Zodiac is a crime thriller set in the late 1960s and 1970s in the city of San Francisco about a serial killer called Zodiac stalking it's residents. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play investigators with their co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr taking on the role of reporters that become obsessed with learning about the killer's identity and bringing him to justice. Simultaneously, Zodiac claims more and more victims taunting the authorities with enigmatic messages, codes and menacing phone calls.
The typography throughout the filming opening is in the font of a typewriter style, this connotes the time period of which the film is set in and also signifies the as a type of font associated with a report, conforming the crime thriller genre. In similarity to, 'Outbreak' there is no production logos at the beginning of the film opening connoting that the narrative is straight forward and fast pacing, denoted from the establishing pan shot of a city. However even though production logos have not been represented, in the same typewriter styled typography reading, 'Paramount pictures and Warner Bros. pictures represents'. Paramount pictures is a corporation that produces and distributes, ranked as one of the, 'Big Six' films studios of hollywood. Along side Warner Bros. pictures an American entertainment company. These two companies combined signifies the general area or heart of their target audience as being in America due to both companies being homed in America. However it is also connoted that it is a movie is high budgeted from the iconography of the two well known companies and that it travels worldwide due to the popularity of the companies.
It is important in any title sequence or film opening of a movie that it keeps the audience interested and eager to watch the rest of the film, 'Zodiac' effectively uses this convention to the producers advantage. The film opening uses de-saturated lighting signifying to conform to the age of which the movie is set. The de-saturated lighting also connotes a foreshadow of an darken disequilibrium to come leaving the demographic uneasy and weary-trying to predict the time of disruption. This is used to restrict the narrative but give the target audience subliminal messages to keep the enigma fresh and the audience's eyes glued to the screen.
The shots are sequenced in the film opening to represent the narrative and background information slowly. For example, in the very beginning establishing and panning shots are used to connote information of the surroundings and the hometown of which the movie is set in. Next set of shots are signified to introduced the lead characters, allowing the demographic to connote the protagonist of the narrative. From the power of the shots we are able to connote key and important information about that character. For example, in a mid shot where the young boy and man are denoted at the same height and standing close together signifies the their relationship and the closeness they have, by connoting them as equal like their eye levels are.
Non-diegetic and diegetic soundtracks are present. Non-diegetic soundtrack of a African or Indian tribal music is connoted as contrapuntal and asynchronous over the establishing shot of the city, making the target audience feel uneasy for what is to come. Also leaving the enigma of the possible connections between the two. Against the non-diegetic soundtrack, diegetic sounds of voices and surrounding noises can be heard, connoting the a rushed lifestyle of the protagonist as the non-diegetic sound fastens.
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