2. Mise en scene - Setting
• The opening sequence does not include any
long shots of the setting; you would assume
that the things taking place are happening in
someone’s home, or in an office as the props
are what you would typically find in these
places.
• However it is not shown therefore creating
tension for the audience.
3. Mise en Scene - Props
• The props used in the opening could be associated
with investigations and detective work. These include
books, photos, files, pens and paper. It appears as if
the person is putting pictures and information into
one file or case.
4. Mise en scene – Positioning of characters
and objects
• All of the objects are shown very close up and
therefore they take up most of the frame.
• This creates suspense as the audience do not know
who is creating this file and doing these things as
they cannot see their face or where they are.
5. Mise en scene – Lighting and colour
• All of the shots are reasonably dark, this connotes danger and
that the film will be quite serious.
• The shots are indoors using low key lighting, this gives the
setting a dull and suspicious feel.
• Most of the colours shown are black and white, however
when the photos are shown being developed you see the red
light that is used to develop them. This dark red connotes
danger, but also shows that they photos are just being
developed.
6. Editing – Shot selection and order,
Continuity
• The opening is in a montage format, it is lots
of different clips put together.
• The fact that it isn’t done in an chronological
order that makes sense gives the idea that this
person is doing many different things to create
some sort of file or investigation about
something, e.g. getting photos and writing
information.
7. Editing - Transitions
• The transitions of the opening sequence vary.
• Some are straight cuts and some cross fade or
fade to black.
• The fading gives the effect of the clips being
linked together and creates an eerie feel, and
the fade to black reflects the sincerity and
darkness of the overall film.
8. Editing – Shot duration, pace and
rhythm
• Most of the shots are fairly short, however
some are edited into slow motion giving them
a slower pace. The music is also quite
slow, particularly at the beginning which gives
it a slow pace.
• As the sequence builds up and gets faster
towards the end, it creates tension for the
audience, and shows that it will be a tens film
to watch.
9. Editing – Special effects
• Some of the special effects include the clips
being in slow motion, this creates a more
sombre tone and allows the audience to
properly see what they are doing on the
screen.
• There are also animations of flickering on the
screen during some of the shots. This is used
to create an eerie effect on the shots.
10. Camera – Depth of field
• As all of the shots are close up objects, there are many
shallow focuses. For example of the books, a pen, photos etc.
• These allow the audience to focus on what is happening with
these items as it may reflect the happenings in the film. It also
distracts them from seeing who the person is that is doing
these things which creates tension.
11. Camera – shot size & framing
• The sequence consists of close-ups, there are
no other type of shots.
• The identity of the person and their location is
not revealed in the opening in order to create
tension. Therefore no long shots or mid shots
are used.
12. Camera - movement
• During the opening sequence, most of the
camera shots are still. There is not much
panning or any other kind of movement as all
of the shots focus on one main thing and keep
it at the centre of the shot.
13. Titles
• The titles that are written appear in a font that
resembles handwriting. This fits in with the
idea of someone creating a file or
investigation, as well as some of the props.
• The text appears in white which makes it
stand out against the dark background.
