Opening sequence analysis - Miss Georgiou

How does the opening sequence of the film Halloween, inform the audience of the conventions of a thriller film?



Opening sequences to thriller films are purposely made to give the audience an idea of what to expect throughout the rest of the film. Typically, opening sequences will show the audience a tragedy or death, which introduces them to the theme of the film.







Cinematography
It is only at the end of the opening sequence that the identity of the killer is finally revealed. After his parents remove the mask from his face, the camera zooms out on Michael to show the audience that the antagonist is only a young child. This use of cinematography emphasises the audiences shock due to them not expecting the killer to be so young. This is a typical convention of a thriller film as it is used to hook the audience into wanting to know more about why the child killed his sister. Following the zoom out, a high angle is used to give the audience a clear view of Michael standing in between his parents. This high angle emphasises the fact that Michael is only a young child, someone who is usually seen as inferior when compared to an adult. The audience will usually view a young child as innocent and vulnerable, but Michael defies this stereotypical image which will shock them. Throughout the majority of the clip the camera only shows the Point Of View (POV) of the killer. This cinematography technique is used to keep the audience in constant suspense due to them not knowing who the killer is. POV is the best technique to use when keeping the identity of the killer hidden, which is a typical convention used in thriller films as it builds up anticipation and suspense. It can also leave the audience feeling shocked, similar to the clip from Halloween, if they do not expect the killer to be who is revealed. An enigma is also created at the end of the clip due to the audience wondering why such a young child has committed such a violent act.


Soundtrack
Different types of sounds are used throughout the entire opening sequence from the film Halloween. At the beginning of the scene, the audience can hear a children's nursery rhyme being chanted. This off screen sound gives the audience an idea of how old the killer is which will shock them due to the fact that children are usually seen as innocent and vulnerable, and this contrasts with the murder. Also, chants are often associated with the devil, and the idea of possession. This will create suspense due to the audience not knowing whether the killer is possessed. Before the killer begins to climb the stairs towards the victim, the audience can hear the sound of a clock chiming. This off screen sound creates tension in the clip due to it telling the audience that the victim's time is running out. Thriller films want to make the audience feel tense as it is a good way to keep them hooked and wanting to know more. When the killer is stabbing the female victim, the on screen sound of the knife piercing her skin is emphasised. This causes the audience to feel sympathetic towards the girl due to the sound also emphasising how much pain she is in. This also helps to build enigma due to the audience wanting to know what the victim did to deserve to die. The fact that the victim is female is a typical convention used in thriller films and so the audience won't be shocked by this, some could possibly expect it. The use of silence at the beginning of the clip when the killer is standing outside of the house, watching the other characters through the window helps to create tension in the clip. This is due to the audience not knowing who the killer is or why they are watching the other characters. The fact that the killer is being secretive and acting like a stalker suggests that he doesn't want the characters inside the house to see him, this relates to the typical convention of a thriller film which is keeping the identity of the killer hidden from both the characters and the audience to build suspense and tension. Without sound it would be much harder for directors to make thriller films that keep the audience interested and in suspense.

Characters

Typical conventions of a thriller film are to portray a man as the antagonist and a young, attractive woman as the victim. The audience can see from the opening sequence of the film Halloween that those conventions are kept the same. Throughout the majority of the clip the camera only shows the antagonists Point Of View (POV). This camera technique is used to create suspense due to the audience not knowing who the character is, or what the character is going to do. The antagonists identity is hidden until the very end of the clip, which is another typical convention of a thriller film. The secrecy of his identity is used to create suspense and enigma and leave the audience wondering who he is. After the killer is revealed to be a young boy, presumably the brother of the victim, the audience begin to feel a sense of shock. They do not expect a child to be capable of killing someone, let alone their own sister. This clip creates enigma, due to the audience questioning why the child killed her.

Narrative

The opening sequence of the film is set on Halloween night, which everyone knows as the time for young children to dress up in evil costumes in hopes of frightening other people. Similar to Halloween, some thriller films hope to scare their audience. The main purpose of a thriller film is to shock and surprise the audience, and also to create suspense and enigma. The film Halloween achieves all four of these purposes in the opening sequence alone. For example, at the end of the clip when the killer is revealed, the audience are left in shock to find out that the killer is only a young boy. This moment also creates enigma due to the audience questioning Michaels motives for killing his own sister. This hooks the audience and forces them to watch the rest of the film in hopes of finding out the answers. Suspense is created in the clip when the audience are sat watching the events unravel in the POV of the antagonist, they are constantly wondering about what will happen next. The opening sequence of Halloween suggests the film to be suitable for viewers over the age of 18, this is due to the moment of violence, nudity, and blood towards the end of the clip when the antagonist is stabbing the girl victim to death. The emphasised sound of the knife stabbing the girl could be considered too inappropriate for the younger audience.

Editing
When the antagonist is finally inside of the house, slow editing is used to prolong the sequence that shows him walking up the stairs to where the victim is. Slow editing could have been used to emphasise the fact that he is about to kill someone, which will create suspense as the audience are kept waiting for the inevitable to happen. Slow editing is a typical convention of a thriller film as it is often used to help build up suspense and hook the audience into watching the film further. Following the murder, the tempo of the background sound speeds up, which tells the audience that the killer is keen to get away from the crime scene. The increase in tempo is used to excite the audience and engage them further into what they are watching, this is due to them wondering if the killer is going to get caught or not. This is a typical convention of a thriller film as the tempo can be used to tell the audience that something is about to happen which will help to build suspense.

 

Codes and Conventions
At the beginning of the clip from the opening sequence to the film Halloween, Low Key Lighting is used when the killer is walking towards the house. The set around the house is a black, shadowy colour that is used to show the audience the importance of the house. The darker colours and the light being emitted from the windows cause the house to stand out, resulting in the audiences focus being directed towards the house. This effect also allows the audience to get a better view of the setting. Overall, the use of Low Key Lighting helps to create an eerie atmosphere which builds suspense due to the audience not know who the killer is or why they have targeted this specific house. The Iconography used in the clip is a large knife that the audience see the killer take out from one of the kitchen draws. A knife is a typical convention used in thriller films that often foreshadows the death of the victim. In Halloween, the knife is used by the killer to stab the female victim to death. The victim being female is another example of a convention often used in thriller films. The audience will feel sympathetic towards the girl due to them knowing that she was likely to be the first victim, even before the killer struck. Another example of a code and convention used in the clip from Halloween is Point Of View (POV), which is a camera technique used to show the audience the same thing that the character can see. For the majority of the clip the antagonist is wearing a mask which he uses to keep his identity hidden from the other characters in the clip. The use of POV helps is what keeps his identity hidden from the audience as well. This makes the audience feel more involved in the sequence and creates an enigma, due to them not knowing who the killer is. The use of POV will also make the audience feel like they are the antagonist, due to them watching the victim die as if they are the ones killing her.

The audience

The audience play a vital role that determines whether or not a film will be successful. As previously mentioned, thriller films such as Halloween have a purpose that is to shock and surprise their audience, and also create tension, suspense and enigma. But depending on the scene, the audience will also build connections with the characters and will feel emotions that are not key to thriller films. For example, in the opening sequence of Halloween the audience will feel sympathetic towards the female victim due to the brutal and unforeseen way in which she is killed. They will also feel sympathetic towards the parents who were introduced at the very end of the sequence, due to the audience knowing that one of their children was just murdered by their other child who appears to be highly unstable. As for the young boy, the audience will be left feeling confused as to why he would kill his own sister. They may also fear him and the idea that even young children are capable of committing such brutal crimes.

Summary
Overall, the opening sequence from the film Halloween informs the audience about most of the obvious conventions of a thriller film including Low Key Lighting and a female victim. After watching the opening sequence I think that one of the most important elements in film is the use of Sound. Sound is used in thriller films to create an atmosphere, to help build up tension and to make the scene more shocking for the audience to watch. For example, had the emphasise sound of the knife stabbing the girl not been incorporated into the scene the audience would not have sympathised with her, or been as fearful of the killer. Cinematography can be used to show the audience all of the key aims of a thriller film. For example, the creation of enigma and shock at the end of the sequence when the identity of the killer is revealed. And especially the use of Point Of View to create suspense and engage the audience throughout the clip. Without the different types of cinematography, thriller films would not be able to impact the audience in such a big way, therefore when I am creating my own thriller sequence I will make sure to incorporate different types of cinematography. Also, Codes and Conventions are what the audience can see in a film that will help them to identify what genre the film they are watching falls into. I will need to incorporate similar Codes and Conventions to make sure that my sequence can be easily identified as a thriller. By analysing the opening sequence from the film Halloween I was able to see how a successful thriller film uses those previously listed elements in order to meet the main aims of the thriller genre. I want my own thriller sequence to be able to surprise and shock the audience, and after analysing the opening sequence from Halloween I have seen that the best way to do this is by not always using the typical conventions that the audience expect to see in a thriller film. For example, typical thriller film antagonists are older men, but in the opening sequence from Halloween the antagonist was only a young child. In my sequence, one way to surprise the audience will be by portraying a female as the antagonist instead of a male character.