Apart from being one of the most famous thrillers of all time, Psycho uses what is known as the 'Classic Opening' at the start of the film. We get a wide shot of a city scape, we cut to a shot of a building, then to a window in the building, then to a room in the building, where we finally meet one of the key characters of the film. This type of classic sequence tells us a lot about the film to follow: the location, the type of area in which the film is set, the key characters, what the key character does etc.
Here is the opening to Psycho (note - it has a very stylish, and quite long title sequence before the film actually starts!)
Trainspotting (1996)
Great for introducing the characters.
One Hour Photo (2002)
Quite a slow opening but introduces character, nice (if brief) titles and shot in such a still and precise way it tells us a lot about the main character.
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
This is a very quick paced opening with quite a lot of action, a lot of edits and a very aggressive soundtrack. The editing tells us a lot about the way the criminals work - sleek, swift and clever.
Unknown (2011)
This opening is almost a reverse of the classic opening; we start with a view out of the window, then zoom out to see the 'room' (or plane in this case) in which the protagonist is sitting. We're then plunged straight into the narrative. I've put 7 minutes ont he blog; it's worth watching and noticing all the little things that start to go wrong before the main crash. The audience are slowly drawn into the disaster.
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