What do directors seek to establish in the openings of thrillers?

Character




   

In Se7en, directed by David Fincher, there is emphasis on the establishing of character. The picture shows the protagonists items laid out on a desk in an organised fashion, reflecting the character of Somerset. The shot is a close up which allows the audience to understand the true importance of the character’s items to further establish the character, it is important to do this as it is one of the first things that the audience learns about Somerset’s character. His homicide badge teaches the viewer of his occupation, a detective, this area of work is a common convention used in thrillers. The pocket-knife and gun create connote danger and foreshadow potential fatalities. The weapons also represent Somerset as a man who is prepared for anything including the dangers of his line of work. The audience could infer that he has experience from this as somebody new to the profession may not have these items. His gun is in a case, which shows he is cautious and doesn’t like to resort to violence often.  There are two other props, a pen which represents his intellectual side, and an ambiguous piece of wallpaper which hints at a sensitive side of Somerset’s character.

In this second shot Somerset is emphasized by a depth of filed isolating him from the other characters and broadcasting his individuality. The focus also demonstrates his concentration on small details, picking up on things which others wouldn’t give a second thought. His dialogue in this scene is sarcastic, unveiling his cynical undertone.

Tone/mood

The camera is moving slowly in this shot, and uses shallow focus to show a wobbly squeaky, this scenario is common, but cuts something broken into an otherwise tranquil scene to further push forward connotations of a dark under tone. The camera tracking the wheel and moving alongside the trolley brings the audience with the characters to engage them in the story further.

Location

Essex boys establishes location incredibly effectively, its vanishing point is ambiguous and leads to the film having a somewhat enigmatic, mysterious feel about it. The tunnel, in context with the film, represents a gateway to crime, with all the hope and prosperity trapped inside the tunnel, all around the tunnel is darkness. The shot is wide and all lines point towards the tunnel, therefore the car is forced to go through. The lights are not symmetrical and some may even be broken, this reflects the choices the characters are making and how it will affect them.