Deconstruction of Film Opening - Shutdown (AS Material)

Sound

• can hear them touching the camera, this makes the film opening seem unprofessional. Next time, they should cut the unsteady part so the audience does not see and hear the camera move when they stop recording.
• non-diegetic screechy eerie sounds throughout. This is effective as it introduces the genre and the music fits in well with typical thriller sound conventions. Also, it creates a sense of mystery which, again, is effective because it makes the opening 
• diegetic sounds of cans being thrown & fork hitting it, and zip sound make the opening seem more realistic.
• no diegetic onscreen sound when he brushes past leaves or when hes walking makes the scene seem unrealistic as usually there would be a loud rustling sound.

Lighting

• low key lighting used in the tunnel, this ties in with the thriller convention of darkness = mystery. So using low key lighting is effective in this opening because it emphasises the thriller genre, and also gives us an insight into his dark and gloomy life in the tunnel.

• natural lighting used when he is outside making this opening seem believable. The bright natural lighting contrasts with the brightness of the open world versus the darkness of his lonely life in the tunnel.

Camera angles & movement

• unsteady camera movement at times. As mentioned before, this makes the opening seem unprofessional. Tripods should be used and unsteady moments cut from scene so the camera movement looks smooth.
• over the shoulder when eating & match on action when walking out of the tunnel. These are effective in an opening because it shows that the candidate can demonstrate a wide range of camera angles, and use them appropriately, and it makes the opening seem more professional. Also, for the audience it heightens the thrilling mood of the opening and allows the audience get a better insight into the boy's dark and strange world.

• zooming used when looking in cans to increase the intensity and to make his world seem smaller, make him seem inferior, that he is dependent and needy and does not live stably. This is effective in an opening because it

Editing

• colour saturation used when he walks out of tunnel so juxtapose the darkness of the tunnel, his world vs the brightness of the outside, the real world
• sepia used when in 'animal's' POV to show audience that someone is watching him

• fish eye editing used for the 'animal's' POV, this is effective because it introduces a story line and leaves the opening on a cliffhanger, so the audience knows there's more depth to this film. Also, the picture has been given a redder colour and red symbolises danger and blood and this could be foretelling the audience that this boy is going to be in danger,

• straight cuts used, effective for thriller film because it creates a fast and exciting pace

Mise en Scene

• the boy has dirt on his face and arms and is wearing a black t-shirt with a logo on it, black training pants and dirty black trainers. Black symbolises mystery, darkness, evil and death (which links with the skull on the wall). This could be foretelling the audience that the boy may be killed, or gets close to death.

• dirty teddy bear emphasises his harsh living conditions and highlights that he is still a dependent child. This is effective in the opening as it makes the audience contemplate what has happened to this young boy.
• shabby, dirty tunnel with a white skull painted on the wall shows the audience that he is in danger, firstly because someone/something is watching him and secondly, because of his harsh living conditions.

• eating baked beans out of a can  is effective because it emphasises the dark world he is living in and makes him seem fragile and an easy target for whatever it is that is watching him.
• where he is walking, there are no houses or buildings which shows that he is hiding in a secluded area which ties in with the thriller convention of being in a hidden and detached place to intensify the plot.

Titles

• At the beginning the production company names comes up, in capitalised Times New Roman. This font is easy to read and has a flashing metallic effect which makes it look more legit. The same eerie music is played when showing the titles as throughout the entire opening which makes the opening more consistent.
• Names of directors, music directors, editors and other contributors are inserted over the sequence in lower case Times New Roman. This is the same font as the production company at the beginning which makes the opening seem more organised and neat. They exit the sequence using a crumbling effect which ties in well with the thriller genre because, typically, many things in the character's lives fall apart and they have to fix it in the film.

• 5 titles shown at the beginning with an average of 2 seconds between them. There is a 23 second gap then the producers name is shown and this is inconsistent with the other titles and drawns attention away from the film. As a suggestion, all the titles should be shown together to make the opening more ordered and professional.