Evaluation of the opening titles of 'Pulp Fiction'

I then evaluated the opening credits of some thrillers which I chose myself. The first of these was Pulp Fiction (1994).

Narrative Structure:

The film starts with a dictionary definition of the word 'pulp' before quickly changing to a scene inside a coffee shop with a man and a women sat around a table. They are locked in the middle of a heated conversation about something before they are offered coffee by a waitress, which they accept before continuing with their discussion. As the conversation continues it becomes clear that they are discussing robbery. After a while the man raises his cup and asks for more coffee, and their discussion continues to reveal that they are seemingly planning on robbing the coffee shop. They discuss their plans before the women claims that she is 'ready' - at which point the man draws a gun from under his shirt and places it on the table. They passionatly kiss and tell one another than they love them before the man stands up on his chair pointing his gun and claiming that it is a robbery. The women then stands up and threatens to 'execute every last one' of the people in the coffee shop should they not obey her. The shot then freezes and the opening credits begin to play - first 'Miramax Films presents' is displayed as a super imposed graphic over the image before the screen blacks out and the rest of the credits are displayed over the top of the film title which is constantly zooming out and away from the camera during this sequence.

 

Thriller Codes and Conventions:

The romantic hero model is used as the characters shown in the opening sequence seem to be ordinary and do not behave in supernatural manners. The question and answer model is also used as viewers are made to question the intentions of the man and women at first, and also what they are discussing and how the intend to pull off their crimes amongst other things. The transformed city model is also used as everything appears to be safe at first but the atmosphere soon turns intense and dangerous.

Camera Work:

During most of the man and women's conversation, both characters are usually visible either by a mid shot facing the table or over the shoulder views from either characters. Shot reverse shots are used during their conversations to help create tension and anger in their relationship, and during these sections close ups are shown of the character's faces to help familiarize them with the viewer. A close up of the waitress' face is used when she offers them coffee to focus attention on her smiling face which creates a safe and kind atmosphere. A close up of the characters is used when they kiss to create emphasis on their love. A low shot is used when they stand up with their guns which makes the viewer relate to the other people in the coffee shop as they feel less significant and underneath the dominant force in the coffee shop - the armed couple.

Mise en Scéne:

There is never a lot happening on screen at a single time which helps the viewer focus on the important action. For most of the opening sequence, the only characters seen on screen are the man and women sat at the table, the only exceptions being the waitresses that serve them and a few anonymous people who walk past the camera. Enough is shown to allow the viewer to instantly establish that the setting of the sequence is some form of diner or coffee shop. Once the actual footage ends and the credits begin to show, the title of the film can always be seen zooming out into the background as the names of those involved are credited. 

Sound:

Throughout the coffee shop scene typical music can be heard in the background along with the voices of people which helps set the scene. As soon as the couple stand up and the image freezes a heavy, fast paced song with heavy drum beats and wild voices suddenly begins playing which represents how the atmosphere suddenly turns chaotic when the couple draws their weapons. The song continues throughout the rest of the opening sequence to help sustain the intensity of the scene before.

Editing:

The opening sequence has short cuts to help keep the conversation between the couple fast paced and intense and to keep the viewer interested. The clips are all in order so the opening of Pulp Fiction is linear. The shot freezes when the couple reveal their weapons and the credits display over the top of the image before a blackout which leads to the rest of the credits, an example of super imposed graphics.

Graphics:

No text is displayed over the image during the coffee shop scene to help the viewer focus on the action. When the shot freezes the credits begins to play, firstly the studio name is shown as a super imposed graphic over the image before the screen blacks out and the remaining credits are displayed over the top of the title of the film which is slowly zooming away from the screen.