Modern Thriller Openings

No Country for Old Men
We experience dramatic irony when a wide shot is shown because when the police officer gets strangled he doesn't know what he is in for but the audience do so it creates hypertension for people that watch. This is why it is called a thriller because it gives us a 'thrill'.

A History of Violence
This movie also starts with an establishing/pan shot which shows the audience that the films opening is shot in a house. It starts very normal so it's a surprise when the child gets shot. This shot is a complete contradiction to what we see later in the thriller opening.

When the little girl walked in the room we see a point of view shot from the man, so it makes her look really small and vulnerable. When the man pulls out the gun, we see it before the victim does so this builds up tension for the audience and we are fearful of what might happen. This is similar to 'No Country for Old Men' because we experience dramatic irony.

Zodiac
The movie opens with diegetic music playing out of a car, the scene lasted long and didn't change frequently so the director created a relaxed mood for the audience. The scene was also long enough for the audience to understand where the movie is set which is in the 60s and what was going on. Up until this point everything is calm and peaceful. A girl in a car picks up a boy and while she is driving they have a common conversation, then they stop to talk some more and someone pulls up behind them.

Someone comes out of the car and from the way the boy and girl in the car greet him/her it tells the audience that this is someone they know but suddenly a gun is pulled out and he assassinates them both. By the director doing this he created somewhat a cliffhanger at the beginning of the film so it makes the audience want to carry on watching and solve the mystery of this sequence.

Brick
Blue is the colour of the sky and the water. Blue is symbolized trust, intelligence and wisdom. Also blue is associated with health, as it has a calming effect. Blue is a masculine colour. Dark blue is associated with knowledge, power , light blue is associated with health and healing.