Sweeney Todd Opening.

Narrative Structure:
Sweeney Todd has a pretty straight-froward opening sequence, the whole sequence is filmed continuously and it follows a linear structure. The sequence is the beginning of our adventure with Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett. We are introduced to the gore straight away as we are following the journey of a blood droplet into the pies of Mrs. Lovett this is hinting/foreshadowing gore and violence already.

Thriller Codes and Conventions:
Like all thriller films Sweeney Todd is no different, it may be a little gorier then most but it still has its conventions and codes. Enigma codes are used straight away as the audience is led to ask 'why are we watching a blood droplets journey?' 'who's blood is it?' etc. The blood in itself is a convention as people immediately think 'what's happenend?'. The scene beginnings with an over-head shot of the surrounding town. It's dark and stormy. This is a frequent thriller convention. Throughout the sequence is tension building music that just gets louder and louder as the sequence continues hinting at troublesome things to come.

Camerawork:
We are firstly given a long shot of the surrounding town and buildings. Then, as the sequence begins we track alongside all the buildings to show the dark, dank atmosphere and the extent of the storm. The sequence has lots of zooming in and out at certain points to pin-point important objects to the plot of the film, like for example Mrs. Lovett's pie maker and the blood-red water. We are presented with an ECU of the meat grinder as that is where Sweeney himself puts all his dead victims and hoe Mrs. Lovett gets the meat for her pies.

Mise-En-Scene:
We are presented with a misty, cold, wet, dark and stormy setting. This is a typical thriller conventions and links to make for an eerie, tension building plot line. The blood droplet we are following is a vivid red and its the only thing we can look at. The meat grinder is an important aspect to the plot. Darkness surrounds Mrs. Lovett's pie shop and Sweeney's barbershop.

Sounds:
Sweeney Todd has a variety of sounds that work well and contrast well with eachother. Firstly, we get the tension building music to set the scen, then as we follow the blood along its journey we meet obstacles that move, these obstacles such as the meat grinder and water make noises which overlap the music and mis in well to create tension. The music we have is very organ-based and orchestral. This carries serious connotations, the issues presented in this film are very serious issues- it's dark and direct.