The film title is very effective int he way its presented as it grabs the audiences attention and creates immediate curiosity. It grabs the audiences attention by filling the whole frame, being in capital white letters, and having a bold font. It also creates curiosity due to the fact that at the same time the film title appears on screen you can see a silhouetted man walking on cruches in the background. This makes the audience ask questions about this mysterious person; how did they get that way? Where are they going? And, who is that person? This combination forces the audience to want to see more in order for their questions to be answered and as a result is an effective way of drawing in viewers.
Setting/Location:
The opening sequence is located in Los Angeles, a big American at that time, suggesting to the audience that if the characters are from this area they may be wealthy and of a higher class, this places stereotypes on characters before we are introduce allowing the audience to imagine what the characters should be like and how they expect them to behave. It is set in an office building where you find out that the man is going to an insurance office. This creates a subtle clue to the audience as to whats going to happen as it links the title of the film with insurance, telling the audience that this man will be a main character. But, the man arrives at the office at an unusual time, being night when work is finished, making the audience suspicious as to why he's back at work passed working hours. This allows the viewers to ask more questions about this man as to why he's there at that time and what he's going to do there.
Costumes/Props:
The first prop that would catch the viewers eye is the car driving very eratically and fast, this unsettles the audience as it creates a state of panic and further curiosity; at this stage the audience would be asking, who's driving? Why are they driving like this? Where are they going? All these questions keeps the audience inquisitive and wanting to find out more, therefor focing them to watch on. It also makes the audience think if it links with silhoutted, injured character, which could possibly be the explanaition for the eratic driving, becuase the driver is injured. We then go on to see the same car drive passed a stop sign/red light suggesting urgency creating confusion between the viewers because it makes them think whether the driver is injured or in a hurry, making the audience also feel isolated as they are being left in the dark as to whats going on. The character that was driving the car is seen to be wearing a trench coat and a top hat similar to the clothes of the silhouetted man on cruches, suggesting that they are the same man giving the audience a clue in to the importance of this man.
Editing/Camera Work:
There first effective shot that you see is the opening establishing shot of a main road with a sign post saying 'Los Angeles Railway Corp' this immediately set the scene and tells the audience that the opening sequence is based in a big city of America, showing tall buildings. Also, in this shot you can see lights along both sides of the road telling the audience that it's night time and it explains why the roads seem deserted. Another shot that is effective is when the man first enters the insurance office; this is a long shot showing dozens of office desks with cleaners emptying bins. This emphasises to the audience that work is most definately over as no other collegues are present, making them ask why he's there again. Also, there is a level mid shot of the man and another old man in the lift, this level shot reveals the mans height and stature, as he is clearly taller than the old man. This makes him seem menacing and as a result at this stage the audience feel uncertainty as to whether they can trust this character yet. Finally, the last effective shot you see is a high angle mid shot of the man sitting down with what seems to be a gun shot womb, he then lights a cigarette suggesting stress and axiety. The high angle mid shot makes the character looks small and defenseless, enabling the audience to ask whether this is the man on his last legs before something happens, as a result it draws the audience in and makes them want to see the outcome.
How The Opening Sequence Sets Up The Story:
The opening sequence sets up the story because we already have and injured man, mysterious behaviour, a murder and a confession. These are all things that would usually happen throughout a film but in this one it has happended in the first 10 minutes, this puts the audience on edge and interested as they have seen so many different scenarios already. This makes the audience inclined to watch on as they want to find out who was murdered and why the man confessed.
Genre:
You can tell that the film is thriller because the opening sequence supplies the viewers with all stereotypical conventions of a thriller including, tense soundtracks, mystery, isolation and murder, all these convention combine to make a very effective and good film which succeeds at drawing in the audience and making them feel unsettled.
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