The opening titles to the film are white on a black background. This contrast is an example of binary opposition in the film which could reflect the idea of good versus evil in the film. The titles have an effect on them which makes them almost look like waves as they move across the screen. This creates a sense of mystery for the viewer as we cannot see anything else. As the titles fade, we cut to a close up of some matches lighting a piece of paper. It is night time in the shot which creates a sense of mystery and danger, as the only light we have is coming from the matches.
We hear the diegetic sounds of boats in the background which indicates that this could be happening either on a boat or near a harbor of some kind. The camera then pans upwards and we see a man (who’s name we do not know) lighting a cigarette. We know that the man is in danger as the camera cuts to a shot of oil pouring out of a canister, yet despite playing with fire does not seem phased by these events. When the camera cuts back to the man, he drops the lighted piece of paper on the oil which catches fire. Maybe hoping that this will kill him, or attract help of some kind. As the oil goes up in flames, the camera cuts to show a dead body which gives the viewer the indication that some form of crime has been committed or maybe a some kind of accident .
As the camera tracks to follow the oil, we get none diegetic sinister violins, and as the camera pans upwards, we see a silhouette of a man standing on a higher level of the boat. The fact that he is in complete darkness creates a sense of mystery as we cannot see his face, and the fact that he is stood higher than everybody else makes it seem like he is in control of the situation and maybe the cause of the deaths. The camera then cuts back to the man’s face and his expression shows a look of despair as he shakes his head. The camera then closes up on his feet as he walks, maybe to show that they could be significant later on in the film?
The camera then uses the 180 degree rule to cut from the man on the floor’s face, to the man standing above him. The standing man lights a lighter and then lifts it to his face but the audience cannot see. The man on the floor sighs and looks at him with a look of recognition and drops his head, maybe as he realizes his fortune. The man dressed in black addresses the sitting down man as ‘Keaton’ in a raspy whisper which adds more mystery to his character. The fact that we cannot see his mouth also creates a barrier between the audience and the character.
The none diegetic music is quite low in pitch and is parallel to the scene as when the man in black moves the music either changes in pitch or tempo which makes the man in black seem dangerous and in control. As the man pulls his hand up, we see a close up of a gun, but the camera then cuts away to a long shot of the boat, we then hear the gun shot, so we can only assume that the man is dead. The camera then cuts to different areas of the boat. The boat looks as if it has been deserted and undergone some kind of crime, as the sinister none diegetic music in the background implies. The camera then cuts to a close up of some rope, and we see an orange burst of light, which we can only assume is the boat going up in flames. A sound bride of police sirens accompanied by a graphic match of Verbal Kent sat in a police station takes us to the next scene.
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