Director: Rob Reiner (1990)
Camera- distance, angle, movement and editing- speed style
The film starts when a close up shows a cigarette and a match with a man in the background on a typewriter. This denotes him to be busy but makes him come across as a writer. The camera then cuts to a champagne class which makes the audience think that he is celebrating- only he has one glass which may convey loneliness. This then cuts to a close up of a champagne bottle in ice which portrays this character to be wealthy. After this the camera shows a man finishing typing something which then cuts to his face which is done to reveal his emotions. He then writes ‘the end’ on the paper which is a symbolic meaning for it not being the end as this is a thriller. An eye line angle has been used throughout the clip when the camera was focusing on the character to connect with the audience as it feels the viewer is in the shot. Moreover the fasts cuts have been made by the director to involve the audience to make them see everything in the shot.
Sound- effects, music
The film opens to the sound of a typewriter which denotes that the character is writing something important. Additionally as soon as he stops writing a piano starts playing. The music from this denotes a sense of unknown and melancholy as it’s played in a minor key very softly to produce a scary atmosphere. As soon as he starts to pack away his things violins are backed up to add to the tense mood. These are typical instruments used for thriller films. This symbolic meaning signifies that if he stops writing, bad things will happen.
Mise-en-scene
The setting reinforces the personas social status as the use of the office desk makes him seem important and at work. This denotes his character to be intelligent. Moreover the use of clothing establishes the genre as a thriller through the red shirt to signify blood and the black t-shirt to denote danger and evil. The lighting in the room is very dim which is only supported by a lamp and the window. The fact he’s shut some of the other blinds may convey him to have a lonely personality. The facial expressions also reinforce this loneliness as he comes across as disappointed through the blankness on his face.
Titles- font, colour, position
The title sequence in this clip contrasts with every other thriller opening I’ve watched as it’s the only one to make the font red against a black background. This has been done because this denotes blood and danger. Moreover the typography has been made in a tall serif font in capital letters. This denotes that someone is shouting which is a symbolic meaning for what’s to come in the rest of the film. Furthermore, the positioning of the text makes it easy to read as it’s centred in the middle of the screen.
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