FLIGHTPLANopening sequence

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The film is opened with the production company logos, Touchstone Pictures and Imagine Entertainment with overlaying sound.

The film goes straight into the sound of a train fast approaching and the corresponding image is shown to the audience.

The fast paced concept is then interrupted into a black screen with the title credits. It is then cut into the train passing. This is specifically done in a very disorientating way for the audience is confused and perplexed and to be intrigued by the plot of the story. It also possibly foreshadows the plot as the protagonist is put in a position where they question their own beliefs because they are forced to think that way. This effect is done repeatedly between the cast names to signify the extent of the emotional distress they are forced under. 

Then when the sound of the train gradually comes to a stop, we are brought to a shot of the main protagonist from behind who sits at a bench at a train station. As it zooms in we are shown the title of the film 'Flightplan' and then shown the characters face from the front.

As it starts to zoom slowly into her face we can see from her face that she is extremely distressed. The tears well up in her eyes as she stares idly in front of her. This could suggest a previous trauma that she has experienced.

After, the screen abruptly changes to a black screen with a sudden sound of possibly a door slamming suggesting that this event as led her to a place of loneliness and darkness. 

Then we see a shot from behind her again illustrating a newfound loneliness. She looks at an open casket indicating to the audience that she has possibly lost someone very close to her. She says agrees to being left alone with the person out of respect and from the tone of her voice we can hear that she is on the verge of breaking down and crying.

There is then a sound bridge of her husband saying 'honey' and then we change shots to her perspective back at the train station and the camera shot pans up from his extended hand to his face looking directly at the camera. This could suggests to the audience her thoughts are drifting to past recollections of her husband being there for her.

Then from her facial expression we see that she is extremely comforted by his presence. There is an establishing shot of the train station as they take hands and board the train together.

The lighting is low key suggesting a very dull environment possibly suggesting that the feeling of comfort will be short-lived.

Adding to the foreboding aspect, there is a shot from right beside the train, which offers a sense of danger, and as the train fades away into the darkness we can see flashes of electricity suggesting that she will be placed in a perilous situation in the near future.

These flashes of electricity transport us to the scene in the lab showing her on the left and the casket on the right. In the room there is very low-key lighting with a dark blue tint creating a miserable atmosphere of death and sadness.

She wears all black clothing suggesting she is in the process of grieving. There is non-diegetic sound, which has a curious uncertain undertone. It suggests that she is going through something of a traumatic nature because she is about to see her dead husbands corpse.

She stops half way and we are then shown a shot behind her legs to the base of contraption that holds the casket. This shot could imply her uncertainness to overcome this difficult obstacle.

We see a shot from beside the casket and as she stares at his body.

There is the abrupt sound of the train again fading in as a sound bridge to the next shot of the train from a side angle rushing passed the camera.

Overall, this opening foreshadows the plot of the film quite well. It is very suspenseful and interesting while at times gives us sense of what the story will entail.