The opening of the thriller ‘Hostage’ starts off
with the credits. It is an animatic all the way through it with buildings, skyscrapers,
people, guns and roads within it. The first credit is the production company which
is ‘Stratue‘ which is in blocked, capital red letters, which stands out from
the black dull background. The credits appear quickly and slowly zoom into them
as they come closer towards the screen. The
bold, red colour connotes negativity suggesting violence, death and danger to
the audience which also suggests to the audience that it is a part of the
thriller genre.
The first image which is shown is an image of a
location/city which is shown by an Ariel shot. This three second shot is very
effective for the first opening shot as it helps set the scene and gives the
audience an inside of where the film is going to be shot. The following shot is
then a long shot which gradually gets closer by zooming into it. Within this
shot there is another credit which is the producer say ‘A film by Florent Siri’.
This credit is on a brown brick wall which is done with white bold capital letters
which makes it stand out from the dark dim background setting. I think this is
effective as it ties in with the theme of the film. It is followed by several
different shots including tilt and tracking shots which look around and view
different buildings from different perspectives which also helps the audience
to grasp the setting.
Throughout the opening of the film there are many
credits which include the producers, directors and actors names which are all
done in the same style, font, and colour and are shown on buildings, walls,
guns etc to give it a continuous theme throughout. All of the credits are done
in capital black or white colour with the opposite colour as the background
which makes them stand out. This suggests to the audience that the names which
are being shown are great significance. The only credit which is different is
the title ‘Hostage’. It begins with the middle letter which is ‘T’ and slowly
zooms out whilst turning landscape. It is in capital bold, large, red letters
which stands out from the dark background, which is an aerial shot from above.
The two red thick lines above and below the title makes it stand out and catch
the audience’s attention, making them realise that it is the title. The title
is one of the key credits within the opening as it lets the audience have an
inside of what they think the film is about, as the title usually sums the film
up within a few words. It is also a lot larger and bolder than the rest of the
credit which also catches the audience’s eye. I think that they have done this effectively
as it is at the beginning of the opening (25 seconds) making the title have a
lasting memory in the audience’s mind.
Finally, they use non-diegetic music within the
opening which starts off quite quietly and gradually builds up. It is an orchestra
which have different sounds throughout it. The main instrument you can hear is
the beat of the drums which builds up the tension by it creating a mysterious atmosphere
towards the audience. I thought they used the non diegetic music very effectively
as the drums stop when the title is shown, and a high pitched sound comes in
which makes the tension decrease then suddenly builds up again when the next
credit come up.
Overall, I think that they have done this opening
very effectively as they have used effective credits which are continuous
throughout the film, which also stand out all the time, making the most
important one the most dominant ones.The non diegetic music is also effective
as it increase and decreases the tension throughout it, making the audience
keep interest in it
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