The driver's apartment is used to introduce his character without exposition since he doesn't speak much. His plain white leather jacket, car, and anonymity show his inner purity. Bryan Cranston's blue jacket suggests a sad character. The pink text and 1980s aesthetic set the period. Shots of Los Angeles, a map, and a basketball game establish the setting. Dark lighting emphasizes a scorpion on the driver's jacket to maintain his mystery. One takes introduce the characters visually through their surroundings and possessions. Lack of non-diegetic sound keeps the audience curious without musical cues.

1. FilmOpeningAnalysis –Drive (2011)
The locationfirstseenin Drive isa room.Thisgivesusan introductiontothe character of the driver,
whobecause he doesn’tspeakmuchdoesn’tgive the audience muchexposition,andsowe are
forcedto getit fromhisroom – whichbeingthe place thatcontainsmostof hispersonal belongings
isthe bestplace to tell usabouthim.Later,the scene shiftstothe garage,whichsetsupthe
importance of drivinginthe story.The driverwearsa white leatherjacketthattellsusthathe isthe
protagonistthroughthe colour’ssymbolismwithinnocence andpurity.BryanCranstonwearsblue
suggestingthathe isa sadcharacter. The textthat opensthe filmispink because the filmhasa
1980s aestheticandthiswasa colour commonlyinuse inthatperiod.The car thatthe driverusesis
alsowhite toshowhisanonymityandinnerpurity.Inthe firstshot,there isalsoan annotatedmap,
showingthathe is planningsomethingandaTV broadcastinga basketball game betweenLA and
Toronto,whichcoupledwithanaerial establishingshottellsthe audience thatthe storyissetin Los
Angeles.The lightinginthe driver’sroomisdarkso that emphasisisplacedonthe scorpiononthe
back of his jacket.RyanGosling(asthe driver) doesnotsayanythingandremainsexpressionless
throughout– thisis to maintainamysteriousatmosphere abouthim.The firstscene isone shotwith
the camera panningtoshowus the driverand hisapartment – thisis to show how he blendsinwith
hissurroundings.The garage scene isalsoone take inwhichit showsus the cars Bryan Cranston
keepsaswell asthe posterson hiswall,toinformusabout hischaracter visuallyasmuchas
possible. The shotof the protagonistdrivinghasthe driverbeingreflectedinthe rear-viewmirrorto
give the audience avoyeuristicfeel –like we are tryingtolookat himbut can’t lookinthe eye,
creatingan ominoustensionsurroundinghim. There isnonon-diegeticsound -thisistokeepthe
audience curiousbecause theydon’tknow how tofeel withoutmusical cuesfordirection.The only
diegeticsoundisdialogueandcar sfx.Thisisso the audience looksatthe visual informationbeing
displayedwithoutbeingdistractedbysoundeffectsdirectingtheirattentiontoone place inthe shot.