“Black Swan” produced in 2010 by Darren Aronofsky is about a ballet dancer fighting for a role in ‘swans lake’ to play the innocent and fragile White Swan, for which the committed protagonist dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) is a perfect fit, as well as the dark and sensual Black Swan which the antagonist Lily (Mina kunis) fits. The pressure for Nina to lead this role & personal conflicts cause her to lose her tenuous grip on reality and descend into a living nightmare.

The first key frame is a reminder to the audience who created the film “Cross Creek Pictures”. The genre of a psychological thriller is represented by the background of the logo being dark which matches with the thriller genre and the black background used is a common feature used in the openings of psychological thrillers. Also, this is where the non-diegetic soundtrack begins; the piece used is an easily recognisable track associated with ballet, and the majority of the audience for the film will have some background knowledge of the soundtrack and will recognise it. The effect of the non-diegetic soundtrack creates a calm atmosphere, yet the black background may hint danger and foreshadow something bad will happen.

The second key frame is of the title “Black Swan” in the centre of the screen with a black background. As the white serif font slowly fades in and out, the title 'Black Swan' being the last text to appear, bolder and centralized. The title being bold and white is very contrasting and so creates enigma codes. This is because; the boldness represents strength and ferociousness, whereas the colour represents innocence and good. This leaves the audience wondering whether the film is going to be about good or evil seeing as the title suggests both. Sound being used in this scene can be seen to represent the genre. This is because, as the title 'Black Swan' appears, sounds similar to wind are heard by the audience, creating an eerie atmosphere. As well as this a quiet evil laugh is used to create tension and again raises enigma codes for example, “who is laughing?” This represents the genre because a lot Enigma codes being present in an opening is a typical convention of a psychological thriller.

The third image in key frame is a long-mid shot of a lonely girl in the middle of a stage, with one spotlight shining at her. This highlights her importance in the film, as she is the first character the audience see. As well as this the fact that the spotlight is dim is adding to the mystery of this scene however also connoting that Nina isn't entirely happy. Here the genre of a psychological thriller is shown because a typical convention is the protagonist to be introduced at first, and usually in an isolated environment like she is in. In this shot, we cannot see the ballet dancer’s facial expression, but from her gestures we can infer they seem similar to pleading gestures, which represents her vulnerability and dependence on others.

The fourth image in the key frame is a close up of her feet, highlighting that she is a dancer, however also reinforcing her elegance and pureness as these traits are usually associated with ballet. However, the daintiness of her movements suggests she is a character who is vulnerable as well as someone who relies on others. Her vulnerability and dependence illustrates the genre of a psychological thriller because a typical convention in psychological thrillers is that there is one character that is unstable, and perhaps in “Black Swan” it is her. The non diegetic classical soundtrack is also used in this scene to create tension, as she dances faster the volume increases.

The fifth image is a high angle shot of the female dancer sitting on the floor. The effect of this shot portrays the dancer as vulnerable as the camera is looking down at her. In addition, due to the fact she is sitting on the floor it illustrates her as a weak and helpless character, for she is not in any position to defend herself. This represents the genre because a character within psychological thrillers tends to be weak or helpless (mentally or physically).

The sixth image is a close up showing the ballet dancer sitting on the floor gracefully, whilst a man behind her is approaching her.  The man leads his body with his chest, which suggests he is strong and powerful, as well the dark clothing which hints he may have a dark side to himself. He comes out of the dark and this creates an air of mystery around him, because it is not clear where he came from and he is behind the dancer, so he can easily do something to her without her being aware. This in a way represents the genre as it is telling the audience she isn’t in control of the situation, but he is. Likewise, too many psychological thrillers there usually is a character with less power throughout the film (mentally or physically)

Mise-en-scene is used in the opening sequence to demonstrate the genre, psychological thriller in “Black Swan”. For example, Throughout this opening sequence the setting stays very much the same, being simple and plain with one character mildly introduced. Likewise, to many psychological thrillers this is a convention, hence hints the genre. The main colours that are used are black and white, the stage being black and the only light source being the spotlight. These dull colours are used to reinforce Nina's importance and elegance, ensuring that she is the main focus for the audience. The use of dull colours  is another convention which can be found in many other similar genre films. At the beginning of the clip Nina is wearing a white ballet dress, immediately symbolizing purity and innocence to the audience. As well as this her satin ballet shoes reinforce this purity, connoting to the audience what Nina is like as a character. On the other hand when the man appears in this opening he is wearing black, usually symbolizing death and danger, which also reinforces the mystery for the audience. Furthermore the costume changes for the two characters are also very different. The man's costume could be seen as a monster, with large black feathers and horns. However Nina's costume change is a white feathery dress, including a delicate white tutu and a white headband, letting the audience know that Nina has transformed into the White Swan.