The Yearbook Analysis (Past Student's Thriller)

This thriller opening sequence sticks to the conventions because there is a crime at the centre of the action. Also it is quite complex leaving clues and unanswered questions that makes the audience want to watch more.  You can see that it would centre around murder because of the way that the criminal is crossing off his victims and the blood suggests death has occurred.  The title of the opening sequence the yearbook shows the criminal is in a unstable state of mind, which reflects his hunger for blood. The genre of this opening sequence is a thriller however it does not comply with all the stereotypical conventions an example of a sub-genre is crime/horror.

The props that are used in the thriller opening sequence is 'The Yearbook'. This is the central feature of the sequence as this is the source of his killing spree and his evil scheming, by crossing off each victim's picture as he kills them. There is also the address book, that is used to decide who his next victim will be and where he will find them.

The non- diegetic sound of the laughing child at the beginning indicates that childhood innocence has been deprived by a heartless criminal. This sound can also represent that the criminal is enjoying killing people and laughing at the victims as if he does not care about these people's lives.  The tick tock sound near the end symbolizes that the children's time is nearing an end, and that it is only a matter of time before they meet their fate. The music throughout, is very intense and reflects the tension and the anxiety that the victims feel, compared to the emotionless feelings of the killer.

The camera work repeatedly zooms in on the yearbook focusing on their next victims this increases the
intense feel an left the audience wondering who is going to be the next victim will be. Also it focuses on the first victim bleeding and in pain to show the severity of the actions.

The quick cuts between the yearbook and his latest victim shows the killers intent to do the killings quickly, so not to draw attention to himself.