5 ideas for Thriller Openings (Josh Brown)

1) Man going home from night out with friends at pub not drunk. Sitting on bench at train station alone. Looks down and sees a reflection in a puddle of another man who looks exactly like him and wears the same clothes, standing up on the other platform. The original character looks up to see his vision is true. However, before he can act on his speechless reaction, a train passes through the station quickly, and by the time the train has passed, his identical vision has vanished.

2) Small relaxed house party. The host is going round small talking to his guests. Lots of background talk. They spot some empty pizza boxes and bottles, so they decide to take them out to the recycling bin. Opens the bin, and there is a body in the bin, the host presumes they are a drunken guest and tips the bin over to get them out. The body turns out not to be a guest of his and dead.

3) Mother is alone in bed at midnight dreaming. Cut to the dream of hers, slightly faded frame effect to symbolize that it is not real. The dream is that she is home watching a movie with her kids and she falls asleep, and starts to have a dream inside the dream she is already having. The dream has a fade that is much less inside the present dream. She dreams that she wakes up in the living room in the same position she fell asleep in. All the kids have gone and all lights are off. She makes her way upstairs to see if the kids are in bed. But they aren't.

4) Location: Shoreham airport

Plot: Guy in hangar, tied up in chair in the dark. One single light above his head. Big strong guy beating him. After a bit, big strong guy holds mirror in front of his face. Audience see his identity in reflection of mirror. Man opens hangar doors. Lights behind him create a silhouette effect on his front. Minimal lighting.

Camera ideas: When the big strong guy holds mirror in front of face, camera see’s reflection for a second, then camera begins to track around him to see him in reality. Minimal props. The main criminal, at the end of the opening, will present a bomb to the hostage and the clip will end when the timer of the bomb will reach 1 second to go.