In the opening sequence the audience and introduced to the main characters and its made quite clear
who the antagonist and protagonist are. We see typical thriller characters in the opening title sequence,
this is portrayed by the characters manner, clothing, speech and the locations.
Its portrayed the two
characters the audience
see are very different
people and are perhaps
going to come into
contact with each other.
The Antagonist- Portrayed to
be dangerous
Its connoted the antagonist
has a dangerous job due to
his smart clothing, and the
shot where he suspiciously
bumps into someone and
exchanges bags, suggesting
he is up to something quit
secretive as they
‘accidently’ switch bags.
The antagonist character follows the thriller
conventions, his identity seems quite secretive, its
also typical that he has a dangerous job and is linked
to crime.
The Protagonist- Taxi Driver- Portrayed as an
ordinary person
The audience see a taxi driver, an ordinary
job, therefore its connoted he is your
everyday person. We get this impression by
his casual clothing, a t-shirt, jeans, jacket
and glasses. This is typical of a thriller as
often the protagonist is an ordinary person
who gets into a thrilling situation generally
because of the antagonist.
Location
The location of the taxi driver (a taxi lot) has a bearing on
first impressions as its implies his job and the fact there's a
group of taxis driving off together suggests just ‘another
day at work’.
The first location seen is the
place the antagonist is; at a
very busy ordinary location
where he can hide and fit in.
Its then clear its an airport as
the antagonist is told ‘Enjoy
your flight.’ This is typical of
the genre as the antagonist is
clearly up to something
suspicious, the fact its in a
busy place makes it more
thrilling.
Photo of holiday place- He puts it
up in front of him implying he
see’s it as a form of escapism, he
has boring life?
Bags- The bags that are swapped at the beginning of the
scene look like business bag, suggesting there's something
suspicious in it
Another location we
see is the place the
protagonist is- in a
taxi lot to emphasise
his job and pesona.
Newspaper- We
see the
protagonist doing
a crossword
highlighting the
normality of the
character, perhaps
not a very
exciting life.
One of the main characters (the antagonist) cleverly
stands out in this busy crowd of people, suggesting to
the audience he’s going to be a significant character. In
the airport the colours we see grey colours- desaturated.
Protagonist- We see him in casual clothing (T-shirt, jacket
and jeans) his work uniform. This emphasis he’s an
ordinary person.
He is wearing glasses which suggests intelligence but its
also a weakness, the fact he has a flaw is typical of the
thriller genre..
Antagonist- We see him
wearing a smart suit,
looking very sophisticated
and serious, suggesting a
high authoritive and skilful
job.
The glasses he is wearing
are blacked giving a sense
of mystery about him.
Which links to the thriller
narrative that the audience
doesn't know much about
the antagonist, he has a
hidden identity, he’s ‘hiding’
behind the dark glasses
adding to the mystery of his
character.
We see a lot of greys and blues
creating quit a dark atmosphere,
which is common in a thriller.
The grey makes the scene feel
mysterious.
At the location of the taxi lot we see a lot of
dark foggy yellows; de-saturated colour,
reflecting the dull society the character lives in.
Over the shoulder shot
When the two characters at the
beginning bump into each other and
are asking “are you alright” This shot
shows how their conversation seemed
rather fake and role –played relating to
the bag swapping and the idea it’s a
dangerous situation.
Long shot
The long shot of the
taxi lot, establishes the
scene and shows the
surroundings.
POV
The shot at the end we see the protagonist
driving, from his point of view, showing
his journey and day. However we get the
sense by the cutting of scenes of both
characters its not going to be just a
normal day and somehow they will cross
eachother.
Close up
We see a close up of the
antagonists face, to see a
clear image of expression.
We see an expression of
confidence, determination
and mystery.
Extreme close up
The extreme close up of the character in the car turning on
the engine, we see the lights come on. This shot shows his
taxi and establishes his job to the audience.
The first piece of
dialogue we here is
of two men asking
if there alright, this
implies perhaps
there a main
character and the
conversation was
suspicious
suggesting there the
antagonist of the
film.
At the beginning we hear a lot of diegetic sound, we hear
footsteps, silence and then the sudden band from the
dropping of the bag. This emphasises the prop implying its
significant in some way.
Also in the taxi lot we hear the mechanism of the car and the
engine, which sets the atmosphere.
For the majority of the opening titles its non- diegetic sound consisting of a sound track which has quit a fast pace, with
the pitch going from low to high. The tone in some parts can be quit sharp and piercing. All of this helps to build a
tension filled atmosphere of mystery, which relates to the swapping of the bags, the soundtrack influences the audience
this is a secret and could potentially lead to a dangerous situation.
The editing in the opening
title sequence is continuity
editing, all the shots flow
well into one another. The
180 degree rule is used
when we see dialogue
from the character Vincent
and the other character
who is delivering his
briefcase.
The editing is at a fast pace
that changes when the
scene cuts to the
contrasting life of the
character Max, as the pace
of the editing slows down
we can see that Max’s life
is not so fast moving and
full on as Vincent’s.
Although at the beginning
when we first see Vincent
the shot of him walking is
slowed down, allowing
him to stand out in a busy
crowd, showing his
confidence, stance and his
importance as a character.
The fast editing helps us to
identify that ‘Collateral’ is a
‘Action Thriller’.
The contrast in editing =
the contrast in characters
and location