1. Opening title sequence textual analysis

2. Location/ setting The location is on a street in France, an urban setting is typical of thriller, especially when there is criminal activity involved in the narrative as it means the characters are able to blend into an often busy background. Also the idea of underground activity is exciting and often appealing to the audience. As well as this, it means the audience can often relate in some way to the film if it is set in an ordinary town or city. The use of these hidden backstreets also gives you the feeling of secrecy and hints at the criminal activity within the narrative.

3. Lighting/colour The colours in this opening title sequence are mainly very muted and dull. This desaturation is typical of Thriller to create a dark tone which hints at a sinister narrative. The dark, dull colours in this opening title sequence create almost a warning of the dark narrative that is to come. It also means the brightness of the character’s clothing stands out and really focuses our attention on them and their actions. The mainly brown colouring also reflects the time in which the film was set :1960’s-70’s

4. Both characters are wearing dark sunglasses which suggests hidden identity- a key element to a thriller involving criminal activity. The female character is wearing fashionable clothing which could suggest a certain amount of wealth. It also adds sex appeal to an audience which will be predominantly male. The male character is wearing a dark leather jacket which indicates both style and rebellion as leather jackets are often associated with tough, rebellious characters (e.g James Dean in ‘Rebel without a cause’) With both characters, their costumes are very typical of the time in which the film was set. Costume

5. Technical aspects The screen is split into two perspectives which gives a voyeuristic impression or the feeling of a CCTV camera watching you. This emphasises the criminal narrative. It also gives the audience the distinct impression that the female character is being watched and followed by the male role. This hints at the narrative and makes us believe that she has done something wrong/ is involved in some form of criminal activity. This split screen also limits our information as the camera is focused entirely on the characters, therefore no real introduction to the setting. As well as this, there is no interactivity between the two characters which leads the audience to have questions and want to find out what happens. This technique is also clever in creating negative space between the frames where the credits can go. This means the credits don’t interfere with the action on screen.

6. Overall Overall I think this is a very effective opening title sequence as it created a mood that put me on edge because I felt I was being watched. Also it intrigued me and made me want to find out why the female role was being followed therefore it has achieved it’s purpose well. https://learn.varndean.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.ph p?inpopup=true&id=29645 https://learn.varndean.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.ph p?inpopup=true&id=29645