Analysis of thriller opening - The Prestige.

The camerawork in this opening sequence is used to create a confusion for the viewer although some shots are shown as a sense of normality which contrasts with one another. We are shown a mid shot of an older man who appears to be telling the story, this is for the viewer to become familiar with who this old man is and why he is telling a story. Throughout the scene we are shown mid shots/ close ups of the main characters in the sequence, this is done to show the viewer a clearer image of the protagonists. We are also shown an extreme long shot of the hall and stage in which the magic tricks are being peformed, this just widens the view of the location and who is involved in this particular scene. Many shots are quick and they tend to switch from one another often, this is typical of a thriller as it creates confusion and mystery for the viewers, it draws them in and makes them want to watch more.

The editing in this sequence is continuity editing as it mainly uses cuts to switch from one scene into another, however it doesnt seem to use any fades or dissolves. This is done so it feels as though the sequence is quite quick and the transitions move from one to another quickly. As the sequence swithes from one location to another without any transition it feels as though it's going back in time and showing a flashback of the past. By doing this the viewer feels disorientated, they feel as though the sequence is being rushed, or even missing out parts of the story, this intregues the viewer which is sterotypical of a thriller as they now want to watch the rest of the sequence to find out what's happening. Tracking is used in this sequence to follow movements made by a man who appears to be suspicious, this is done to feel as though they need to be followed to whereever they are planning on going. This makes the reader feel as though they are invading the privacy of whoever the camera is following as they do not know they are being followed. Zooms are often used in this sequence, usually to show something from a larger view and then zoom in to see it in more detail.

Mise-en-scene is used in this sequence also. The first shot we see in the opening sequence is a shot of many identical top hats, these are shown in a forest. Top hats are usually connected with magicians, so straight away we think that a magic trick may have been taken place to duplicate all of these top hats. There is a slight bit of mystery as to why the hats are in the middle of a dull forest though, this could link to the mystery part of the sequence.

The scene then swaps to an indoor location, the first character we are shown is a man who appears to be a sterotypical granddad. He has very little grey hair, a grey beard and is wearing a shirt and a waistcoat. The clothes he is wearing appears to be very old fashioned which suggest it is set in an earlier time peirod rather than the present day. We are then shown a young girl who could be the granddaughter of the old man, she is wearing and old fashioned dress which is a light pink with ruffles and lace on the neck. After this the scene swaps again to a hall and a stage with a man on who appears to be an entertainer, i say this because he is wearing a suit and bow tie so he appears to be professional and know what he is doing. In his left hand he appears to be holding a walking stick, this could suggest that he needs it for part of his trick.

The lighting in the sequence is very dull and dim, this is done to create atmosphere for the trick on stage and most likely it would have been set to take place in the evening time. But the lighting could also suggest the mood, it could make the audience feel uneasy and think that something bad is going to take place. There is one spotlight on the stage which is pointed at the magician, this shows that he is of higher authority than everyone else but it could also suggest that when the audience all have their eyes on him, something could be taking place elsewhere.

Sound is the last micro element in which uses and explores the thriller conventions. At the start of the sequence there is non-diegetic speech in a low tone which appears to be a mans voice, this makes the audience wonder who's voice it is and why it is done in this way. Throughout the sequence there is speech, the old man speaks the whole way through the sequence, this again is non diegetic speech. This makes the viewer think that the old man is telling a story, maybe to his granddaughter. We also hear diegetic sound which sounds like electric supply and occasionally sounds like thunder, this is done when the helper switches on the big machine in the middle of the stage, the sound is added to make the machine appear scarey and dangerous to the audience which it certianly does. At this point the audience wonder what trick the magician will be carrying out and wether it is safe or not. There is some ambient sound in the sequence, which is a light sound of a machine.