Ronan Roux

Analysis of a thriller opening

I've chosen to analyse the Mise-en-scene of the opening titles

of the movie "One Hour Photo".
The opening titles of this movie uses non-diegetic sound to
create a creepy and eerie atmosphere and to set a tone for the
rest of the movie, preparing the audience for what the movie
will be like. The titles flash on the screen like a camera, relating
to the plot of the movie as Robin Williams' character develops
photos. The layout of the titles is also similar to that of a
camera screen as the information is structured similarly to the
information shown on a camera screen. During some of the
titles, there are images of the family that are focuses on
throughout the plot of the movie but because they are being
developed are still in a negative format, bringing that creepy
and tense atmosphere back again as the family look twisted
and somewhat demonic.
The first shot is a medium shot of the camera used to take mug
shots of a criminal under incarceration. There is a long pause
and the shot lingers until the camera flashes and then there is
a black out. The setting of the opening is a police station, which
tells the audience that this is a crime thriller and that the man
under incarceration has committed a crime. The camera used
as a prop in this opening scene is fairly dated as the movie was
set in 2002, but at the time was probably state of the art
technology. This sets up a recurring motif in the movie of
cameras as there is this one used to take mug shots and Robin
Williams' character "Sy" develops photos from disposable
Kodak cameras.
During the actual investigation sequence, the audience are not
actually allowed to see the photos which creates a sense of
uncertainty as we're not sure what crime has been committed
and what kind of evidence the police asks. When Sy asks to see
the photos it makes it seem as if he is proud of the crime he
has committed, giving the impression that he is a psychopath
or a sadist, which is a typical type of antagonist in a thriller
movie, therefore sticking to the conventions of the thriller
genre.

Ronan Roux
Analysis of a thriller opening

We are first introduced to Sy when the camera flashes and we

see a mug shot of him on the screen. He is a well-dressed,
middle-aged man who doesn't look like a typical criminal. This
sticks to the conventions of the thriller genre as well as most
thrillers are portrayed as somewhat realistic and this character
introduced shows that everyone has the potential of being a
criminal, adding to the sense of uneasiness the audience is
feeling as they might feel they can't trust anyone.