Opening Sequence Analysis - Miss Georgiou

The purpose of an opening scene is to, among other things, give the audience an idea of the narrative of the film, introduce the genre of the film and interest the audience. An opening sequence contains mise-en-scene, usually conventional to its genre, and characters, which are introduced to the audience. The opening sequence may also contain an enigma, mainly in thriller film. In this essay I will be analysing the opening scene of Halloween (1978) - linked above.

Cinematography

POV shot from the opening sequence of Halloween

An eye level shot is used to show the male character as he comes down the stairs and leaves the house. This is used to create an emotional link between the audience and the characters, and we fear for them due to the present murderer. A point-of-view shot is used when the future killer is climbing the stairs, walking towards the teenage girl whose boyfriend has just left the house. This shot creates a tense atmosphere as it is clear to the audience that the female character is in danger/about to be murdered. Furthermore, handheld shots are used when the murderer is getting closer to the girl. This shaky camera-work creates a sense of uneasiness, therefore frightening the audience and creating suspense. Overall, the cinematography in this opening scene is conventional to a thriller, due to the use of shots to create suspense. Also, thriller films typically aim to intimately involve the audience with the film, and achieve this using a variety of methods and camera shots (for example, eye level shots).

Editing
Throughout the sequence, the timing of shots is slow (slow editing). This is a method of creating a suspenseful, tense and dramatic atmosphere. This makes the audience feel fear because they can sense that something bad is about to happen, but they don't know when, which adds to the shock factor of a scene. It is conventional for a thriller to build suspense in the way of slow editing as it drags out the scene, giving a sense of uncertainty to it. Also, continuity editing is present in this scene. This is where all the shots seem to be motivated by the film's events. This creates an understanding of the narrative for the audience. This is conventional to most narrative films.

Soundtrack
When the mysterious person is walking up the stairs, we can hear faint, cheerful humming (from the girl) that gets louder as he gets closer. This is contrapuntal sound, as we would not expect to hear happy sounds/music in this suspenseful atmosphere. Also, the audience feels bad for the girl because she doesn't know that she is about to be killed. Thrillers sometimes use this technique of contrapuntal sound to contrast the tense atmosphere and somewhat confuse the audience, engaging them in the film. On the other hand, there is parallel sound at 3:04 when Michael is stabbing his sister. We can hear the sounds of the knife penetrating the flesh, which is what we expect to hear. The sound's volume has been increased so the audience can hear mostly the sound of the stabbing, which heightens the importance of the sound, and makes the audience empathise with the character who is being stabbed. It is very conventional for thrillers to make sounds like this louder as they are significant sounds to the scene. Lastly, there is tense music playing throughout the scene - this is non-diegetic sound. The pitch changes from high to low to make the audience focus on certain events. Low pitch suggests tension and no/not much action (leading up to the stabbing), and high pitch suggests action and excitement (during the stabbing). Thrillers often use music to add more suspense or excitement to a scene.

Conventions
There are many conventions to the thriller genre that are seen in this opening sequence. 'Shock, surprise and suspense' are present in most thriller films, and it is also present in this clip of Halloween. These three elements are used because thrillers are psychological and aim to engage and frighten the audience. Also in the scene, we see that conventional iconography is used - a kitchen knife, to stab the victim. Most thriller films set in domestic locations have iconography like this due to the accessibility of a kitchen knife. It also indicates to the audience what will happen - murder - when a mysterious person is searching for a knife. Another convention of a thriller than is seen in this scene/film is the typical female blonde victim. Most thriller films will have blonde women as the victim as they are portrayed as vulnerable/weak, which sharply contrasts to the strong, male murderer. The audience may also sympathise more if the victim is shown as weak and vulnerable. Also, thrillers usually have this hint of misogyny within the plot.

Narrative
This opening scene is set in a conventional, American suburban house, providing a false sense of security. Also, a lot of thrillers are set in houses as it is relatable to the audience. There is an enigma in the scene as the killer has a hidden identity up until the last point in the scene. Then, there is a shock, as the killer is revealed to be a child (the younger brother of the girl he stabbed). He stands between his parents, deadly still, and staring. This frightens and confuses the audience because they wonder what made the boy do this, and what will happen to him. The opening sequence of this film entices the audience to want to know what happened/will happen to the boy.

Representation of characters
The young couple shown at the beginning of the scene are a very stereotypical teenage couple, who are oblivious to the danger around them. They are portrayed like this because it gives them more vulnerability, so  the audience knows to expect at least one of them to die. It's conventional for thrillers to have vulnerable young people be injured or killed. Furthermore, at the end of the scene, the parents come home to find their son holding a knife covered in blood, with a blank expression on his face. They are understandably confused and shocked, and the audience can empathise with and relate to them because of this, as we feel the same things that they are feeling. Lastly, the killer is wearing a clown costume, which is stereotypical because clowns are shown as scary in most horror/thriller films.

The 1978 film Halloween has a certificate of 18, meaning its target audience is adults aged 18 and over. The couple in the film were seemingly in their late teens or early twenties, meaning they could be relatable to the majority of the film's audience. This plays an important role in the film's success. Overall, the opening scene informs the audience of the many conventions of a thriller, including hidden identity of a killer (portrayed by the clown mask the young killer wore) and fast-paced music during the stabbing sequence.

The analysis in this essay will help me in planning my thriller by advising me what and what not to put in my opening scene. For instance, there should be a mystery/an enigma regarding the killer's identity. This post will help guide the planning/use of representation of characters, narrative, conventions, soundtrack, editing, and cinematography within our own thriller opening sequence.