Film Openings

My team and I have reached a final decision: we will be producing a mystery/thriller film opening. We believe that this genre suits us very well. Not only that, but all 3 of us working together are a very creative group. This genre enables us to maximize our creativity and produce an accurate representation of our abilities. As mentioned before, we have experience with genres similar to this, so we have a lot of confidence in this.

To begin my brainstorming process, I will analyse 3 film openings. Watching and analysing films is crucial for inspiration and studying what they do best.

The first film opening i analyised was the woman in cabin 10 opening directed by Simon Stone. The film begins with a woman in an elevator. It is very obvious that something is wrong. The unease in her face says it all. The posture alongside the low-key lighting also indicate that something is truly wrong. The lower volume mysterious music is what puts the nail in the coffin. This is what allows the viewer to understand that something is very wrong. My favorite technique used here was the variety of close-up shots of the woman's face and the silence after getting off the elevator. The silence is something that is commonly used to build suspense, and it does its job very effectivley here. The tone is quickly established; something is very wrong.

Despite the controversial ending to this film, the opening is not one that is controversial. It is a very good film opening, and it certainly hooked me in.

The second movie i analyised was The Woman in The Window . Before i begin analysing i must say the director Joe Wright had me terrified watching the opening. This is one opening that i certanley want to take a lot from.

The asynchronous hard breathing to begin the opening establishes the tone before the setting is even displayed. The tittle of the movie in red letters with the low-key lighting in the back round adds a lot of suspense. The close ups of the children's play house with the asychronized sound of children playing layered on top of the scary back round music is very nicley produced. The setting is established through a series of close shots of regular house items but with the other elements i have just mentioned, like the music and lighting, it is clear these are not regular items. This is confirmed after the disturbing pictures displayed on the computer.

The asynchronous sounds are what put this film's opening over the top for me. I will be pointing it out to my team tomorrow in class, and we can bounce ideas off each other. This technique was great because we, as the viewers, did not know where these sounds were coming from. Not knowing where they are coming from is the ultimate suspense; the unknown. I want to implement something similar to our film opening. Another observation i made was the detail to the Mise-en-scène elements. In an opening where the setting was clearly established, the elements are very important and must be perfect. These are 2 major takeaways I will keep in mind when producing my project.

The 3rd and final film i chose to analyse was Luther: The Fallen Sun, directed by Jaime Payne. This film's opening went with a pretty traditional route. The classic phone call and a mysterious person insisting on a meetup. This plot is slightly overused in my opinion. While it does its job, any people including myself, can become bored from these.

While the concept is overused, it does not take away the fact that this is a well produced opening. The emptiness of the room of just the man being called, adds thrill due to the sense of helplessness. Nighttime with rain was a solid way to establish the tone, followed up by the series of close-ups of the mans worried face, driving make this a suspenseful opening.

My favorite part about this opening was the close-ups that showed the man's worried face. This clearly transmits the nerves the man is feeling. It is an effective and reliable way to establish the tone.

Citations: 

Netflix. (2023). Luther: The Fallen Sun | Official Trailer | Netflix [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGK5qtXuc1Q

Netflix. (2025). The Woman in Cabin 10 – Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QbfJzTPY4w

Netflix. (2021, April 8). The Woman in the Window | Official Trailer | Netflix [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_0GJg_Jnlo