Analysis of Thriller Openings - Drive

Analysis of Thriller Openings - Drive

Drive (2011): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Hossein Amini (Screenplay), James Sallis (Book)

Drive is an iconic film due to its stylised plot, locations and characters, as well as its brutal, unflinching violence. Whilst it could be argued that Drive is closer to the crime drama genre, the film follows many of the established conventions of modern thrillers, making it applicable for my analysis into its opening scenes.

Note that the opening scene and title sequence are added as separate videos, however 
each sequence appears consecutively in the film.




The first image shown is a solid black frame which appears alongside a character, whom the audience can assume is Ryan Gosling, telling either the audience, or another character that "There are one-hundred-thousand streets in this City". Here the audience can immediately notice several points which which suggest where the scene, and the whole film takes place. For example, the scale of the number '100,000' paired with the use of 'City' immediately shows the audience that the film takes place in a large, urban environment. The vast amount of the streets also suggests that wherever the film is set, it has been chosen specifically to accommodate for the film's biggest theme, driving. 

With the first shot, the viewer can also hear a non-diegetic, quiet drumbeat in the background of the narrator's speech. This immediately gives a sense of tension to the scene, as the sequence seemingly provides no actions which could trigger the use of the dramatic drumbeat. This allows the audience to question what the drumbeat could relate to, and how its presence could foreshadow high octane events in the film.

As well as this, the viewer can easily detect an American accent from the narrator, thereby suggesting the film will likely be set in America, a typical setting for thrillers and crime dramas.

The scene then fades in to what a appears to be a large-scale map, presumably of the films location. The viewer can notice several black lines and illustrations that have been added to the map, allowing the audience to assume that they could show points of interest or routes to specific destinations. This would therefore indicate that whoever owns the map is familiar with the film's setting and that they may themselves be a driver of some sort, as the lines specifically match the roads on the map.

The dialogue itself used within the scene gives the viewer a suggestion of what occupation the character could be part of. For example, when the speaker states "You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window" the viewer is left to question what the 'window' could relate to. At first, the line could be describing some form of extraction, potentially a liberation of a character, thereby suggesting the character has good motivations. However, it could also be interpreted that the 'window' could describe some form of crime or malicious action, meaning the character could be providing escort for criminals, suggesting he could feature more villainous motivations.

The camera then slowly pans to the left, showing the layout of the room, as well as eventually showing the speaker of the scene. It soon becomes clear that the character is speaking on a phone, perhaps to distance himself from the other caller, or at least to maintain some form of ambiguity between them. The informal, calm tone of the speaker as well as his short, unmodified sentences would suggest that the speaker is not in a formal relationship with the caller. For example, when the main speaker says "Good. Then you won't be able to reach me on this phone again" the viewer can observe that the speaker gives no pleasantries or vague language to the caller, suggesting the speaker is either of no relation to the caller, or he has no time for formality. The calm tone of the speaker could serve to highlight that he could be an antagonist in the film, as many thriller antagonists show no emotion, making them an uneasy and disturbing watch for the audience.

The location and costume of the scene also help to suggest where the film is set and the themes it may follow. For example, the small, sterile nature of the character's room would suggest that he is in a hotel or similar form of accommodation. This would therefore suggest that the character is from an elsewhere location, or he wishes to keep his true home secret to the caller. This sense of displacement for the character would therefore also suggest that he is willing to travel for his work, meaning he has no sense of loyalty to his true home.

The unusual jacket worn by the speaker also draws the viewers attention, especially to the large scorpion insignia on the back. Given that scorpions typically have connotations of death and pain, it could thereby be interpreted that the character is of an antagonistic background. The insignia could also suggest that the character is a member of some form of organised crime or gang, another convention of thriller antagonists.

Momentarily after the speaker ends the call, the viewer can notice a pair of gloves in the back pocket of the character. This could further my suggestion that the character could play an antagonist in the film, as gloves are symbolic of murder and violence, especially with characters of a hit-man or assassin role.

The low-key lighting used in the scene also helps to create a strong tone for the rest of the film as it suggests a sense of emotional darkness to the viewer, meaning the film may feature darker or more adult themes. The minimal lighting also develops my idea that the character is an antagonist in the film, as villains often dwell in dimly lit areas, meaning the lighting could be being used here to hide a disfigurement or injury, another convention of thriller antagonists.

After leaving the phone and taking a large bag from his bed, the speaker exits the room. Here the title sequence begins, which I have also analysed below.





The establishing shot of the city is used to add to the character's description of "this City" in the previous scene. Here, the audience can see the vastness of the film's location, as well as its stylised, neon filled landscape. Whilst not specifically stating where the film takes place, the shot establishes that the film takes place in an urban environment, a convention of thriller locations.

The sequence also begins with the film's headline song 'Nightcall' by 'Kavinsky', a song and musician both widely known for their heavy use of synthesizers and 1980's style. The steady drumbeat of the song provides a sense of rhythm for the scene which is aided by the slow pan of the camera, allowing the audience to fully take in the scale of the City, as well as the many roads within it, some of which could have been highlighted by the character in the opening scene.


As the titles begin, the audience can notice that the titles adopt a serif, pink font which immediately suggests formality and a relaxed nature to the film. The serif font contrasts with the ordered, straight aesthetic of the buildings, thereby suggesting that, like the font, themes and characters may clash and contrast in the film. The use of the bold pink has been deliberately used in order to make the titles stand out for the audience, as they contrast with the black, minimally lighted buildings of the background.

Here, through the use of a mid close-up, the audience can now fully see the character shown in the opening scene. The use of the low-angle suggests that the character is of high power and authority, perhaps also suggesting he should be feared or at the very least respected.





The remainder of the scene, follows 'The Driver' as he cruises around the streets of what is now noticeably an American City. The rest of the scene often uses shallow focus which keeps the character in focus while removing detail from the background. This suggests that the audience should pay attention to the events of each scene, rather than where they take place. This further suggests that the locations the film will feature are not regarded as highly as the characters present in them.

List of Titles in Chronological Order:

Ryan Gosling

Drive

Carey Mulligan

Bryan Cranston

Christina Hendricks

Ron Perlman

with Oscar Isaac

and Albert Brooks

casting By Mindy Marin, C.S.A.

Costume designer Erin Benach

music by Cliff Martinez

production designer Beth Mickle

edited by Mat Newman

director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel A.S.C.

executive producers Bill Lischak, Linda McDonough, Peter Schelssel
executive producers David Lancaster, Gary Michael Walters, Jeffrey Stott
produced by Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, John Palermo
produced by Gigi Pritzker, Michel Litvak
based on the book by James Sallis
screenplay by Hossein Amini
directed by Nicoloas Winding Refn