R+P Post 7: Our opening sequences planned mis-en-scene

The overall look I would like for our opening sequence is one of desaturated, plain colours, mainly blacks, blues and whites, as this is common in the thriller genre, being used by many current films such as recently in the Harry Potter franchise and in many serious and critically acclaimed films such as 'Ex Machina' in 2015.

Camera: I want to use a variety of shot types that all allow the story of the opening sequence to move along swiftly. There will be several stylised shots and sequences, such as the quick close-ups of the lawyer putting on different parts of her outfit, but they will hopefully add to the uncomfortable, tense atmosphere of the opening.

Lighting: Lighting will ideally be naturalistic, in order to stop the opening looking unrealistic or surreal. This will emphasise the unsettling atmosphere, as it hopefully will make the audience feel as if the stalker situation could happen in a normal, everyday street, therefore making it feel more personal. An inspiration for this would be the lighting present in BBC crime/thriller series 'Sherlock'.

Settings: Similarly to lighting, we want the settings to look like a real bedroom, kitchen and street in order to give the impression that the events in the opening could happen in real-life suburbia. These settings will be empty other than the lawyer, rapist and jogger in order to give the feeling of isolation, heightening the atmosphere of danger as there is nobody to save the lawyer from her stalker.

Props: None of the props I plan to use are particularly unusual and are normal household objects. Important props are a kitchen radio, the business outfit for the lawyer, an alarm clock and some official documents for the lawyer to read at her kitchen table. None of these props will be particularly brightly coloured in order to fit with the desaturated colour scheme. The exception to this is the kitchen radio, which might be a brighter colour in order to signify the importance of what is being broadcast through it.

Costumes: The two costumes shown in the opening sequence - belonging to the jogger and the lawyer - will ideally both look typical and 'normal', with the lawyer wearing a blouse, a pencil skirt and high heels...

...and the jogger wearing a t-shirt, shorts and trainers.

 These are everyday clothes that will hopefully add to the realistic atmosphere of the sequence.