Analysis of opening credits in 'American Psycho'

American Psycho' opens with the credit sequence, the music begins in the ident, this is very slow, low pitched music, which makes the audience feel apprehensive, and weary and are likely to expect something bad to happen. We are then introduced to the credits which are displaced in sans-serif font on a white, blank background. what we might recognise (in this mood set by the music) as blood drops appear falling on the screen with higher-pitched noises, which we could perceive as stabs.

The credits being very simply, by the plain white background and the ordinary font style, this gives the impression of simplicity and smartness as everything looks very sleek and organised. There is a hint of themes that could be included in the movie as there are drops of 'blood' dripping down from the screen as the text appears. Further to this the blood drops also follows the codes and conventions normally associated with Thrillers.

When the main character's name appears in the credits, the importance of his name is signified by the slight change in the sound and the image of a knife on the screen. This alerts the audience because of the props used, making the audience acknowledge this part more. This part also confuses the audience as a knife usually connotes the idea of death/danger, whereas in this circumstance the knife is being used in cooking, which misleads the audience. As the knife aggressively cuts the meat on the screen the diegetic sound highlights it signifiance by making the sound exaggerated.

A pan shot is then used of a birdseye view of lots of food plate that looks very glamorous and expensive. The music changes here to a very soft, instrumental music that is very cheerful. This is a transformation that has gradually changed from the beginning of the credits. The audience are fooled into thinking the theme is fairly negative, whereas the true theme are displayed to be very positive. In addition the food on the plate is the climax of the tension that builds throughout the opening credits. 

American Psycho opening credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT9CxFuR_lY