Action Thriller Genre Conventions

Action Thriller Genre Conventions

Our group decided that we wanted to do an action thriller opening, as it is a genre we are all familiar with, and one that has many conventions. We looked at some action thriller openings see what these conventions are. We looked at the openings for Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, and Memento, and found that there are many similarities between the openings.

     Sound

We found that the music in the openings was often instrumental, using mainly string instruments. This is used in scenes where tension is wanted. When there is action (eg. end of Casino Royale clip) or things are getting dramatic (eg. end of Bourne Identity clip) the music becomes faster, and more instruments are added. Diegetic sounds are heard as well, although the music normally comes first. This can be speech (Casino Royale and Bourne Identity) as well as weather, or objects hitting each other.

     Shot Types & Camera Movements

The shot types used most often in the openings were long shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups. The long shots help establish the setting (Casino Royale) and/or atmosphere (Bourne Identity). The close-ups show emotions, and the extreme close-ups, which often focus on objects, show the importance of the objects (Memento). The movement in the openings are quite basic - they generally all only use camera movements to follow a person or object. Bourne Identity and Memento both use shaky movements, whereas Casino Royale is much smoother until the fight scene at the end.

     Editing

The editing was relatively slow. In Memento, the first minute or so is one continuous shot, with the editing remaining fairly slow throughout the opening. The other two both also have fairly slow editing, even in Casino Royale during the fight scene. This slow edit pace creates tension in the viewer, even in the fight scene where the pace makes the viewer feel more nervous.

     Locations

In terms of locations, they differ greatly. The Bourne Identity opening is set in the ocean, on board a fishing ship and out in the water itself. Casino Royale is set in an office in Prague, and in some toilets. Memento is set in some abandoned and neglected building. Overall, there is no linking theme, apart from the idea that they are all quite isolated areas.

     Colour Schemes & Titles

The colour schemes in the clip were generally quite dark. The colours were occasionally stylized, for example the Casino Royale opening was entirely in black and white, with it becoming quite bright later on. In Memento as well, black and white is used for when the time skips back into the past. In Bourne Identity and Memento, the colours are quite dim and muted. Other than this, again, the colours vary greatly. Bourne Identity uses blue and yellow colours, Memento uses dark colours, and Casino Royale uses greys.

     Content

There are themes of violence and death in all three of these openings. Guns also feature in both Memento and Casino Royale. The main character is also seen in all of these, even if only in the distance (Bourne Identity). Bourne Identity and Casino Royale both take place in a foreign country or place, and none of the openings seem to take place in character's homes.