AO1 - Thriller Opening Analysis

Notes & Analysing of "North by North-West" Opening

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- At the beginning of the opening, we see a green screen with black, animated lines entering from the top right and the bottom of the frame, once they've fully entered, they produce some kind of grid with a sense of perspective to the top right. The lines make you feel trapped as if you're in some prison cell or behind bars.

- The titles of the movie enter from all different directions and the perspective and the alignment of the text is the same of the grid. It all heads towards to the top right. On the title, there are arrows pointing North and North-West. This relates to the title of the movie.

- The opening uses the "Rule of Thirds", with all thirds being used.

- The animation then dissolves into a sky-scraper with mirrored windows. This reflects a New York scene - often mirrors in thrillers are used to convey lies - so what we see may not really be there.

- The next shot is dissolved into and this is of people walking about. The dissolving makes us think the two shots that have been dissolved are connected. The shot that it has dissolved into is of people leaving a building which suggests its the end of the day. Once again and dissolve effect is used into a crowed of people entering the SubWay, confirming it really is the end of the day and people are going home.

- The dress of people is quite formal and work wear for when this movie was made.

- The business and the two normal women fighting for a cab makes us sightly uncomfortable, even without the music.

- The music is busy and chaotic, with an uncomfortably high flute/brass sounds that matches the scurry of people in the rush hour. To accompany this, we have loud, brash trumpet sounds to make the scene seem more busy. Orchestral sounds are used, which suggests that the music is classical.

Notes & Analysing of "Se7en" Opening

I'm analysing the opening sequence to David Fincher's "Se7en".

- At the beginning of the opening, we see a close-up shot of a book. From this point onwards and for the rest of the opening, a sepia tone of colours is used to give the opening a chilling, old, scruffy, dirty feel. We also have a 'book motif'.

- In the opening we see; eyes scribbled out, suggesting that without eyes, a human no longer is a "person". We also see pictures of broken hands and fingers, suggesting that the person with these hands/fingers is the person compiling the "scrap book" of the pictures of people with eyes scribbled out. We then see some hands getting their finger prints braded off.

- Throughout the opening, there is a chilling use of words like:

          

          - Pregnant

          - God

          - Transexual

          - Foot

          - Se7en

          - Intercourse

          - Pride

...suggesting that the film has something to do with pregnancy, perhaps baptism before death and maybe something against the bible.

- We see an enigma code, already setting up a mystery.

- The background music (or soundtrack), "Nine Inch Nails - Closer", has effects added to it to make it more spooky than the track actually is. Listening to the opening sequence, without seeing the video, makes us on-edge, so perhaps sounds will play a powerful part later in the play.

- Throughout the opening sequence, a number of different sound effects are used, such as: screams, screaches, fast forwards of tape, sounds of chain saws, industrial sounds, wind chimes. The sounds also consist of robotic bleeps, banging of metals, boom of explosions. At the end of the 'track', we have vocals. The sound track uses an urban-like drum beat.