Opening sequence analysis

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

Opening sequences in thriller films are vastly important and they have a number of purposes for the audience. It is only a short scene, but it usually contains a lot of action and vital detail towards the story. This is important as it draws the audience not only into the film but the story itself and the opening sequence can determine their whole attitude and feelings towards the film from then on. By watching the opening sequence, the audience is given a taste of what is to come in the film and it is also used to introduce the audience to the films main elements, which may be the characters, location, plot, themes and visual style. On the other hand in some films, you may find an enigma of the film in the opening sequence. This gives the audience feelings of uncertainty and as the film and it's plot continues to develop on slowly but surely, the enigma is being established and a perfect example of an opening sequence having an enigma is the film I will by analysing in this piece: Halloween (1978)

Halloween- Cinematography

There are various elements of cinematography featured in the opening sequence of halloween. From the start till right the near the end of the entire scene, there is a P.O.V from t`he antagonist, which hides the identity of the killer and creates an enigma for the audience, which leaves them confused and guessing as they do not know who the killer is. At the end of the opening sequence, the camera zooms out into a long shot of a young boy as the clown mask is taken off, this shows the antagonist to be a young boy which shocks the audience as a young boy is not your typical main villain in a thriller. This then becomes a high angle shot of the house, looking down at it and the people in the garden with the boy, this high angle shot is a juxtaposition of the events, as a high angle shot wouldn't be used on a villain as they would not be vulnerable, however it could be being used because the villain is a young boy or the fact that those around him in the garden could possibly be vulnerable when he is around, which creates an element of mystery for the audience, as they do not know who is the the boy's next victim nor do they know if he is the one vulnerable himself.

Soundtrack

The scene starts from outside and non-digetic sound can be heard of crickets in the distance, which is common for many films. There is then digetic sound from the couple inside the house, we can hear a conversation from them and some laughing. Suspense is building, but the audience arent thrown off here or frightened as there's nothing to be scared of, apart from the fact someone could be watching the couple. There is then complete silence apart from the crickets after the couple head upstairs, which could show loneliness and vulnerability as no one is around them. Then, as the lights turn off in the bedroom which is shown outside, a sudden high pitched sound of ringing is played to startle the audience, as the point of view shot goes into the house, which is followed by a soundtrack of a piano that gets lower and lower. This frightens the audience as the sound is unexpected and startling, it is not a contrapuntal sound as it fits with the dark and mysterious scene that the audience are currently watching. The piano pitch getting lower is a parrallel sound to what is going on in the scene, it gets lower as the character grabs a knife and also when he enters dark rooms, building further suspense for the audience as what is going to happen as the scene is reaching a climax. The piano suddenly stops as another character is spotted leaving the house, and all that can be heard is high pitched ringing, along with silence to keep the audience undistracted and drawn into the climax of the scene, as they are being left on edge waiting for this to happen. As the antagonist is wandering around the house, sudden digetic sound occurs as the high pitched sound heard near the beginning is heard again, as the villain now comes onto the screen and in the sights of the antagonist. Then, the antagonist strikes and digetic/on screen sound occurs as the antagonist is stabbing the victim, which is also parallel sound is you can hear and see the knife stabbing her. Non-digetic sound can also be heard and seen from the girl who is being murdered, as the audience have now been given what they waited for and the suspenseful scene has reached it's climax. The deep and low pitched digetic piano sounds then return and play out until the end of the scene as the antagonist is revealed to the audience.

Editing

At the beginning of the scene, there is a straight cut to jump straight into the action. The camera then comes to a halt and for a moment, there is only continuity as all we can see is the interaction between the male and female, which could also be a jump cut as the film suddenly and only stays focused on this. When the couple head upstairs, there is all of a sudden a jump cut to the bedroom window, as this shows a change in focus and startles the audience. There is then slow editing as the antagonist is approaching and walking through the house, he is taking his time and not rushing, slowly building suspense for the audience which keeps them on edge and wondering what will happen. At the end of the scene, there is a reaction shot of the young boy who's mask has now been taken off and those around him, who are in shock which shows the audience their reaction to the scene and could also share the audiences reaction.

Conventions

In the beginning of the scene, low key lighting is used as the antagonist is walking, this creates suspense as the scene is dark and we do not know the identity of the killer, leaving the audience clueless, When the killer is walking the through the house, there is then thriller iconography as the antagonist grabs a knife from the kitchen, this startles the audience and gives an element of fear, as well as foreshadowing what is about to take place. The hidden identity of the killer is also another convention present in this opening sequence, as right up until the end, the audience are only given a p.o.v shot, giving an added sense of mystery towards the narrative.

Characters

The main character, the antagonist has an unknown identity right until the very end of the opening sequence, making the audience ask questions about them and eagerly wait for their identity to be revealed. The victim of the antagonist is also not really known either, from what the audience have seen, they can only gather that the victim is either the boy's mother or sister, it is only revealed later on in the film that it was his sister who was killed, thus creating an enigma for the audience.

Narrative

The main narrative of this film is that it actually takes place on halloween night, conjoined with the film name "halloween", which is associated with the dead and evil, so the audience can expect costumes and murder, as provided in the opening sequence. Like other many other thrillers, the sequence ends with shock and surprise, as the antagonist is revealed.

Target Audience

The film would have to be an 18, due to nudity and strong violence very earlier on in the film and mainly young viewers aged around 20 could be attracted, as they are the young adults who will remember halloween night. The audience could possibly feel sympathy towards the antagonist, as he is just a young boy and is possibly just confused and excited about halloween and doesn't know what he is doing, but at the same time they fear him as they do not know what he is capable of and they also feel sympathy for the young girl who has just been murdered.

Conclusion And Summary

Overall, this opening sequence shows the conventions of a thriller in a number of ways. There is tension built by using different shots and slow editing, also especially the iconography of a knife, making the antagonist seem dangerous and making the audience unaware of what he is capable of, there is suspense present as the scene is slow and slowly builds up to the climax, leaving the audience on edge the whole way. The moment of shock comes as the young girl is horrifically bladed to death, shocking the audience and giving them the epic climax of the scene that they have been waiting for. The surprise comes at the end, when the killer is revealed to be a blonde young boy which you would perceive to be as innocent and instead in this case, he is not and is actually the main antagonist of the film. This analysis will assist me in making my thriller sequence, as it has helped me better understand the conventions of a thriller and also ways to add suspense and draw in my audience, keeping them on edge and entertained as they are drawn into what is happening, because I believe that is the most important thing in an opening sequence for a thriller.