Sound
In the opening sequence of the show, Wallander, sound has been used to great effect. An example of this is the use of wind sounds at the very begining of the scene. The wind has a very low pitch, pace and quite a low volume which gradually builds up over time. This creates a very cold atmosphere for the audience and helps to make them feel uneasy. The wind also sounds very unnatural which shows something very bad has happened. This is also accompanied by a very high pitched whistling noise. This noise can show a sense of danger for the audience as the high pitch greatly contrasts and stands out compared to the noise of the wind. The gradual build up of the diegetic sound climaxes at a score as it shows a mid shot of the two girls walking with their back to the camera. The sting sounds as if the wind is being sucked up and sounds very strange. This not only draws the audiences attention to these two girls but also creates an unsettling tone about them, as this wind was getting greater and greater up until it showed them and suddenly it turned to silence.
Another effective use of sound in the opening sequence is through the use diegetic radio playing from within the car with the dying man in it. The radio sounds out of tune and broken, and shows the audience that they are very far away from any form of civilisation as the radio cannot get a signal, and also shows the audience that there has been some sort of violent encounter between the person in the car and the girls. The fact that the radio is out of range helps to build unease for the audience as it creates a very ominous tone, and the static breaking through the up-beat music can represent how these girls may have seemed relatively nice to the taxi driver but had evil motives behind them, which is shown when they attempted to kill him.
You can very quietly hear music playing in the background which is from the radio.
Cinematography
There is a very effective use of cinematography in the opening sequence of Wallander. An example of this is how it helps to build a sense of mystery and obscures information from the audience at the start through the use of focus and shot types. This is seen through the use of the establishing shot at the start. This allows the audience to have a look at the setting but they don't know what has happened and who is involved. This is then followed up by a mid of two girls but it is shot from behind so the audience is unable to see their faces, and they still don't know what they have done. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as the establishing shot shows that they are completely isolated in the middle of nowhere and leads the audience to ask, "What are they doing out there?".
The use of a shallow focus from within the car allows the audience to piece some of the mystery together. This is due to the inside of the car showing blood on the window and an over the shoulder shot through the window of two people walking who are out of focus. The audience is able to recognise them as the girls as before, but they still don't know who they are and what they were doing all they way out there. Focus is also used to effect as the two girls are walking away. As the audience finally see their faces the two aren't fully in focus and the girl in black is more focused than other one. This means that the audience can see what they look like but still can't get a proper view at their faces, and can also show the audience than the girl in black is much more important than the other one, and also shows that maybe she was the one mainly responsible for the mans assault.
Editing
The slow paced editing at the the start of the opening sequence is very effective. This is due to it building up a lot of tension for the audience and also helping to create a very somber mood as the man slowly dies in his car. This helps to emphasise the sadness of the opening sequence as it shows very drawn out clips of the man in agony and the girls getting away. The pace of the editing starts to build up towards the end of the opening sequence when it cuts between the man and the girls getting away. The build up in the pace may represent the build up of guilt in the girls mind which is shown when she throws the knife to the ground. This shows the audience that she is regretting her actions.
The use of cross cutting allows the audience to then see close ups of the dying man and shots of the girls briskly walking away from the car with the man in it. This allows the audience to finally see what they have done as it shows that they have attempted to kill the man and are now trying to get away from him. The close ups in this section of the opening sequence allow the audience to see the girl's faces and then show what has happened to the man. This shows the audience how they seem relatively unfased by what has happened to him and shows how brutally hurt he is. This causes the audience to feel sorry for the man and feel extremely negatively towards the two girls as they left him to die.
Mise en Scene
Mise en Scene is used to great effect in the opening sequence. One example of this is through the use of costume. Both of the girls appear to have very messy hair and dark clothing. One of the girls also has black hair with red highlights and a black leather jacket.
The blackness in their clothing and hair carries many negative connotations about their character as it represents death and foreshadows to the audience that maybe someone has died. The girl's hair being messy also shows the audience that they may have been in some sort of rush or that they have been running away from, or fighting someone. This causes the audience to think something is off immediately as girls are stereotypically viewed as caring a lot about their appearance and hair, but these two girls have extremely unkempt hair which shows that they have been doing a lot of physical activities and something isn't right.
The setting of the opening sequence is in the middle of nowhere, as shown by the establishing shot at the start. The area seems very dark and dull and the grass doesn't look lush, as it looks like it is dying. This creates a very sinister undertone for the audience nothing good could come from these two girls being miles away from any from of town or city and the setting carries connotations of death and darkness, and also foreshadows that the show is going to be extremely serious and sad.
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