Taxi Driver analysis

2. 1. The opening shot of the title
sequence shows the production
company’s name in a red, bold font
with a black background. This is done
because the audience will recognise
the company, as well as the font and
background making it stand out more.
The colour red is used as it connotes
danger which creates tension, a
common theme of thrillers.
2. This shot shows the actor’s name, who is
the main character in this film. This shot is
very similar to the previous with the same
font and colours, to create the same effect.
This actor is in multiple thrillers and so the
audience will recognise him and continue
watching. The mood created in this shot is
mystery as not much is given away to the
audience
3. This frame shows a street at night
time where a lot of smoke or steam
appears to be coming out of the ground.
The white smoke contrasts the
darkness of the street which confuses
the audience. Also, the audience
doesn’t know what the smoke is or why
it is coming from the ground, and so
they carry on watching.
4. This shot leads on from the
previous, with a car driving through
the smoke and the title of the film,
‘Taxi Driver’ trailing behind it. The
font is bold and the colour of it is
yellow which connotes happiness, an
anti-stereotype of the thriller genre.
This confuses the audience and so
they want to know more.
5. This shot presents more names of actors
in the same bold font and yellow colour,
further creating a juxtaposition in the
moods created. The smoke now acts as a
background for the titles which is white.
The colours are now completely opposite to
the colours of the first couple of shots that
used black and red colours, creating
contrast for the audience.
6. The next shot shows a extreme close
up of the main character’s eyes with
changing levels of lighting. This shows
different levels of lighting, creating
more contrast and different moods all
in one shot. The audience focuses on
his eyes and facial expression due to
the extreme close up used.
7. This shot shows an inside
perspective of a car driving through a
city with a lot of bright lights.
However, it seems to be raining so all
of the lights and colours are not
focused and blurry. The audience can
8. The opening titles still continue to
appear throughout, with this shot showing
a poorly focused view of lights from the
nearby shops and other buildings. The
blurriness of the shot makes the lights
appear brighter. This is an anti-stereotype
9. This frame shows a clearer, less
blurry view of people walking around,
creating a busy atmosphere. The credit
of the director is shown in a bold yellow
font. This is an occurring theme in this
title sequence, so the audience stays