Narrative theories in opening sequences - by rose spencer

Narrative theories in an opening sequence:  JAWS

From the opening sequence in jaws it suggests that the film is based around the enigma theory because the audience assumes everything is peaceful, the music emphasises this creating an illusion that nothing is wrong. However, the climax’s during the music throughout suggests something is going to happen. The opening of Jaws intrigue’s the audience, gripping them into wanting to watch more. The dark gloomy setting contrasts with the peaceful relaxing music also suggesting not everything within the opening is as it seems.   

This first still from Jaws is a long shot and is the first indication that everything is not as it seems. The woman is running excitedly into the sea, everything appears to be normal but the audience notice that the sea is empty as no one else is in the sea but the woman. This automatically makes the audience ask questions as to why this is, suggesting something is not quite right and also leaving the audience wondering why there is no people in the sea on a hot day. This will make the audience continue to watch to find out why this is.

This second still taken from jaws is an underwater low angled shot from beneath the girl this suggests to the audience that something may be watching the girl from beneath creating a sense of mystery. The dark gloomy sea is also an indication that something is wrong from the fact the girl blends in becoming almost invisible, appearing just as a figure in the water this creates more questions for the audience as they want to know is there is something lurking beneath the waves.

This shot from the opening of Jaws is a close up of the girl, her facial expressions suggest that she is struggling to keep herself above water the audience are fascinated to find out what could be causing her to react this way in the water because they cannot see what is causing her to struggle, leaving the audience drawn to the film to find out more so they can make sense of what they have seen.

The fact that the girl all of a sudden starts to splash around in the water and the waves pick up make the audience wonder why. It allows the audience to think two different things: the girl is fine and she is messing around or something very bad will happen but neither her or the audience know why yet. This created the feeling of the unknown and makes the reader want to watch more. Linking to the enigma theory.

This final image from towards the end of the Jaws opening shows the girl gripping onto something floating, suggesting she has realised something is not right the dark setting also suggests something is not right and the audience question whether the girl is ok or not. This makes that want to watch more and they want the question is “is she ok” to be answered.

memento storyboard comparison

For my storyboard that I made with Alex, Reuben and George, I think we had some alright features and some bad features. Some good features were that, in our storyboard we had a good description of what happened in each shot with the camera shot. What we could have done better was we could have added more detailed frames on the storyboard, also I think we maybe could have added more detailed annotations on the frames as well. Our awful drawings were mimicked well by the people that filmed what we were doing, and to their credit, and thanks to what looks like a herculean effort, they worked fantastically with what they were given.

Narrative theories in opening sequence

How we would do an equilibrium theory opening sequence, based on The Hunger Games.


* Starts in a room peacefully by herself, door opens, dramatic turn around
* Man walks in with documents
* Reads documents
* Sees Peeta on documents 
* Goes through documents frantically
* Throws documents on ground
* Storms out
* Goes into a room full of people discussing around a table
* Zoom on her panicked face and she says “we have to find a cure”

Enigma code because it is not said what the documents say (what they detail) or where it starts 

Jaws is an enigma code from the opening scene from St Peters RC Comprehensive

Typical thriller synopses - by rose spencer

Typical thriller synopses:

The top 6 most popular thrillers in the box office during 2015/16 were:

• The hunger games - mockingjay part 2, a SIFI thriller -  After being chosen as the "Mockingjay" by the rebels fighting against the capital, Katniss Everdeen and District 13 engage in an all-out revolution against the autocratic Capitol to be rid of the hunger games. Hunger games would be considered an enigma because clues and hints are given about what may happen but the audience are left wondering what is going to happen throughout the film.

• The Martian, a SIFI thriller - After an exploratory mission goes wrong, lone astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on the hostile surface of Mars and must use his scientific ingenuity to homestead an enclosed habitat where he can survive. Meanwhile, the astronauts he left behind realize the severity of his plight and join forces with an international coalition of scientists to launch a rescue mission in defiance of NASA protocol. This film would also be considered an enigma because the audience don't know what will happen to the characters in the film.

• Maze runner: the scorch trials, an action SIFI thriller - Thomas and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD's vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all. I would consider this film an enigma as we are left asking questions about the young boys and what will happen to them and why they are in the place they have found themselves.

• Bridge of spies, a history/drama thriller - In this historical drama set during the Cold War, a Brooklyn attorney is tasked with negotiating a prisoner exchange between an American pilot who was shot down over the USSR and a Soviet spy serving a 45-year sentence for espionage against the U.S. this film would come across as an enigma as the audience left watching are left asking questions about the success of the mission.

• The visit - The Visit is a comedic horror film from director M. Night Shyamalan that follows a pair of children whose lives are changed drastically when their mother takes them to visit their grandparents. After seeing their grandparents engaged in activities that they had been kept as a secret to the entire family previously, they are endangered and rendered potentially unable to ever return to their previous existence. This film is an enigma because the audience are left wondering what would make a mother leave her children with such people and why they behave the way they do

• The perfect guy is a drama thriller - In this suspenseful thriller successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn jumps into a new relationship with a stranger shortly after breaking up with her noncommittal boyfriend. But when her ex resurfaces she soon realizes that one of the two men is not who he appears to be. The final film is a equilibrium, everything appears fine at the beginning until certain things begin to reveal them selves, it could also be viewed as an enigma as we can only suspect something is not right until it is then reviled.

The most common thriller narrative's are the enigma theory and the most common sub - genre is the drama or SIFI thriller.

Opening of the visit:

1. the children arrive at the grandparents house and knock at the door
2. they go inside and say good bye to the mother, the granddad takes the bags upstairs
3. the front door closes and the children look around confused everything looks the same but the grandparents are acting in a weird way.
4. they walk into the living room and the grandma starts saying weird things to the children and making strange noises.
5. she grabs one of the children and starts to shake them violently
6. the other child screams and runs upstairs, as the other child screams the granddad runs in shouting stop before chasing after the other child
7. the granddad locks the child in a room and tells the child to stay in the room
8. there is a loud crash and gang from the living room and the child screams, bursting into tears.
9. everything goes silent the grandma comes upstairs and gets the other child and tells them everything ok asking if the children wanted to make cookies
10. the children walk with the grandma into the kitchen looking very confused but carry on to make cookies

Thriller Genre

Thriller genre from St Peters RC Comprehensive

Typical thriller synopses

Fast and furious 7
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.
Equilibrium theory

Hunger games mockingjay part 2
Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.
Equilibrium theory

Spectre
A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Enigma

Mission impossible Rogue nation
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
Enigma

The Revenant
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Equilibrium

Jason Bourne 
The CIA's most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.
Enigma
 
Most of the successful thrillers have a spy or action sub-genre and they tend to follow an equilibrium or enigma narrative. The reason they seem to be more spy and concentrated is because it entices people and its more exciting.

Thriller synopsis from St Peters RC Comprehensive

thriller synopses.

Fast and furious 7
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.

Equilibrium theory

Hunger games mockingjay part 2
Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.

Equilibrium

Spectre
A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Enigma

Mission impossible Rogue nation
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
Enigma



The Revenant
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.


Equilibrium

Jason Bourne 


The CIA's most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.
Enigma

Most of the successful thrillers have a spy or action sub-genre and they tend to follow an equilibrium or enigma narrative. The reason they seem to be more spy and concentrated is because it entices people and its more exciting.