Summer Work - Analysis of a Thriller Opening

Analysis of a Thriller Opening.

                The thriller I chose to watch was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The opening to the movie shows Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of the franchise, alone in the forest clearly deep in thought. She’s then joined by Gale, a supporting character, who informs her he’d seen some turkeys wondering around and the two decide to go and hunt them.

Shot one:

The movie starts with an aerial shot of the forest. It slowly fades in with the sound of calm, peaceful music. It then cuts to a shot of Katniss, perched by a lake. The sunrise on the horizon creates the low key lighting effect, showing Katniss as a silloutette and hiding her features. The camera slowly zooms in towards her. The atmosphere is calm. The setting and the usage of low lighting creates the impression that Katniss is alone with her thoughts. Her stance makes her appear powerful, with her bow clutched in her hands and her quiver full of arrows. It shows that she is poised and ready to attack though appearing to be in deep thought. Katniss is in the center of the shot, making her the immediate subject within it. The eye is then drawn to her surroundings, allowing the viewer to establish at what point in time the movie is starting at after leaving off from the first movie.

Shot two:

The shot then cuts quickly to a close up to show Katniss’ emotions. There is a low key lighting which draws the viewer’s eye line to Katniss’ eyes which area appear to be watery. Within this shot she is slightly trembling and it is clear that she is thinking of the events within the previous film in which she was forced into an arena with 23 other teenagers to fight and kill one another for survival. The shadow effect on her face shows that she is clearly haunted by these memories. Her brow furrows slightly whilst she trembles in this shot which shows that she is clearly in distress. The background is blurred, suggesting she is deep within these thoughts and it’s troubling her. The calm music continues and it is the only sound. It almost reflects how Katniss is too lost in her thoughts to think about her surroundings. The scene is interrupted by the sound of a stick cracking under someone’s foot, breaking the peace and feeling of isolation and causing sudden panic. There are two quick jump cuts as Katniss jumps to her feet and points a loaded arrow at whomever has come. It highlights how Katniss is on edge and feeling constant panic. The music stops for a second at this point and there is a deep rumbling sound until Gale is shown and manages to calm Katniss down. The music slowly returns back to normal. The viewers at this point may have jumped when the twig napped and so may feel unsettled. The characters joke which will ease the viewer and make them feel calm again, setting them up for another scare.

Shot three:

This shot comes after Gale has told Katniss about some turkeys he’d spotted and the two decide to go and hunt them down. This wide shot show the two of them trekking through the winter forest and securing the isolated atmosphere once again. The music continues to play calmly in the background however unlike the opening shot the natural sounds around them are audible and everything is in focus, possibly to show that Katniss is now concentrating and trying to distract herself from her previous thoughts. A few cuts to Gale show that he is watching her with concern, possibly because he is worried for her wellbeing. This causes the viewer to feel concern or sympathy for Katniss. Both characters are holding their weapons which makes them both appear on alert for prey or to be ready to defend themselves.

Shot four:

After finding the turkeys, the music stops. This highlights the concentration within Katniss to make sure that she does not scare away the prey. The sound of her arrow flying from her bow disturbs the quiet atmosphere and the camera quickly cuts to an over shoulder shot of the character Marvel, the second character that she killed in the first Hunger Games. The sound of loud and fast drumming is heard momentarily as the shots quickly changes between Katniss gasping loudly as she starts to have a form of anxiety attack and Marvel as he falls limply to the ground. It creates the immediate feeling of fear and panic in the viewer, the music starts suddenly then turns eerie and the shot is unexpected and sudden. But it cleverly portrays the constant haunting feelings Katniss feels after being forced to kill young teenagers. It also causes unease in the audience or alarm those who may not have expected such graphic violence so suddenly and so early into the film since it had been so calm and so far away from any action.

Shot five:

The camera changes to a close up of Katniss. Katniss is screaming and breathing heavily which may make the audience feel uncomfortable or panicked too. Gale tries to calm her and the shots change from Katniss to Gale and to the turkeys. Katniss is visibly shaking and looking around frantically, showing panic. The background is out of focus again and the camera sticks to an over shoulder angle as Gale calms her. Katniss’ breathing starts to ease and as it does so does the music. There is a low key lighting again, which seems to only happen when Katniss is thinking about the games and is having some form of anxiety. The way that this is used, shows that despite her powerful and brave appearance, Katniss is deeply troubled by what she had been forced through.

In relations to common conventions in thrillers, suspenseful music, low key lighting, weaponry and location all come together to create a suspenseful and tension filled opening.  The viewer is made to believe the protagonist is alone, only to be startled when they are joined by the supporting character. But just before the viewer can relax again, they’re scared again by another sudden event and it creates dread that more is to come. The isolation of the music further creates the impression that the protagonist was alone. The music stops when the climax of the suspenseful moment occurs, quickly changing the mood and atmosphere of the scene. As the different climaxes happen, the music intensifies even more with each time. Therefore it makes each one seem worse than the last, as if slowly building up to some sort of overall terrifying event.

Overall, the usage of the peace and sudden shock portrays the setting of the story. It shows that Katniss has gotten on with her life since the games, however she still thinks about it and she is still afraid. The viewer sympathises with Katniss and understands that a long time has passed between the first two movies. It creates questions as to what is going to happen next for her and with each suspenseful moment, the viewer worries for Katniss’ safety. This follows the common story line that the protagonist is seeking justice or wanting to overcome an evil, in this case the games and President Snow (the one who created them and the main villain of this franchise).