What Makes A Good Opening Sequence?

An opening sequence is important in every thriller film and requires to bring question to mind, towards its audience. The three questions that the audience should be thinking about are, who is he/she? What happened? And why has it happened? With these questions in mind the audience must now pay attention to the film to answer the questions that the opening sequence has given them. If these questions or anything related to them doesn’t occur then the audience’s attention is put off and feel frustrated or annoyed, having to wait for information later in the film especially in a thriller.

Most importantly the film has to contain a character that is either struggling or has entered a situation of struggle, for the audience to have an emotional response at the very start of the film. Also the use of micro feature have to sync with the actions presented within the scene so the scene flows together well and creates further suspense and question amongst the audience.

Analysis on the Thriller Opening – Oceans Twelve

The opening sequence to the film Oceans Twelve is confirmed halfway through, when we hear the conversation between Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and the Europol Detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones), we discover that Catherine zeta Jones plays the role of a police detective, implying the film is to be based on action. Furthermore with Rusty Ryan’s reaction to Isabel’s Lahiri discovery, he must find a means of escape.

Here is the occurrence of the disruption that causes chaos towards Brad Pitt’s character and the question to what the entire film is about, being a 'robbery'.

Interestingly the opening sequence sets the tone of a neutral basis, because of the mise en scene being low key in a home the character may be in danger, with the use of a tracking sot we follow Rusty Ryan in a medium shot and can analyze the room in which he is in. fortunately the possibility of danger does not happen. This is confirmed further once Rusty Ryan, begins to speak to a woman in a bed. The dialogue provides information for the audience onto who the characters displayed are and what are they to each other. It’s confirmed that the two are a couple or have intimate feelings for each other.

The use of the reaction shot informs the audience that Brad Pitt’s character is the person that the police are looking for within the investigation.

While the conversation, between the two continues we as an audience realise that Rusty Ryan is in trouble within regards to the topic of the conversation, we as an audience are given reaction shots of Brad Pitt’s character and realise he has something to do with a massive international burglary. Further Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character goes on by saying how she found some strong evidence. Being a ‘Shoe with a worn out heel’ and ‘a hair we’ve taken it to the lab so we can find out what shampoo they use, conditioner, hair jell’  

Here is the reaction shot of Brad Pits character realising the evidence being discussed is about him.

Followed by an eye-line match shot, showing the props concluding with the audience that Brad Pitt’s character is in trouble    

This use of dialogue concludes that Rusty Ryan is in fact the culprit of the investigation. This is confirmed with eye-line match, we see Ryan look at something then we see a range of washing hair treatments.

Finally the use of Mise en scene between both characters Catherine Zeta Jones’ character laying in darkness, while Brad Pitts character is sitting on a toilet seat in a bright bathroom. This create strong suspense for the audience, because they are given a choice who to support? And who is the villain? The fact that both characters are together under the same roof, create tension, because both characters are in danger with only one of them realising, being Rusty Ryan’s, means of escape.

Brad Pitts Character means of escape, from the danger. Being physical danger (Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character)

The danger Catherine Zeta Jones as a detective unaware that the thief she’s looking for is in the opposite room.

Overall the scene was able to create both humour, but suspense as well for the audience with the use of the micro feature discussed and others to create an entertaining scene within an action thriller opening sequence.