothing until he gets whatever he pleases, which still hasn't been revealed to us, making the audience pay attention as they are now scared on who else he may kill next.

Narrative

The things that we can gather from the intro that show us the narrative of the film is the fact that the film is during halloween as we have the title and the singing at the start to prove that. The audience can then relate halloween to scary themes. The audience are also shocked by the fact that a boy has just killed his sister and that the boy is the killer. The narrative at this point has already created shock, suspense and surprise and all of these are conventional to a thriller film.

The intro scene to this film shows the conventions of an actual thriller quite clearly, the antagonist is shown at the beginning, we see a blonde victim who ends up getting killed which is used to show the ferociousness of our antagonist, we have very low-key lighting to suggest the theme behind the film is very dark and to make the audience very confused so that they focus later in the film to understand the relevance of this scene.There is a murder weapon present during this scene to show off the films iconography. There is a POV shot throughout the whole intro to build up suspense and create enigma.

This film has taught me that I should make the scene confusing as this is a convention in a horror movie. This film has also taught me that females are mostly used for the victims and i may have to implement this into my film as this would make the audience side for her. I will have to make the killer seem mysterious so that it can create enigma for the audience. I would also try to keep edits slow before the murder and then speed up the timing of the shots during and after the murder.