1. Don’t Look Now (1973) Dir: Nicolas Roeg
There is a marked descent in tone from the start to the end of psychological
thriller Don’t Look Now’s opening sequence, presented through the sound, editing
and action in the scene.
In the opening moments we see a small girl, conspicuously dressed in a bright
red coat and sporting blonde hair, whilst carrying a small talking doll. Immediately
we are given an emotional connection to the character because of her age, and it
tells us of her innocence as a character. This makes her death later on in the
sequence all the more horrifying for the viewer. Such a distressing moment is very
typical for a film such as this, but the contrast between the innocence at the
beginning of the scene and the grief portrayed through Donald Sutherland’s
performance later on makes it all the more uncomfortable for the viewer.
Through the pace and style of the editing, we can see the change in mood for
the situation: at the beginning of the scene, there is a long shot of the girl walking
across a field with a wheelbarrow and a white horse in the background, a shot akin
to nature documentaries which are known for being peaceful and tranquil. Later on
in the sequence, however, when the father senses something is wrong, and runs out
to save his daughter, the editing is more frenetic, constantly cutting between the
distorted photograph and the father, as well as some unclear images. The pacing is
also less consistent, with a few parts taking place in slow motion, such as the father
rising up out of the water but others being very fast, such as when he is running back
to the house and we have the anticipation of the moment when the mother sees the
child.
In the opening shot, there is a pleasant piece of piano music that plays over
the top of the nature documentary-esque shot, which gives the audience an idea of
the tranquillity of the location. However, when the father runs out to save the
daughter, after several minutes of having no music at all, there is some very intense
string music that underpins the interruption of the cosiness in the family’s life. The
music’s low pitch also indicates the crushing consequences of the situation, which
we as viewers can infer as being quite catastrophic.
Not only this, but the diegetic sound within the scene is occasionally utilised
in showing the shift in tone for the sequence, if only briefly. When the father first
jumps into the water, we hear a very audible gasp of air, something that was not
made nearly as obvious earlier in the scene. This can provoke a response from the
audience of feeling claustrophobic because of the feeling of close proximity to the
character, and heightens the tension and discomfort of the scene.
All of these things which mark the change in tone from the start to the end of
the sequence are things which I would consider integral to the progression of my
opening sequence, going from something calm and collected to something that
makes the viewer uncomfortable and that portrays the intensity of the main
character’s situation.
