Film Opening Analysis Part 1: Drive (2011)

 Analyzing the Opening Car Chase in Drive (2011):

*Note, this is a longer clip, I suggest starting at the 7:10 mark.

Drive (2011) - Opening Credits Scene - Car Chase:

https://youtu.be/ZHYaj6EHfJg?t=430

Analysis:

  When looking at the use of "mise-en-scene" in the opening car chase of Drive (2011), there are multiple aspects of note. First of all, the lighting is a dark teal due to it being set at night in the city of Los Angeles, with most of the lighting serving to create sharp, contrasting shadows. This creates a darker tone reminiscent of genres like film noir, adding a sense of realism and grittiness to what is a very subtle take on the crime genre. The setting we see established is also used to the scene's advantage later, having Driver, our main protagonist, use a crowded Los Angeles basketball game to dodge the police. Moving on to discuss cinematography in this scene, we see something extremely important that subverts usual expectations for a car chase in a crime movie. The entire sequence is shot exclusively within the car Driver and his crew are using to flee authorities. This subverts the usually more theatric interpretations of car chases, with wide sweeping shots of the car racing through the streets and aerial shots from the perspective of a police helicopter. It's also of note that for the majority of the shots, we see a low-angle perspective of Driver that allows us to focus in on his reaction to the action before him.

  If we look into how the scene is edited, we see a longer shot duration that serves to create tension throughout the scene's duration, lending itself to running the camera for longer periods of time to allow an uninterrupted interpretation of the events on screen, keeping the audience engaged and invested in Driver and his crew's escape. The very few cuts we see in the scene's duration are between perspectives in the car, switching between the Driver's face, his crew's faces, and the different areas of the car. Looking at how sound emphasizes the scene's other cinematic elements we see various different methods used. The most prominent is the slow non-diegetic synth track that plays behind the entire scene, focusing on a light, non-intrusive musical score that generates tension whilst not being over-bearing and undermining what's occurring on screen. There's an incredibly clever and unique sound technique used towards the end of the scene, where Driver turns up the basketball game playing on the radio, perfectly synchronizing his escape with the game's conclusion, using it to his advantage to evade the police by perfectly blending in with a busy crowd. This creates a distinctive sense of awe for the audience to enjoy, and characterizes Driver as a calculated and cunning man. 

How Does This Scene Compare to My Film Opening Project?:

  Considering that the film opening I'm deciding to make is centered around dark lighting, I can draw a lot of my scene's inspiration from the lighting in Drive (2011). Another distinctive element I want to embody is the use of tension-building, but subtle music. Whilst I definitely wish to include some overbearing audio stings in order to generate a sense of horror, I admire the way tension is built throughout this scene, and wish to incorporate some of those techniques into my opening sequence. With my film fitting into the film-noir genre, the crime centered film we see echoes the themes I wish to confront as well.