Double Indemnity. (1944, USA, Billy Wilder)

The title of the film is composed in the center. As the font is very large, it takes up most of the frame. The over all look of the title is bold and not at all fancy. The fact that the letters are in capitals makes it seem quite loud and in your face which is appropriate because the title of the film should differentiate in size compared to the other titles. The film title is overlayed, like all the other titles in front of a silhouette of a man walking on crutches towards the camera. The title appears on the screen by fading in whilst the previous job titles fade out then the same transition is used as the title then fades out while the next job roles fade in.

The first shot is an establishing shot, centered in the middle of a main road. This shot has used the rule of thirds as the composition is well presented. This shot tells us quite a bit about the location. We can see that the area looks built up, that its set in the late evening and that the location of the film is in Los Angeles because it is says on the sign next to the worker 'Los Angeles Railway Corp.' so already, the set is fully revealed.

When we are first introduced to the protagonist, we don't see much of his costume, only a long dark coat and a black hat. The fact that these are such dark, dull colours makes the character seem quite serious and stern. The choice of costume covers a lot of him, the effect of this makes him come across as very hidden and mysterious. In the last part of the opening, he smokes a cigarette. By including this prop it makes him appear quite distressed and not at ease.

In my opinion, I think that the camera work behind the job titles is effective. We are shown a silhouette of a man done by a projection. We cannot see any features or detail, just his shape and that he is using crutches. By doing this it makes the audience ask who is he and why he is in this condition. Later on we find out that he is Mr. Neff, the main character because of his hat and crutches.

The job titles are the same as the title of the film, only smaller. The title is white with a shadow effect behind, reinforcing the fact that the opening is quite mysterious. The transitions are all the same, fading in and out which makes the titles kind of flow together. The overall look of the opening credits is a simple classic appearance which you would expect from a 1940's film.

In the first scene, we see a car travelling at a fast speed, frantically down the main road. This makes us ask why is the car so rushed and where is it traveling to. This frantic rush is reinforced when the car runs a red light, it is distributive and causes kayos. So at this point the audience realize that whoever is in the car is in a hurry. Throughout the opening sequence, not much is revealed so we are left slightly bewildered. We notice while watching Mr.Neff, he is not using his left arm which makes us wonder if he is injured. Our questions on why the car was being driven so manic and why his arm is not in use is answered when it is revealed that he has been shot. This then leads on to us asking more questions about his wound.

Whilst watching the opening sequence, we notice that it is very mysterious by having the protagonist hidden to the camera. This certain aspect makes us quite confused. These are two conventions of a thriller - hidden and puzzling. Also, thrillers tend to open in a state of kayos which is exactly what this opening has done. Things that are out of ordinary tend to appear in the thriller genre, and by having Mr. Neff rush to his work late in the evening when it is empty with only cleaners in sight is reflecting this out of ordinary thriller convention.

We know that the protagonist is very hidden, the way he presents himself, being hobbled over reinforces this. He is in a rush to get to his company however, when he arrives he slowly gets out of the car which once again questions the idea that he could be injured. Once he has arrived he is greeted by an assistant but the way he responds in their short conversation is quite blunt, and we only see his face shortly which once again emphasises his hidden personality. The assistant himself is very short compared to Mr. Neff who towers over him, this makes the assistant seem less in power and authority. When we finally see Mr. Neff's face, we can see that he is sweaty breathless which makes him seem distressed and like he is panicking.

The music in the first scene whilst the car is driving through the town is very upbeat which suits the tempo of the frantic car and adds to the hectic mood of the scene. Once the protagonist steps out of the car, we hear foreboding sinister music. The effect of this is that it makes the character seem menacing and up to no good.