Shutdown deconstruction

Shutdown Film Opening Deconstruction



 

Titles



The opening image is a black screen with the production company written in white, gothic style font.  Editing has been used to make the words flicker frantically like lights going out.  This is appropriate for the thriller genre as it makes you wonder why the lights are going out and it is quite high paced.

The title of the film is displayed at the end of the clip and is written in the same font as the previous writing but bolder and in different colours.  The typography is slightly gothic and in shades of white to green which is not the most conventional in the thriller genre.  Editing also makes the title flicker which gives the impression that something is not quite right within the film.

Sound

During the opening screen with the production company name, non-diegetic sound of high pitched string instruments is played to put the audience on edge before the action starts.  The steadily building sound in pitch and volume builds the audience tension which is a huge convention of the thriller genre.

As a panning shot is used to take in the location and mise en scene, the high pitched noise continues but with a deeper bass note layered in to create a more ominous atmosphere. The same style of layered high-pitch and deep bass music is continued throughout the clip to keep the same creepy atmosphere.  This is quite common in thriller films as the tension is held for as long as possible. 

There is also diegetic sounds of a can being opened and the boy eating the contents. he sounds very frantic and almost angry when he does these tasks which makes the audience wonder why, thriller films commonly make the audience think about the plot. 

Camera shots and Angles

The clip begins with a close up shot of empty tin cans, then a panning shot shows you the amount of cans that are on the floor. The next shot is a mid-shot which frams the boy sitting with his legs up in a defencive position, in the corner of a dirty, dark room with skull and cross bones graffeti.  All this contributes to a feeling of loneliness, danger and unrest.  This is not a normal situation for a young man to be in and the graffet especially creates an ominous and creepy atmosphere.

Close-ups of the boy frantically eating the canned beans creates a feeling of unrest, he must be hungry which makes the audience wonder why he would be eating in this way in this location.  The editing makes the clips fade into one another, which is a contrast to the franticness of the rest of the sequence so it is very different to the thriller genre.

There is another mid-shot of the boy framed holding a teddy bear in his arms which contrasts to the harsh conditions and the sinister skull and cross bones behind him.  It is common in the thriller genre that there is a hinted at back story that you will have to work out.

 Lighting
Low-lighting is used throughout most of the sequence to create a mysterious atmosphere.  Backlighting is used in one clip to show the contrast between the darkness of the boy's situation to the bright light of the outside world.  These are both appropriate for genre as they are mysterious which is perfect for thrillers.  The only exception to the lighting is at the end of the clip when high-key lighting is introduced as it is filmed outside.  This creates a contrast to the dark interior and the blurred edges of the shot create an almost dreamlike look which is quite common in the thriller genre.