Thriller Opening Analysis

This shot is a mid-shot; the scene denotes two characters in a door entrance. The setting suggests that it’s a household and this is also suggested by Mise en scene such as the character wearing a balaclava. The balaclava connotes that there is a robbery taking place. The other character is a largely built black man who isn’t seen wearing one, he and the other man are wearing dark casual clothes, meaning that they want to look less obvious which is expected when it comes to house robberies. The black man portrays himself as to having more power than the one in the stereotypical burglary garment due to him situated and standing in a certain way (body language), giving him the upper hand and ultimately making him look more superior in their current circumstances. This scene follows the golden mean with the two characters heads being the key points of interest.

This shot is a medium/long shot, showing three characters who are in different positions. It appears that the mother and her child have kept themselves safe by entering a lift inside their home, whilst a man (another burglar) wearing a long coat is seen to be trying to get in. The man connotes as looking rough and edgy by the way he displays himself, for example he has braids in his hair suggesting it’s longer than an average man’s hair and also is growing a beard, which gives the impression of him being unprofessional. The mother is seen to be wearing a black vest top which implies that she’s an ordinary women and a vest top suggest that she wants to be comfortable. The woman has short hair which subverts to Laura Mulveys Male Gaze theory. The way she is clasping onto the younger character indicates that she has a strong relationship with her and therefore could be seen as the mother. This shot adheres to the rule of thirds, where all three characters are seen as key points of interest.

This is a medium shot of the mother and daughter in their panic room. The mother again is holding onto the girl showing the traditional ways of a distressed mother. By seeing more scenes of just the two of them emphasises that it’s only those two and there is no other siblings or a father figure, therefore it shows that the women is a single mother in this tragic situation alone. The daughter is denoted as wearing chequered trousers which stereotypically suggests that they are her pyjamas. This shows that this situation is taken place at night, making the two more and more vulnerable to the three men. The shot also follows the golden mean because the two characters faces are in the main areas of interest. The facial expressions on these two show terror and worry which evidently makes the audience more sympathetic towards their situation. The props used in this scene  is low key lighting which foreshadows that anything negative is going to occur and represents the tension and mystery of this film.

This is also another mid shot, displaying the two burglars in a conversation. The man with the braids is looking up at something, this suggest he might be talking to the other man about the whole situation and how it’s going. This shows that he is into his job and takes it seriously. However the black man’s facial expressions look like he’s unimpressed, for that reason that implies that the robbery isn’t going to plan. This scene also adheres to the golden mean due to where the faces of the main characters are located. Other important Mise en scene details are that the sun is rising and daylight is showing through the thin curtains, which may mean that they are running out of time and are evidently failing. The background of this scene shows that it’s a large room which ultimately insinuates that the owners must have a lot of money, making it even more obvious for why the burglars are there. Throughout these scenes low key lighting is used as a tool of foreshadowing the bad.

This is a close up of the strong and independent mother. The scene denotes a stressed looking woman holding a gun in the air; however the main focus is her facial expressions and not so much of the gun due to it being blurred. She looks tired, traumatised and willing. This subverts to Laura Mulveys Male Gaze theory as she is raising a gun and is seen as a man’s job. This connotes that she is willing to take someone’s life in order to maintain her life with her daughter and keep them both safe. This also shows that the woman has even more responsibilities to take care of due to there not being a husband/father figure in this situation. This scene helps the audience understand her role and her persona even further because she is seen to do the upmost daring things to save herself and her child, highlighting her importance and authority in this film. There is still a constant use of low key lighting to sustain the feeling of enigma and terror throughout.