Analysis of a Student's Film Opening from Our Genre

Mise-en-Scene
Most camera shots throughout this film opening are point-of-view shots so that the audience feels as though they are looking through the eyes of the stalker. In this particular shot we can see the victim's torso in a back street through the reflection of a car mirror. The fact that it is located in a back street suggests the sordid, squalid things that are going on in the film due to the association with back streets being where a large amount of criminal behaviour takes place. In the reflection, we can only see the victim's torso; she is wearing dark clothes which cover up the majority of her body. The dark clothes could be reflecting her dark, sinister surroundings and the fact that we can see no flesh could be suggesting her innocence and blamelessness of the ordeal in the film. The mirror also indicates how we are looking at each scene from the stalker's point of view, and that there is a sense of mystery and secrecy about the whole opening.













Lighting
For the first scene where we are looking through a car window until we meet the main character and the whole scene is filmed in black and white. This emphasizes the stalker's obsession with the victim, and how he feels as though without her, his world is dim and that she - quite literally - brightens up his world! Throughout the rest of the opening, it is filmed with natural light; this indicates how these problems that the film focuses on can and do happen in reality. The very last scene however, is filmed in low-key lighting which suggests that the shrine is in an indoors confined space, like perhaps a bedroom.

Setting
Most of the film is located inside a school/college. The setting connotes how the victim is simply a young student living life like everyone else in her age group, and emphasizes her vulnerability and innocence. A camera shot that also highlights the threat of the stalker is when we see from his view when he is peeping through the blinds at the school to get a closer look at her. It makes the audience feel as though the main character is exposed and succeptible to danger due to his obvious easy access into the school/college- a place which is often considered a place of sanctuary.

Editing
The font of the titles that apear in the opening immediately suggest a sense of unease and mystery before we are even introduced to any characters. It is written in bold capitals and is a similar font to that which you would expect on a stamp on documents of reinforcements or declarations. This could be suggesting that the acts in the film are bypassing the law which adds enigma to the opening.

Iconography
The emphasis om the disposal of the cigarette in the medium shot of the car adds to the indication of the genre of Crime in the opening. It signifies depravity and wrongdoing, and the elusive actions suggest corruption and perversion.

Sound
Non-diegetic back ground music starts off simple with one melody, and gradually as the camera focuses in on the main character, more layers of sound are added to the music. The layers in the song add tension and the simplistic repetitive riff sounds alike music which you would find on similar films of the same genre.

Enigma
The opening creates a number of questions;
Why does the stalker have an obsession with her?
What has she done wrong?
What is her importance?
What is the secret behind the mystery?
Who is the stalker?
Is he a crminal or an authoratative figure?
What does he want with her?

Pros
I like the point of view shots because they add to the sordidness of the opening and they help indicate the plot.

Cons
Although I can see the meaning behind the black and white lense in the first shot, I don't think it had the desired effect as what it was intended for and that it would have been better without it. I also think that the back ground music was a bit too cliched and detracted the attention from what was happening in the opening, and that a simpler song would have been more fitting.