Analysis of Thriller Openings - Black Swan

Black Swan

At the beginning of this extract, a shot of the protagonist is dancing whilst high-pitched string non-diegetic music commences. This music is an anti-stereotype for a thriller as it is not dark, low or non-percussive. Despite this, after a few seconds in, a new type of music is layered over this music and the new sound is very low and chilling which adds to the narrative enigma. This is stereotypical for thriller films as the convention is that low sounding music is layered to add to the exhilaration of the film. The man (supposedly the protagonist) is dancing as a ballerina, an odd dance for somebody who is male. This adds to the mystery of who the man is - and this is also a convention of thriller films as the majority of these have males as their protagonist due to their capability and strength. Despite this, as the music turns into a much deeper and darker tone, the audience possibly assumes the man to be an antagonist. Low key lighting is used - a typical convention for thriller films. This allows the ballet dancer to be depicted as someone who is not necessarily good. It also adds to the suspicion of why she is there and why she is dancing in a dark room. The use of shadows in the room also allow it to be mysterious and confusing for the audience, raising numerous amounts of questions. However, it allows the audience to focus primarily on her as she is the main character. Once this scene ends, it is then clear that the whole scene was in fact a dream as there is the main character in a close up who states that the whole thing was a dream. This adds to mystery due to the person she is speaking to is unknown. This makes us question the character's mental state due to us not even knowing if anyone is there at all. This is due to the abundance of close ups and long shots of her or the room other than another character. This allows there to be a built up tension and the audience to be questioning whether the main character is in fact speaking to somebody or her to be unstable enough to talk to herself.

To add onto the beginning scene of the ballet dancer, her costume consists of a white dress. The colour of white defines innocence and purity which suggests she is, in fact, a good character in the film and that she is nothing to be afraid of by others. To contrast with this, the man who appears is wearing a black costume which is extremely different to the woman's costume colour. This suggests that he is opposite to her and that the black colour connotes devilish personality and evil. As well as this, his movements are presented as aggressive and oppressive against the protagonist which suggests she and him have a patriarchal relationship and that they are polar opposites of each other.

As the woman dances, there are numerous amounts of shots capturing the way she moves. Close-ups of the bottom part of her body are used to demonstrate her graceful dancing - contrasting to the male's violent manner. She is also represented as the main character due to the camera being on her at all times, showing that she is the protagonist and therefore significant to the plot. Her movements begin to pick up in pace which could refer to the whole plot and that it is a quick paced story-line and that she is the most important to focus on. Continuing with this, more close ups are used and one of the most important would be the fact a mark is displayed on her back. This close up demonstrates the way the scar looks and makes the audience question why it is there. It may also make the audience question later whether it was the male character who inflicted that upon her, therefore going back to the idea that their relationship is very oppressive. Due to this, it increases tension and suspicion amongst the characters and allows the audience to continue watching, hoping for an answer to it.

As the extract continues, we are shown a set of dialogue between the protagonist and other woman. Shot reverse shots are used between them as it allows the audience to see both of their reactions and the way they are speaking to one another. We do not know straight off who the other woman is, however, we are quick to assume it is her mother or a close relation to her. This is reinforced by the fact the woman is helping the protagonist get ready. This is able to increase narrative enigma and mystery as we do not know the depth of their relationship and the audience is left to question how they feel about one another and if the woman (mother) is significant to the film's narrative.

As the scene continues, we are met with the protagonist being on a vehicle we think is a train. Simple cuts are used as we have multiple shots of the protagonist looking at another woman. Non-diegetic music occurs and due to the intensity of it, we assume this is a significant part to the film. We do not know how important the unknown girl is, however, we know that she has some element to the play and that the protagonist is interested in her.

I found the dance scene on YouTube and then watched my own copy of the film on TV for more content.