RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE 'MINDHUNTER'

Mindhunter is a Netflix drama based on the true story of a man who pioneered the science of profiling serial killers, directed by David Fincher. 

 I chose to analyse this title sequence because of its dramatic qualities, which I hope to be able to learn from and emulate when I make my own film-opening. I think the successful build up of tension and feeling of suspense is really effective and I am inspired by the psychological thriller-like feel which is a genre I intend to explore in my film opening.

During the title sequence, a fragmented feel is created by the cross-cutting of clips from the titles to gory shots of a dead body. The title sequence opens with slow deliberated movements of what seems to be a man’s hand opening a recording device. This setting is used as a focal point throughout the title sequence and therefore allows the viewer to infer that those shots are likely to be high relevance to the rest of the series.This camera shot is momentarily disrupted with an image of a decomposing body, before resuming to the previous shot. These gory images are enough to momentarily shock the viewer but are only rapid flashes and therefore it is hard to understand what the shots are of, in the time provided. This effect is further emphasised through the close-up shots of the body, these eliminate any context from the background and therefore further confuse the audience. These glimpses are effective in enticing the viewer as they act as clues to hint at what the series entails. A mysterious tone is set due to the lack of detail and explanation, and is further reinforced by the lack of impact on the calm, precise movements of the hand setting up the recorder. This is suspicious as it is unclear as to whether the flashes of the body are flashbacks or memories of some sort and if they are, the man must be used to them, as he does not display any signs of a reaction.  Through this, a sense of normality is created and the viewer is likely to find themselves intrigued and willing to discover the unknown details, such as who the body and hand are, and what link they have.

There is an evident contrast of slow precise movements of the setting up of the recorder, in the scenes in which the titles are displayed, in comparison to the short and quick flashes of the body. Mise-en-scene contributes to the distinctive visual style and mysterious feeling of the title sequence through a simple set-up, and the focus on just one prop – the recorder, the absence of any further detail of the setting creates a feeling that there is a lot that is unknown, the audience may therefore maintain a fear of the unknown, causing them to feel on-edge. Furthermore, the colour palate of the recorder scenes is desaturated, in black and white, and appears very plain and simple; this emotionless, cold feel is enough to unsettle the viewer before the contrasting shock of the dead body. The intended impact of this may have been to disorientate the viewer and therefore add to the unease which the unsettling shots of the dead body have already created. The style of realism maintained throughout the opening, also contributes to the ominous feeling as it the body appears to be extremely lifelike and realistic, adding to the distress felt by the viewer.

The non-diegetic music that accompanies the title sequence is relatively simple, which contributes to the chilling, eerie feel. Although the sound is continuous, its rhythm changes slightly at certain points throughout the sequence, as another sound with a faster tempo is placed over the original piano music. The piano music ensures that tension is steadily built up throughout the sequence, whereas when the other music is introduced the subtle mix of the two sounds helps to make the music more overpowering, which fits with the thriller genre. As the title sequence progresses, the subtle build-up of sound is enough to allow the viewer to sense a build-up of tension and suspense and further intrigues them to watch on. Over the top of the music, diegetic sounds can be heard in the scenes where the man is setting up the recorder, for example the metallic sounds of the hand interacting with the recording equipment. These focus the audience’s attention on the actions of the hand and push them to question what relevance they have.

The absence of any explanation or context of the dead body in the title sequence to Mindhunter helps to set a tone of mystery that the audience will expect to be carried on throughout the series, and will therefore engage and influence them to want to watch on and discover the details that were missing in the title sequence.