Thriller: Psycho
The backing track used in the opening title sequence of Psycho is a high pitched string piece which creates tension instantly and very well. The pace of the music is quick also making the audience feel tense and feel like they are moving at the same pace as the music. All sound in the opening title sequence of Psycho is Non-Digetic. Towards the end of the opening the track uses and "call and response" style of notes, using the same notes but in a different pitch, this creates a mysterious atmosphere, relating the music back to the direct story line of the film. The use of contrapuntal sound with the pitches of the instruments is very effective and has an impact on the audience which makes them feel tense and alert them into the genre of the film. The track finishes on one long suspended note, creating suspense as it fades into the opening of the film.
The Editing within the opening of psycho is done with the strong use of transitions between screens and the use of fades.
This example shows the use of the grey lines to bring the words into focus, this technique is used throughout the opening sequence, it is very effective to the audience and goes in time with the music also. The colouring in the opening title sequence is all grey, white and red, this sets the time in which the thriller was created.
This is another example of a simple but effective transition, the use of splitting the word psycho into three sections and making them move left and right and different times this creates a very shadowy atmosphere reflecting the genre on the film. The way the transitions come together, could be argued to reflect the story line of the film, how lots of different pieces of information are put together to finally reveal an answer. These transitions are repeated in slight different ways- the use of repetition of the same thing is a common feature of psychological thrillers.
The lighting is all dark throughout the opening title sequence again reflecting on the atmosphere created throughout the film.
There is no variety on the camera angles throughout this opening as it is more of a graphic opening compared to a thriller such as se7en which uses a wider variety of camera angles and camera movements.
Overall, the use of simple transitions and strong sound track come across as very effective, they create a very tense atmosphere instantly alerting the audience into the genre of film they are watching and the mysterious happenings which are going to entail. This opening title sequence is simple but effective and it fore fills all traditional features of a thriller.
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