Thriller vs. Drama

 Thriller vs. Drama

My partner and I haven't decided which genre to do, so we decided to research a bit more on which we would rather do. Instead of researching 4 genres, 2 of mine and 2 from my partner, we just decided on either thriller, which we both researched, and drama, which my partner researched. Although I would like to make a decision at the end of these two openings, I don't think I will because I'm VERY indecisive and I love both drama and thriller. So, I will probably talk to my partner before making a decision.

Thriller: (1 of my 2 genres)

The Dark Knight (2008): 

    The opening scene of The Dark Knight is a bank robbery. The heist was planned by Joker, except he wasn't part of it. Five masked guys with similar "war paint" on them enter a bank, but it's not just any regular bank; it belongs to the mob. As they go on, they all start killing each other after they do their part to get a bigger share of the money, as they were instructed by Joker to. It happened until there was only one guy left, who was, surprisingly, Joker. 

    I think this opening scene was really good because it shows Joker's deceitful and malicious ways of doing things, and that his goals have no limits, as he went as far as robbing a mob bank and killing all his henchmen. In the beginning, as three of the robbers were in the van, the two people in the front started talking about how Joker doesn't deserve a share of the money, as he wasn't doing anything. Other people would stand up for themselves if they were in his position, but he waited for them to finish their job before getting rid of them, which was probably because he wanted the money for himself, but it could also be revenge for how they were talking about him. 

    During the whole opening scene, I noticed that the Joker (who wasn't revealed until the end) didn't talk much, or really at all, until the end, right before killing his partner, and until he revealed his face to the bank manager. This was most likely done to conceal his identity from the others, but it also creates a sense of mystery because the other members were so chatty, which makes you wonder why this one person is so different. Also, there was a string that played when Joker revealed his face, which represents the shock of his identity. The lighting at the time of his face reveal made him look menacing and terrifying, as well as emphasizing his large scars and wrinkles. 

    I also noticed that in the very beginning, they zoomed in on the mask the person is holding, which I found odd since they usually zoom in on the head in these scenes. As they zoomed in, the music was also getting louder, but it came to a sudden stop as a fully black van pulled over to pick him up. This builds up the intensity and suspense, which adds to the slow zoom into the mask, leaving the viewer to question why they did that. 

Link to The Dark Knight film opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLcHPsWK5xg

Drama: (1 of my partner's 2 genres)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994): 

    The opening scene for The Shawshank Redemption is of a man who found out his wife was cheating and was accused of murdering her and her lover. It starts off with what sounds like a song about heartbreak and love with a black screen, and suddenly, a long shot of the front view of a house appears. It pans to the source of the music, a very dimly lit car with a man in it, staring at the house. He reaches for a gun and his alcohol. Still staring at the house, you hear a man start speaking, but it's not someone you can see. It suddenly cuts to a courthouse with the same man with a lost look in his eyes.

    The last scene was most likely a flashback, trying to tell the viewer he's still in shock, stuck at what he found out and what he may have done. As the prosecutor interrogates him about his wife and what he did, the flashbacks continue. It's clear as the opening goes on that Mr. Dufresne is still numb and in shock, until the end of the opening, when he finds out his sentence, which is two life sentences, he stays the same. At the end, when he was getting sentenced, he finally showed an emotion, it was a look of panic. This leaves some viewers questioning whether he actually committed the murders or if he's devastated because he has a look of guilt, but also looks disoriented.

    Similar to The Dark Knight, when the Joker revealed himself, the lighting was dim and from the side, creating an intense, uneasy tone, as a courtroom for a murder trial usually would.  However, unlike actual courtrooms, it didn't seem to have actual lights, which would be odd, but for this scene, it's used to show his emotions and the tense environment. 

Link to The Shawshank Redemption opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrpVQpKseXU

Final Decision in the next blog!!