In the opening sequence the audience and introduced to the main characters and its made quite clear who the antagonist and protagonist are. We see typical thriller characters in the opening title sequence, this is portrayed by the characters manner, clothing, speech and the locations. The Antagonist- Portrayed to be dangerous Its connoted the antagonist has a dangerous job due to his smart clothing, and the shot where he suspiciously bumps into someone and exchanges bags, suggesting he is up to something quit secretive as they ‘accidently’ switch bags. Its portrayed the two characters the audience see are very different people and are perhaps going to come into contact with each other. The antagonist character follows the thriller conventions, his identity seems quite secretive, its also typical that he has a dangerous job and is linked to crime.

Location The location of the taxi driver (a taxi lot) has a bearing on first impressions as its implies his job and the fact there's a group of taxis driving off together suggests just ‘another day at work’. The Protagonist- Taxi Driver- Portrayed as an ordinary person The audience see a taxi driver, an ordinary job, therefore its connoted he is your everyday person. We get this impression by his casual clothing, a t-shirt, jeans, jacket and glasses. This is typical of a thriller as often the protagonist is an ordinary person who gets into a thrilling situation generally because of the antagonist.

One of the main characters (the antagonist) cleverly stands out in this busy crowd of people, suggesting to the audience he’s going to be a significant character. In the airport the colours we see grey colours- de- saturated. Another location we see is the place the protagonist is- in a taxi lot to emphasise his job and pesona. The first location seen is the place the antagonist is; at a very busy ordinary location where he can hide and fit in. Its then clear its an airport as the antagonist is told ‘Enjoy your flight.’ This is typical of the genre as the antagonist is clearly up to something suspicious, the fact its in a busy place makes it more thrilling. Photo of holiday place- He puts it up in front of him implying he see’s it as a form of escapism, he has boring life? Newspaper- We see the protagonist doing a crossword highlighting the normality of the character, perhaps not a very exciting life. Bags- The bags that are swapped at the beginning of the scene look like business bag, suggesting there's something suspicious in it

At the location of the taxi lot we see a lot of dark foggy yellows; de-saturated colour, reflecting the dull society the character lives in. We see a lot of greys and blues creating quit a dark atmosphere, which is common in a thriller. The grey makes the scene feel mysterious. Antagonist- We see him wearing a smart suit, looking very sophisticated and serious, suggesting a high authoritive and skilful job. The glasses he is wearing are blacked giving a sense of mystery about him. Which links to the thriller narrative that the audience doesn't know much about the antagonist, he has a hidden identity, he’s ‘hiding’ behind the dark glasses adding to the mystery of his character. Protagonist- We see him in casual clothing (T-shirt, jacket and jeans) his work uniform. This emphasis he’s an ordinary person. He is wearing glasses which suggests intelligence but its also a weakness, the fact he has a flaw is typical of the thriller genre..

Close up We see a close up of the antagonists face, to see a clear image of expression. We see an expression of confidence, determination and mystery. Long shot The long shot of the taxi lot, establishes the scene and shows the surroundings. Extreme close up The extreme close up of the character in the car turning on the engine, we see the lights come on. This shot shows his taxi and establishes his job to the audience. POV The shot at the end we see the protagonist driving, from his point of view, showing his journey and day. However we get the sense by the cutting of scenes of both characters its not going to be just a normal day and somehow they will cross eachother. Over the shoulder shot When the two characters at the beginning bump into each other and are asking “are you alright” This shot shows how their conversation seemed rather fake and role –played relating to the bag swapping and the idea it’s a dangerous situation.

At the beginning we hear a lot of diegetic sound, we hear footsteps, and the dropping of the bag. Also in the taxi lot we hear the mechanism of the car and the engine, which sets the atmosphere. For the majority of the opening titles its non- diegetic sound consisting of a sound track which has quit a fast pace, with the pitch going from low to high. The tone in some parts can be quit sharp and piercing. All of this helps to build a tension filled atmosphere of mystery, which relates to the swapping of the bags, the soundtrack influences the audience this is a secret and could potentially lead to a dangerous situation. At the beginning we hear a lot of diegetic sound, we hear footsteps, silence and then the sudden band from the dropping of the bag. This emphasises the prop implying its significant in some way. Also in the taxi lot we hear the mechanism of the car and the engine, which sets the atmosphere. The first piece of dialogue we here is of two men asking if there alright, this implies perhaps there a main character and the conversation was suspicious suggesting there the antagonist of the film.

The editing is at a fast pace that changes when the scene cuts to the contrasting life of the character Max, as the pace of the editing slows down we can see that Max’s life is not so fast moving and full on as Vincent’s. Although at the beginning when we first see Vincent the shot of him walking is slowed down, allowing him to stand out in a busy crowd, showing his confidence, stance and his importance as a character. The editing in the opening title sequence is continuity editing, all the shots flow well into one another. The 180 degree rule is used when we see dialogue from the character Vincent and the other character who is delivering his briefcase. The fast editing helps us to identify that ‘Collateral’ is a ‘Action Thriller’. The contrast in editing = the contrast in characters and location