The opening title sequence of Final Destination 3 uses ominous music and a video montage of symbolic images like tarot cards and a pinball machine to set the mood and foreshadow themes of fate, luck, and death. Scenes of a pinball missing holes labeled "Luck" and "Fate" and eventually falling into the "Death" hole are intercut with shots of tarot cards and signs. This introduction connects the characters seen at the start of the movie to the ominous themes presented in the title sequence.

1. Final
Destinatio
n 3
The opening sequence
Analysed by Nico Duckert

2. Themes/Mood:
Final Destination 3 is about a series of killings
of a group of teenagers which is
foreshadowed by a couple of pictures. The
main character figures out pretty quickly that
all the deaths are shown on the pictures in
some form. This would be classified as a
horror since it is quite gory and very straight
forward.
The images shown are all small parts of fun
fare which is edited with scary and very low
music. You can see pieces of a carousel with
horses, and various images of tarot cards.

3. The opening sequence is
symbolic of this movie. You
can see this from the way
that the title ‘Final
Destination’ is shown by being
blended into a stack of tarot
cards. This foreshadows the
whole aspect of the main
character seeing the future
(i.e. knowing how people are
going to die). From the fact
that she is looking at pictures
can be drawn onto the same
level as reading tarot cards.
The sign saying ‘Do You
Believe in Fortunes?’
foreshadows later events of
the teenagers not being able

4. Throughout the title sequence
there are various cutaways to
the ball rolling through the pin
ball game and missing holes
such as ‘Luck’ and ‘Fate’. This
is representative of the
characters conditions in the
movie. None of them have any
luck or any good fate which
results in their fortunes.
The title sequence then
finishes on a shot of the ball
rolling into the hole ‘Death’.
This then cuts straight into
the actual movie which begins
with the characters getting on
the rollercoaster. This
juxtaposing of shots is

5. Characters?
The characters are only introduced
after the title sequence finishes, linking
the introduction to the actual movie.
When the title sequence flows into the
start of the movie it is immediately
established that the characters
influenced by the title sequence are the
ones which get the most screen time
(i.e. privilege) as soon as the movie
starts. When you then watch more of
the movie you see exactly how the title

6. Titles/Graphics
The titles tend to blend in and out
slowly which fits the music. They are
also quite serious introducing the
genre. Behind the titles the screen
lights up emphasizing the names.
They also fill up the screen at time
because the writing is quite big and
bold. The style of the writing is very
basic and quite old style with faults
to it so it looks a bit chipped. The
picture distracts from the titles
slightly just because it is quite

7. Music/Sound
The music is made up of very slow and partially low
strings. This suggests luring danger and once again
emphasizes the genre of the movie. At one point
throughout the sequence the music then changes to a
higher tone, probably violin, which just keeps the
audience on edge. The music complements the image
due to the slow blends of the video montage.
Everything is timed to fit with the music so the titles
blend in quite slowly. All of these factors create a
very eerie and sinister mood. The music is non
diegetic and there is not a lot of diegetic sound in the
whole sequence except for the journey of the balls of
the pinball game where you can hear the mechanics
working. This makes everything seem odd and
dangerous.

8. Editing
The shot choice does not tell you a lot about the
actual plot of the movie. The opening sequence is a
video montage which is made up of little details of a
balls course through a pin ball machine, a tarot card
reader, pieces of signs and posters and all of the
are representative of the idea of luck, fate and
destination. Because of the slow cuts the mood is
kept upright adding to a creepy and mysterious
effect which then leads into the actual beginning of
the movie. Different shots are juxtaposed with
different parts of the opening sequence. So that
there is actually only one narrative going on at the
time which is the course of the pinball ball through
the machine. This is inter cut with other bits and
pieces ranging from half a dolls face or signs which
portray messages such as ‘Do you believe in
Fortunes.’