Madi Arnold, Textual Analysis of 3 Thriller Opening Sequences

1. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
OPENING SEQUENCES

3. LIMITLESS
The opening sequence of Limitless, uses 4 areas of media language
◦ Cinematography
◦ Mise En Scene
◦ Editing
◦ Sound
These are used to engage the audience from the moment it starts. The
beginning of the extract begins by confusing the audience, as it begins part
way through the narrative, leaving the audience to wonder what has
happened, encouraging them to continue watching.

4. During the extract, the director creates uncertainty for the
audience. It does this is several ways. Firstly, he uses
cinematography – there is a lot of close ups of the characters,
objects and places in the room. This suggests to the audience that
they are of importance, however they are being given little
information to work with understand what has happened
therefore not knowing if by them being significant, is good or bad.
Whilst this is happening, the director again, uses cinematography
– he uses zooms to slow down the pace of the editing and make
the audience feel perplexed. At the same time as this, sound is
used. The director adds banging sound effects, these are being
used to connote that someone is trapped, or is trying to escape.
This is a juxtaposition with the slow paced editing, as the knocking
makes the extract seem more upbeat.

6. Se7en
Se7en uses all areas of media language, and many
conventions of the thriller genre during the opening
sequence.
The extract beings with a series of fast paced clips,
formed into a montage. The montage is not in
chronological order.

7. The montage during the extract, is not in chronological
order, creates the idea that the character is in the
middle of an investigation, this creates confusion for the
audience. During the image, multiple images have been
blurred, this connotes as a sense of danger or unknown.
The sound during the opening extract is non diegetic,
this creates and builds lots of atmosphere during the first
few minutes. As the sequence progresses the music gets
more upbeat and louder. This creates an eery feel to the
opening sequence. This creates a sense of mystery for
the audience. The audio has no lyrics, therefore there is
no narrative during the opening sequence, building
suspense.

9. Flightplan
Once again, Flightplan uses all areas of media
language. Aswell as fitting the conventions of the thriller
genre. However flightplan does infact have a different
approach to the thriller genre, because of this it fitted to
different types of conventions to the other sequences I
looked at.
The beginning of the extract starts in high key lighting.

10. During the extract the director uses Mise-En-Scene to show contrast. For example
at the beginning of the extract, the director uses high key and low key lighting, to
show the contrast between the two scenes that are being crosscutted. High key
lighting is used, whenever the woman is the morgue, this is an anti stereotype of
thriller movies, as usually low key lighting is used to show distress, and sadness.
Therefore, a place such as a morgue would not be used with high key lighting.
Also during the extract the director uses cinematography to make the woman
look weak. For example, a few high angle shots are used of the woman. This
makes her look really small and diminished in comparison with the other people
in the scene with her. Linking with this, Mise-En-Scene is sued to connote the
woman is weak, in a multiple of ways. We know this because at the beginning
she is sat at the train station, however train stations are stereotypically busy,
therefore this suggests she is alone. This is a convention of the thriller genre as
during thriller films, when danger is about to happen, the victim is alone.
At the beginning of the extract the editing is very fast paces and non-continuous,
imitating a train. The location, does then swiftly change to a
trainstation.