The opening scene of the film Fargo establishes mood through cinematography and sound design. A single continuous shot shows a car towing a broken vehicle through snowy conditions, getting increasingly closer until an extreme close up. Non-diegetic music builds tension until the vehicles pass and silence returns, creating an eerie atmosphere enhanced by the disorienting snow and fog. While not following all thriller conventions, the scene sets an ominous tone through its visuals and soundtrack.

1. Fargo
The very first thing that is seen on the screen is writing,
white on black. This is in contrast to the setting of the film.
This shows how dark the film even though it is in a very
bright environment. The opening is a car driving through the
snow towing a broken vehicle. This is not a typical thriller
convention however it has aspects of a thriller convention.
For example the snow and fog can be more eerie than the
dark at night as the snow and fog in this scene can be very
disorientating like a thriller. They have only used one
continuous camera angle of the car driving for the majority
of the scene. It starts at a distance and gets closer and closer,
the camera is in one fixed position, on the opposite side of
the road. It starts at an extreme long shot. You can’t even tell
that it is towing another car until it is really up close, at a
medium shot.
Until it drives past at and we get an extreme close up. We
then get a long shot of the car from the side of the road.

2. Then the camera is placed on the opposite side of the road
driving away from the camera and ends on an extreme long
shot. This has typical thriller convention as with the extreme
long shot you cant really make out what it is, creating a
sense of mystery. This is also creating by the foggy snow so
we can see a blurry whiteness. At the start the scene were
the screen goes white, it then fades into the scene. The same
colour white is used for the white screen as is used for the
snow and the fog so it goes together this also gives a sense of
confusion by not being able to see properly. This is like
common thrillers, confusion. The sound in this scene is
mainly non-diegetic, as guitars and violins are playing very
slowing. Until it becomes visible what the car is. Drums are
played loudly and the whole of the music instruments play
until it stops. No diegetic sound was used. This is doesn’t
really have a convention however it could be interpreted a
as there being loads wide areas of land round these parts
were you wont hear anything making the film feel eerie with
the silence which follows the typical thriller conventions.
There is a sound track along with this scene. This is not
really cheerful music giving us thought that this isn’t going
to be a nice story. It is going to be quite tragic. This is a very
natural occurring event in a normal state. This makes us feel

3. like it is too normal and too good to be true; a traditional
thrillerhorror start to a film.