Black Swan Analysis

The second opening sequence I have chosen to analyse is from Black Swan. The film was released in 2010 and was directed by Darren Aronofsky. I have chosen to analyse this film because I like the way it introduces the characters and the symbolism it uses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyuTmdCyIrQ

How the narrative is set up The opening sequence starts to tell the story of the main character.

It shows her becoming the white swan. This is symbolism because the white swan is supposed to be innocent and perfect which is what Nina (the character) is. This sets the film up to follow her journey to be the black swan.

The end of the sequence shows her as the white swan.

This is to show how Nina has developed as a dancer. She strives to be the perfect dancer which is represented by the white swan.

How the characters are introducedThe sequence starts with darkness but then a single spotlight is shone on a female ballet dancer.

This tells us that she is the main character and the story will focus on her.

A man is introduced who at first looks like a bird.

As he moves into the spotlight, we see he is a man. He dances with Nina before turning her into the white swan. This is a part in the ballet but also represents how Nina is now the white swan.

How the genre is established

The music playing is orchestral and is music from Swan Lake.

The music starts off slow but picks up pace and gets more dramatic as she is turned into a white swan. It helps to add suspense to the sequence.

The lighting is very dark with just a single spotlight the whole time.

This is to make the audience focus on the girl dancing and what is about to happen. It makes it eerie too.