Thriller film opening - Black Swan

Synopsis

Nina is a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When the company's artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of "Swan Lake," Nina is his first choice. She has competition in newcomer Lily however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina's dark side begins to emerge.

Institutional information 

Black Swan is 2010 American psychological thriller- horror film, directed by Darren Aronofsky with a budget of $13 million and made over $329,398,046 in the box office over a span of six months, it was released on 17th December 2010 and was distributed by Fox Pictures. It specialises in independent and British films along with drama and horror, it has distributed The Descendents and Hitchcock. 

Mise en scene

Throughout the opening sequence, the scene stays the same and the mise en scene doesn't really change. It begins with a spotlight becoming brighter over Nina, but only on one side of her. This creates a shadow on her other side which is a stereotypical convention of thrillers; the use of dark and bright lights reflect the style of the genre and therefore involves part of the repertoire of elements that fits the thriller genre. The use of white and black as the only colours visible on the screen could represent the juxtaposition of good an bad - something that in the story of the Black Swan is a clear theme, and so has been included in the characters lives as well as in a fictional way. By using the colours and suggesting the theme of the good and bad it reflects conflict in the film, whether that is personal or through a battle between an antagonist and a protagonist, and so conforms to the conventional narrative of a thriller film. The way that Nina is wearing white connotes that she is the protagonist in the film as which is associated with innocence and purity.