ANALYSIS OF THRILLER OPENING

ANALYSIS OF THRILLER OPENING 

The Orphan is a chilling thriller about a husband and wife who are having problems within their marriage after giving birth to a still-born baby. As a way of fulfil their dream of a third child, they adopt a young girl named Esther who is not who she seems. The director uses a variety of tools and techniques in the opening sequence to create tension and suspense within the audience.

The film starts with the opening title ‘Orphan’,  this title fades in bold grey text and then flickers and changes into a disturbing child’s painting of the same title splattered similarly to blood. This effect hints to the audience that the film may be daunting while suggesting that the orphan in the film and the story that comes with it may not be typical. 

The sharp props and fake blood present in the opening scene adds a sense of fear to the scene,  because sharp objects are usually associated with injury and subsequently danger. The nurse's white costumes make the hospital setting seem more realistic whilst also making the scene more intense because of the sense of realism added. The blood stained white clothing also makes the scene more chilling due to blood stained clothes are usually linked with crime, pain and death therefore confirming that the film is a thriller.

A rumbling thunderstorm sound effect plays in the background during the opening credits., this creates the idea that  the film may have a dark theme just like a thunderstorm, additionally is relays the idea that perhaps that there is danger approaching. When the title flickers to reveal the alarming painting, electrical buzzing sounds are used; this emphasizes the transformation and suggests to the audience that the film may have some unexpected surprises, relating it to the thriller genre. 

The movie begins with bright white lighting, suggesting to the audience that they may be entering a dream or flashback, creating suspension and awe as it makes the audience eager to find out what is happening. The bright light matches the typical bright clinical look of a hospital [which is where the the first scene is set], while the back light emphasizes the characters facial expression, showing that she is in pain, hinting to the audience that something dramatic is about to occur.

Camera Techniques used include a birds eye view, low ground shots and close ups. 

The birds eye view is used to emphasise the length of the walk to the operation room. This suggests that the character is being put through pain for a long time as the camera shot also shows that the nurse to be moving slowly. This is effective as the audience may begin to feel sympathetic towards the character and may expect for the worst to happen. Low shots are also used to emphasise the length of the walk. In this shot the camera is focused on the pace of the movement of the nurse's feet, this too makes the journey seem longer adding suspense to the move.

In the first scene a variety of close ups are used, these shots are at eye level to capture facial expressions, which is the main focus. This adds to the thriller genre as the audience can get a broader insight of the pain the character is experiencing just by viewing her facial expressions up close.