Opening - Donnie Darko (Ella)




Dark opening shot



Tracks towards character on road





Circles the character



 

Shows the character in relation to surrounds


Sound

• There is a gentle, melodic soundtrack but it seems like he is alone, and is only surrounded by nature which is told by the noise of the birds.
• There is also no dialogue which doesn't give any information away so it raises questions to the audience.

Camera Work

• There is an extreme long shot which tracks in to show the character in the road, this builds suspense and raises questions
• The camera also circles the character which draws attention to him and raises questions.

Mise en Scene

• The lighting is low key and shows early morning of the sun rising in the distance. Everything appears dark and is mostly silhouettes of objects like the trees. This creates and eery, mysterious atmosphere.
• The setting is empty and desolate just a road through a mountain view, which makes the character seem isolated and alone.

Editing

• There are very few cuts and is simply a long shot which tracks into the person who had fallen off his bike.