Research










Editing

Paramount logo.
Opening credits over street. (Similar font to the title)
As the cars progress to the crime scene, elliptical edits are used to show progression.
A match on action of the light in the pool is used to progress to the next scene.
Fade to window.

Camera
Pan down to “Sunset Blvd.”
Pan across the street as credits roll.
Pans up as the credits end to show the road and approaching homicide squad.
Whip pan follows cars down road.
High angled shot as the cars pull up at the scene.
Pan follows the men to the pool.
Low angle shot from inside pool, showing dead body and reporters.
Pan to apartment.
Zoom in to window.
Slow zoom to the man on he typewriter.

Sound
Narration starts as credits end.
Dramatic music that crescendos as the title is shown.
Music is in a minor key as we are introduced to the live man.

Mise en Scene
Shot in black and white.
Obvious shadows in background.
Extreme lighting.
Fedoras.

The scene starts with the Paramount logo. Behind the logo, the scene fades in to a close up of the sidewalk, to then slowly pan down to the words, “Sunset Blvd.” (Which are painted onto the actual Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.) The camera then continues to pan across the street after lingering on the title for a few seconds. The font used in the opening credits is quite similar to the painted font, although these have been edited in over the top. The music used is quite dramatic, especially when the title is show.

As the opening credits finish rolling, the camera pans up to show a long shot of the approaching squad of cars. We hear diegetic sirens as they approach, and at this point the narration starts. A series of elliptical edits shows the passage of time before we are shown a high angle shot of the squad pulling up to the drive. A pan follows the men and another high angled shot shows them taking pictures of the body. Contrast to this a low angled shot is used from underneath the pool to show the dead body and the men taking pictures.

The scene then fades out, leaving only the light of the pool, which carries on into the next scene. This can be considered a cross cut because it’s cutting to a different story. The camera pans over to the apartment window, and then zooms in slowly, before jumping to a shot of the camera zooming in through the window. The music is calm here and unobtrusive, becoming dark and ominous as the door buzzer sounds.