Panic Room Opening Sequence

The sequence starts off with the Columbia logo appearing on screen, with which we can hear thunder clouds and rumbling wind in the background. This could be a sound bridge between the next cut, however, the sounds could also just be added as sound effects.

At 0:20, the screen fades to black as the music begins. We can hear police sirens; diegetic off screen sound, which then uses a sound bridge as it shows us an establishing shot of the city in which the film takes place. This then cuts to another shot of buildings, as the strings begin to play. The notes are low-key and legato; suggesting that something ominous is going to happen. As the main actors' and actresses' names are introduced sirens can be heard again and this time an example of diegetic on screen sound appears as we hear a car horn and can see cars at the bottom of the screen.

The legato music reaches a dramatic crescendo as the camera pans across the title of the film (0:51). The music then starts to fade slightly, as we expect to hear a change of pace now. Surely enough, the camera cuts again and this time the music has changed tempo, creating a more upbeat and tense mood. The strings are now playing in a higher key and the music is a lot more staccato, suggesting to the audience that somewhere in the film, there will be disruption and panic, as the title of the film already insinuates. Introduced to the music is also a ticking noise, which adds to the suspense as it creates the feeling of time running out.

This faster-paced music continues until 1:22, where a cymbal can be heard, then back to the legato strings that we heard at the beginning of the sequence. This time however, the ticking noise continues and more high pitched strings are introduced as the music reaches its climax and slows down.

Then at 1:43 the camera cuts to the first shot that shows people in it as we hear the voice of the main character in mid-conversation. The camera then cuts and tilts down to show the character walking down the street with another person, with whom she is having the conversation. This sound bridge helps to cut from the opening sequence to the beginning of the story.

Overall, I think that it is a very effective opening sequence because the change in pace of the music helps to give the audience clues about what to expect in the film without giving too much away. We know we are going to come across a dilemma of some sort; the title of the film emphasises that point further, but we do not know how/when to expect it. The soundtrack, camera cuts and use of on and off screen diegetic sound makes this a very good example of a simple, yet highly effective and dramatic opening to a Thriller film