The opening title sequence of the film the 'secret window' starts with the sound in the background of the car windscreen wipers going back and for. This has started even before the actual picture of the film begins. When the film producers logo starts up, 'Columba' the sound of the wipers are still going on.
The picture then opens with the actor 'Jonny Depp' sat in a car in the snow outside a motel with him just staring into space out of the windscreen. Then some non-digetic sound has been edited into the piece. The sound is a voice over of him talking, he is saying "Turn around" and "Do not go back there", is this meant to represent his thoughts? He then puts the car into reverse and drives back to the motel, so he going against all the things his thoughts were telling him to do. He walks into the reception of the motel and this is shown by a tracking shot and he takes a key to one of the rooms of the motel. The room that his wife is sleeping in. He burst into the room and catches his wife sleeping with another man. There is a really effective shot when Jonny burst in. The camera is situated in the dashboard of the car so we watch him break in from inside the car. This made me feel like i was sat in the car just watching him doing it. When he gets the door open, the camera cuts to the inside of the motel room and there is some digetic sound added. The sound that has been added is a very strong wind like it is blowing through the doorway. I feel it is really effective because it adds a scary effect to the scene and a terrifying atmosphere to the situation and make it more fast pasted in the room. The only voice you hear in this scene is Jonny's when he screams at his wife. You can see them speaking but you cannot hear them over the loud wind. I feel this gave us a sense of terror and fright. Make us worry about what is going to happen next, what he might do. Dramatic music then kicks in when when screams to kill the scene and then the opening title sequence begins. The music is a very heavy press on a piano. And the screen fades to the beginning of the film.
The next shot is the camera flying across a lake towards an old wooden house on the edge. As we are gliding across the names of the cast and crew are edited onto the page and the fade into the picture. There is music score added into the background of the picture, the sound of violins, and these create a sense of tension. There is then a really strange shot in this opening sequence. And an extremely difficult one to do. We go from gliding over the lake to flying around the house and through the top window. i think going through the window is a really good idea for the opening sequence as the film is called the "secret window". We then go through the window and into the top room of the house, around the laptop screen and then down the stairs. The reason why this shot is really difficult is because there were no edits used whatsoever. No cuts were used at all. So it was just one extremely long shot. We then go through the mirror of the house to see him sleeping on the sofa.
The mise-en-scene in the scene is mainly what Jonny Depp is wearing. He is wearing a hat and scarf and a winter coat as I believe it is set in the winter time and snow is falling in the opening shot.
Overall I thought the opening title sequence worked really well and really made you think about what is going on and going to happen next which is what you expect from a thriller film.
Written by Zack Franks.
No comments:
Post a Comment