Research: Thriller Opening - Black Swan

Institutional Information 
Black swan is a psychological thriller released in September 2010, directed by Darren Aronofsky and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The films stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a committed dancer who is considered perfect as the lead role as the white swan in a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.  However the qualities of the darker and more mysterious black swan are better suited to her rival Lily (played by Mila Kunis). As the film progresses. Nina comes under immense pressure and descends into a living nightmare. The film was made on a budget of $13 million and produced $329 million worldwide at the box office. The was rated as a 15 due to violence and scenes of a sexual nature. 
The movie was successful and was nominated for five academy awards (best picture, best director, best actress, best cinematography and best film editing) and won one for Portman's performance. However the film is still considered by many as a 'love it or hate it' type of film.  

Genre and Target Audience 
This film was sold to an audience of ages 15 and above however was most likely better suited to an adult audience. Darren Aronofsky's previous work has also appealed to an audience, for example The Wrestler presents a serious and dark side to the world of wrestling that, by most, would not be considered appropriate for younger age groups. The Black Swan shows no difference, as the viewers we are introduced to a dark and oppressive world in which our protagonist enters; therefore making it less suitable and perhaps less inviting to a younger audience. 
This film is a psychological thriller, designed to both excite and scare the viewer through the mysterious plotline and the inclusion of disturbing imagery. Therefore perhaps this film would appeal to an older generation as the mental fear that this movie creates may be considered too scary for younger audiences.

Opening Credits  
We are first introduced to an alternative on the usual Fox Searchlight Pictures ident. Instead of the famous logo that we all know, we are shown a a black background with a white font over the top. This immediately set an ominous tone to the film as it suggests something wrong and the black connotes death and evil. 
Then a slow piano instrumental is played over the top of an image of black chalk travelling over paper as the rest of the credits are played. The credits are written in a black font again, along with the black chalk and beginning ident, connote negativity and fear, but also elegance and formality which could link in with the theme of ballet. Ballet is considered by many to be an art; which links with the images of chalk in the opening credits.
The title is presented in a hand written in a old time type of font in white, which suggests precision and delicacy which connects to the ballet theme of the film. 

Location and Atmosphere Representation 
The film starts with a long shot of the protagonist, dressed in white in a dark room, with a spot light pointed at her.  This establishes who the protagonist is in the film by putting the spotlight on her and by dressing her in white it creates connotations of purity and innocence. Also the tone of the film is introduced through the dark atmosphere and this is being battled by the white purity of the protagonist. This suggest that this fight between Nina's innocence and the darkness that tries to overwhelm her will be a key aspect of the film. 
The full extent of the room in never fully seen but it is clear to the audience, when she begins to perform, that she is in fact on a stage. A jump cut is then used to transition to a close up shot of the protagonist's feet as she begins to dance; showing that she is in fact a ballerina.

Narrative 
The dark setting of first long shot sets a negative tone for the rest of the film as the colour black typically connotes death and fear. However it also suggests elegance and power which implies that the protagonist follows or is associated with these traits. An over the shoulder tracking shot then follows a new character into the scene. This new character is wearing all black and, as he begins to dance, he begins to manipulate and control our protagonist, suggesting that a dark force can override the purity and innocence of Nina.   
Both characters are also wearing costumes that include feathers. This theme of birds not only coincides with the name of the film but also suggests grace and beauty. However swans also connote hypocrisy, with their beautifully pure white feathers opposes their black skin underneath, The inclusion of both of these two sides of a swan suggest that, as the audience, we will see both purity and darkness feature in this film.  
The beginning of this film presents a fictional and metaphorical narrative. Although the characters are portraying a dance, they are also suggesting what the for the rest of the film will be. 

Character Representation 
Both of the characters introduced in this scene are wearing costumes featuring feathers. This highlights that the elegance and grace of a swan is adopted by these two characters as they dance. Feathers also connote freedom; however this juxtaposes the story being told through the dance as the young princess is cursed and turned into a swan, trapped within her new form. 
The colours of the costumes also reflect the characters roles. The white of Nina's costume connotes purity and innocence, whereas the black of the man's costume connotes death and impending doom. 
The final shot of this scene is a long shot of Nina dancing alone, now in her swan-like form, as the screen fades to black, implying that she has now been taken over by the darkness of the other character. This also links with the character of Nina in the rest of the film, as she has to overcome a darkness that is trying to transform her. 

Conclusion
Overall I think that this is an effective opening to a thriller film as it abides by many of the typical conventions. For example hero and villain roles are introduced from the beginning, and dreary, suspenseful music is played in order to create tension within the audience. Also A sense of mystery and unknowing has been created through this interpretive dance. Although the dance does reflect many of the traits on Nina's character and parts of the plot, it requires much concentration and even then the story is still ambiguous and can be interpreted differently. This makes the opening effective as a lot of suspense is built within the audience as is usually done within he audience.