Conventions Of Thriller Opening Title sequences

Title Sequences

The writing is often done on a black background, with non diegetic music in the background to set the scene. Its also common for thriller title sequences to have a particular event before the titles show. Examples of this convention is Kill Bill, Terminator 2 and The Departed. The most important film companies and actors are usually shown first in the sequence.

Sound

The majority of thriller films do have non-diegetic sound playing in the background, which creates an atmosphere and tension. The music can be almost as important as the story line in the sequence. Films like Kill Bill do use small amounts of dialogue, this gives the audience an insight into the characters motives or relationships with other characters in the film. In Terminator 2, Silence exaggeration is used, this builds up tension, which is a common convention in thriller films.

Editing

Hard cuts are most commonly used during thriller films like Terminator. This is done because multiple things are happening which we are not aware of, and jump cuts let us see what is happening, allowing the audience to make predictions on what the characters will be like. The cutting speeds usually begin to increase, which seems to lead to a climax of the introduction.

 Camera Shots.

The shots that are seen commonly in thriller films are low shots to show those in a powerful position, but they might also be used, like in Terminator 2, with the arrival of the Terminator shown to be in control and having the most power. Their seems to be main characters in the beginning shown through these shots, suggesting the majority of them have power and authority, which is connoted through these shots.

Over the shoulder shots are also common among thriller opening title sequence. This is because they build up suspense and brings the feeling that someone is watching there movements.

Mise En Scene

The locations of thriller films are largely dependent on the story line of the film. Lighting is also used in films such as Terminator, Kill Bill and Se7en, but fir different reasons, while trying to set a tone for the upcoming scenes of the movie. In Terminator for example, the use of lighting with machinery is set of a sci-fi thriller film.