Thriller 5: Analysis of Donnie Darko (Science Fiction thriller)

Director: Richard Kelly (2001)
Camera - distance, angle, movement and editing- speed style

The film opens of an establishing shot of a view with trees and mountains which fades into shot. The scenery around the film denotes that this film is situated in the middle of nowhere or perhaps that it's a peaceful film. The camera then turns and tracks to a boy lying on a road. At this moment in time the audience may think that they have hurt themselves as they are not moving. The camera also establishes that this person is the main character due to the fact it positions them in the center of the screen. This long shot of him lying on the floor can mean many things; that he is hurt or that he is a casual teenager that had a rough night. The camera then tracks to see him struggling to get up which then cuts to a mid shot of his face which reveals his facial expression and this denotes that he is tired. A point of view shot is then used to establish the film as he is located in a road high up in a mountainous area. After this, he then blocks the camera which could denote that he is an important role. In deeper meaning it could connote him being in the way of himself- he is stopping himself from becoming a respectful person (lying on the road in the morning isn't ideal) Furthermore the mid-shot then shows him turning his head looking out in the distance. He then walks out of the shot and this is when the titles come on screen.

Sound- effects, music

At the beginning of the film, low violins played in the background which created an uncertain mood to the film. This started playing as soon as the main character came into shot. This reinforced him to be important but also quite a sad and lonely persona. Furthermore, as soon as the character gets up a piano plays softly which denotes a melancholy tone to the film. Moreover the quoir used in the background after this, also adds more of an unknown feeling to the movie.

Mise-en-scene

The setting used in the shot suggests the film to be set in the middle of nowhere reinforcing the unknown tone to the film. Furthermore, the lighting used in the beginning (high key lighting) suggests a new start as it was filmed in the morning. Moreover the new beginning to the film makes it seem like something is coming or that things will change. The persona in the shot wears pajamas making him come across as a lazy and laid back character. His messy hair also reinforces this making him become a rugged teenager. The location however contradicts him being a lazy persona- the beautiful scenery makes him look like he might respect nature.

Titles- font, colour, position

The quick titles used in the beginning of the film was formatted in white text against a black background which was also centered in the middle of the screen. This is a typical convention of a thriller movie. Moreover the Arabic style font used for important words such as a production company, makes Donnie Darko seem significant as the title of the movie (his name) was also used in this font.