R+P Post 5: Our opening sequence idea

The idea we have for our opening sequence is typical of the crime/thriller genre. It largely consists of the main character's morning routine, which is an idea that is present in many other thrillers, such as in various episodes of TV series 'Black Mirror'.

Beginning:  The sequence starts off with our main character of a female lawyer waking up, putting on her business clothes and going downstairs, all as part of an implied morning routine.

Middle: We enter the next location through a shot of a kitchen radio, broadcasting a story about the release of a previously-convicted rapist. The name given in this broadcast as the name of the lawyer who helped to prosecute and put away this criminal is the name of the lawyer we have been following. While this broadcast is taking place we see several Point-Of-View shots of the rapist watching and filming the lawyer from his hiding place in her back garden. The lawyer doesn't notice and carries on as usual, checking her legal documents on her kitchen table.

End: The lawyer walks out of her front door and starts to walk next to a forest that is on her route to work. She hears footsteps coming quickly towards her and quickens her pace. A jogger runs out of the forest, revealing the source of the footsteps, and casually runs past her. The final shot is once again from the rapist's point of view, watching the lawyer as she walks out of shot around a corner.

This opening sequence uses several common narrative conventions such as the lawyer being followed by an unseen criminal and not noticing him. An example of the subversion of the action code is also present in the form of the building of tension and main character's reaction to the jogger's running in the forest.