Donnie Brasco

Donnie Brasco is a thriller about an FBI undercover agent who tries to catch out a mafia mob, but eventually he finds himself identifying more with his mafia life, which puts his family in danger.
The titles are small and white, like a typewriter’s. The title of the film does not appear any larger than that of the actor’s, and as it’s a name, it implies the character is a real person. As this film links to a true story, this will intrigue the audience.
The first thing the audience sees is a pair of eyes, which is a thriller convention. The eyes belong to a man, most likely the protagonist. The non-diegetic sound of the 1970s music almost relaxes the audience until the slow, strings music starts, which builds up the tension. The use of photographs links in with the ‘crime thriller’ genre, as policemen take photographs. The soft, seamless transitions between the photographs make them seem like moving images. The colours used are mostly black and white and sepia tones which add a dark quality to the images, making them seem more sinister. Towards the end of the opening, the images appear and disappear faster, almost a flickering quality which adds tension, as they seem to be leading up to something. The fact the images have circles and drawings on them imply they are policeman’s photographs which links in with the genre of a crime thriller. The music also increases its pace at this point, becoming higher and faster, which adds suspense, making the audience feel uneasy. The unusual settings of these images, such as a poolside, imply the people were being spied on. The music then slows down again, as do the transitions between the images. The photographs turn into close ups of the man’s eyes again, implying he has been looking at these photographs.