THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has very distinctive features to the opening differentiating it from David Fincher's usual work yet there are still aspects of it which fit the common conventions of David Fincher's work.
I will be analysing genre, institutions, narrative enigma, themes and typography, music, typography and camerawork
GENRE:
THE GENRE IS EASILY DICTATED AS HORROR AT FIRST DUE TO THE CGI EFFECTS OF THE RUNNING BLACK INK COMING OUT OF EVERYWHERE, FURTHERMORE, THERE ARE ALSO FURTHER CONNOTATIONS PRESENT OF HAVING A MORE "THRILLING" EXPERIENCE DUE TO A NARRATIVE ENIGMA OF A DRAGON EMERGING FROM A PERSON WHICH IS RATHER UNUSUAL YET HOOKING
COMMON CONVENTIONS OF A CRIME FILM ARE PRESENT:
MONTAGE OF SHOTS
QUICK CUTS
DIM/LOW KEY LIGHTING
PROTAGONIST VS ANTAGONIST
EERIE MUSIC
FAST PACED
BUILD UP OF TENSION
A SENSE OF UNAWARENESS
NARRATIVE ENIGMA
The screen is covered in black ink connoting suffocation death and violence. The audience is able to link the use of ink back to the title.
The use of electronic cables suggests a more technical grasp to the film thus making the audience think of how and why it could be connected to the title
Several unusual aspects of the film are left unnoticed thus creating a curious atmosphere as well as meeting the general conventions of a THRILLER film
THEMES AND TYPOGRAPHY
Themes and typography
The mise en scene all being black. It is clear that there will not be very much purity in the film or happy endings. • The credits are highlighted in white writing which does reflect the purity of characters and makes them stand out against the black background. • The colours chosen in the opening sequence are dark and dimly lit, creating the mood and atmosphere fit for a thriller/horror.
MUSIC
The non-diegetic grabs the audience attention straight away This sound is continuous and very loud with a hint of rock music which helps reinforce the image of tattoos.
The sound track is very mysterious and urges the audience to keep watching further and the music intensifies itself into a crescendo, making it very fast pace and racy, again linking with the thriller genre rather than crime.
Whilst the soundtrack is playing the mise en scene move according to the pace of the song, this keeps the audience interested in the film as their mind is always wondering what is to happen next.
EDITING:
Flashing shots and jump cuts as well as frames of running ink synchronous to the beats of the music, immediately engage the audience
The use of the black ink covering lots of props connote a violent atmosphere, warning the audience of the events in the film.
All of these elements being on screen constantly makes the audience feel claustrophobic, tapped and suffocated as though they cannot escape from the connotations of death. This fits with the horror genre well and adds excitement for the audience.
Special effects have been used, especially on the ink covering the faces of the people, as this would be unable to happen naturally. This creates a very surreal environment.
CAMERA WORK:
Extreme close-ups and tracking shots: limits what the audience is seeing, putting them on edge and intensifying the thriller genre.
High angles: people submerged in blackness are helpless and insignificant
The camera is never still, it is constantly moving in a tracking shot or a tilt/pan. This adds to the thriller as it creates the fast paced feeling which makes the audience excited
