Nefas Via-Past student opening analysis

What was that all about?

Simply amazing! Extremely confusing and impossible to understand, just how thrillers should be.

The first thing you notice is the horrible soundtrack. It really makes you feel uneasy and you know something bad is about to happen. After that, an element of the psycho theme tune is introduced which again tells you that something is about to happen as we all know that bad things happened in psycho. This is mixed in with the dietetic sound of the train. These sounds fit hand in hand and really create a sense that bad things are about to happen.

Moving on to camera work... The first notable shot is the extreme close up of the male character's face. It Shows sheer panic and desperation but the important thing is that we cannot really see who he is. It adds to the enigma and creates suspense. Of course, it is assumed that he is about to get ran over by a train, but we are not 100% sure if that will really happen. We then see a very short shot of a totally different person on the floor. Who are these people? We now wonder who the person on the floor is. This is great as thrillers should be this enigmatic. There is then a 'behind the shoulder shot' of somebody. This adds mystery as we see that a person is there but do not know who he actually is. It also suggests that there is a dark side to him.

I don't understand the change from light to dark in a split second. Perhaps this is just to add to the enigma but I still don't understand it!

Thee other thing that possibly could have been done better is the title text. It seems to be a little bit neglected in the sense that it is small and just shoved in the corner. Perhaps it should have been bigger and more prominent.

One of my favorite shots would have to be the point of view shot as the character walks onto the train. It seriously adds suspense as wee see the world through the eyes of the character, even if we don't know who he is!

The next important part is the when the character on the train gets off the train and walks over to the unconscious/dead person. This is extremely confusing. We think that he has just killed him and then he goes over to him and shouts 'help'! Perhaps everything but the first bit was a flashback. We simply don't know, it is very enigmatic. Flashbacks are a common feature of thriller films and are often used to create enigma.

The editing is quite clever in this opening. The most well thought out bit is where the high angle shot of the train arriving at the station. It is shown as if it is a CCTV camera. This adds to the suspense and makes it feel like a crime has taken place. It also connotes the fact that somebody is about to be ran over by the train.

Perhaps the most enigmatic thing about the opening is the gray scale tint on most of the shots. It connotes a dark and corrupt society and perhaps shows that the walking male character has a flawed, dark past. Both of these are common of thriller films.

To conclude, I basically haven't got a clue what this opening is all about. For this reason, it is great as it has clearly done it's job in being enigmatic and confusing!