Research on Flightplan

Whilst watching Flightplan in the opening sequence I noticed that the first thing that you see is the production company’s name Touchstone and there logo before the credits start. Following this it comes up with ‘image entertainment presents’. In the opening sequence there is a use of a white text on black background. The credit sequence is combined with different shots; the credits mirror the objects in the shots. For example, in one of them the credits move with the door. The credits are in a simple font and appear in the right hand corner of the shot, the credits include the actor’s names for example Jodie Foster. The title sequence is quick and flashes like the movement of the train and continues slowly throughout the entire opening sequence. The credit sequence also includes ‘music composed by’, ‘edited by’ and ‘directed by’ at the beginning of the film.

The opening sequence creates many questions- why is she at the train station? Why is she reluctant to get on the train? Why is she in a mortuary? Whose body is in the coffin? The first character we see in Flightplan is a mysterious woman. The woman is in the train station and appears scared and anxious. This is reflected in the clothes that she wears are dark and makes her look miserable and like she is in mourning, creating a dark atmosphere. Also her face is pale and looks like she is ill, suggesting that something has happened to her or is going to happen. The women talks in a foreign language and subtitles are used, this creates a sense of mystery as we wonder why she is not speaking in English, is she trying to hide her identity? Flashbacks are also used In Flightplan, we see flashbacks of her and a man, making us wonder who he is. We later learn that it is her husband in the coffin and she is having flash backs throughout the sequence, remembering the times when he was alive. But how did he die? We are left wondering and for what reason?

The story is confusing and is told in flashbacks and at the beginning of the sequence there is a wide shot of the woman waiting for a train. It begins zooming into her back. She is wearing simple clothes- dull colours and a black jacket, setting the mood. We also meet various other mysterious German men, all in black. We then see a coffin and finally, a bird’s eye view of her dead husband. We can infer this as the use of flashbacks gives us the idea that she was once with this man as it flashes back to happier memory of them together, suggesting that there are or were a couple.

There is no music at the beginning just the sudden burst of the train to build up the atmosphere. It is tense and quite then a slow eerie music begins to play over the sound of the screeching train. During the flashback the non- diegetic music turns calm with a slow piano to create a dream like effect that is brought back into harsh reality as she fades out of her flashback into the real world, back to the scary, suspenseful music The only diegetic noise is the train and a little bit of dialogue which is in a foreign language, this is used to create a sense of mystery.   

A large range of shots are used in the opening sequence- wide shots to show the surroundings and give the audience a clear idea of what is occurring; close ups, to show the expression of the characters; mid shots to show her body posture and clothing. Low angle shots are used to make the character look intimidating and high angle shots are used to make the audience/ character feel powerful and superior, and simple camera movements such as zoom, track and arc are used to create an atmosphere for the audience.