The Butterfly Effect – Opening Scene

The film starts with a quote which is an effective way to start engaging with the audience as the quote raises questions to the audience (enigma). It is foreshadowing as it is letting the audience know that something small, such as a butterfly, is going to cause something big. As the quote appears, loud, dramatic, eerie music is played, which may be a technique to capture the audience’s attention as the have to read the quote, not listen, and so their focus has to be drawn to the screen. The music then seems to fade, perhaps to help create the suspense that is held within the quote.

A brief chaotic scene is then introduced, which is presented with intense music with gradually builds up to perhaps suggest the danger increasing. The conventions of a thriller are displayed in this scene; for example, the setting is dark and sinister (not much is visible to the audience) creating a sense of fear, as they are left in the darkness. The slow movements of the camera (panning) creates a tense atmosphere, making the audience feel as though something is about to happen. The music speeds up as the man in the scene is first revealed as he pushes the door open and a drumming beat begins, suggesting that the man is being chased. His rapid breathing is heard whilst he’s writing a letter (another element questioning the audience) which emphasizes fear. The torch light shows that they are searching for the man (the victim). There is a point-of-view shot of the letter, zooming into the words ‘save her’ showing some sort of significance, or aim of the man. The letter is then shown to be breaking into pieces, and then fades into the wings of the blue butterflies reflecting the title of the film. The title is then shown through the image of one butterfly in simple, blue font. The colour blue may have been used to represent the calm nature of the butterflies, making it difficult for the audience to understand the link of the title to the film. The butterfly then fades into an image of a brain scan which suggests the psychological elements of the film.

A bright atmosphere is then introduced through an extreme shot with softer music, showing the flashback of the protagonist’s childhood, going back in time.