Thriller film opening - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Institutional information 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mystery thriller that contains elements of crime, and was released December 2011. It has a BBFC age rating of 18, and has a 7.8 out of 10 stars on the IMDB website. The film was directed by David Fincher and written by Steven Zaillain and Stieg Larsson, beginning the film with an estimated budget of $90,000,000. Eventually, the gross profit that the film made was $102,515,793. The 158 minute long film has a target audience that is varied and the film will appeal to males that are over 35 who may be attracted to the lead actress and also remember such films as Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct from their younger years. In addition, our film could appeal to a younger audience who would appreciate the story of a woman exacting her revenge on men. Equally through the use of A-list actors such a Daniel Craig, it could attract a secondary target audience who are fans of him, as well as those who enjoy previous films Craig has starred in.

Narrative

The mystery film follows a linear structure that follows Henrik Vanger when his beloved niece disappeared, never to be seen again - and circumstances have led him to believe that a member of his own repugnant family must be responsible. Vanger hires stoic journalist Mikael Blomkvist and scrappy, chain-smoking hacker Lisbeth Salander to come to his island, dig deep into chilling family secrets and unmask the killer once and for all. The story line conforms to conventional thriller narratives, with an antagonist who is the centre of the film. The fact that there is a murderer involved suggest that there could be violence which would appeal to the target audience as it is something that fits with the genre. 

Mise en scene

The opening sequence begins with a dark screen and the credits of the institution that produced the film in white. The black screen gives the audience and insight into the film's dark sadistic side, with the tone represented as being very sinister and mysterious. This appeal to the target audience and meets the typical conventions of a thriller as the genre usually consists of low key lighting and black and white shots. The black screen then flashes with extremely quick shots of images before returning back to black, signifying a build up in tension as the shot fit with the climaxing beats in the music. By creating a sense of tension it gives an idea as to how the film will make the audience film throughout. The opening scene continues with what looks like extreme close ups of ink dripping down various objects; using the ink as the focus for the close up it closely links with the title of the film 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It signifies that the film is based around tattoos, as that is what ink can be used for, and along with the dark ominous colours used, connotes that something bad is going to occur relating to tattoos and the person wearing them. It leaves a chilling effect on the audience as they have to make the connection between the ink and the girl, who we have not yet been introduced to. Upon moving out, it shows that the ink is running through the keys on a computer key board, and that there are USB cables winding themselves around a person, trapping them. Using USB cables and computer

keyboards suggests to the audience that technology is a part of the film; a close up on the key 'Enter' represents that the audience have to make a decision on whether or not to enter the film. Further into the sequence, a body is set on fire and a skull is shown through the flames. The use of fire creates suspense as it connotes death and danger, suggesting that it is included on the film where it will conform with the conventional features of a thriller film. 

Editing/camera angles

The majority of the shots in this opening sequence are there through the use of special effects to create almost a dystopian feeling to the film. There are a significant amount of close up and extreme close ups used with ink constantly being a part of the shots; the close ups give a feeling of tension and makes the audience uncomfortable as they don't know what the ink is for. Establishing shots don't feature in the sequence which again adds a sense of insecurity and suspense as the location of the film is kept from the audience, giving them longer to feel tense. The pace of the shots quicken as the opening sequence goes on, with jump cuts used often to jolt the viewer back and forth from the various elements included. Fade to black is also used to ease the viewer out of one shot before jump cutting to something new so that the audience are thrown into a new concept that they have to understand. Tracking and panning feature regularly as a way to draw the viewer in, and with the pace being quick and the camera always moving it creates excitement. There are many high angle shots to show people being submerged in blackness, making them appear helpless and insignificant.

Sound

There is no diegetic or ambient sound in the opening sequence, as there is a non-diegetic sound track that accompanies the shots. The music has a very fast tempo to it, and the jump cuts are timed so that they occur at the same time as the main beats. Doing this has created a rhythm that engages the audience in the scene before the speed of the song increases and the shots do the same. The fast pace of the music signifies to the audience that the film is also going to be fast paced and full of action, which conforms to the genre of thriller. Parts of the song have sounds that are similar to scream which represents that somewhere in the film there will be pain or death.