Purpose of Opening Scenes in Thrillers

In any film, especially a thriller, the opening scene is very important. It needs to captivate and keep the audiences attention, raising questions and creating intrigue and mystery. It also needs to give an idea of the setting - location and time period - and make the audience have some understanding of what the plot will be.

An example of a film opening that does this is 'The Women In Black',  released 2012 and directed by James Watkins. The audience are introduced to this film by an eerie opening, in a child's bedroom. The first shots of the film shows three children sitting on the floor of the bedroom, playing with dolls and a tea set, important because later in the film we learn that dolls is a recurring theme of the film. 

In this shot, we see the three young girls, as well as their surroundings. From this, the audience are immediately introduced to the time period of the film, due to the clothes, nature of what they are playing (tea sets is often a cliche theme when young children are involved in this time period), and interior of the room. They are wearing pale dresses of pink and white, colours that connote innocence, which help to add to the sympathy and shock of the audience when they realise what will happen later in the scene. 

The very first shot is a close up of the tea cups, which immediately introduces the film location as England, as tea is a stereotypical item that is often associated with England. 

The music added to this scene immediately tells the audience that this film is not lighthearted, as the calm and slow sound gives a chilling and eerie effect, making the audience on edge, aware that something sinister is about to happen. This foreshadows the feelings of the audience throughout the film, as they are constantly on edge. 

This shot shows the three children all looking the same way at the same time, making the audience aware they are looking at something off-screen. The fact that the camera stays positioned to be focusing on the girls makes the audience question what they are looking at, adding to the eerie atmosphere, and prompting the idea of paranormal activity being involved. The music also rises in volume towards this point in the scene, making the audience aware that the atmosphere has changed, and adding emphasis on this point, suggesting to the audience that it is important and something bad may be about to happen.

The following shots show the three girls standing up and beginning to walk towards the window, crushing their seemingly beloved toys as they do so. The blank and vacant expression on their faces suggests the life has been drained from them, suggesting to the audience that they are possessed, and further enforcing the idea of paranormal activity. Doing this at the start of the film makes the audience aware of the theme of the film, and that an evil spirit may be the antagonist in the story. 

Following this, we see the girls jump from the window in unison, shocking the audience. The music continues at the same pace, continuing to suggest that this is an emotionless and vacant atmosphere, and enforcing the idea of paranormal activity. 

This opening is very effective, and instantly captures the audiences attention. The darkness of the room contrasts with the bright dresses that the children are wearing, enforcing the idea that they are surrounded by an evil atmosphere. The rule of three has also been used in this scene, as there are three children, as well as three windows. The use of three makes it more memorable to the audience, a technique often used in thrillers. Doing this ensures that the audience remember this scene throughout the rest of the film, keeping them on edge. 
The questions raised with this opening, and the intrigue of what is happening makes it evident that this is a thriller film, the tense and eerie atmosphere ensuring the audience know the nature of the film, and are constantly waiting for the next harrowing aspect.