1. Don’t Look Now (1973) Dir: Nicolas Roeg
There is a marked descent in tone from the start to the end of psychological
thriller Don’t Look Now’s opening sequence,
presented through the sound, editing and
action in the scene.
In the opening moments we see a
small girl, conspicuously dressed in a bright
red coat and sporting blonde hair, whilst
carrying a small talking doll. Immediately we
are given an emotional connection to the
character because of her age, and it tells us of
her innocence as a character. This makes her death later on
in the sequence all the more horrifying for the viewer. Such
a distressing moment is very typical for a film such as this,
but the contrast between the innocence at the beginning of
the scene and the grief portrayed through Donald
Sutherland’s performance later on makes it all the more
uncomfortable for the viewer.
Through the pace and style of the editing, we can see
the change in mood for the situation: at the beginning of the
scene, there is a long shot of the girl walking across a field
with a wheelbarrow and a white horse in the
background, a shot akin to nature documentaries
which are known for being peaceful and tranquil. Later
on in the sequence, however, when the father senses
something is wrong, and runs out to save his daughter,
the editing is more frenetic, constantly cutting
between the distorted photograph and the father, as
well as some unclear
images. The pacing is
also less consistent, with a few parts taking place in
slow motion, such as the father rising up out of the
water but others being very fast, such as when he
is running back to the house and we have the
anticipation of the moment when the mother sees
the child.
In the opening shot, there is a pleasant
piece of piano music that plays over the top of the
nature documentary-esque shot, which gives the audience an idea of the tranquillity
of the location. However, when the father runs out to save the daughter, after
several minutes of having no music at all, there is some very intense string music
that underpins the interruption of the cosiness in the family’s life. The music’s low
pitch also indicates the crushing consequences of the situation, which we as viewers
can infer as being quite catastrophic.
Not only this, but the diegetic sound within the scene is occasionally utilised
in showing the shift in tone for the sequence, if only briefly. When the father first
Figure1: The girl dressed inthe red coat
Figure2: An example of Donald Sutherland's
unsettling performance
Figure3: Opening longshot
Figure4: Grotesque distorted photo later
in the scene
2. jumps into the water, we hear a very audible gasp of air, something that was not
made nearly as obvious earlier in the scene. This can provoke a response from the
audience of feeling claustrophobic because of the feeling of close proximity to the
character, and heightens the tension and discomfort of the scene.
All of these things which mark the change in tone from the start to the end of
the sequence are things which I would consider integral to the progression of my
opening sequence, going from something calm and collected to something that
makes the viewer uncomfortable and that portrays the intensity of the main
character’s situation.
