Sweeney Todd Opening Sequence Analysis

Mise En Scene

The scene can mainly be interpreted as old, murky and fairly gruesome. Eerie positioning of props such as a lone, wooden chair can signify a horrific genre, which also consists of mystery. The setting of which the opening sequence is primarily set in is evidently fairly desolate, due to rats rushing around and dirty machinery. The dirty nature of the setting could potentially hint at a theme within the storyline. It is also evident from the mise en scene that the constant build up of the quantity of blood is a motif used in order to signify the themes of the storyline. The initial stages of the scene involve small red drops falling from the sky alongside the rain drops. This eventually builds up to high quantities and high volumes of blood is seen streaming towards the camera within the dark, eerie setting. The outside world shown within the initial stages of the scene establishes the time and setting, an due to the design of the houses and the emphasis on chimneys it is evident that the film is set to be staged in an industrial Britain era. The rain also helps to establish the story due to the fact that it produces an overall grim atmosphere, which can be interpreted by the audience as potentially creepy. Many references to meat, such as pies and and a gruesome looking solution being squeezed through a tool also hints at the violent themes displayed within the film.

Sound


The initial sound is evidently the sound of a church organ being beamed in order to establish the tone. A church organ sound can often be interpreted as an eerie soundtrack to use due to its conventional nature within a horror film. The diagetic sound effect of a thunder clap enhances the overall mysterious setting and continues to indicate the horrific, mysterious nature of the genre due to the sound being a conventional element for these genres. The non diagetic soundtrack used throughout the opening sequence provides a tense tone to the overall atmosphere of the film. This is due to the fact that is builds up throughout. Initially, it is fairly silent, but the constant sounds of a violin playing the same tone foreshadows tension. Towards the latter stages of the opening sequence, the indications of blood and horrific images have become more evident. The soundtrack has adapted to this well, with a higher volume as well as emphasis on sounds that adapt to the horror conventions well. The music also adapts to different scenario's occurring throughout the scene, such as fire suddenly appearing. In order for the music to adapt to this scenario, a sound of a higher pitch has been used to emphasize the intensity of the moment.

Camera


A variety of shots have been used effectively in order to create moments of high intensity as well as enabling the establishment of the scene. In the initial stages of the scene, a panning extreme wide shot over the town establishes the eerie setting, due to the emphasis on the dark clouds and the polluted, dirty atmosphere.

The camera continues to pan throughout the scene, providing a sense of continuity to it. But from the camera shots, we as an audience are made to feel vulnerable within the primary setting. This is exemplified in the fact that we are viewing many aspect from the setting from a floor perspective, and different potentially gruesome scenarios are occurring constantly. This provides an intimidating atmosphere for the viewer, which is suitable to the genre and therefore assists the establishment of the genre.







Titles


The titles displayed throughout the opening sequence are mainly presented in a white, thin font. Little connotations can be perceived through this but it arguably could add to the eerie atmosphere produced, due to the ghostly connotations. The titles mainly fade in quickly, which suit the fast tempo nature of the opening sequence. The white font is contrasted with red when the protagonists name and film title is presented. This could have been done due to the dangerous and bloody connotations gained from the red color, and the fact that it contrasts with the rest of the names gives a clear indication of an aspect of the character compared to others. It also gives a further genre signifier, the red color is often associated with horror productions and it therefore adheres to these conventions, this further helps to establish the genre.

Narrative Enigmas

Several narrative enigmas intrigue the audience in the opening sequence of this film. For example:

• Why is there a constant emphasis on blood?
• What is the machinery presented for?
• Why are pies being produced displayed in what seems a fairly irrelevant setting to pies?
• Why is a chair being positioned in an isolated area, yet there is large emphasis?
• Why is nobody being shown functioning the machinery?