Analysis of Opening of a Film

The setting of Sweeney Todd throughout the trailer is very gloomy and sinister. It uses colours to contrast and conotates how the film and characters are going to be. The film uses dark lighting and smoky effects and dark and gloomy scenery, the costumes and makeup are moody to continue the effect that London is a dirty and horrible place. 

The trailer starts as a black screen this creates tension and suspense in what is about to happen during the film. At the beginning, we see the chair where Sweeney Todd kills his victims. We see the journey which his victims have, to become the pie. A tracking camera shot is used to show this, also bloody follows the camera. The colour stands out from the scenery as its grey and black, and the bright red is eye-catching. The colour red symbolises death, blood and warning, this relates to the character Sweeney Todd, as he is a murderer. The non-diegetic music is low and evil it creates a cold atmosphere and foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. The writing on the screen is white, this conotates innocence and pureness, the style is skinny and small to show that Sweeney Todd is in power over them and how fragile they look compared to him and that they do not know what is going to happen to them when they go in his barbershop. ‘Sweeney Todd’ is in dark red this conotates death, warning and evil; the writing is bold and stands out from the black background, using the bold writing shows he stands out against everyone else. The word ‘warning’ relates to him well as he is a murderer but no one knows.  

The lighting throughout the trailer is dark, gloomy and smoky. The effect of the smoky effect gives off mystery also things are hiding and not knowing what is going to jump out at you. The costumes are all dark and dirty, they blend into the background and scenery. Sweeny Todd’s makeup is a white pale face and his eyes look like two black holes and using this effect it doesn’t shown any life in his eyes, this is shown by using an extreme close-up on his face. His costume is black, grey and some red in it, these colours conotates death and blood, this emphasises how dead like Sweeney Todd is and how different he is from everyone else as they are wearing dark blues and browns. The emotions on his face are also used effectively, it shows how much he hates London and the people in it, it shows anger and disgust as he says the word ‘London’, this is also shown by using an extreme close-up camera angle. Using very dark and gloomy props, the atmosphere of the film is very gothic; it reminds the audience of death and funerals.

Camera angles are used to signify which characters are in power; low angle shots are used on Sweeney Todd to signify how powerful he is and makes him look more threatening.  Non-Digetic sound is used when a boy is singing, he sounds happy, cheerful and youthful but as soon as Sweeney Todd starts singing the music turns low and evil, this shows a contrast between the two characters showing that the boy is happy and youthful but Sweeney Todd  doesn’t care and thinks London is a disgrace. This is the first time we are introduced to the character Sweeney Todd he comes across and sinister and evil and does not want other people to be happy as he has lived through a pain in his life. A long shot is used to show the setting, which is London, its cloudy and rainy, it gives the atmosphere that London is a cold, and unwelcoming place, and not a place that you would like to live. The trailer has used editing effectively to cut from scene to scene, to cut from the beginning part to introducing the audience to Sweeney Todd, they have used a fade out effect which turns the screen to black, this indicates that this is the beginning of the story. 

In conclusion, the trailer uses cinematic techniques such as colour connotations, lighting, music, mise en scene, and camera angles. These aids in representing the setting and atmosphere the film is going to be like to the audience by creating a dark, sinister and realistic effect by using the different techniques effectively. By also using these techniques effectively, the audience can connect and relate to the different characters more by making the film more realistic and believable and making the audience feel the way the characters are feeling by making them in the mood in which the characters are. Overall, the trailer is effective as it makes the audience connect and feel for the characters and believe in the setting around them as the props and lighting make it more real. The music sets the mood of the film at the beginning and makes the audience know that this film is going to be evil and moody. It shows the contrast between the other characters and Sweeney Todd and how different they are between each other; this is shown by using make-up, costumes, camera angles and music on each of the characters.