Four Thriller Openings - Research - Callum Horncastle

Pulp Fiction opening

The opening to Pulp Fiction is a thriller, which is shown over time by the different sections of the technical codes.

In the first scene, there is a man and woman talking in a diner. The shot is taken from a low angle, making them out to be powerful characters who are in control of the situation.

The next shot is a match on action shot, the second before the shot changes a hand is shown, before it changes to a close up of the waitress at the diner, asking if they want more coffee.

The next shot is of the female character accepting and thanking the waitress as she receives the coffee, clearly putting on a fake smile, as if she is irritated by the interruption.

The next shot is the same as the first, as the male character proceeds to talk about robbing a bank, and risks.

As the next few shots occur in the scene, these two characters are portrayed more and more as antagonists, as they are revealed as robbers.

At a later point, there is a slow crab shot of the male character, this highlights what he is saying is important, or to make the audience think.

After a few more shots, including another waitress providing coffee for the man, there is a constant shot-reverse shot sequence between the male and female character as they plot to rob the restaurant.

They then decide to initiate their plan to rob the place, and the man removes his gun, this prop shows that he is ready to start the robbery.

Silence of the Lambs opening

The opening to Silence of the Lambs is a thriller, shown by the different parts of the technical codes.

In the first scene, there is a shot of the woods; the lighting is coming from behind the trees, meaning only their silhouettes can be seen. This instantly brings darkness to the scene, as the saturation and colour is extremely limited.

The ambient sound and the unsettling music together bring a very uncertain mood, making the audience unsure of what to expect.

The shot soon pans and tilts down to the protagonist, who is jogging along the shown assault course. The high angle already shows her to be weak, as the camera looks down on her.

As she approaches the camera, the sound of her panting can be heard, suggesting that she has been very active and hasn't stopped for a long period of time.

An off-screen sound is then heard of birds flying away, the protagonist stops and looks in the direction of the sound. This brings more uncertainty to the scene, and puts the audience more on edge.

The next shot is from behind the protagonist, showing her running through the woodland. Ahead of her is fog, keeping everything that lies ahead a mystery.

The low saturation also makes this scene look more unknown and sinister.

In a later shot, when she approaches an obstacle that she needs to climb over, the camera pans and tilts up to her, making her out to be a very determined character.

Later on, in the same shot after the camera has tracked her run away from the obstacle, a voice is heard calling her, but the sound is off-screen, along with the sound of quick footsteps.

This brief moment brings an enigma, causing the audience to quiz who the approaching person is until he eventually runs into the scene.

The camera tracks him as he runs to the main protagonist, showing he is of importance in the scene. He proceeds to tell the protagonist that she is needed by her superiors.

She thanks him and runs off, this second character turns to the camera as he watches her go.

This is where his cap is seen, a very important part of his costume, and one of the most important parts to this whole scene.

On his cap, it spells ‘FBI’, which suggests that the main protagonist is also with the FBI, which gives her an identity for the audience to get an understanding of who she is.

Kill Bill opening

The opening to Kill Bill is clearly a thriller, shown by many different parts of the technical codes.

In the first scene, where the woman is lying on her back, crying in pain.

This scene has many parts of the technical codes to show it’s a thriller, such as the low key lighting, only half of her face can be seen, this is to alienate her, the woman's face is not in the centre of the frame, which alienates her further. There is no colour, adding mystery to the scene; this is very unusual in a modern day film, which suggests this scene was set in the past. Her facial expression is contorted with pain, making the whole shot more unsettling. The sound of her pained breaths is the only sound heard, making it stand out.

There is a sound bridge to the next shot; the sound of footsteps brings an enigma to the scene, as the approaching person is not seen at all. When the shot changes, the only part of the new character is his feet as he walks towards the woman, this creates a very tense atmosphere as his identity is completely unknown.

The next shot is back to the woman, the new character standing above her where he cannot be seen. This could possibly be a POV shot; as his hand is later shown as it lowers a handkerchief down to wipe the blood from her face.

This prop, the handkerchief, is a significant part in this entire enigma of the scene, as it has the name ‘Bill’ on it. This tells the audience that this antagonist is named Bill.

The woman’s facial expression becomes full of fear in this shot, showing that this new character is very imposing.

Fight Club opening

The opening the Fight Club starts at the end at a very intense scene.

The very beginning is a CGI made one-take, as the camera travels inside a hair follicle and out of a sweat pour, and along the surface of the protagonist's skin at a very extreme close-up, to the point where every individual pour and hair is seen.

The shot then zooms out to the protagonists mouth, and zooms out further to show there is a gun placed in his mouth.

There is then a voice over of the protagonist as the shot changes, the protagonist mentions the name "Tyler Durdan". This instantly brings the question forward of Who is Tyler Durdan?

The next shot is side on, and shows the protagonist properly with the gun held in his mouth, the person holding the gun is not seen, only his hand is seen. Meaning we have no clue as to who the gunman is, but due to the voice-over from the protagonist, it is suggested to be 'Tyler Durdan'.