To get a basic understanding of the horror genre, I watched a documentary on how horror and thriller had developed over the years to what it is today. It additionally lay a foundation of how these two genres first began, and spoke about when film was first brought to screen in the early 1900s.
The documentary spoke about several different classics that have been shown over the years. For example, the programme commented on Carl Laemmle's 1925 film 'Phantom of the Opera'. It starred the famous Lon Chaney who made his name playing the masked and facially deformed Phantom.
Here is a famous clip from Laemmle's 'Phantom of the Opera'.
The documentary also commented on James Wales' 'Frankenstein' featuring Boris Karloff as the leading star role. The film was made and released in 1931 and went on to have two other sequels. 'Bride of Frankenstein' which was released in 1935, and 'Son of Frankenstein' in 1939.
Follow this clip to see Boris Karloff come alive as Frankenstein (3:27-4:05)
Before building on ideas for my thriller opening sequence, it was vital that I thoroughly researched into the background of the horror and thriller genre. I watched several different thriller opening sequences to get an idea of how a typical opening should be structured. Some thriller openings I watched included;
Se7en Directed by Kyle Cooper
This was an expensive Hollywood budget film which had a very dark opening title sequence. Its opening sequence helped to set the mood and gave the viewers an insight into the theme of the film. The opening credits gave this impression through the use of dark, moody colors and confusing, blurred close-up shots.
We also saw some disturbing mise en scene images of someone grazing the skin off their fingers and then bandaging them up. Additionally there was obsessive note taking and constant flicking through books. This first sequence immediately tells us that there is clearly a psychological problem with this character we are being introduced to. It also helps to enhance the dark natured theme of the film.
Please refer to video link below to watch the opening sequence to 'Se7en'.
Dead Man's Shoes Directed by Shane Meadows
This was a cheap budget production film, simple, yet very effective. It's opening sequence was subtle and clever, and I was impressed with how the basic still shots created such meaning. I felt I could recreate this opening sequence easily using the facilities at my college.
After analysing some thriller sequences, I was then asked to give a presentation to my class on a chosen opening sequence. I decided to present to the class the 'I Am Legend' opening title scene.
Please watch the video below.
The vocal at the beginning sets an immediate idea of the storyline - and the black, empty screen helps us to concentrate on the meaning of what the character is saying. It is obviously of some significance.
In addition the quote given is an important message to the viewers. The fact that the quote has been stated by 'a survivor' also hints to us that a possible catastrophe has taken place, and that someone has fought to survive.
I spoke about how I found the still images of the empty, abandoned New York effective as it sets the scene and we develop understanding that something bad has happened to cause these images. The backing music is also evocative and helps create a mood and feeling to the audience. I found this particularly a strong element in the opening as the music drew me in and I felt involved with the storyline.
However the credits and titles were very difficult to see. The font used was not particularly clear and the color that was chosen blended in with the rest of the still images. Additionally the positioning of titles and credits was not presented well. I found that I had to replay the scene over and over to actually search for some of the actors names - a lesson learnt!
Make sure any titles and credits are clear, well-presented and positioned well.
I created a mood board which helped me to come up with ideas on what things particularly scare me. I might use some of the above ideas to help me create my thriller sequence next year.
