What My Thriller Opening Should Achieve

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty,rousing and fast-paced. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.

The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own unique characteristics and methods.

I feel that to make a good thriller you need the typical conventions of that particular genre. These include many different aspects like the ones said above; suspense, tension, anxiety and normally a twist or shock during the storyline. In many openings to thriller films there may be a dramatic start as this portrays a particular character or sets the atmosphere for the rest of the film. For example a character may get killed in the opening to the film. This is to show what the rest of the film is going to be like or to show what the antagonist is like. Therefore the central character (the protagonist) that is shown at the start of the scene actually has no relevance and is only there to show what the antagonist is really like and it also shows the concept of the rest of the film. 

Here is a youtube clip from the famous scream slasher movies. I have chosen to show the opening from the first scream film where the central character gets killed at the start. I have used this as an example because it portrays the convention that i previously explained about a character getting killed in the opening scene to show the antagonist or the concept of the rest of the film. I thought this was a good film to show as the protagonist is the well-known Drew Barrymore and its quite peculiar that such a big star is killed off at the start of the film. This as i mentioned before is to show what the antagonist is like and also the it tells a bit about what the storyline will be like throughout the rest of the film. 

In conclusion, I would like my finished thriller opening to:

• Create suspense and tension throughout so that the audience stay interested

•  Use an extensive variety of different camera shots/angles, cinematography, mise-en-scene and sound

•  Be continuous and to flow well; meaning the storyline and the editing

• End on a high, where the audience will eagerly want to watch the rest of the film and enjoy it