Thriller TV Drama Openings Research :
NCIS :
The opening to NCIS is one that seems to follow the pattern of many crime thrillers which is that the open sequence starts with an establishing shot of the location of the show where it takes place which is Washington. The show then has music which enters the sequence quite dramatically and then has a pulsing rhythm that is quite upbeat for a TV drama and it is also used while the rest of the sequence is rolling. The opening sequence consists of the different characters being shown with the names of the actors show beneath the image of the character and the cast seem to be shown in order of importance of the show. This is an american so it has the names of the creators right at the end of the title sequence. And right before the name of the creators is shown the screen is taken over by the american flag.This is quite a good opening because it shows the establishing shot and has the actors as well as images of the actors in role which shows what the different episodes in the series are about.
Psych:
The opening to the show Psych is quite different to other openings but it still follows the pattern of having the creators shown right at the end of the sequence and it also shows the characters in order of importance as they start with the central character and then continues with the rest of the characters. Psych might not be a opening sequence that would be typically analyzed for this kind of research because it is a cross genre between kind of crime solving as well as comedy. The show also changes it’s opening music dependent on the kind of show it is for example some different ones where a christmas theme and also a Bollywood theme. This is a good opening and it does closely follow the same pattern as many other american opening sequences.
Tru Calling :
The opening of Tru Calling is again one that follows a similar pattern to several other american TV drama’s it starts with an iconic shot from the show in this case a shot of Tru the central character in a grave yard which sets up the narrative of the show because the show is about a young woman called Tru who saves dead people who ask for her help. The show then shows Tru in all her different scenarios while listing the characters in order of importance and then shows the creators right before the end of the opening credits. The music is strange because it has words which is not as common for the opening of a thriller. An interesting feature of this opening though is that it starts with looking through someone’s eye which is an icon again of the show because the dead open their eyes to ask Tru for help.
Without A Trace :
The opening to Without A Trace is again different this one also follows the pattern of opening the sequence with an establishing shot and then carrying on to show the different actors in order of importance and ending by showing the creators of the film. The opening music also has no words but helps to build up tension. The credits for this are particularly good because they are unique in the way that they show what the show is about which is mainly through the photographs of the missing people and where they were before they went missing also there are words that come up in the sequence the most predominant one which is ironically missing.
New Tricks :
The opening for the show New Tricks is quite different from the rest of the openings because it shows all the characters in a different order maybe because there is not one that is the main protagonist which is often the case with the american TV dramas. Also the music is very strange as it has words and the credits seem to highlight comical parts of the show not the more serious also the actors names come in at an angle and not just front and center on the image of the character. And the creator of the shows name does not appear at the end.
Spooks :
The opening sequence does not seem to contain the names of the actors which is not a trait seen in many of the other shows and there is no real establishing shot. The images or more disjointed and more focused on showing the audience the different characters and their faces and then the title of the show is shown right at the end and there is a strange use of light in the shows opening.
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