Black swan

• 1. Gwynyth De Vera

2. Title Sequence The title sequence for Black Swan is simple but its effective. The font is in white capitals which contrasts with the dim background. These two colours can represent the two different swans in the film, the white and the blindingly obvious, the black swan which is Nina. The font is also feminine-like which reflects Ninas personality throughout the film. The titles slowly fade in and out with slow and gentle classical music starts to play. As the title sequence reaches the end, the title Black Swan fades in at the centre of the screen ben bolder and bigger than the previous texts that were shown. The title sequence creates a very mysterious atmosphere towards the audience. 3. Camera and Editing The opening is very plain and simple but it shows the audience what kind of woman Nina is and what her character portrays. Its soon followed by Nina in the center of the stage, with the back piitch black with only a bright spot light shining down on her, this highlights her importance in the film implying that shes the protagonist and is the first charcter the audience sees. The background contrasts Ninas spotlight because it gives of a mysterious vibe in the scene. The audience then sees a close-up of her feet, highlighting that shes a dancer a ballerina. By this trait it reinforces that shes very elegant and pure. The camera continues to follow Ninas feet as she dances, then changing to a medium shot as she finishes her dance and gently sits on the floor. The audience then sees a long shot of a man (appears to be a monster in the dance piece) coming from behind Nina in the dark, but the spotlight still focuses on Nina giving the man a sense of anonymity. As the man tries to grab Nina in a way, we see her facial expressions being nervous and terrified. The camera follows them both while they dance, circling around their movements. As Ninas dancing becomes slower and gentler, the camera zooms out of Nina, leaving her in the centre of the stage and highlighting her as the White Swan. 4. Sound and Music In the opening the sound of it is non-diegetic. The music starts to play when the text starts to slowly fade away, this creates a calm atmosphere for the audience. On the other hand, when the main title Black Swan makes an appearance, sounds similar to the wind are heard by the audience creating a creepy scenario. As well as the sound of winds, a quiet evil laugh is heard to create tension in the opening scene. As Nina starts to dance, the music remains classical but the volume of it increases. The first non-diegetic sound is heard by the audience when Nina gasps, showing fear that she feels from the man. As both characters dance even quicker, the pace of the music also creates tension, even more powerful than before. Non-diegetic sounds also include wings flapping as she changes to a White Swan. Diegetic sounds effects are used as the characters change costume becoming dramatic and tense. 5. Mise En SceneThe opening stays the same throughout, being very simple and monochrome the stage being black and the only light source being the spotlight. Nina is shown as an elegant and pure character because shes wearing a white ballerina dress, the fact that she's a ballerina also shows that there's a sense of youth in her age. On the other hand, the man appears to be wearing black, usually symbolizing death, terror and mystery which rises questions for the audience.