The Usual Suspects - Ella Syrett

The opening sequence for "The Usual Suspects" contains clear generic conventions of a thriller communicating the genre to the spectator. From the outset the lighting is dark and uses low key lighting with a high contrast. This makes the sequence feel serious and dark. The audience cannot see much of the background and setting which makes them focus on the main events (the characters). Having this dim lighting and not revealing completely the setting creates a mysterious atmosphere to set the mood of the sequence. 

We see a man lighting a cigarette then dropping the match. The iconography of the fire and the dark setting of which looks like an abandoned warehouse, suit the thriller genre.
There is a cut of the male character sitting on the floor (LS), he dropped the match to ignite a fire leading past a dead body. He is wearing dark clothing and there is fire in the background, creating enigma. The body combined with the use of fire makes the audience ask questions such as why is this man dead? This use of mise en scene creates an enigma as it reveals little information but enough to get the spectator thinking and sparks their interest.

Desaturated colour is also used throughout to give the sequence a serious tone and to make the piece feel nervy (the audience can not see much in the frame). This contributes to the restricted narration. 

The camera tilts up from the body to a low angle LS of what appears to be a male character, however there is restricted narration as his head is cut off in the frame - hiding his identity. This creates enigma as it leaves the spectator wondering what the purpose of the composition is. He is standing at the top of the stairs therefore he is higher than the other characters, suggesting that he has power over him. We see that he is also wearing dark clothing, implying that he is a antagonist/villain.

The camera moves with the anonymous male as he walks down the stairs at eye level. The camera focuses on the lower part of his body as we watch him walk past a dead body without hesitation, reinforcing the thriller genre. He approaches the man on the floor and stands in front of him, again portraying his power over him. There is a CU of the male on the floor as there is a eyeline match of him looking up to see the other male character, and his facial expression looks conquered.

The anonymous male raises his hand to light a cigarette this creates suspense as it leads the audience to believe his identity will be revealed however it is not.

There is on-screen diegetic dialogue between the characters, the anonymous male asks "Ready?"

This creates an enigma massively as it prepares the spectator for something to happen, adding tension and leaving them on the edge of their seat which is vital for thriller movies.

The anonymous male takes out a gun conveying to the spectator that evidently the male on the floor is going to be shot. The male on the floor closes his eyes and there is a POV shot of the gun facing him and we then cut to the outside their location, the boat, and there is a sound bridge of the gunshot. This builds tension and leaves the spectator guessing as you're unaware if he was really killed or not.

  

There is a silhouette of what appears to be the anonymous male going down a ladder leaving the boat. There is a dissolve to a new location of what appears to be a police station. He states “it all started back in New York 6 weeks ago” this makes the shot appear to be a flashback which would give the spectator a better understanding of the story. There is a bright spotlight on the male character who is wearing black, implying that he is dark or evil. This could imply that he is the same character as the anonymous male who's face was never revealed.