Cape Fear- Form and Function of the Opening Sequence

Cape Fear (1991), is a Martin Scorsese remake of the original 1962 film. The opening sequence was created for Scorsese by Ellen and Saul Bass. This opening sequence contains many symbols and metaphors that come together to represent the film’s themes. These are mentioned on a “Art of the Title” article on Cape Fear as;

1. Liquid

2. Eyes and eye-lines

3. The colour red or blood

4. Predatory alpha behaviour- the hawk in the sequence. (Ben Radatz).

The opening sequence does an excellent job of presenting these themes to the audience. The sequence opens with a shot of dark water rippling, which is used all throughout the sequence and we often see other images appear on screen as though they are a reflection in the water. Scorsese describes this as “the ominous, wavering reflection in water of phantom images.” The first example of this is when we see a shot of a hawk, as it appears when Robert DeNiro's, (who plays Max Cady), name appear on screen, this is in reference to the “predatory alpha behaviour” symbol as mentioned in the “Art of the Title” article. The next shot is a close-up of an eye which then quickly changes to Cady's face which we then see twice, this is a ambiguous way to introduce the antagonist in the film to the audience. An interesting part of this sequence is when a drop of blood shows on screen and the water changes to a red colour (representing blood) and this is when the director, Martin Scorsese’s title credits appear on screen. Lastly, we see a close up of Danielle’s face, which first appears as red and then changes to blue and then grey once she starts talking, then as the camera starts to zoom out she appears a normal skin colour. Once she stops talking, this is where the opening sequence ends and the screen fades out to a blank black screen. The only sound heard throughout the sequence is non-diegetic music, which is typical haunting orchestral music. When the title appears the music becomes louder and more intense but then it dies down only to slowly build back up again throughout the rest of the scene. This is important in building up tension for the audience and  for introducing the whole genre of the film. Bass and Scorsese use the opening sequence to efficiently introduce us to the film and giving us some perspective on what we could expecting from watching the film. Scorsese has said that a good opening sequence should led “viewers into the mystery of the film without giving it away,” in Cape Fear he has sufficiently done exactly that. 

References:

Ben Radatz. “Cape Fear (1991).” Art of the Title. 8th October 2012. Web. 27 April 2015. http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/cape-fear/

Cape Fear. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Amblin Entertainment, Tribeca Productions, Cappa Films, 1991. Film.

Corrigan Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

"Saul Bass - CAPE FEAR (1991) title sequence.” annyas. Web. 27 April 2015. http://annyas.com/screenshots/updates/saul-bass-cape-fear-title-sequence-1991/

“Saul Bass title sequence - Cape fear (1991)” 15th February 2011. Youtube. Web video. 27 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoO0ZsQ7tBg

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Form and Function of the Opening Sequence

The opening sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), is used incredibly well to let the viewer know what they are in for in watching the film. The sequence sets up the mood for the rest of the film and introduces to us the thriller/mystery that we are about to see. Throughout the whole opening sequence we see various characters from the film drenched in an oozing black liquid substance, with the characters already appearing as black. 

At first we see the black shiny liquid covering various unidentifiable black objects, the title then comes onscreen with the black liquid flowing over it and it disappears from the screen. Next the camera does a close up of a computer keyboard with the black liquid flowing through it, this is a reference to the character of Lisbeth and her computer hacking skills, this is the first introduction to the main character for the audience. A close up of her mouth reveals the liquid coming out of it and flowing down the rest of her body. Another reference to Lisbeth then appears, this time with computer cables which seemingly connect into her head. 

As the audience, we also see various other characters which all seem to be thrashing around as though they are in a nightmare, which director, David Fincher said he wanted the title sequence to be, “I liked the idea of this sort of primordial sort of tar or ooze, and I liked the idea that it was her nightmare.” 

Another example of this ‘nightmare’ is when we see a hand punching Lisbeth’s head and it then shatters and the audience sees the fragmented pieces falling, next a black flower is shown opening from a bud into a full flower and as this is happening we see hands come up and grasping Lisbeth’s face as though this is a symbol for her ‘nightmare’ that Fincher talked about. 

Lastly the next shot is of Lisbeth’s face completely covered in this liquid with the camera quickly zooming in on her open mouth and then entering it, the screen goes completely black and the music abruptly stops. This was a well done end of the opening sequence as it signifies the end of the nightmare and goes straight into the first scene of the film. The music used in this opening sequence is Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song, covered by Karen O, this song fits perfectly with the opening sequence and with the film as a whole and is a fundamental part in setting up the first emotions for the audience. The relationship between the image and sound is an important part of this sequence as the image is obviously moving at the same beat of the music, and during the climax of the song fire starts appearing onscreen, covering objects and characters. 

As Fincher stated “I think title a sequences are opportunities to se the stage or to get people thinking in different terms than whatever it is that they understand the movie to be,” The CGI used as part of the virtual cinematography and the sound is excellently used to introduce the film to the audience and illustrates what Fincher said about title sequences.

References:

Corrigan Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

Oliver Lyttelton. “David Fincher Talks His Approach For The Opening Credit Sequence For 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’.” Indiewire. 22 December 2011. Web. 26 April 2015. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-fincher-talks-his-approach-for-the-opening-credit-sequence-for-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Dir. David Fincher. Scott Rudin Productions, Yellow Bird Films, 2011. Film.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Opening Sequence (2011) [HD].” 6 January 2012. Youtube. Web video. 26 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLJkIZvFlo

Under the Skin- Form and Function of the Opening Sequence

Under the Skin (2013), certainly has an unusual opening sequence, the sci-fi/thriller film encompasses the genre in the opening sequence as we first see a black screen with a tiny white dot in the middle, which gradually appears to be growing larger or closer. The white dot then seems to become a bright white light, with white circles appearing from it. The white circle appears again with an inner grey circle and a black circle, this then transforms into an eye. This part of the opening sequence has a sci-fi feel to it which the audience can then distinguish as something to expect from the whole film. 

After this, the title appears on screen in front of a white background, which we come to see later in the sequence. Next we see a few establishing setting shots of waterfalls, which are important as part of the mise-en-scene as this allows the audience to visualise where the film is set. A man on a motorbike is shown driving on a dimly lit road, the man is then shown retrieving the body of a young woman and placing her in a white van, this is a fundamental part of the opening sequence as it allows the viewers to assume what may be happening, as we would typically associate this with kidnapping. The camera then cuts to a close up shot of a young girls face, which is against a stark white background and is dimly light, so her face appears black against the background, this is an interesting lighting choice as part of the mise-en-scene as it accentuates the characters (Corrigan and White 79). The camera then pans up her body showing someone undressing her, next we see a wide shot of the lifeless body lying on the ground and a naked woman continuing to undress her, both the characters are still dimly lit against a white background which creates an image of silhouettes. 

The naked woman (Scarlet Johansson’s character), is then seen dressing in the dead woman’s clothes. This last scene is an significant part of the opening sequence as it adds to the mystery created in the previous scenes and it introduces us to the main character and is important in helping the audience in determining the character. Throughout the opening sequence haunting music, with a sci-fi element is used which is a vital part in establishing the whole film to the viewer. Also heard during the initial opening scenes is a young woman's voice muttering random sounds that are hard to distinguish, this is a very pivotal part of the relationship between film and sound as at this point the white circle as previously mentioned is appearing on screen, and the non-diegetic dialogue helps in adding to the atmosphere created by the white circle. The director, Jonathan Glazer, uses the opening sequence extremely well to introduce the film to us, using the techniques of cinematography, sound and mise-en-scene to make us think about what the film could be about and what we can expect to see from the film.

References:

Corrigan Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

Under the Skin. Dir. Jonathan Glazer. Film4, BFI, 2013. Film.

“Under the Skin Opening Scene.” 2nd January 2015. Youtube. Web video. 25 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOVJsTc_HMU.

Citizen Kane - Form and Function of the Opening Sequence

Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles has probably one of the most iconic opening sequences in the history of cinema. The film is about the investigation of the death of Charles Kane and the mystery behind his last words, which are introduced to the audience in the opening sequence of the film. The opening sequence opens with a close up shot of a sign showing “No Trespassing,” there is then a series of close up shots that pan upwards showing various fencing and stained windows, these shots are all edited to fade into each other.

A close up shot of the gates to the estate of Charles Kane then fades onto the screen with the actual castle fading in as part of the background, some more setting shots are introduced during this part of the scene. These shots are essential as apart of the mise-en-scene as they provide the audience with the setting of the film which helps create the atmosphere and is the first introduction of the film for the viewers. 

Cinematography is done extremely well in this scene, perhaps the most significant cinematography used in this scene is when there is an extreme close-up of a snow globe with the “snow falling” which gives the impression that it is snowing, although the camera then quickly zooms out and we see that it is in fact a snow globe.

The snow-globe then tumbles to the ground and shatters, the next shot is one of the most interesting in the opening sequence, the camera zooms in on part of the shattered snow globe and we can see a nurse enter the room, the effect that this shot gives is that it appears as though it has an fish-eye effect added to it.

Before this shot, there is an extreme close-up of Kane’s mouth with him saying the most recognisable and important lines in the film, “Rosebud.” This encourages the audience to think about what the line “Rosebud” could mean in relation to the rest of the plot. The nurse previously mentioned is then seen covering the mans body with a blanket which confirms to us that he has in fact died, which is a fundamental part in introducing the plot to the audience.

All throughout this scene, typical haunting music is used as non diegetic sound, this can be heard by the audience which is extremely important in revealing to us what genre the movie is and what is to be expected from the film and adds to the mystery atmosphere created in this opening scene. The music also “provides rhythm and deepens emotional response.” (Corrigan and White 195).

Welles does an extremely effective job of creating an opening scene that creates the first initial atmosphere to the audience. The main film techniques to do this are cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing and sound, they are all used adequately to establish the film and to draw the audience into watching the film.  

References:

Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Mercury Productions, 1941. Film.

Corrigan Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

gyptheblood "Kane Opening." Youtube. 17 December 2007. Web video. 21 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=91&v=-r0b_XeRkG4.