Analysis of former student's thriller openings

Snatched:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxqmS7Y11vk&feature=youtu.be

The thriller started off with a wide shot of the father entering a room with tense non diegetic sound playing over. The camera follows him as he walks towards a present on his desk. He reads the note that is above the present and seems confused. An over the shoulder shot shows the father, daughter and maid having a conversation. They discuss that there are people who are not their friends, making the audience question why people are hostile towards them. 

He receives a phone call from a man with an altered voice, which creates a tense atmosphere. The camera cuts to a man looking out the window who is on the phone to the father and is explaining that he is the one who sent the present to him. The man on the other end of the phone says "If you do not comply, I'll trigger the device, and if you move or call the police, I will blow you up." This makes the audience wonder what is in the present, and why is the father in this situation. 

The father goes into shock and slowly stands up. However, as he does this, the camera cuts to a shot of the man looking out the window telling him to sit down. A close up of the fathers face shows he's very worried and confused to how the man on the other end of the line can see him. The father orders the maid to take sofia (the daughter) to the “safe place” which causes tension as it is clear the family are in danger. 

The mood becomes quite serious as the daughter and maid leave the house. I really liked how the camera was placed on the floor and it shows the door opening, their shoes leaving and the door closing which then lets you can see the father in the background. A close up of the fathers face shows he is very stressed as he holds his head in his hands. 

The scene cuts to sofia being dragged by her hand into the car by the maid and begins to bang the windows from inside the car, showing she's very distressed. It shows the text between the maid and the man in the window showing that they're actually working together, which has created a huge twist. The text says "one down one to go” whilst she hugs sofia. The scene ends and the audience is left on a cliffhanger and wonders what happens next. I think the students had done this film very well and really thought it through.