The sequence starts with a black background and we then
slowly see some names revealed in big, thin red font. The font is big and in
capital letters. The fact that it's so noticeable and red could suggest danger
and maybe foreshadow death. This part of the sequence is completely silent. The
camera then cuts to an outside snowy scene where an establishing/wide shot is
used to show the audience where they are. It is still completely silent until
we eventually hear the noise of people talking in the background. The camera
cuts to some trees whilst the talking gets louder and then pans so we can see
the characters. The people are laughing and joking whilst struggling to push a
broken down car, they are assumingly a happy family. They are seen to have a
good relationship as they tease each other about who is to blame about the
situation and we see the mother and daughter make jokes about the father. The
colours used in the title sequence are fairly bright and are very natural, as
they are outside there is no key light or backlight (besides natural light) at
this particular moment.
As the father walks across the road to a payphone, the road
is seen as a divide between himself and his wife and daughter, this foreshadows
what is about to happen. The atmosphere is extremely happy as the daughter and
the mother begin to play around in the snow and as the daughter calls out for
her father to join them. As the father gets into the phone box, the camera cuts
to a car coming around the corner onto the road, the road looks slippery and
the car is going quite fast, this makes the audience realise that something bad
is about to happen. The camera then cuts back to the father and zooms in on the
background to show a large vehicle coming onto the road in the opposite
direction to the other car. As the father realises what is about to happen, his
facial expression suggests panic and desperation as he tries to get out of the phone
box to protect his family. We can hear the mother and daughter laughing during
this, which is a binary opposition between life and death. We see the mother
joyfully throw snow into the air in slow motion, this gives the impression that
time is moving slower for the father as he feels a sense of helplessness as the
vehicle swerves and collides with the man’s car and family.
There is then a fade out as the scene progresses and we see
the man on his own walking. It is made obvious that this is after the event as
the non-diegetic music used is very slow and high pitched which suggests
sadness. The colours used in this part of the sequence are very dull brown and
grey colours which show that there is no life left in the man since his family
were taken from him. The areas shown around him as he walks home are wide and
vast, this shows how sad and lonely he is as he is always shown alone. The man’s
emptiness is shown by his constant lack of facial expression, which is very
different to his joyful, laughing personality seen at the beginning of the
title sequence. The music continues to be slow and high pitched, however every
so often there are quicker piano notes played, these give a sense of tension to
the clip and may foreshadow events which may take place later in the film.
The contrast between the dull colours and lighting used as
we see the man walking and the same thin, large, red font may symbolise death
and danger later on in the film. The colour red can usually be associated with
romance and love but with the font chosen for this film, it doesn’t give a
romantic impression at all. Even when we see the man walk through busy roads,
he stands out from the crowd as he is positioned centre of the camera. He looks
even more alone and empty as he passes many people who are either seen with
someone else or not looking as sad and lonely. As the man enters through a
door, we see him speak to the doorman, which we can assume is the only social
interaction he ever gets and is now thought of as a routine and rather mundane.
The doorman perspective is similar to the man’s before the horrific accident,
he looks as though he feels like he wants to help but there is nothing to be
done, therefore feels quite helpless. 
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