2. The use of non-diegetic music is key to the success of the opening
title sequence. The very deep toned instrumental creates an eerie
atmosphere and is one of the aspects of the sequence that tells the
audience about the genre of this film. The music seems to be used
to counteract the strong sense of normality and realism in the
shots used to build this title sequence, thus implying that danger
is around the corner.
3. The camera is tracking at a birds-eye view position so it can
follow the car during the opening scene. This suggests that the car
may be symbolic or the person in the car plays an integral role in
what is to happen as the film unravels. Throughout the
sequences, the main shots used are extreme long shots which pan
across the location following a green car.
4. Extreme long shots are used to establish the location, in this case
the location is pivotal to the success of the title sequence as it
shows a very rough, and more importantly, a very remote
location. This is stereotypically used by psychological thrillers and
horrors to convey a sense of helplessness. This is one aspect of the
title sequence that hints the genre to the audience.
5. There are no reverse cuts during the opening sequences of the
film as there are no characters involved at this period in time.
However, match cuts are included which signals the continuity of
the film as we are tracking a car. At first, the audience may
assume that the persons in the car are on the run from the police
and the bird’s eye view shot we get is from the police force in a
helicopter.
6. The first title to be shown is the director, Stanley Kubrick. He is
noted for his "dazzling" and unique cinematography, attention to
details to achieve realism and an inspired use of music scores. It
takes one minute for the first titles to roll on to screen, this may
have been done because the director wants the audience to
engross themselves into the movement of the car and camera.
7. The credits are shown in light blue which are non-threatening and
occupy the scene at the same time. The titles stay on screen for a
maximum of five seconds. The titles seem to go with the hierarchy
of power; starting with the director then the main two actors
followed by the film title.
8. The Rocky Mountains are nearly always in the framing of the
shots. This tells the audience that at some point in the film, the
Rocky Mountains will be of great significance as to where some of
the violence is going to occur. The opening scene is set in broad
daylight which is not usually associated with horror. With the
opening scene set in daylight, this allows the audience to relieve
tension and expect the unexpected.
