Analysis of a real thriller

The thriller i have chosen to analyse is "Face Off". This opening scene to this particular thriller is very powerful. This has been done to grab the viewers attention right from the beginning. There are many features that distinguish a thriller from other types on genres. From viewing the first few minutes of this thriller straight away we can see aspects of voyeurism, crime and extraordinary events happening in ordinary places.

Music adds another dimension to a film and helps build a tense atmosphere. The music used in Face Off begins with slows and long string sounds this fits in well with the use of slow motion video footage. There is also a change in the music played. As the character that is assumed to be the bady comes onto screen the music used is more dark, with deeper sounds.

When watching this opening scene a number of effects have been used when editing. The video footage has been darken and slowed down. These are two great features that are simple to do but very effective. During the editing process i would like these features to be carried across into our groups work. Another key feature is the variation in shot types. From close ups of the sniper to long shots of the fair ground ride. This helps to set the scene and show the distance of the three characters.

The titles and transitions used are simple. The titles are positioned on top of the video and are not too long. This is good as they do not get in the way o the video but are still noticeable. The transitions are mainly slow fades which fits in with the pace of this scene.

The only feature to this opening scene i dislike is the identity on the bady is given away. In our thriller we keep the identity of our characters so its based around the fear of the unknown.