T.G321
Panic Room (2002, David Fincher, US)
It is arguable that "contained thrillers" – thrillers that focus on a single location – have developed into a sub-genre. They are typically low-budget films, and often fit into the psychological sub-genre, as the confined world of the character generates tension from the claustrophobic aura. These elements all favour our groups ability, and so I have pivoted towards analysing this type of film (see Rear Window).
Panic Room starts with the renowned scenic views of New York from a helicopter's perspective, with the credits and title nearing embodiment on the edge of skyscrapers. The opening can be viewed here:
The sequence starts from farther away, showing "COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS" dominating the city, and progresses towards the city's centre, as if transporting the audience to the location of the action, which is particularly significant when considering the film as a contained thriller:
The title, "PANIC ROOM", appears between actors' names, in the same font, and roughly the same size:
The parallel nature of the names could be interpreted as implying that these people are all a part of the city; the dense urbanity is the only environment they know, and the film goes on to test how far the traits of such an environment can be exaggerated, by putting a divorced woman and her diebetic daughter in the "panic room" as their house is broken into, demonstrating some harsh realities of life.
During the title sequence there are subtle hints to the nature of the themes of the film; a billboard showing the relationship between two people – the relationship between mother and daughter challenged throughout the film.
The sequence then descends onto the main character with a crane shot, as she walks down a busy street, creating a juxtaposition between her normal life, and her situation in the centre of a burglary, thereby emphasising the drama of the action.
The theme of surveillance is another reference to an often overlooked aspect of city life. This is shown by frequent shots of CCTV monitors, which are themselves being surveilled by the camera.
I created a timeline showing the order of the titles, in order to better understand how the opening credits are conventionally organised:
As a group, we have already considered embedding credits into the setting in post production; Panic Room has given this idea consolidation, as it offers a successful interpretation of the technique.