North by North West

The opening scene of North by North West starts with a green background and the production company logo.

The lines that appear on the screen are an enigma because we don't know why they are there yet. We soon realise that they are the outlines of windows on a building.

The text is easy to read. It's in italics and they are white to stand out from the background.

The text is quick to move off the screen. This is related to the busy streets that we will see later on in the opening. It mirrors what is about to happen.

Every now and again, a white rectangle moves quickly on and off screen. I think that this is supposed to make people think of lifts, again hinting that the lines are an outline of a building.

Here, Alfred Hitchcock's name is shown in large, capital letters. This is to show his importance in the making of the film. It also makes you familiar with his name.

The green fades out and reveals that the lines were an outline of a building. Text is still being shown so that the setting is being revealed slowly. Now that we can see the building and the reflection of the city, we know that the setting is probably New York because we can see yellow taxis.

The music in this opening is fast paced and is similar to the action of the people rushing around. We can tell that the time is rush hour because everyone is wearing work clothing and is walking fast.

The text is now smaller and therefore less important.

In this screenshot you can see the disclaimer. The company places this here because they are worried about getting sued. If someone accuses them of using a story or a character belonging to them, there is the disclaimer to back the company up.

'ALFRED HITCHCOCK' is shown again. This is to reinforce his importance and to make the audience familiar with his name again.

The green bus links with the green colour theme at the start of the opening. This ties up the opening nicely because it links back to the beginning.

Storyboarding

This image is of a storyboard that my class created. We drew out the boxes then decided on what camera angles, lighting and sound would feature in the scene. This was practice for creating our own storyboards on a thriller opening of our choice. 

The thriller that I chose was Goldeneye. I started by folding the paper into 8 parts. I then drew the objects and characters in the right positions, as they are shown in the actual film. This is so that they give a good representation on how they would be filmed and how much space each object would hold within a shot. I put in little detail but just enough so that the drawings are clear. I also added arrows to show movement. Some of them show the direction in which an object/character moves and others show when the camera tilts or pans.

On the back of the paper, I have numbered each box to indicate the order of the shots. I have written brief descriptions of what happens, sound effects and camera angles. This is so that the reader can have more detail about how the scene is going to be filmed. 

Successful Thrillers

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)


The Silence of the Lambs is about a member of the F.B.I. who is trying to catch a serial killer who skins his victims. In doing so, he must receive help from another killer called Dr. Lecter.


Silence of the Lambs made $130,742,922 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $19,000,000.









Jaws (1975)


A gigantic great white shark attacks people living on a small island called Amity. A small group including the chief of police, a shark hunter and a marine biologist decide find the shark and stop it.


Jaws made $260,000,000 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $8,000,000.







Gravity (2013)

Two astronauts become stranded in the Earth's orbit after their shuttle gets destroyed. They try to get back to Earth while they still have a chance.


Gravity made $274,092,705 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $100,000,000.










Shutter Island (2010)

Marshall Daniels goes to Shutter Island to investigate a missing person at a psychiatric hospital.


Shutter Island made $128,012,934 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $80,000,000.










Paranormal Activity (2009)



A family decide to film their day-to-day life. They soon realise that a supernatural being is haunting them. As the hauntings get worse, they try to find out what the being is and how to get rid of it.


Paranormal Activity made $107,918,810 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $15,000.









Divergent (2014)


Tris Prior makes the life-changing decision to move faction after she finds out that she's Divergent. Divergence means that she's different from everyone else. Tris soon finds out that the government have a plan to kill everyone who's Divergent. Trying not to get discovered, she sets out to stop the government's plan.


Divergent made $288,747,895 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $85,000,000.






The Purge: Anarchy (2014)


For 12 hours every year, all crime is legal in America. Many people find themselves fighting for survival throughout the night.


The Purge: Anarchy made $108,800,000 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $9,000,000.




Jurassic Park (1993)


A group of people enter a large zoo that contains dinosaurs. Something goes wrong with the security and the dinosaurs become loose. The group of people try to find an exit but have to escape while avoiding catching the attention of the dinosaurs.


Jurassic Park made $1,029,153,882 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $63,000,000.




Insidious (2010)


When Dalton becomes comatosed, evil spirits become drawn to him because they want to take his place in the real world. The father desperately trys to find ways in which he can bring Dalton back into his body before it gets taken over.


Insidious made $97,009,150 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $1,5000,000.









Black Swan (2010)


A professional ballet dancer works hard to get the role of the White Swan. As the film goes on, she looses her mind and gradually becomes the Black Swan.


Black Swan made $329,398,046 at the box office.

The budget for this film was $13,000,000.