JP: Conventions of a Thriller Film Opening
Face/Off (Woo, 1997)
What Generic Conventions are in this Clip?
(Link to Opening Sequence)


Mise-en-scène:

• The chosen location is very unconventional of thriller films, possibly to create a sense of calm and innocence, a place where you would least expect any kind of murder or violence to take place.
• The non-verbal language of the father and child reinforce the theme of innocence, as they are hugging and smiling whilst having fun on the merry-go-round.
• When the sniper rifle is introduced, it greatly juxtaposes the scene we were first given, as a gun is always a sign of violence and murder, so it is the last thing the audience expect to see at this happy scene.
• The non-verbal language of the gunman changes after he fires the gunshot. Before, he seems calm and undistracted, evident from the way he sips on his drink and stares blankly at the man he is about to shoot. But after the shot, when he discovers he has also shot the child by accident, his eyes reveal he is horrified by what he has done.
• The lighting at the scene shows that it is during broad daylight, another reason why a murder would not be expected by the audience.
• The balloons held by the child are symbolic of the innocence of the scene. When everything is fine the child holds on to them, and once the shot has been fired the balloons are released, symbolising the loss of innocence.

Camera Techniques:

• The establishing shots are a long shot of a father and son on a merry-go-round, through the bars on the other side, and a pan around them on the merry-go-round, and are followed by a series of close ups and mid shots of the pair, giving the audience a positive scene conveying the father as a caring person.
• The happy scene is then juxtaposed when an extreme close-up of a gun's barrel and a long shot of a man taking the cover off of the gun are shown. 
• The extreme close ups of the gunman's face show his emotions through his eyes, conveying him to be cold and heartless, about to kill a man in front of his son.
• An extreme long shot of the merry-go-round shows it from the gunman's perspective, and a close up POV shot is used to show the sight down the gun's scope, which is reinforced by the scope shape over the camera.
• A zoom out of the gunman's face is used before he takes the shot, and then another extreme close up is used after the shot, perhaps showing that the closer the camera is to his face, the more the gunman is thinking about what he's doing.

Sound

• The first sound that the audience hear is soft music, like chimes, presenting a calm atmosphere, which is then reinforced when the violin begins to play over the top, soothing the audience into believing it is a safe atmosphere.
• A sound like a child laughing is played over the top of the music, but sound perspective is used to make it sound distant, as if the scene is an old memory.
• As soon as the rifle is revealed, the music becomes more tense and dramatic, and the same dramatic sounds are used after the father has been shot and fallen off the merry-go-round.
• When the bullet goes through the father, the music stops and there is silence until he hits the ground. This leads us to believe that he is dead, as silence is a common effect after someone has been killed.
• Selective sound is used to amplify the whooshing noise of the bullet exiting the gun's barrel. 

Editing Techniques & Titles

• Montage editing is used at the beginning to emphasize the relationship between the father and son, showing lots of different shots at a fast cutting rate, making the audience believe the scene is innocent.
• Fading transitions are used throughout the entire sequence, perhaps showing that it is a memory and it is quite vague, so parts of it fade into other parts.
• A shot reverse shot between the gunman aiming down his scope and the innocent father and child at the end of his scope is used to show the contrast between the characters, the gunman being heartless and cruel, and the father and son being loving and warm.
• Prevalence is used with the gunman and the father, identifying them separately as the protagonist and the antagonist.
• Slow motion is used when the bullet exits the barrel of the gun, showing us what could mean a man's death travelling towards him at great speed.
• The titles used show one word in black and one word in white, and I believe it is referring to the ongoing theme of contrast throughout the whole film, with one man being caring and loving and the other cruel and heartless.