Donnie Darko's opening

The opening of Donnie Darko contains many coded and conventions of film openings. We are introduced to the logo of the production company and distribution company:

Then we have the title sequence, written in white with a black background and followed with a storm sound. The black background and the storm sound help to create a dark and suspicious atmosphere.

This atmosphere is confirmed by the very first shot of the film. The shot is introduced by a fade in, helping to create suspense, and it is a pan which starts from a very dark place with trees. The pan follows up showing mountains, it is a establishing shot showing the set and establishing the scene. The birds singing in the background and the storm sounds make it seem a very quiet place and together with the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. 

A creepy tune starts to play, making the mood even darker and more suspicious, together with the camera tracking in the direction of the boy lying on the floor. This makes it looks like he is dead. The lighting is not very high, although it isn't totally dark, it isn't bright. This low light increases the tension of the scene, as well as the fact that the street is completely empty, and the tune is a bit quiet, making a mysterious mood and suggesting that something is wrong. 

Surprisingly, the closer we get to the body, the boy starts to move, contradicting out first thoughts and keeping us engaged with this thrilling beginning. A piano starts playing in the background, we then get a mid-shot introducing us the main character. The piano sounds melancholic and sad, the boy's facial expression as well. The background is empty making him seem alone. These create a gloomy mood to the scene. 

When he gets up and we have a mid-shot of him and the mountains in the background it really shows that he is alone in the middle of nowhere. He smiles, but the smile seems a bit psychotic as the sad tune starts to get a bit creepier. We then are introduced to the film title in the beautiful shot of the mountains and with the sun in the background. The sunlight gets very bright and takes the whole frame taking us to a new scene. 

I really liked the opening of the film and how the codes and conventions were used. The first  2 minutes really create a gloomy mood and introduce the genre of the film as a thriller. I liked the camera work, it helped to create suspense with the slow movements and slowly letting us know the character. In addition, the setting makes us wonder what he is doing there alone, therefore it is engaging and it sets a plot.