Mise-en-scene Analysis‘Gone Girl’ Opening

Thriller Film Opening: ‘Gone Girl’ The opening title sequence of this film comprises mostly of brief,

establishing location shots, that last approximately 2 seconds each, with the credits overlaid atop the visuals.

The start of the sequence features the names of key cast and crew (Fincher, Affleck and Pike) on black, and in between these title slides is a shot with a longer duration of the main female protagonist, with the male protagonist’s non-diegetic voice-over to describe his thoughts and feelings. The end of the sequence also used elongated shots of the male protagonist, to establish him.

The music used throughout the sequence accompanies the visuals, giving them a much more eerie feel that they would otherwise if shown without music. However, there are key aspects of mise-en-scene that also aid in creating this atmosphere.

Location Most of the shots take place around this

one particular town. The buildings in the town look somewhat run-down and ‘lived in’ – as a location it does not convey a sense of glamour or grandiose, which gives the viewer some insight into what to expect for the remainder of the film.

The cables hanging overhead are a key element present in most of the shots. They stand out, especially against the light blue sky. From this, it can be inferred that the film takes place in a developed country, capable of using electricity, but no attempt has been made by any councils or such to hide them, so we know there is a lazy mindset behind the people that live there. This is further implied by the lack of ‘business’ in the town – it is very calm with no traffic or people bustling about.

Actors Although most of the focus of the title sequence is

on the establishing location-based shots, at the start and end of the titles, the two main protagonists are shown. The audience knows they are of significance to the rest of the story because they are the first characters shown in the film.

In the first shot, Rosamund Pike’s character is shown in a close up. The camera employs a shallow depth of field, so she is the sole thing the audience can focus on, emphasizing her importance to the story. The clothes she is wearing suggests that she is in a relaxed environment, which helps to convey the idea of laziness set up in the subsequent shots of the town.

At the end of the sequence, Ben Affleck’s character is shown outside what is presumed to be is house, from a further distance than Pike’s character was framed. He is wearing lightly coloured clothes to give the idea of innocence and naivety of his character. Just like the female protagonist, he is dressed very lazily. His posture also shows how tired he feels.

Lighting The sequence takes place during the early hours of

the morning, just before dawn. This makes the shots of the titles appear rather dark, giving a cold, blue colour palette to the visuals. The emphasis of the mid and dark tones, especially with the blues, gives the whole sequence a very moody, atmospheric feel. This time of day is also usually when people are either asleep or just waking up, which reiterates the relaxed nature of the town and it’s inhabitants. Because of the time of day of the sequence, the lighting is very low-key, which sets the film up to be dark in tone.

This particular use of lighting could be considered a metaphor for the characters’ thoughts and feelings; presently their lives are dull and boring, yet an event is about to occur that will ‘awaken’ them, so to speak, just like dawn would literally do that.

The shadowy nature of the shots used in the scene creates intrigue – it shrouds aspects of the town in mystery, and makes the audience want to find out more about the people that live there without giving important plot points away.

Décor As a result of the sequence

taking place predominately outside, the director had minimal control over the décor used in the scene. The audience does see buildings, and can make a guess as to what is in them, based on how the appear from the outside. However, by locating the opening titles outdoors, the audience is introduced to the town where the film is set. This aspect also aids in creating intrigue for the audience, leading them to want to find out more.

Summary

My findings with regards to mise-en-scene in the opening sequence in the genre of thriller are as follows;

The opening sequence should be used primarily to introduce the setting and tone of the film, rather than set up characters. If characters are shown, it should be briefly and not overload the viewer with information immediately.

The lighting of a thriller, as already established but reiterated here, should be low-key, and the colour palette should highlight medium and blue tones.

If the sequence takes place outdoors, there is little I can do with décor to convey meaning, and I must rely more heavily on the other aspects like cinematography and lighting to connote certain ideas. However, if the sequence I make takes place indoors, then various props can be positioned to allude to certain characteristics and themes that would be developed later in the film.