The Butterfly Effect - Nikita Patel

'The Butterfly Effect is a 2004 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber and starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. The title refers to the butterfly effect, a popular metaphor for the principle in chaos theory that in any dynamic system, small initial differences may over time lead to large unforeseen consequences.'

During the opening sequence of 'The Butterfly Effect', the logos of the companies that were involved in the production of the film are seen;  New Line Cinema, owned by Time Warner and Film Engine. This gives the audience an idea of what kind of film to expect if they have seen films by these companies before. We then see a quote from the Chaos Theory “It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon half way around the world”. This quote could be implying that anything can happen to anyone, at any time; everything is universal. It also gives an idea of the butterfly effect, the name of the film, to give the audience an idea of what might happen.  The music starts to play and is of a mysterious sound. 
When the first scene begins, an empty room with the blinds shut can be seen, with someone's shadow on the outside. The tracking shot of this person and the movement of the character gives the audience the idea that they are sneaking around and are involved in something they should be involved in. The music also changes at this part, and becomes high pitched and screechy; adding to the suspense. As the protagonist kicks the door open, it makes the audience jump. Furthermore, the suspense is being built up even more within these first seconds of the opening. This makes the audience want to watch more as a lot is happening and it is full of tension and suspense. 
The character is dressed in a blue robe, which normally is associated with a doctor or nurse. The music changes again, becoming fast paced which links to the fast movement the character is acting in. The use of the character moving the sofa from the door shows danger and mystery; we do not know if he is hiding or being chased, and more tension is created. 
When the protagonist has sat down and is writing what looks like a note, the music changes yet again. It has changed into a more calm and tragic tone. As he reads the note aloud, we hear his voice and can hear that he sounds worried and nervous. Furthermore this adds to the mystery we feel as the audience so far in the scene. 


The start of this film gives us a lot of information within the first minute. We get an impression of how the film may be; a suspenseful yet twisted story with a lot of mystery combined. The mixture of music and fast movement makes the audience jump and want to know more about what will happen. 
The dark lighting adds to the mystery in the opening sequence and creates a suspenseful mood. 


By watching this opening sequence, it gave me ideas on how to construct our opening sequence. The fast movement and suspenseful music helps to engage the audience in wanting to watch more, yet still leaves a sense of mystery.