Setting for Thriller Opening

This would be a good setting for our Thriller opening because it seems very hostile and remote location.

Media Studies AS Preliminary Task

Blitz Opening Review

The opening tiles of the Thriller movie 'Blitz' starts with the main man "Sargent Brant" fast asleep on his sofa, this shows that the main character is a laid back and carefree man due to him falling asleep on his sofa, still fully clothed. During this shot Brant is always centre of the shot and the camera is giving us an over head view, showing us all of his body spanned out across his sofa.  This is significant because it shows us who we will be following throughout the film; you could say this was a kind of establishing shot. We then cut to a view of the side of him which exposes a table full of junk, from everything such as food tins to bottles of Scotch and Beer. Which then at that point he wakes up, pours himself some scotch into a coffee mug and takes a massive gulp, this shows that maybe Brant is a heavy drinker, maybe to drown his sorrows or maybe he might just be addicted to the stuff. During this shot Brant is still centre of the shot to show how significant he is going to be during this film, it also gives us the impression he is the 'main man.' We then change to an over the shoulder shot of Brant looking out of his flat window onto a bunch of thugs trying to break into an old Mercedes. I find this shot very significant because it shows us that Brant is very aware of what is going on outside of his flat, and that he is looking down on the thugs shows us that Brant is far more powerful than the short little Thugs.

We then see Brant step away from the window in disgust, put his 'coffee' down and pick up a wooden stick that looks a bit like a hockey stick. The weapon that Brant uses shows that he would rather inflict pain rather than kill, maybe because it teaches people more of a lesson if he damages them instead of killing them. We then cut to a mid shot of Brant walking down the street towards the thugs, armed with his hockey stick slung over his shoulder. Brant acts very laid back as he walks towards the thugs, this is to show that he is laid back no matter the situation he is involved in, and also it shows that he's not scared of them, which is very important throughout the movie because it shows that he isn't scared of any situation. Also the thugs are unaware of there ever approaching fate; this shows their arrogance towards the outside world because they're too focused on breaking into the car. They don't know he's there until Brant greets them with a laid back greeting 'Alright there lads?' He is then greeted back by one of the thugs saying 'what you doing up old man? I'll smash ya 'ed in!' This further shows the thugs’ ignorance to who they are dealing with. And then one thug says a little too much by saying 'Yeah give us ya wallet ya f**king c**t!' Brant then swings his blunt weapon of pain at the back of the kids legs, instantly breaking one of his knee caps. This shows that you should never judge someone by appearances; they think Brant is a weak old man, but he is actually a top hard man cop. He then gives an explanation of his weapon, that it’s a hurlect, used in the Irish game of Hurling, and that it’s the perfect mixture of 'Hockey and Murder.' This shows that he has a reason for using his weapons and has chosen them very carefully. One of the thugs then pulls a little Stanley knife out and threatens Brant with it. Brant asks a cocky question to distract the kid, and then while the kid is a bit confused, he shunts the hockey stick right in the kids nose. This shows that Brant knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to kids and knives and crime, and that he knows exactly how to deal with them. During the fight, the camera is always focused on Brant to establish he is the main character in the film, but the camera moves quick and sharp while panning, with very few cuts because the camera always follows the actions done by Brant, the whole scene is nearly one shot but it shows all the action sequence. The camera only was cutting out to show all the kids on the floor and Brant as the last man standing. He then leaves the kids winded on the floor, not without taking the Stanley knife cause he's 'been looking for one for weeks, after all that carpet just keeps turning up,' He then advises the 'girls' that if they're going to pick the fight then at least pick the right weapon. He then walks away as the title music starts to kick in. This shows that he has won the fight and that he is a force to be reckoned with, also that he can take on more than one person and win easily.

Overall, the opening scene gives us a clear understanding on which the main character is, it shows that Brant, is quick witted, smart, prepared and laid back. It also sets up the genre because it leaves mystery into what is going to happen later, whether one of those kids are going to come back for revenge or whether a new threat will occur which he will also have to deal with.