RESEARCH: Holiday homework- Analysing two film openings

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 

The 2011 Mystery thriller 'the girl with the dragon tattoo', uses sophisticated, stylistically edited opening to create a fast pace. It also uses a discrete opening, in which it uses elements to suggest the plot of the film. For example... 












 The opening uses sound to further create a fast pace, for example it uses the diagetic sound of rapid heavy metal music to create a riotous and high-velocity tone to further suggest the violent and hostile themes featured throughout. 

The use of editing in the opening creates a consequential tone as it is structured to tell a story.
For example...

 The beginning of the opening shows what seems to be a person concealed and struggling, whilst remaining trapped. 







The then goes on to show someone struggling under the influence of being caught on fire. 




The use of mise en scene, camera and images further suggest the tone and events in the film. 
For example...

The close-up shots, put emphasis on the colour black, whilst the the use of the colour black and the images of the black motifs, such as a Tyre  create a sense of drive, venture, risk and peril. This not only further suggests the subject of the film but also intrigues the audience to see the significance of the use of mise  en scene and images.  

The Stepfather

The 2009 thriller 'The Stepfather', uses a narrative opening, to create a slow pace in which creates a tragic and immoral tone. 
For example... 

The opening runs the titles throughout the beginning of the actual film, in which the titles are super-imposed. 

The opening uses sound to further create a slow pace, for example the sound of a slow christmas song, to create a beautified and sacred tone at the beginning, to create the image of the house to start off with as a sacred place. 

The use of slow pace editing, however towards the end of the opening is different to the beginning. For example...












The slow pace editing, is made continually show members of the family, one after the other appearing to be dead. This creates a more grievous tone, but also a sense of mystery about the main character shown in the opening. 

The opening also uses mise en scene and camera to further suggest the large contrast between the beginning and end of the opening. 
For example... 

 


The establishing shot of the, white, family house creates a sense of innocence, convention and safety.












However things take a turn for the worse through the close-up shot of the knives, hammer and blood, signifying danger and death.