an analysis of black swan opening sequence

1. Film opening
Black Swan

2. Introducing the protagonist
Although she is in a white dress
symbolising purity, white also
has a deeper darker meaning.
White is the presence of all
colours. The angry red, fearful
yellow, envious green,sad
purple are all hidden in the
bright pearly white smile of
white This could be the
alternative meaning as black
swan is a psychological thriller.
The protagonist stands alone in a dark empty room under a single
spotlight. This shows the audience she is a significant character in
this film as a light casts on her in a dark room.
The music is sweet, light,
and angelic which
indicates to the audience
that this is the
protagonist
This is inspiration
for my opening
sequence as my
opening sequence
opens with my
protagonist in a
white shirt
symbolizing her
innocence.
In my opening sequence, my protagonist
wears a white shirt, this hides her hidden
agenda of revenge on her boyfriend. In the
opening sequence, she plays the innocent
victim

3. This is an important shot as it
communicates the character's
personality traits to the
audience
The camera moves to a
cut-away shot of the
protagonist’s feet. She
is clearly a determined
and motivated
character
The shot is of ballet feet. This
symbolises the personality of
the character. She clearly
prides herself on perfection
and precision
The fact that her feet
are pointed and she
is on her toes shows
her control and
strength

4. The antagonist appears When the antagonist
appears, the music changes
from a light angelic tone to a
deeper slower sinister tone
He appears from the dark
shadows which indicates to
the audience that this is the
protagonist
The antagonist is, dressed in
white, in the light from which
the audience can infer that she
is innocent. She is also sitting
on the floor with her back
towards the antagonist.This
makes the protagonist
vulnerable. In addition, it also
suggest the antagonist has
more control and power over
the antagonist as she is sitting
on the floor, physically lower
than the antagonist, standing
taller.
The spotlight
emphasizes her
protagonist role as
the god superior,
her innocence and
purity.

5. In this shot, the
antagonist is
following the
protagonist,
shadowing her
The
antagonist is
slightly in the
light. Perhaps
the antagonist
does not know
of his evil.
The protagonist
has her back
toward him,
suggesting she
is not aware of
him, his
presence or
intentions
The
protagonist is
still in the light,
signifying her
significance
and innocence

6. Conversely, the
antagonist could be
the puppet master,
controlling the
antagonist.
Now, the antagonist
seems to mimicking
the antagonist,
following her
movements. He is
behind her which
suggest he is
following.
The tense muscles in her neck
supports the puppet master
analysis of the situation as she
seems worries
The angle of the lighting
suggest she is slowly being
consumed by the
protagonist. The light only
shines on half of the
protagonist, heavily
shadowing the other half of
her, signifying the darkness
consuming her.

7. From the
expression on
the
protagonist’s
face, the
audience can
tell she is
frightened
The light hits the
antagonist's face
revealing to the
audience is true
character.
From the expression
on the protagonist’s
face, the audience can
infer he is impure. His
eyes are dark and
shadowed and his
eyebrows and angled
inwards suggesting his
sinister intentions.

8. The antagonist is revealed
The light is
behind the
antagonist. This
creates a
silhouette of him.
The audience
seed his horns
which connotes
to evil.
We see the black feathers
Black has connotations to evil.
Black swan used black and white
to categorize the characters from
good and bad
In this shot, the
light does not
represent any
purity or hope. It
is exposing the
evil to the
protagonist and
the audience.

9. Try to escape
Break free
Here we see the
protagonist trying
to break free
however the
antagonist is
holding her back,
claiming her.
The protagonist is reaching for the
light. This suggest she wants to be
good and pure
Once again, the
antagonist is playing
in the shadows.
This is a significant
shot a it inspiration
and relates to the
story of the
opening sequence
I will be producing.
In the opening
sequence I will be
producing, my
protagonist is
trying to break free
from her abusive
controlling
boyfriend.

10. Is she free?
Finally, the protagonist stands
alone in front of the light, her
back towards the audience.
This is an intriguing end to the
opening sequence as it makes
the audience wonder if she
escapes into the light or if she
gets pulled back into the dark
by the antagonist
Her arms are held open
suggesting she is claiming
her freedom
Her dress has changed since the
beginning suggesting she has changed,
grown, learned and matured.
This resonates with my
opening sequence as at the
end if my opening sequence,
the audience will be left
wondering if my protagonist is
finally free and successful in
her quest for vengeance and