Fight Club

Right at the beginning of the title sequence, the music starts but is then interupted by a different very contrasting song, this could possibly represent the contrast between the two characters in the film, so right from the beginning they are setting the mood for the rest of the film. Most of the title sequence is the credits and there is images of the inside of a persons brain, this is very significant because the film is about a man with severe psycological issues. The shot eventually moves onto the barrell of a gun but this isn't clear at first because it is extremely close up, then the focus changes and you can see a man who looks quite badly beaten and very scared, the voiceover then comes in and says 'people are always asking me if i know tyler durden' this higlights him as an important character and the close up of the man and his expression accosiates the character with fear. The shot then moves to a profile shot, where you can see the man with the gun in his mouth but you can only see the hand of the man holding the gun, so there is an immediate sense of mystery created and the audience want to watch more to find out who he is. When the scene moves from inside the brain, the music stops and it is very quiet, this highlights the fact that they are alone.

The mise en scene is very dark and dismal, the character is tied to a chair and seems to be wearing only a dresssing gown, giving the impression he has been taken from his house at night.

I think that this is an effective film opening because there isn't much information given away even though it opens on a very dramatic scene so it leaves the audience hooked.