Thriller Mood Board

Movie opening proposal

Movie

A group of 4 teenage friends meet up outside a local forest on a Halloween night. This night is said to be the mot dangerous night of all as all supernatural superstitions come to life. But these kids are met by a drunken beggar at the gate to the forest. They give him some money and he speaks gibberish and hands him something and then says it will protect them, but the kids ignore his waring and throws the talisman into the forest. When they enter many supernatural occurrences happen and by the end only one comes out.

The opening will show a boys face and the camera will slowly pan down his body to show the scratches and blood splatters on him. Then the camera switches to an establishing shot to show his whole body and where he is, an interrogation room. He then looks at the table in front of him and the background goes blurry and low murmuring starts the same time as quick flash back. This speed up until it becomes unseeable and finally the inspector opens the door.

Silent retreat opening analysis

Silent retreat opening analysis

Camera

Starts with a close up on a sleeping woman in a car. this then switches to an establishing shot then pans to follow the car. As the car speeds along the road the setting is shown. As it is a forest it instantly causes tension in the audience as this is a typical thriller/horror movie setting. Moreover as the leaves are red it connotes blood and danger creating an atmosphere of tension. The setting then switches to a lake in the woods which connotes drowning. Moreover as the font used is white and blurs in and does not keep still it makes viewers uncomfortable. Also it uses quick cuts between images and starts to quickly increase the light intensity and decrease it. This creeps out viewers and as the forest is in the sun set it suggests danger as the sky is red. Then switches to an ink blotch and abandoned bathroom which suggests murder keeping viewers drawn in. Then the screen flashes red which tell viewers a murder will take place in the woods. Th close up on the moss covered log could mean the murdered victim could have been buried and the close ups on the eyes are to make the viewers uncomfortable. The camera has scratches on the lens making viewers believe it is old.

Sound

It starts with quite music and a little amount of musical instruments. This makes all viewers anticipate the next move in the movie keeping them all drawn in. As the music slowly builds up it mirrors the tension in the room and the creepy pictures. This music carries on throughout and this is the only sound heard throughout the whole opening sequence. This makes the audience uncomfortable but drawn in from the start to the end of the opening sequence. The lack of music makes the audience more focused on what is happening and as what is happening will make them uncomfortable the lack of music adds this effect.

Editing
The quick cut shots make the viewers very uneasy as it isn't reassuring in anyway and makes the wonder as to what could have happen if the image did not change. This helps to keep the audience intrigued with the film making it a useful thriller convention. Furthermore the changing light intensity confuses the audience and makes the concentrate more on the details in the opening. Also the black and white at the end made the opening look  old and creep just like the scratches on the lens of the camera which suggested danger.

Typography

As all the writing is in white and important names are bold. This is important as it gives obvious credit to those who took part in helping the film become what it is. However as it is white it suggests purity and makes you feel safe but this juxtaposes the genre of the film as it is a horror thriller. This makes the audience feel  safe for a moment but this is then tossed aside and replaced with fear and confusion. This is useful as it helps draw the audience into the genre and is a great example of how typography effects an audience.

Hermeneutic and Proairetic code

Hermeneutic and Proairetic  code

The hermeneutic code refers to an element in a plot that is unexplained and raises questions to the viewers that demand an explanation. Barthes hermeneutic code is on that argues that every narrative is linked and interwoven with many different codes. An example of this is in "now you see me" when everyone finds cards in their pockets and no one knows who did it until the end where the face is revealed.

The proairetic code refers to a small action in a plot line that needs an action to follow it. This is used to create suspense in the audience to keep them drawn in. An example of this is in the avengers when Loki starts calling the hulk names making the audience yearn for hulks reaction which was to pummel him into the ground.

Barthes code believes that all codes are interwoven with different movies.

These codes suit thriller movies as they make atmospheres of suspense and cause tension. These are key themes of thriller movies making these codes extremely useful in all thriller genre films. The hermeneutic code draws the audience in from the start as it means a big mystery is left unsolved at the start instantly drawing the reader in. The proairetic code helps to build up tension for a big surprise which keeps the audience intrigued.