opening scene research of Psycho, Gone girl and Black swan

1. Film research
horror/thriller
tana

2. Psycho
Psycho opens with a wide high angle shot of a city. The camera pans around to give a full view of the city. There are many glitches and the credits are
pieced together on the screen. This suggest there are secrets as there are gaps and jumps, as if someone is hiding something.
From a high angle shot, the camera moves slowly down to a window that is slightly open. The camera moves through the open gap revealing the flat inside.
This makes the audience as if the are peeping through the window. Inside the flat is couple, half dressed. This makes the audience feel naughty and guilty
for trespassing and now seeing something they should not have. The movement of the camera suggest the film is a thriller as it creates a thrilling, creepy
feeling for the audience and makes them feel as if they are always being watched.
The soundtrack (non-diegetic sound) is fast pace for the opening credits. The fast pace music suggest the characters are running or on the run. There are
also high pitched violins. This suggest there is terror. The characters are on the run and are constantly looking over their shoulders for someone. When the
opening sequence moves to the shot of the city, the music is slower, setting the equilibrium of the story. When the camera moves into the flat, the
audience can hear the two characters talking (diegetic sound). The man tells her she hasn't eaten her lunch, showing he cares for her health. This
conforms him to the stereotypical male role of ‘being the man of the house’ as he cares about the health of his loved ones. The woman says she needs to
get back to her job at the office (she is a secretary) which is typically a woman’s job.
In the flat we see the woman on the bed as the man gets ready to go to work. This creates the stereotypical image of the woman staying at home while the
men go to work to earn money to provide for the family.

3. Gone girl
Gone girl is a film about the disappearance of a wife and the husband is believed to be the killer.
Gone girl opens with a close up shot of the man stroking the female's head. This suggest he has control over her.
This action seems tender, caring and loving.
Conversely, the audience can hear the the non-diegetic sound of the antagonist talking. His voice, words and
soundtrack make the audience feel uneasy. His choice of words are malicious ‘cracking her skull’ which
automatically tells the audience he cannot be trusted. This is a dramatic irony as the audience knows this character
is the antagonist however the girl, the protagonist, has not realised this yet. It suggest his character is manipulative.
This may be a sign of abuse.
The behaviour of the man makes him seem psychotic which suggest this film is a thiller as psychos are a genre
convention of a thriller.
The camera angle stays the same when the protagonist looks up at the camera. The background is blurred which
makes the audience focus on the innocent, vulnerable expression on the woman’s face. The director may also want
the audience to focus on the strange relationship between the husband and wife
Cinematics; the editing of the opening sequence has a lot of images fading. The credits fade on and off the screen
foreshadowing a disappearance in the film

4. Black swanTarget Audience; the film features strong sex scenes and bloody images, for that reason, it is
rated 15 by the BBFC. the film is targeted to a mature audience with an interest in horror and
thriller genres. The plot revolves around the production of ‘swan lake’, a story expressed
through dance and therefore would attract an audience who like artistic styled films.
Editing; The camera moves fluidly and continuously with the characters. This allows the
dance to flow smoothly and not be interrupted abruptly with cutting shots. As a result, it
creates a sense that the audience is following the character.
Cinematography; The scene opens to a long shot of Nina and the setting, establishing the
location and who the audience imply to be the main character - her central position in the shot
and the spotlight's focus on Nina reflect her importance. The camera then tracks Nina as she
dances, moving to focus on her feet as she moves, showing her elegance, as well as showing
the ballet aspect of the film.
The camera then switches focus to a over the shoulder shot of the antagonist moving towards
Nina, showing the danger present to Nina, and that she is unaware of it, inciting a sense of
fear or worry in the audience. The camera then switches again to a medium shot of Nina's
face as the antagonist comes towards her, showing Nina's facial expressions and emotions,
as well as her ignorance to the danger as the viewer can see the antagonist whilst she can't,
creating tension in the scene. As the two characters dance, the camera uses tracking and arc
shots to circle them, showing the scene from both character's perspectives. It also gives the
camera and the scene flow easier as the camera follows the rhythmic patterns of the dancers,
where a cut in editing would interrupt this flow.
As the scene ends, the camera zooms out whilst Nina continues to dance in front of the
spotlight, reflecting the character's importance. By zooming out, the audience also sees Nina
as alone in the shot, possibly hinting at themes of isolation.
Conclusion;Overall the opening to Black Swan is effective as it gives the creators a chance to
introduce many of the key characters and components of the film to the audience in a brief
period. In two minutes, the scene has already introduced the protagonist (Nina), the concept of
the fil (ballet), and has hinted at the key themes of the plot (isolation, corruption and fighting
between light and dark). It is also visually appealing as the camera moves almost
harmoniously with the characters, creating a nice sense of flow and movement.
Sound; In the opening, non-diegetic sound of classical music is
used. The music is played throughout the dance making it
appear as if the audience is watching a ballet. The music and
dance choreography is in sync, speeding up and slowing down,
getting louder and quieter, keeping pace with the movement of
the dance. The music also created tension with the use of speed
and volume creating an eerie atmosphere for the scene.
The music changes as adjust to the mood of the scene. The
music reflects the character or situation of the story, the music is
elegant, light, angelic and graceful when the protagonist is
dancing alone. However that music adjusts to a deeper tone and
becomes sharper, louder and rougher when the antagonist
arrives which reflects the change in atmosphere, fear and tension
created by this character.
Mise en scene; there are no props in the opening sequence.
The character in the opening sequence wears a white dress
which is symbolic of her innocence. It shows she is the
protagonist. A second character appears in a black costume.
Form this, i can infer he is the antagonist as the dark costume
foreshadow a dark evil disruption to the equilibrium.
The film opens in a bare stage with a single spotlight on the
dancer. This forces the audience to focus on the character
suggesting the character is of high significance in the film. The
single spotlight suggest the character is different and maybe
fighting to be notice and free. Alternatively, she is fighting against
the darkness of the stage that is trying to engulf her.