Ideas for Thriller Synopsis

For the opening sequence, a certain type of sub-genre has to be used. This could range from political thriller all the way to sci-fi thriller. However, the problem is that despite knowing this there is little knowledge that i know about these types of thriller films. By researching and looking up for synopses for different sub-genres of thriller, i am able to get a rough idea of how the thriller opening will run. By using this it will greatly help my group when we come to actually creating the opening.

1) Science-Fiction Thriller
The sci-fi sub-genre for thriller is one example of a sub-genre that the thriller opening sequence could be. This particular sub-genre contains elements which can be considered as being futuristic, whether it being where it is set in the future, or if there are futuristic objects such as talking robots. The use of enigmas is a key part to play here as usually the protagonist will not know what is happening or why something particular is targeting them.
An example of a Sci-fi thriller is Minority Report. It is set in the year 2054 where crime no longer exists due to the government being able to arrest people before they commit the crime. However, when John Anderton (The Protagonist) finds out that he has been identified as a future killer for someone he has never met, he becomes a fugitive and goes on the run to try and uncover the truth.

Below is the trailer which shows some of the attributes of a Sci-fi Film.

For the specific audiences that i am targeting which is in their teenage years (15+) this is a good sub-genre that could  possibly be used for the opening sequence. It has elements of an action film as well which can keep people interested, but also asks the question of why is he getting targeted. This could be used in the opening sequence. However, the main problem with this the whole sub-genre as a whole. As it is set in the future, with futuristic equipment, as we don't have the time or the money to be able to produce these props. Going with the sci-fi film would probably not be the best choice. The end of the trailer and the screenshot above shows the equipment which would not be possible to get.



2) Supernatural Thriller 
The next area of a sub-genre that could be used is a supernatural thriller. As the title says this type of sub-genre contains elements that are beyond what humans would normally see. This could range from ghosts to zombies. Again the use of enigmas is key to these films, which shows that in the opening sequence that my group does enigmas should be used throughout which raises questions and suspense.

For example, a supernatural thriller is Gothika. The Protagonist finds herself in a situation where after her accident, she wakes to find she is convicted of murdering her husband. At the same time, she is haunted by a ghost, whilst she tries to find out the truth about her husband and his death, with devastating consequences.
For the audiences that i am targeting this is a good type of sub-genre to go about. It raises several questions as to why she is convicted of murdering her husband, and who is the ghost. All this is relevant to the 15+ audience who would be more willing to watch that, instead of someone who was younger such as 12+
Supernatural thriller therefore, potentially has a chance to be used in the opening sequence. However, just like the sci-fi thriller there is also one problem in terms of technology and equipment. For supernatural, ghosts are usually something beyond this world who seem like ordinary humans but in fact are not. In terms of costume and design for this, my group would not have enough time to create something like this. So as as result this would not a possible decision to make. Without this we would be leaving the supernatural sub-genre and entering something else. However, this could also be countered by not actually using ghosts but using make up and costumes to make it look like a ghost but as before, we are limited on all of this.

3) Romantic Thriller
The next sub-genre that could be considered is romantic thriller. As the title suggests it is usually about two people who fall in love but face struggles which in someway or another causes terror around them. Romantic thrillers is one of the areas of thriller that is hard to do where a lot of challenges to the conventions would be made. For example, in a romantic film, a church might be marriage, whereas in a romantic thriller it might mean death.

An example of a romantic thriller is Safe Haven. It is about a women moving to North Carilona who becomes attracted to a man and falls in love with him. But as she falls in love she struggles with the dark secret that she has that still haunts her life. She has to choose either a safe life or one with risks, with devastating chances. For the opening sequence, potentially it could start off in a non-linear format suggesting that the person did something in the past or something in the future to someone that they did love, which would set the whole plot in motion. Despite this, even though the audience targeted is 15+ i am aiming for the action/crime area for both genders. This sort of thriller would be more suited to girls who might want to see this film instead of men. This is not the only problem however. In the group there are no females present therefore, to create a romantic thriller would not be possible.

4) Crime Thriller 
The sub-genre of crime for thriller is solving crime that is put against the protagonist. Usually the antagonist of the film will have done something wrong such as mass murder and the protagonist has to solve it. The suspense part is that no one knows what is going to happen. Usually there is a situation where the protagonist has to make a choice between two people which results in the death of one. But overall, the film is usually about stopping the antagonist

An example of a crime thriller film is Inception. It is about a thief who after all he has done has lost everything that he has once loved in his life. Now he has a chance to get his life back but he has to do the one thing that is impossible. Inception. In this film the protagonist is shown to face challenges that are put up against him, however he has no clue who by. The protagonist has to try and do inception, before he actually gets found out. This is a good type of sub-genre to look at. The standard "good vs evil" whilst simple is still effective and to my age audience 15+ it would be most likely to be most successful when comparing it to others. Also when actually filming it would not be as hard as the other sub-genres that i have discussed to actually film. This type of sub-genre is the best to do as it is the easiest to actually include all of the suspense in the opening sequences. A non-linear format could potentially be used, to add more suspense to the opening sequence.