In-depth analysis of a psychological thriller - Taking Lives

Taking Lives

Taking Lives is a psychological thriller based on a serial killer who kills people, and subsequently taking their identity and essentially, ‘living’ their lives. The killer is revealed to be the witness of the first supposed murder. He develops a relationship with one of the female special agents (FBI), who he believes to share some special connection with. Unbeknownst to her, he kills his mother in the elevators, which his ‘entanglement’ witnesses firsthand and can only do so much. 

This film is highly related to my own idea, as it’s based on a serial killer who’s easily able to get close to people and develop some sort of special connection with them, to then ultimately kill them and live their lives. 

This opening credit sequence is very similar to that of Se7en, as it features the same type of cuts and fonts, especially with the 'jig' of the typography. 

The credit sequence features little snippets for the audience to gain some insight as to what the movie is about and the events to follow. 

Opening scene

The opening scene features 2 men driving down a scarcely populated road, isolated from everything else. One tyre falls short and seems to have gotten a puncture, which results in one of the men coming out of the car, whilst the other stealthily gets out. 

The opening scene doesn't give the audience much insight into what's happening, but through the close-ups and extreme close-ups (typically convention of psychological thrillers) on one of the men in the car, essentially shows who may be dangerous or potentially plotting something. 

Subsequently, one of the men, is shown with extreme close-ups and close-ups. 

One shot in particular is very effective in already displaying the power difference between the men:

Through the low-angle shot of the man, effectively shows the power dynamic between the men, where he (onscreen) is displayed to have significantly more power than the other man kneeling on the ground. 

This shot also perfectly encapsulates who has the most power and who has the least, through the wide shot of both the setting and the scenery, as well as the dynamic between the men. As the audience don't gain much insight or enough knowledge to fully understand who, what, why, where, when, etc., it further supports the thriller genre. 

Shortly afterwards, an incoming car emerges near to the 2 men, and quickly, the man in glasses, pushes the second man out onto the car, hence getting severely hit. This is one feature of 'hooking the audience', as it quickly hooks the audience's attention in with a 'bang!'. There's also not much diegetic sound in the scenes before the man gets hit, hence creating tension, before the big release. 

The following shots are very quick and are shown through fast-paced editing. The action of the car turning a complete 360 degrees, happens incredibly fast (the thrill), before it's over. 

Afterwards, this shot is shown, in which the person who got hit is laying on the floor, full with blood plastered on his face. The man with glasses looks as though he's distraught, due to his body language, as both his hands are placed on the man's body, with one in his arm and one on his head. But, the audience cannot see his face, therefore we don't know what emotions he is feeling or what he's going through.

These shots follow afterwards, and show the man stealing the others wallet. In the last shot, he takes his wallet and places it inside his pocket. The man is framed to the left-most side of the camera, therefore suggesting there's something missing or out of place -- which is the man on the floor.

The audience would expect him to call for him or at least try to revive him, but he only avails to theft. 

The man also looks at the one on the floor, as though he's asking for permission to take his wallet but not help him and, yet again, the audience can't see him as his hair is shielding him, possibly protecting his identity - this links to the serial killer taking other peoples identity and living their lives. 

 

The following shots only lead the audience to more suspicion as to who this man is and what exactly he's doing. Firstly, he's pictured from a mid-high angle medium shot, in which he's grabbing the rock from the road. Through match-on-action, in sequence, he then grabs the rock with both hands and takes it over his shoulder, before vigorously smashing it on the (now) victim of murder. The now known murderer is pictured from a low angle shot, from the victim's point of view, and he's shown as a silhouette amidst the grey-scale background. Again, the murderer is not shown, hence shielding his identity -- which foreshadows the events to follow in the film. This suggests that both the characters and the audience are going to learn about the true identity of the killer at the same time, therefore creating the idea that identity plays a huge role in this film and that perhaps the identity of the killer is unknown to everyone. 

Opening credits analysis

 

1.  The way in which the opening credit sequence is shown is creative and it makes it seem as though it's film, through the way the newspapers are shown. 

2.  The second shot after the subtle grainy change, shows a newspaper dated from 1983, with a bold headline which reads, "old boy killed", and, "tragic car accident". The subheading underneath reads, "victims were killed instantly". Both headlines show plausibly one of the very first deaths from the murderer/serial killer. The newspaper has a fading green colour, which is symbolic of greed and ambition, hence suggesting the serial killers motive. 

The newspaper is representative of spreading awareness and only the most important news of the day. Purely from the newspaper itself, the audience is immediately given insight into where the setting and location, which is Quebec, Montreal in Canada. 

3.  The third shot features the same newspaper, but with a red fading grainy background. Red is symbolic of blood, death, power, revenge, courage, anger, war, passion, and love - all of which are related to the serial killer and possibly his personality/character or his motives for killings. 

4.  The fourth shot is a certification of death, of the victims from the same accident. From the death certificate we can infer just how the killer kills his victims. This suggests that the killer makes sure his victims are found and purposely dug up (if buried). 

5. The fifth shot is of the first actors credits. The scene shows a hand picking up eye contacts. The eye contacts are placed in a consecutive line and are lined up neatly, therefore suggesting the killer is an organised serial killer. The shot is a mid-high angle shot but more of a mid-high eyeline shot, through a medium close-up on the person about to pick up one of the lenses, hence the depth of focus and blur on the background.

6.  The sixth shot is a match-on-action of the person rubbing the contact on his left palm. Through the extreme close-up of the palm, it suggests how palms are personal to your identity, and therefore connoting the idea that identity and fingerprints are very important.

The lighting used is also quite dull and on a grey-scale, as well as a full dark colour grading, which may be due to pathetic fallacy.  

7.  The seventh shot is of the lens in a person’s eye (identity unknown), and it seems as though there’s something in the lenses, that may be recording people or other things, which is potentially harmful, and can cause for people to be at danger/threat. The eye is captured to be the main focus, with a fading blur on the rest of the face, and is again shown through this dull, fading colour. 

The 2 shots following are of the same eye but moving a complete 360 degrees, in sequence. The fact that the shot is an extreme close-up, from an eyeline angle, gives the idea that this persons eye closely follows that of everyone else’s, hence further connoting the idea that the serial killer is skilled and an ace at what he does. The extreme close-up on the eye, is also disorientating, due to the close-up on every detail of this persons eye, hence making the shot uncomfortable and unbearable, as the audience would feel scared and uncomfortable, simply due to the closeness of this person - who is unknown. The only bright part of the scene is the eye or what the lens holds.  

The music also builds up to a gradual end point, where the ominous music plays until the title shot is shown. This further builds tension and mystery - hooking the audience.

Title shot

The title shot follows after the disorientating eye sequence, and is firstly shown through high-key lighting of the red background on the white title. The red background is used to primarily symbolise power of the serial killer, and mainly death, blood and anguish of its victims. The red colour further makes the genre of thriller more identifiable. The small stains of blood on the title, further suggests the idea of killing and murders, in which the serial killer first makes a small incision before gradually killing their victim - which can be shown through the buildup of blood stains. The white colour of the title is used to symbolise the fear of unknown, and also to ensure the title purposely stands out against the brightly coloured background. The first shot of the title is from a medium shot, before then cutting to a wide shot, in a fading, dull green background. The colours of red and green are heavily used throughout the title sequence, especially through the use of headlines and newspapers. The green maybe perhaps symbolises greed and ambition - which follows the potential notion of the killers motives (still unknown). The vignette could also suggest the idea of missing/lost victims, as the vignette fades through the background, therefore denoting the idea that many victims go lost or missing - or the idea that the serial killer is simply hidden amidst the shadows.  

The following shot is of a body concealed with a white covering, to ultimately hide the person’s identity and their distraught body. The shot looks as though it’s taken from a picture off an old film camera, due to the graininess and high vignette. The darker part on the upmost left, is possibly blood staining the cloth or a covering of some sort - however, due to the colour grading and picture quality, it’s quite hard to fully make out what exactly it is. This shot creates an eerie feel and it furthermore builds tension, as the audience is completely unaware of who, what, where, when, or the how details of this mystery. 

8.  The eigth shot is of the same death certificate, as the previous death above, but specifying the cause of death, which is cranial disfigurement - a form of body alteration, in which the human being is being deformed intentionally. This suggests that the serial killer does have a motive, as proven by the intention of body disfigurement, furthermore connoting the idea that the killer’s motive is driven some sort of immediate force and anger, due to the insensitivity and vigorous act of murder. 

9.  The next consecutive shots are of another newspaper, dated 1987, which is exactly 4 years after the previous murder (dated from 1983). Both the headlines are similar, as they’re both reporting yet another death/murder in the area. Just as the previous newspaper headline above, the fading green colour and vignette, is used to effectively draw in attention to the key parts of the newspaper - which, in this case of murder, are the dates and the main, bold headline. 

10.  The tenth shot features the third actors credit, which is blurred and barely shown onscreen, through a mid-high angle/high eyeline shot, from an extreme point of view. This shot is used to heavily emphasise the action onscreen, in which the person shown in the shot is trimming their hair quite eerily. This is because the shot is mainly focused on the sharp scissors the person uses to cut their hair - without a mirror and any such guide, hence connoting that the murderer/killer is very skilled. 

11. The eleventh shot is a match-on-action of the same person’s hair now on the ground. The effect of the eyeline match from a semi-high angle, displays the hair of the person lifelessly falling onto the ground before the person. The way in which the hair quickly falls, effectively shows how quick the killers death are, with one action leading to another (which is eventual death). The hair is shown to stand out amidst the full black background, through a depth of field, as well as blur on the background. 

12. The twelfth shot is of a person (due to match-on-action, it is the same person as before), who’s putting disposable gloves on their hands. The gloves are half-shown, as the background encloses in on the gloves, to only make the outline of the gloves evident, hence using silhouettes, to further build on the mystery factor and just how uncomfortable everything is. The medium/long shot is from a low angle, possibly from a victim’s point of view, as the gloves are shown from a disorientating angle, therefore connoting the idea that this shot is a reference to a victim’s perspective, hence allowing for the audience to sympathise with the victim. This shot is also very frightening, as there’s complete and utter darkness, with the only white/grayish dull light from the glowing outline of the gloves - which could connote for a victim’s hope in the darkness or their worst fear - this is shown through the lowkey lighting. 

13. The thirteenth shot is an exact match-on-action from the previous shot of the gloves. The shot is again from a low-angle, shown through a medium close-up, to further build on the idea of it being from a victims point of view, in which the killer has more power and is able to kill. The only bright light shown is the one bright white light, in the background of the gloves. The white light looks as though it’s illuminating the gloves, to cast a shadow/silhouette on it - this makes the gloves even more ominous and mysterious. This shot is similar to that of the previous, as it’s also very terrifying, in the sense that, this shot could be what a victim sees before death. It’s also essential to highlight the effect of a slight Dutch tilt , which foreshadows bad events - possibly death. 

14. The next sequence of high angle shots, shows the same person now placing some sort of unknown substance onto their hair. The substance looks oily and potentially harmful, as the person/killer uses disposable gloves to place the substance onto their head. The uncomfortable feeling/factor is also shown here, as the substance they’re rubbing on their hair looks weird and abnormal. The diegetic sound of the stickiness from the glove rubbing onto the hair, is intolerable, as the sounds keeps going on and on. The shot is shown from a partially-high angle, through a medium close-up on his movements, whilst vigorously rubbing his head. 

15. The following shots are a match-on-action, through a medium shot from an eyeline angle, showing the glove being placed into the water/liquid. The gloves look as though they are being washed, with the person rubbing their hands together, as though they’re washing their hands. The diegetic sound of the gloves being immediately placed into the water, is sudden and quite frankly, abrupt. The sound of it being dunked, could connote the idea of drowning, in which the killer uses disposable gloves and kills them in water. This links to the bubbles coming off of the gloves, which furthermore reiterate the reference of drowning, as the bubbles could possibly connote oxygen leaving a victims body, shortly before eventual death. In terms of lighting, the gloves are now the only dark and inconspicuous light, being plunged into dim-lighting. The actors credits is subtly shown in the background, and it fits in well with the darkness.

16. The next shot shows the transition between frames. The shot closes, like a old film reel, which has black strips of images changing each second. This could reference the dates in which the events (killings) took place, as all of them take place before 2000s. The small bit of light on the top of the shot is the closing of that shot, and the full blackness beneath it, is the black strip. 

18. The next shot is a close-up on both the fading, “Burnt”, word and the action in the background. The word, “Burnt”, is presumably, the way in which this person was killed, and it is again, shown in red to further reiterate the idea of bloodshed and violence. However, the background action seems to be some sort of glove, or even the same gloves as shown previously. The gloves now look as though they’ve been completely abandoned in the water, and are sinking down to the bottom. The effect of this shot is that it creates an idea of how the killer kills, as the audience interprets this to be how a victim dies through being dumped in water. The small splotches of ink, on the left-hand side of the certificate, can represent blood spluttering. 

19. The next close-up is a match-on-action of the reason for death, “burned to death”. The emphasis of, “death”, in this shot is that of the background. The slow, gradual fading of the background, connotes the idea of death, as the supposed gloves in the background represent a victim, helplessly dying in water. This is further suggested, as the word is placed directly upon the glove, which is sinking, hence connoting the idea of an actual death. 

17. The next shot features yet another death certificate, due to the way in which the date is presented. The shot is shown from a close-up, through an aerial angle. The date, on the certificate, is shown in red, to connote the idea of bloodshed, death, anger, violence, love and lust (which could be the motives). The date is written in someone’s handwriting and its dated from 1987, which means that the killer has been killing for a while, and is therefore a very experienced serial killer. 

18. The following shot is a cut to the next actors credits, and is shown through an extreme close-up of a person shaving their hair, but in a very abnormal manner. The extreme depth of this close-up is odd, as the camera is heavily focused on the small grown hair on the person’s face, and it has a deep depth of field, as it focuses directly onto the skin, in full detail, as well. The next shots are a consecutive sequence of the man shaving his beard. The shots are shown in 2-3 secs and cut very quickly from one angle of him shaving to another - this suggests the killers timing, and how everything he does is quick. 

The shaving item he’s using, is sharp and looks as though it’s deadly - connoting the idea of his weapons to kill.  

19. The next shot is of a report, about a discovery of a body. The shot is shown through an aerial view, and is shown in a fading dark purple colour — the dark purple colour could imply the idea of blood after death, as blood will turn purple, specifically dark purple, after no oxygen supply. This could suggest the blood of the victims body. 

20. The next shot is of the body, as shown in the previous shot, and it’s shown through a black and white filter, whilst the blood stands out, on the white covering. The body is shown for a mere 1.5 seconds before the next shot. The shot is shown through a long shot, through a high angle. The body is only shown for a few seconds, which could reference the identity of the person, as they’re unknown, hence, “discovery of a body”. This links to the main plot of the film, which heavily entails identity. The shot is also very grainy and has vignette, which connotes the idea of an old picture wearing out, therefore suggesting the body has been dead for a while.

21. The next shot is a match-on-action of the report, which states, “no suspect”, which means that no-one has been identified to have killed the body. This further builds on the role of identity in the film and just how big of an impact it has. The purple colour of the report, is firstly used to emphasise the mystery behind the actual killer, and blood after death. 

22. The next shot is of a map, showing the U.S consulate. The map is green, which connotes psychological turmoil lurking beneath the surface, hence foreshadowing events. The U.S consulate general is to serve and protect US citizens, ideally from any danger, which could explain why it’s focused on the map, as it should protect US citizens (in any country), as much as they can - links to the serial killer being unknown. 

23. The next shot is a match-on-action, of the same map, but of a description of a body resurfacing. The time and location (exact area), of the resurfaced body is stamped onto the map. This further builds on the idea of the killings and the links between each, with how one resurfaces and one is lost completely. In order to fully show the description underneath, the camera pans from the right to the left. 

24. The next shot is subtly hidden. The shot is shown for less than a second, before disappearing. The shot shows an unidentified person, with presumably, an unknown sign on their picture. The person is hidden amidst the shadows and due to the heavy grain and static, it’s difficult to decipher whether this is the serial killer or another victim. This follows along with the films idea of identity and false identities, as this person is shown for merely 1 second before vanishing, which suggests that the person is the serial killer, simply due to how quick he left the screen. 

25. The next shot is a mid-high angle medium shot, of an ID card. The person is removing the current identity and replacing it with another. The way in which the person removes the picture very carefully from the card, possibly shows the serial killers attention to detail. The person’s identity (picture) is hidden and not shown, therefore not knowing whose picture is being removed and who’s going to be replaced. However, the serial killer could be replacing a victims identity with his own. This all links to the main theme of identity. The tracking shot stays on the killers actions, and has a shallow depth of field, as it focuses in on the identity card for a Canadian person. 

26. The following shot is a match-on-action of the picture being replaced by another picture of another identity. The main theme of identity is heavily shown here as the card has now flipped 180 degrees, to allow for the person to place another identity to the card and use it. The depth of field, in which the camera solely focuses on the card and the background is blurred out, evidently shows the importance of the ID and what it will entail. Next credits of actors are shown, through a fading pick colour, which fits in with the background action and doesn't stand out or isn't too visible, therefore not disrupting the action. Credits are subtly shown as they fade on and off screen. 

27. The next shot is the casting credits, and the background, featuring the card and finger is blurred out a bit more, in order to show the credits without disrupting the background. The credits are shown in pink, which symbolises femininity, love and affection - foreshadowing events to follow, e.g. relationships of the killer. Shallow depth of field is used, all whilst the camera maintains focus on the identity card more, and blurs out the background. Some fading pink vignette is used. 

28. The next shot is one of the many unsolved cases. This is one of the unsolved cases shown after a sequence of various unsolved cases ranging from different dates, leading up to the 2000s. The large, thin, “unsolved”, letters, alongside the date, are covering the person’s identity, as the majority of their face is covered up (protection). The shot is from a medium shot, at an eyeline angle. The grain, the black and grey filter, and the low vignette, are used to effectively show how old these cases date back to, and how many of them remain unsolved and possibly closed - as though, they’re forgotten. 

This shot links to one of the previous shots in which a person is hidden:

The 2 shots above are very similar, as they seem to be the same person. 

29. The following shot is a match-on-action of the previous shots, in an unsolved case/victim is shown. The shot is taken from an aerial angle and shown through a medium close-up, as it's displaying one photograph of an unsolved victim. The camera cuts to a close-up on the victim's hands, as shown by the second shot  As shown by the photo, the victim's fingers are clearly shown to have blood stains on them. Their fingers also seem to have been severed, with a cut on their right thumb. The blood also looks dried up and the victim was probably killed a while ago, hence the unsolved cases dates. The use of mise-en-scene, is very effective, as it shows the blood to be old and not fresh, hence allowing the audience to understand that the victim was dead for a long time. 

It also allows for further understanding of the killings, and just how many different degrees of violence are shown through each one. 

The second shot displays yet another unsolved victim whose body lay dead and covered by the white cloth, whilst vivid blood/dirt stains are shown on the photograph. The filters used in each of the above photographs, are grainy, have vignette, and all display the white colour of the cloth, to be the brightest colour, hence placing importance on the victims underneath the cloth. The photographs are shown in a fading/dull gray tone, therefore, further implying how old the photos are. 

29. The next shot is showing a handwritten note of a victims profile, which includes all details necessary to identify the victim. The note is shown in the same fading/dull green-ish colour tone, but with little vignette. There is also some small indents on the note, with presumably some blood on the left-most side. 

The camera displays the victims profile, whilst moving gradually downwards, in order to reveal each detail of the victim slowly but carefully, because the information is very important (as they may need to identify the victim?), and through this slow reveal, it gives the idea that the audience are supposed to slowly intake the information, as it reveals each part of it.

The next shot is taken from a high angle, and shown through a medium shot, in order to display what seems like more identity cards of other individuals. The cards also look as though they're all lined up in a precise order, albeit, there's minimal writing on these cards, which means it's hard to fully decipher what exactly their purpose is. These cards or pages, are often shown throughout the credit sequence, therefore, there's imminent importance of it, although we don't really know what it is. This gives the audience more suspicion as to what it's actually happening, and overall continues to build tension and mystery. The contrast between the lighting in these shots, give the idea that these cards which are placed on this moving conveyor, are to be protected and kept safely and are stored appropriately, as there's only one singular bright light on the top of the machine, whilst complete darkness surrounds the rest of the pictures -- links to the idea of instant photos perhaps, as they take time to develop in the dark? This could also link to the idea of the various different photographs of the victims. 

- Next shot is another newspaper, except the date is only shown, as the camera slowly pans from the left to the right, in one steady movement. Shown through an aerial view. 

- The filter used has some grain and small scratches, with minimal dark vignette -- links to the date, from which the paper is dated (1992), hence connoting the idea of age and possibly how old this event is

- Newspaper date is written in a traditional, formal typewriter style -- links to the idea of oldness and age, as newspapers now, don't have traditional font types for dates

- Only the date, month, and year are shown, and the day is not really shown, but it's easily understandable. The headline of the newspaper may have not been shown, as it may have been unimportant or too horrific/terrible to show (violent act committed was very grave) or even that, the date is the most important key information, as it's displaying the different dates from the 70s to the 2000s, and it shows how many killings have been continuously happening for decades now. 

- Next shot is the killer scraping off hair from his body, shown through an extreme close-up from a mid-high angle, as it looks as though he's trimming off some hair. 

- Tracking shot -- camera has a deep depth of field, as it not only focuses on the fine details of the killer's dry skin on the right side of the shot, but it also displays his minimal blond hair on his head. Looks as though it's a part of his daily routine. 

- Background is blurred out, particularly the left hand side. 

- Props of the tool he's using to cut/trim his hair off looks blunt -- dangerous and sharp -- link to killer

- Lowkey lighting of the background of the room contrasts with highkey lighting of him trimming his hair, in some sort of natural light/colours. 

- Chiarscuro lighting is used here, as well, in order to heighten the tension and mystery of the killers actions.

- Match-on-action of the killer trimming his hair, as the hair cut off, is now clearly shown. 

- Fingers are now slowly blurred out.

- The killers slow action of trimming his hair, connotes the idea of his character to be organised, and time-devoted, as he carefully trims his hair -- suggests he's patient and more importantly, cautious. 

- Next shot is now a direct cut to another part of his head, which shows him scrubbing the nape of his neck/bottom-most part of his head.

- The quick cut from the slow previous shot, contrasts with the fast-paced action of him scrubbing, very deliberately. 

- The lighting remains unchanged and continues with the contrast between highkey and lowkey. 

- Chiaroscuro lighting is used, as half of the neck is shaded in darkness, whilst the other half remains uncovered in the light. The lighting technique is used to overall heighten the killers current emotions, as he's visiciously scrubbing the nape of his neck, as though he wants to get rid of something/properly clean himself.

- Next shot is of another newspaper, with the headlines which reads, "Mutilated hands...near boston harbour", without the date. 

- The camera pans to the right, in order to fully show the headline, before quickly moving down the newspaper, to show the next key part, in a subheading, "Identity of Victim is Still Under Investigation" - -this heavily links to the main theme of identity, as the victim of the murder is still unknown, which is the main element of the film, as being unknown is what most victims end up as.

- Newspaper is now shown in its normal colour of white backgrounds and black writing -- suggests a change in dates i.e. old to recent?

- black vignette and grain are still used throughout 

- Next shot is almost a direct match-on-action on the main headline of the newspaper, which displays the picture of the, "mutilated hands". It's shown through an extreme close-up on the whole hand, from an eyeline angle. 

- The hand is shown quickly, as the camera cuts from the headline, to show the hand in a red filter, within 1 second. The red filter obviously symbolises first and foremost, death and violence, as well as extreme bloodshed. The red filter also links to war and vengeance, and lastly, love and power. All of which links directly back to the killers characteristics and motives. 

- The singular hand is shown abruptly, and is shown in a bright-fading red colour, with heavy grain. 

- The word, "mutilated", is defined as severe damage to the hand, and that's evidently displayed on the picture of the hand, due to the multiple cut injuries sustained, as well as the marks on the palm and the blood residue on the fingers. 

- Next shot is a direct cut back to the newspaper and it's shown in a bright red colour, with a deep depth of field, which focuses on the subheading in bold. 

- Shown through a close-up on the subheading, from an aerial view, whilst motion blur filters out the background. 

- The red filter symbolises blood, anger, power, death and violence, all of which link back to the killer.

- Grain and red vignette are used

- The subheading headline is now shown on a black background, whilst the writings are in white, hence being inverted, therefore connoting the importance of identity.  

- Next shot is of the killer filing his fingers, specifically his phalanges. It's shown through an extreme close-up, from a semi-high angle. 

- The killers fingers are shown to have a cut on his middle finger, perhaps from his filings. The one singular cut hasn't been covered up by platelets (which stop bleeding), so therefore, his cut is fresh and new. The singular cut also links to victims cuts. 

- Chiaroscuro lighting is used, as the black background is barely shown, whilst the bright natural light is shown on his fingers, which is used to highlight the tension and mystery of each event unfolding.

- The following actions happen very quickly and are fast-paced, therefore possibly showing his need for perfection, as he's doing all of these actions to make sure everything happens in order. His actions also start to gradually speed up, from the hair trimming, to buffering, to filings -- all of these actions become faster in the process.

- Next shot is of the killer buffering his fingers, as shown by an extreme close-up, from a semi-high angle. 

- Action happens quickly, whilst the tracking follows his movements

- Through mise-en-scene, he's brushing his fingers very tediously, as though there's no room for error

- Pink vignette and grain are again used, with the grain becoming more prominent. 

- The co-producers credits are shown in the same pink font, as before. 

- As he moves his fingers forwards and backwards, the camera remains directly focused on his fingers, which are being brushed by the item. 

- Chiaroscuro lighting is continuously used throughout this fast sequence, in order to really heighten his actions and build on the mystery and tension of each.

- This shot is of either of a possible suspect, or of another victim, which is shown through the report of the person's fingerprints. It's displayed by a medium close-up on the fingerprints, from an aerial angle. 

- The familiar green colour is used, which can symbolise various different things, specifically ambition, which links directly to the killer. 

- High vignette is used here, as the report is not fully shown. 

- Lowkey lighting is used -- contrasts with the brighter fingerprints -- links to theme of identity and how fingerprints are personal. 

- The camera quickly shifts to an extreme close-up on different fingerprints, through a fading pink transition, which is the same font used for the credits. 

- The camera pans and moves down to the different fingerprints, very quickly, all in sequence. 

- The lowkey lighting and vignette may have been used to not fully show the fingerprints, or who they may belong to -- openings are to only give fragments of information -- therefore, causing for the audience to remain suspicious and continue to build tension within. 

- Tracking shot -- camera pans up before moving downwards, to show what the killer is forging and provide more details as to what the document is 

- As shown onscreen, he's forging the signature on a victims passport (assuming), and he seems to have been tracing it for a while due to the various handwritten signatures on the black paper 

- Links to theme of identity/false identity -- faking his identity or taking someone else's to sign other documents?

- A bit of a darker filter/colour tone used for this shot, as compared to other shots 

- props of the pen, paper, and document 

- Photographic 

- Picture of autopsy report, as shown by the OCME overview, which stands for the Oxford Chief Medical Examination. 

- The victim had dental impressions, which is defined as a negative imprint of hard and soft tissues in the mouth from which a positive reproduction can be formed. 

- Grain and vignette filter -- heavy grain filter and light vignette 

- Tracking shot and shaky camera used to move down to slowly show the paper and reveal the details of the report.

- Highkey lighting of the most important part of the autopsy report -- contrasts with the grain and black vignette used. 

- grain and vignette usage -- could connote the time/date of the events and how long ago it was?

- stack of papers? vague guess

- papers lined up in equal spacing - links to suggestion of the killer being organised and experienced 

- high angle looking down at the moving cards

- the cards are placed on a mechanical item that moves the cards up and down

- tracking shot -- camera follows the action onscreen -- the kinetic movement of the machine moving up and down

- shown onscreen for 0.46 seconds -- shows the quick-fast paced movement of the machine 

- often shown in the credit sequence -- possibly a machine press that has different identities stacked, so the killer can change from one to the other? Or photographs of victims?

- highkey lighting of one bright white light on the top of the machine contrasts with the pitch black darkness of the rest of the setting -- could be the killers home?

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- certificate of body inspection? 

- photography credits onscreen for 2 seconds 

- camera moves to the bottom and down to the left -- pans slowly but stealthily. 

- green colour grading shown to highlight possible motive -- greed and ambition OR unchanging self, self-awareness and envy -- links to possible characteristics of the killer/victims he targets 

- pale pink and black vignette -- left side vignette is brighter than the right side

- x-ray of body part -- assuming, it's unclear 

- x-ray image displayed on a bright, white background, in order to fully see the images 

- highkey vs lowkey lighting -- white bright light vs. the dark black and grey x-ray 

- quick-paced editing, as camera shifts from one x-ray image to another -- to maybe show how many images there are/how many victims bodies have been destroyed/the killers own body -- purpose is not fully clear. 

- inverted filter 

- executive producers credits stays onscreen for 3 seconds 

- looks like bones displayed in the shot 

- the picture shown was hidden amidst the other x-ray images previously displayed -- connotes an idea of its importance

- x-ray

- bones that look intact 

- small x-ray?

- unknown bones, audience are unaware of whose bones these are, or whether they are broken.

- quick paced montage, changing between the different x-ray results, whilst panning from left to right and moving up and down. 

- extreme close up on killers mouth -- uncomfortable, unsettling, odd, indifferent

- deep depth of field captures the fine details, such as the beard hair and skin of the mouth 

- only the mouth is shown from a low angle, almost looking up to his mouth -- implies high power 

- quick/fast paced editing used to capture the natural teeth vs the fake teeth -- link to themes: natural (reality) vs fake (counterfeit) 

- mise-en-scene used through props of the fake teeth being inserted over the natural teeth 

- tracking shot -- camera stays focused on the inserting of the fake teeth

- extreme close-up continues with same low angle 

- fake teeth being inserted 

- identity is still protected, unknown to audience, and have to decipher 

- feelings invoked: unsettled, uncomfortable 

 - match-on-action of previous shot -- fake teeth being inserted 

- tracking shot to focus directly on the insert 

- extreme close up with low angle 

- inserting now complete -- fake teeth fits perfectly over the natural teeth, with no difference whatsoever

- props of fake teeth used to show the difference between reality vs. idealistic reality 

- identity remains protected

- tracking shot continues to focus on the fake teeth 

- extreme close up with low-eyeline angle (subtle change in angling)

- mise-en-scene used through facial expression of the smile -- looks unnatural, as both the gums and teeth are sticking more than normal. The teeth also look uncomfortable to wear 

- credits shown in pale pink -- match on the colour of the lips and contrasts with the background

- small scratches/indentations shown on filter -- grainy and black + pale pink vignette on the sides of the shot -- could connote about the fake teeth being used before, perhaps worn out?

- tracking shot remains focused on the smile 

This shot is a match-on-action of the previous shot, from the same low angle, shown through an extreme close-up on the killers fake teeth in his mouth. Exempt from the previous shot, the filter becomes inverted, and therefore reveals several black splotches of blood. The teeth are shown for a few seconds before they transition to an autopsy report. The low angle could also display the power the person has over others - which is repeatedly shown throughout the credit sequence. The tracking shot remains focused on the inverted smile, whilst the inverted filter picks up unidentified splotches, of what seems to be old blood, on the teeth, perhaps from previous killings. The subject i.e. killer, moves a bit, as though he's shaking in the shot. 

This shot shows another newspaper headline, that's in French, therefore suggesting that these events are even happening either around the world, or in the French parts of Canada. The newspaper is displayed in the same continuous green colour, which symbolises greed/ambition, which could link to the killers motive. The newspaper headline is shown as the camera pans to the right, to fully display the headline which reads, "découvre un homme assassine", which translates to, "discovers a murdered man". The headline is of yet another killing and new victim. 

- The 2 shots, both show a police evidence report, which is shown through shaky cam and medium close-ups, from an aerial angle. 

- Vignette and grain are used, as well as scratches, to connote the idea of a film reel, as well as the date in which the report was filed -- may be old.

- Producer credits are shown in black, capital letters, which look like smudged ink. 

- Credits differentiate with the background, as they disrupt the information onscreen, therefore making it hard to fully see the information.

- Camera moves quickly from one part of the report to another, but focuses on the description of property and quantity, which displays a name, "Garrote" -- unknown to the audience  

0. This shot features the screenplay credits, with a background of a white outline of strangulation. The background shows a dictionary of some sort, in which the action of strangulation is shown. There are numerous words, all depicting the idea of death/violence, due to the word on the left-most side of the page, "crossbow", which is notorious with death. This may reference to another method of the serial killer's killings, as it displays one strangling another, which may refer to a victim being strangled in a situation. 

0. The next shot is of one of the very last shown in the opening credits. From an eyeline angle, it shows a close-up, on a missing sign, which displays the missing persons character. One key element is the last bold statement, "Missing Since Thursday". Inferring, the person may have been missing for a prolonged period of time, as shown by the following shot. The grain and vignette are thoroughly used throughout the opening credit scene, in order to show how long these killings have been going on for and to also display the naturalness of every single element - it makes everything seem more natural and ultimately deem it to be untouched, therefore making each event, each killing, and each routine of the serial killer, entirely more believable. 

0. The following shot is a match-on-action, of the same missing persons poster. However, the poster is now degrading and wearing out, as the paper is tearing and dirt/bacteria is growing on it. Through the use of mise-en-scene, it's easy to connote that the person mentioned as missing, is now lost and has been lost for an incredibly long time, hence abandonment. Thus, it concludes that the missing person is either dead or lost, as the missing persons case seems to have been abandoned, i.e. closed. The last shot really ties in the different themes in the film: abandonment, identity and most importantly, identity theft/false identity. The poster also happens to degrade rather quickly, as there's a small time frame in which the poster is shown, before shortly afterwards, being quickly crumpled into a lost cause. 

Overall analysis 

The whole title sequence is displayed in a film reel, as black strips are passed over one another through a quick transition to another, and as the camera pans from one event to another. 

All of the credits are shown for about 2-3 seconds before they fade out offscreen. The shots are shown through a quick-paced montage, with each shot conveying different meanings based around the main themes of identity and abandonment, through different events (killings, missing persons, unsolved cases, unidentified bodies, newspaper headlines), that all tie to one unknown killer. The shots are shown as though they are a film reel, as the camera pans to each different shot or either zooms into a key element displayed in the shot. 

The camera often looks a bit 'shaky' during each of its pans, and it often moves very hastily from one element of a picture or a report or a certificate, to another important element. This could connote how necessarily important each of these details are, in figuring out the killers character and each of his doings. The shaky cam could also link to the extent to which the killer kills victims, i.e. the more violent/dangerous acts he commits, for example, "multitation", which was mentioned in a headline, then "dental impressions", which seems to be heavily linked to the killer, with his fake teeth. Therefore, the shaky cam of each event, could connote the scariness and intimidation of the killer and his actions. 

The opening credits mainly uses non-continuity editing, in order to display the events, to really show how fast each event took place, as well as to show the journey of the events over time. 

In all the shots, the person's whole face is not revealed, nor is any other part of their body, or what they're wearing, therefore covering and protecting his identity.