The structure of thriller openings

For our coursework, we created a Psychological Thriller opening.


Structure of thriller openings:

When viewing film openings, it is noticeable that there are 3 basic structures which are followed:

• A narrative opening with the titles running throughout
• A discrete title sequence
• Titles over a blank screen, followed by a narrative opening
• And additionally; stylised editing

Some examples of thriller film openings and their structures:

Arlington Road:

Titles running throughout the opening of the film, film production company names, producers, directors, starring actors. Arlington Road also has a discrete title sequence, revealing cuts of street scenes, a road sign with the text 'Arlington Rd' written on it in an American street sign style. 

                Seven:

Seven has a discrete title sequence, revealing to the viewer a range of different cuts sequenced together to create an opening that effectively sets the opening mood and tone for the film. A discrete opening title sequence does not give away the plot of the film, but instead gives clues to the audience about the film. The items and actions shown hints that this film is of a dark, sinister nature and these sinister shots builds audience anticipation.

Donnie Darko:

Donnie Darko opens with a blank screen with white text, which gives the audience information about distribution and production companies, along side the director and possibly the writer. Once these titles have completed, a narrative opening follows to begin the film. 

The Taking of Pelham 123:

The Taking of Pelham 123 features a stylised editing type opening sequence. We see examples of the stylisation through things such as the view of the street where the speed of time is increased substantially, and then it is immediately slowed as the character of Ryder (John Travolta) is viewed, which may create key ideas about this character; one being that he is one of the main characters of the film. There is also a lot of emphasised panning, with many pans that have increased paced to possibly create a fast paced mood as the film has entered it's opening sequences.

During the opening of a Thriller film, we expect to be introduced to the characters, usually the main characters, the introduction of titles, and the location being set. All of these crucial aspects are key to establishing a strong thriller opening.


To the right is a clip of the opening sequence of Arlington Road.









As a group, we aimed to work in the psychological sub-genre of Thriller films. We researched some themes associated with this sub-genre.

Codes And Conventions Of A Psychological Thriller from Nic Bunby