True Blood opening textual analysis

The clip opens with a panning shot of a swamp, creating a distinctive setting and the mood of the overall program, which has a dark and mysterious theme, commonly associated with swamp of this sort. The audience could then relate and think about the possible connections and connotations, maybe a murder has occurred in these swamps through the years, or maybe evil things have happened which people want to keep quiet. It cuts straight to the glaring eye of a crocodile, as if it were judging you, symbolic to the themes related to the location its in. A low light level keeps the mood the same throughout, and a cold atmosphere is dawning in on the audience as they watch, eye to eye with the killer crocodile.

A sudden cut shows a tracking shot of a church, indicating the area is religious, and then to a sexual shot. The contrast between both creates a sense of good and evil, and the purity related to the church and the sin of sex. The shot of a gospel choir singing indicates that we are located far in the bible belt of America, where fornication and promiscuous activity is looked down as a sin in the eyes of god, and frowned upon in society. The fast paced cuts shows the speed of the program. A cut showing a run down liquor store, showing the poverty of the area, and the respect that the general public have for property, as the building is vandalized and wrecked. The area around it is malnourished and neglected. Grass which would normally be a vibrant green is now a dull sandy tone, showing the lack of care and the lack of water. Trash lies scattered around the pavements, showing the lack of order and law in the area, and the fact that the authorities do not give any attention to this part of America. From this, the audience can gather a sense of the morals that the community share in this particular area, and the common decency they lack.

The next clip shows real life footage of the hostility of Southern America. The hatred particularly towards the black people, as it shows white police men handling a black person and throwing him to the ground. The use of real footage means that the script is fact based and true to real life, making the program more believable and realistic. It also indicates there is a theme of rival extremity. Perhaps not directed at black people, but to another race. A cut of a young boys face, around the age of 6 dressed head to toe in the Klu Klux Klan robes, sets up the tale of racial divide and prejudice that will occur during the program, helping the audience understand the intentions of the program. Harsh low level lighting, with a key light directed on his face creating dense shadows and contrast shows the extremity of the ritual that he is practicing. Racism is commonly associated with the deep south, so having it in the opening sequence of the program helps the viewer understand the history of the region, and the beliefs that the locals have against other religions and races.

The main clip that tells the audience that sets the tone of the programme, is the clip of a church. From the view of a car, looking out the one of the rear windows, the camera passes a church, and on the notice board stating 'God Hates Fangs' instantly indicating that the program is about vampires and other mystical creatures of the night. Also the racism and hatred seen before is in fact directed at the vampiric race by the human race in the area.

This is followed by the main title, True blood. Blood is dripping and covering the title, warping the text as it moves. This is connected to murder and blood shed and the purity commonly associated with the word true. It can also relate to the main characters, vampires. Their food source is blood, and this is what they need to survive, and so because of this, more blood is shed.