Opening Sequence Analysis

1. Lydia Marley-Lawson
Opening Sequence Analysis: Sweeney Todd
The opening sequence for Sweeney Todd follows a similar style that you would expect from a Tim
Burton film; looking gruesomely animated with a selection of generic conventions we usually
associate with the horror genre including blood, stormy weather and eerie back alleys.
The opening scene begins with darkness which is interrupted by the first credit, in white, standing
out on the black background which simply states the two production companies that made the film.
The darkness then eases away as a tilt shot down slowly reveals a very foggy, stormy London
horizon. The fog is thick and gives the impression that as well as fog from the storm we can see
fumes from the industrial side of London in Victorian times. We see the rooftops of London which
are dark and soaked in rain, looking grim- much like the story of Sweeney Todd. At first our ears are
greeted with a theatrical non-diegetic number, which drifts in and out of ambience and sinister one
note sounds which are similar to those in Hitchcock’s Psycho. Diegetic roars of thunder and dripping
rain in the storm is evident, overlapping the music, tying in with the thunder storm we are visually
made aware of.
At this point we are transported across the rooftops of a dull, dark London in a smooth and
consistent pan. During the pan across the roof tops chimneys emit thick clouds of smoke and then
we detect a barber’s pole of which bright red and white stripes contrast heavily on the otherwise
gloomy scene. In addition to this contrasting crimson, an uneven drip of blood is intertwined in the
raindrops every so often, foreshadowing the bloodshed later in the feature. Every drop of rain/blood
is non-simultaneously integrated in the sound to add a sense of realism.
Then the pan comes to an end as it smoothly continues into a slow zoom into the window of the
demon barber’s work place. The gentle movements seem almost ghostly, a popular concept in the
horror genre is. An old wooden barber’s chair is situated through the window, shown by an aerial
shot. At this point a striking red splatter of blood splashes on the window making a crude and
pleonastic sound. As the actor’s names begin to appear the non-diegetic and extremely
melodramatic orchestral music becomes ambient with the gentle flute sound playing a catchy hook.
Again, in correspondence to the dark back drop the text for the credits is white.

2. Lydia Marley-Lawson
It is at this point when the camera’s new mission becomes following the blood trail. The camera tilts,
following the drip down an intricate stone object before pausing for a close up of the bright blood
dripping onto a large, steel cog. The cogs are clear reference to the director’s style as Burton
visualises Sweeney Todd in a Victorian/Steampunk light. Burton has also infused this steampunk idea
in some of his other films including Alice in Wonderland and Edward Scissor Hands. As the cogs turn
we hear them judder and creak in a smooth diegetic overlay to the continuous, orchestral track.
Dramatically, the blood drips down to the infamous trapdoor and as it swings open the music’s
volume and tempo increases in a startling manner which is a classic convention of the horror genre.
“Sweeney Todd” appears on the screen in red this time, posing an interesting contrast between the
white texts used previously. The use of the colour red in this opening sequence gives strong
connotations of blood, death and tragedy which are all common themes in Sweeney Todd and the
horror genre and therefore are extremely suitable.
The transition switches to a swift and brief dolly out in whi ch we see a rusted, old meat grinder,
squeezing out some suspicious looking mince in which drops of blood trickle from. This blood then
trickles onto a table and a bird’s eye view shows a spiral red pattern. As the shot switches to Mrs
Lovett’s pies in the oven the music changes again from the sinister theatrical non-diegetic number it
was to a gentle and feminine track which is in regards to Mrs Lovett and how she longed for a
normal family life.
Rats are scuttling by the bloody trough underground as a dol ly out shows the “blood stream” that
has evacuated from Sweeney’s potential victims and the shots slow down with the pace of the music
as it draws to a close. The use of rats is almost humorous given the fact that this is a pie shop and
therefore infers poor hygiene which was the norm in this time period. This grim truth adds to the
dark themes of the story of Sweeney Todd and ultimately any film in the horror genre. The transition
to fade begins and as the entire feature relaxes to a steady pace; the final credit appears “Directed
by Tim Burton”.
Following the main credits the shot fades in a smooth transition, recreating a sea-fret horizon. A
wooden ship sales into shot through the eerie mist and it is at this point we meet Antony and
Sweeney, two of the main characters in the entire film as they engage in a song that is partially
optimistic and partially pessimistic, in keeping with the time period and industrial Victorian London.
At the time people were optimistic as job opportunities raised as well as the excitement of new
technology but the hard work and poor conditions were too severe.