Thriller Opening 3- Flightplan

Film Title: Flightplan
Director: Robert Schwentke



Technique Effect (Analysis)
Camera – distance, angle, movement…
Mid shot of moving train. Long shot of the back of a character sitting down, in front of a stationary train. Camera zooms into character- face not yet seen. Camera switches quickly from behind to in front. Camera zooms into her face- highlighting her fear. Long shot of the room is seen and a coffin is centred with the main character in front. Mid shot of character walking out. Low angle of a man- camera moves up. Shot reverse shot of the man and woman. Long shot of the couple at the train station- the same train station she was seen sitting alone at. Long shot as they enter the train. Long shot of character walking towards the coffin. Close up of water dripping off her umbrella. Low angle of character looking at the coffin. Camera pans and zooms in slightly. Panning and zooming out from the train, into a long shot of the couple walking up the stairs. Long shot as they walk down the street- panning. Shot reverse shot as she talks to the man inside. Camera stays as door shuts- the couple walk outside. Close up of door shutting and slight zooming in. Long shot of the couple outside. Camera follows the birds fly up, then into a black screen. Camera goes round to see the character inside the coffin, and it is the same man seen at the train station and who she has been with (mid shot). Camera zooms out from a mid shot into a long shot to show her outside. Footprints are seen but only one pair of footprints.

A lot of shots are used within the scene. The long shot establish that she is alone at the train station and the close ups enable a full view of her facial expressions. The long shot at the beginning not only shows that she is alone, but her character isn’t introduced emotionally straight away, which leaves a surprise for the audience when she is seen. Likewise, the long shot of the coffin leaves the audience wondering who is in there. The shot reverse shot highlights both characters expressions and juxtaposes her expression before hand. The long shot of the moving train again juxtaposes the speed. The shots used all highlight the isolation of the characters and the fear of the woman. The long shot of the couple outside shows that they are still alone. The camera goes round to see the character in the coffin, which adds to the shock and anxiety of the audience and as it is the same man seen at the train station, it adds to the narrative. At the end of the opening, the long shot shows the couple outside and the birds fly up and into a black screen, which leaves surprise when the next shot arrives. After the black screen, a long shot of outside appears but this time she is alone and only one pair of footsteps can be seen, which leaves the audience wondering whether the man was really there.

Editing – speed, style…
Fast paced; shot of something unknown- possibly a train, then into titles. Continuous straight cuts from train to titles. Pace slows down. Slow editing that contrasts to the music. Straight cut into character entering a room, two other characters are also present. Train moves- camera watches as it moves off. Straight cut into character slowly walking towards the coffin. Straight cut back to the moving train. Fading out from when the couple were walking on the street- atmosphere changes.
Straight cut from inside to outside. Straight cut back to the room with the coffin.

A mixture of slow and fast pace editing is shown throughout, along with straight cuts. The straight cuts and pace contrast the shots, which connect with the character. Straight cuts are also quite fast, which contrasts with the pace of character. Furthermore, the pace of character compared with the moving train also juxtaposes each other.

Sound – effects, musical score…
Diegetic sound of train. Non diegetic music appears- quiet and tense- as the camera zooms in. Diegetic sound of the character breathing. Dialogue appears in a non-English language and she replies in English. The tone her voice also represents pain and fear. A man’s voice appears. Non diegetic music tense and juxtaposes the pace of editing. Diegetic sound of the water dripping- emphasises the silence within the room. Increased in sound volume- creates tension and reinforces the change in shot. Diegetic sound of the train, no music. Dialogue- mans’ name introduced as David. Diegetic sound of birds- she is startled. It is established through the dialogue that the person inside the coffin is her husband.

A lot of diegetic sound is used in this scene. Such as, the character breathing and dialogue. These emphasise the character’s unknown fear and pain, this connects the audience emotionally, and also leaves the audience wondering why she is behaving in the way she is. The scene is quite silent; when in the room with the coffin, the sound of water dripping from the umbrella can be heard, and this highlights the silence within the room and creates a tension as she looks at the coffin. Nevertheless, quiet non diegetic music is used, which adds to the tension and atmosphere. The effect of the quietness within the opening is to connect the character with the audience, it enables the audience to establish the emotions and feel for the narrative.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…
Dark clothing, contrasts to bright yellow train. Character hasn’t moved. When the characters face is shown, she appears very scared and thoughtful. There are also tears in her eyes. Other characters in the room change their expression quickly and separate. Character looking at something (coffin) and thinking. Facial expression changes as she sees the man- happiness, relief but also shock- emphasised through her breathing. She quickly opens the door and her expression changes- she appears surprised at seeing somebody and upset at what the character asked. Slight frustration.

The lighting is quite bright inside from the electric lighting but when outside it is very dark. This adds to the atmosphere. Moreover, throughout the train juxtaposes the character. When the camera shows the characters face, tears can be seen in her eye, which establishes the emotion but leaves the audience wondering what has happened. Overall, the facial expressions are quite dark and show a lot of emotion. The train plays a key role; it is the only thing that moves rapidly within the opening.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…
Shadows of planes are seen over the snow- shot fades out.

No significant special effects are used.

Titles – font, colour, placement, over black / over clip…
Simple, white font over black.

The titles are used in this way so there are no distractions and easy to read.