In most dramatic thrillers, the opening sequence of the film usually starts off with introducing the main character by showing their everyday lifestyle. For “The Vanished”, the scene will start off with Sawyer and her mother, Grace, going about their day and then the introduction of the problem will take place which is the kidnapping. Therefore, the audience will be left with suspense when the sequence ends. Doing so will most likely make them want to watch the rest of the film.
As for tone, usually the opening sequences of dramatic thrillers introduce the varying moods of the characters by showing their reactions to the certain events that take place. Filmmakers have a way of subtlety establishing the meaning of the film and the tones of the characters without giving away the rest of the movie. They want to establish the main character and have the audience get to know them better before they introduce the main problem that will lead to the chain of events in the film.
‘The Silence of the Lambs’
Opening Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sx08_OSXlY
Film Analysis: ‘The Silence of The Lambs’ takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is about a student from an FBI Academy, Clarice Starling, who is advised to interview a brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is also a psychopath who is serving time in jail for cannibalism and numerous acts of murder. Special agent Crawford believes that Lecter knows information about a case and uses Clarice and her vulnerability to draw out details from him.
These clips are from the opening scene of the 1991 dramatic thriller ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. The first two minutes of the film reveals Clarice training in the woods, wearing a hoodie that reads “FBI Academy” as her costume which shows the audience that she is apart of the FBI. Her face looks pretty serious throughout the whole scene while she is running and even after when she is talking to the other FBI agent. Most FBI agents are very serious due to what their job entails so this helps the viewers understand what her personality could possibly be like in the rest of the movie. Just by Clarice and the other FBI agents costuming as well as their serious moods, the meaning is able to be subtlety conveyed without giving too much away in the first couple minutes.
Opening scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_FdjXqSZlc&t=16s
Film Analysis: ‘A Quiet Place’ takes place in Herkimer County, New York where a family is trying to protect themselves from these large man-eating creatures that have pretty much taken over the United States. However, the strange thing is, these creatures cannot see they can only hear. Because of this, it is extremely important to keep quiet and to not make any sort of sound. The film goes on to show how this husband and wife with their children try to survive and hide from these creatures.
These three clips are from the opening scene of the 2018 dramatic thriller ‘A Quiet Place’. The first two minutes of the film introduces the setting and location of where the story will take place. The main family is also shown so the audience can see who the main characters are. In the first screenshot, it is obvious that the family is living in a rural area due to the disasters caused by the creatures and them killing people. In the second shot, it shows the little boy playing with toys in a run-down store. The objects and items scattered all over the floor and the shelves shows the audience that it has been messed with. Lastly, for the third clip the family is walking in the woods which establishes the main setting and location. The costumes the are wearing lets the audience know it has to be pretty cold outside because they all have heavy jackets on.
Sources:
Unknown. “Thriller Genre Research: Opening Title Sequences.” Thriller Genre Research: Opening Title Sequences, 1 Jan. 1970, gunnersburyasmedia2014group5.blogspot.com/2013/11/thriller-genre-research-opening-title.html
Ramirez, Rachelle. “Secrets of the Thriller Genre, Part One.” Story Grid ” Secrets of the Thriller Genre, Part One, storygrid.com/secrets-of-the-thriller-genre-part-one/
“The Silence of the Lambs.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/plotsummary
Sources: “A Quiet Place (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Quiet_Place_(film)
The Vanished 