Brick. ( Johnson, USA, 2005)

The title of the film appears in my first screen shot and it appears against a black background with white writing. Its also a normal font so that not to much is given away, and it leaves the audience wanting to see more. The use of the white words on top of the black background makes the film have a lonely feel, and the words look deserted on the screen. The words filling the screen also make it the only thing in the frame that you concentrate on. The audiences attention is immediately drawn into the film and because of the way that nothing is given away by using simplistic font and colours, they want to watch the rest of the film.

The setting is revealed as an urban environment, near a local high school. So the audience already know where the film is going to be situated. An establishing shot is used to show the audience where the film is going to be set in more detail. The rule of thirds is used to show the setting of the film, the shot where it shows the man crouched down by the tunnel and the woman laying dead on the floor. It is used by having the main man in the far left of the screen, the woman dead on the far right, and then the darkness of the tunnel in the middle, showing that the two characters have come from the darkness or are going into the darkness. By using the dark tunnel, which is somewhere that you wouldn't want to be on your own, and you are warned to stay away from as school kids, it creates fear in the audience as they feel that the darkness, and fear that they feel relates to part of the film. This gives the film the edgy feel that all thriller films should have.

The props used are vital in this film. The first prop that we are introduced to is the telephone in the telephone box, because it is an anonymous call, and you don't know where the call is coming from it shows the uncertainty of the surroundings and immediately shows that the character involved is in danger, or that the anonymous call entails something more than just a normal phone call. Secondly another big prop is the cigarette butt which is thrown out of the car, when he turns it over with his foot, there is an arrow on it which points to the pay phone that he was rung on. Because the cigarette has an arrow on it (an extreme close up of it), it reveals that its a clue and that the audience should read more into the fact that it has an arrow on it, it makes the audience start to ask questions about whether that was a planned clue, whether it was coincidence and what the arrow is pointing to, and then they think deeper and delve further into the film by wondering what the people in the car are doing and who are they? Another vital prop to the opening sequence is the small piece of paper that is put in his locker. When it comes to him finding the paper instead of giving to much away, by showing how the character responds to the piece of paper, they do a close up of his feet as he walks over and the letter falls out of the locker, and the next shot is of a close up of what is written on the letter. The audience want to know how the man is responding to this letter, whether he expects it and what his reactions are to it. Is he scared? Is he worried?, by not giving to much away (a typical part of most thriller movies), it makes the audience start to ask questions of the film. Secondly the costuming used on the woman when she is laying on the floor in the small river subtly gives away some of the film. She has muddy tights and legs, and her once clean white jumper is now dirty, and looks worn. The same clothes entail that all of the film occurred in one or two days, and that she went through a lot of struggling and hardship before dying. The audience then start to think why is she muddy? what has actually happened to her? All of the props and costumes used make the viewers question the film and therefore are more rapt in the film.

There are lots of interesting and clever camera shots used in the opening sequence for Brick. I find that they are the most interesting of all the films. Firstly the close up of the key props in the films are used. The extreme close up of the bangles and the cigarette on the floor focuses on it being a clue, and the audience begin to wonder what it is that the clues are entailing. Also by using the shot of the mans feet walking to the locker and finding the letter, the director has cleverly filmed the shot to show only his feet and not give to much away by showing his facial expressions.

The titles of this film fitted the normal conventions for most thriller films. They come up on a plain back background and they fill the screen by expanding outwards. They are written in white bold font which is in capitals. The titles being put like this do not give to much away which is what thriller films aims to do. The fonts are simple and it means that the audience do not know what to expect so therefore their attention is focused solely on what is going to happen next.

The story is slowly given away. The setting in the urban area with the school nearby means that school children will be involved. When the character answers the phone to the woman in a deserted setting, the story slowly unfolds. The audience are given an array of words that they can interpret in which way they want. Because the first shot of the film is the woman laying dead in the river by the drain, it shows us that the film is going to explain how the woman got there and what her story is who she got killed by etc. Also with the cigarettes and other clues that are given the audience begin to start moving cogs in their brain and wonder how the woman died and what the different props have in relation with the woman's death and the rest of the film.

The genre of the film is shown lots of times throughout the opening sequence. The audience immediately know that the film is a thriller as death is shown right in the opening. The woman is laying dead in the bottom of a tunnel, and the water is running past her. The conventions of the genre are also shown all throughout thew opening sequence, there are arrows and notes that are used for clues. These are a typical convention of a thriller film because they are all clues to either someone being found or to where someone is. Also because of the womans fear in her voice it also shows that she has something to be scared of. This is key to making a thriller film, the characters fears should be channelled through to the viewers. Ryan Johnson does this very well by using lots of different key conventions within a thriller type movie.

LOts of different characters are introduced in the opening sequence of this film. The first two characters that are introduced are the main woman and the main man. The main woman is already laying dead in the gutters, because the man is shown in the shot sitting beside her it makes the audience ask questions such as did he kill her and how did she die, is he a bad guy? is she innocent? Also because of the muddy tights and shoes that she is wearing the audience begin to ask what she has been through? and how exactly did she get the muddy clothes. Because the man sitting beside her has a blank expression on his face you wonder if he is feeling guilty, or whether he liked this woman, and is shocked and caring for what has happened. Then the same woman is introduced on the phone. She is introduced as scared, fearful and frightful. She sounds stressed, and as if she has to rush everything, almost as if there is someone else there that is rushing her. He recognises her voice straight away and the audience begin to wonder how he knows her, more unfolds as they carry on speaking because he is stuck for words to say and seems awkward almost like a bad relationship split.