Thriller Analysis Emily Hemmings

Donnie Darko The titles are first shown to the audience written in a white bold font against a black background showing pureness and simplicity. The font is gothic and appears together in a block showing the different companies involved in the film. The titles fade onto the screen then fade off with the sound of thunder creating eeriness and giving the audience a sense of what the film could be like throughout. The first shot we get from this opening sequence is a wide shot of woodland scenery in a early morning. The setting is quiet with a few birds which has a effect of freedom. The surroundings are blurry showing the audience that nothing is clear which could be linked into the rest of the film giving a subtle hint. We first meet the main character as he lays in a dirt track causing confusion and mystery to the audience wondering what state the character is in and what he is doing. The soundtrack supports this confusion as there is silence at the beginning then straight into eerie/creepy music using piano playing at a slow pace but getting faster towards the end– common in thriller soundtracks to create an uneasy feeling to the audience watching. The first scene tells us that the character is weary and uneasy as he looks confused and dazed at his surroundings, where he wakes up with a hunch almost animal like as he gradually gets up with difficulty with a smile to confuse the audience even more wanting to know what he has been up to.

The music creates an eerie and uneasy atmosphere, giving the impression that something bad is going to happen as it gains pace when getting closer to the character laying on the dirt track. It’s in sync with the surroundings with the thunder starting off then the birds singing while the piano is played creating calmness but also linked with eeriness. The piano playing high notes on random parts which is usually associated with horror or a thriller. The sound effects of a birds singing gives a calm and relaxed feelings also associating with the large space that surrounds him which could be frightening with no human contact around. The piano then plays an eerie tune using high pitched keys such as a D#– making you sure you are not too relaxed – and that there’s more in store. Atmosphere is created by the male character obvious uneasiness and confusion then going on to getting up with awkward movements almost animal like.

In this opening title this is when the character is first introduced to the audience as he lays down in a woodland area to add suspicion to the audience. The setting is dark is also hard to see what is happening adding a creepy era and also a sense of mystery. He then gets up and looks at this surroundings making him look belittled to the rest of the world as he is isolated from human life.