Textual analysis

GONE GIRL
BY MORGAN GLOVER
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

BRIEF NARRATIVE OVERVIEW
‘Gone Girl’ is an American psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher. The narrative is
adapted by the novel with the same name by writer Gillian Flynn.
‘Gone Girl’ follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as he searches for his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike)
who has gone missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. The suburban horror trails Nick
everywhere he goes, with media sources beginning to think that he, in fact, has murdered his
own wife.
The story touches on very dark and very real subjects, such as the ‘primal’ questions and
pressures of a press-heavy married life, murder, and the dark mystery of not knowing what goes
on behind closed doors.

GENRE
‘Gone Girl’ can fit into the following genres:
• Thriller
• Drama
And the following sub genres:
• Psychological Thriller
• Mystery Thriller
This means that ‘Gone Girl’ fits into hybrid-genres; it combines various conventions of all the
genres listed above.
This Is the novel
the screenplay
was adapted
from. Gillian Flynn
was actually the
person who
adapted the novel
into a script for
the film version.

TEXT
The following clip includes the ident, title sequence and opening of the film ‘Gone Girl’.

IDENTS
Both ‘Fox’ and ‘Regency’ are multi-million dollar companies, and as such have very iconic and well produced idents. The
important technique to note here is the idents have been silenced and the music is used as a sound bridge to lead into
the film. This happens often in big-budget productions, as the sound bridge both excites and prepares the audience for
the start of the film. It is clear that Fincher wanted to also build the atmosphere slowly, rather than throw the audience
straight into a scene with no connecting audio.
The very small number of companies involved show horizontal integration; Fox is such a huge company that only have
to integrate with Regency to produce the film.
The music within this extract is very key, and, as such, needs its own analysis.

MUSIC
Link to the full track, ‘What have we done to each other’, can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4wSJMorYK8
The track itself is of a non-diegetic, parallel variety. Its low tones and eerie instruments used seem almost
dissonant, however, and unnerve the audience. The echoing and reverb effect on the track also adds to
this strange, unnatural feel, making it almost sci-fi in its presentation. This links to the key theme in the
extract (and arguably of the whole film) of alienation and being ‘the other‘ within ones own environment.
This sense of distance and loneliness that the track conveys is definitely parallel to the proceeding still shots
of the town, and links the word ‘Gone’ out of the title of the film itself. The composer,Trent Razor and
Atticus Ross (the latter of whom also composed the music for another Fincher film, ‘The Girl with the
Dragon Tatto’) has conveyed and unnerving and unsettling tone through the music, and one that
foreshadows later events within the feature.
From the outset, it is clear that the film will put across eerie and unnerving themes and topics to the
audience, as evidenced by the initial track alone. These themes are also very typical to the thriller genre.
Conventions of the

PRELUDE TO FIRST SHOT
There is a space of seven seconds between the ‘Regency’ ident disappearing and the first shot of the film fading in.
Within this time, the production companies and director are credited, and the narration from Ben Affleck's character
begins.
The second mention of the production companies is not overly important, but still shows how powerful and vertically
integrated Fox is as a production company. The fact that the director, David Fincher, is credited in full shows a
recognition by Fox that this name alone is very prolific in nature. Fincher is part of a class of directors who mere name
brings prestige to their productions (such as Spielberg, Scorsese and Tarantino) and as such it is credited at the
beginning of the film.
The font themselves fits the music nicely; the hard sans-serifs and bold lines seem very cold and give the audience
nothing to cling to emotionally unlike the credits in, say, an animated film would. The text also slowly fades in and out,
linking back to the initial theme of disappearance and being ‘Gone’.

AFFLECK’S NARRATION
The lines of narration here by Dunne are crucial, particularly because they are mirrored in the final lines of the film. The
only difference is that the line “What will we do?” is added at the end.
The fact that Dunne mentions his wife first shows her importance to the narrative, and suggests to the audience that she
will be the focus of the plot. Also, the fact that Dunne describes how he “pictures cracking her lovely skull” and
“unspooling her brain” immediately instils an image of violence and deception, which also happens to be two of the
main themes Fincher operates with in the film.
This theme of deception is embellished through Dunne’s “primal” need “to get answers.” It seems as though “primal”
questions about his wife dominate his mind: “What are you thinking? How are you feeling?” This suggests that the
marriage between the two is far from stable, and foreshadows the conflict that will take place within the film. This idea of
conflict is reinforced through the question; “What have we done to each other?” Again, it is immediately clear to the
audience that this marriage is anything but healthy. The character’s narration here also disturbs the audience, as Dunne
passes off “cracking her lovely skull… to get answers” as the “primal” desires “of any marriage.” While this may be true for
some (hopefully few) married couples, the vast majority may not feel this extremely about what their spouse is thinking
about.
Furthermore, the narration by Dunne has a slight echoing and reverb effect on it, as well as the sound feeling very close,
as though Affleck has purposefully gotten very close to the mic when recording these lines. This gives a sense of
intimacy to his words, which then make what he is saying that much more unnerving and unsettling.
“When I think of my wife, I always think of the back of her
head. I picture cracking her lovely skull, unspooling her brain,
trying to get answers. The primal questions of any marriage:
What are you thinking? How are you feeling? What have we
done to each other?”

SHOT ONE
The first shot of the film is extremely crucial within ‘Gone Girl’ and as such deserves its own in-depth
analysis.
Before analysing it, it is important to understand what is happening. The shot is a close-up, first
fading in from black after the words ‘When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.’ Male hands
can be seen stroking the woman's hair gently, and they are supposed to be the hands of the narrator.
It is also very important to know that it is exactly the same shot type (bar the performance of
Rosamund Pike)

SHOT ONE: CAMERAWORK/MISE-EN-SCENE
For Camerawork, shot one is a close up, with most of the frame being taken up by Pike’s character. The shot opens on
the narration; “I always think of her head.” There is a clear link between camerawork and the narration here, as the
There is no movement in the shot and a shallow focus blurs out the background. It feels as though the shot is in a POV
format. This makes it feel as though the shot represents Dunne’s perception of his wife, and also allows Pike the excuse
to stare directly into the camera and, seemingly, at the audience.
By selecting this as the first shot of the film, Fincher establishes the importance of the wife to the narrative. The close-
up, POV shot and highlighting focus also provide a platform for which Rosamund Pike can display her excellent
performance as the character Amy.
For fans of Fincher, this type of shot was what they expected coming into the film. He relies heavily on stable
movements and tripod-type setups for his sequences, and prefers the camera to be an observer, rather than a sudo-
bystander, to the narrative. This stable style is seen throughout the extract.
The mise-en-scene, in particular performance, is one of the most crucial areas of the media language. To begin with,
however, it needs to be said that the overall colour and lighting of the scene is washed out and on a blue/grey scale.
Fincher consistently uses this colour palette throughout the opening and feature film.
By sapping the scene of mostly all the colour, Fincher takes a lot of the life out of the shot as well. Pike’s face looks pale,
almost white, and as such does not exactly feel the audience with a sense of life or love. If this shot were to be overly
saturated and much brighter, the effect would be entirely different.

SHOT ONE: MISE-EN-SCENE
Lighting/Colour
(As a demonstration, the shot same shot has been taken and been saturated to 200%. Brightness has also been lifted
by 20%)
Notice how the character has inherently more life to them in the edited version, and suggests a much more intimate
and passionate relationship with the husband compared to the one that Fincher presents to the audience.
The overall effect of this colour scheme in the first shot is clear; it removes a lot of life from the scene, and also serves
to embellish the cold and chilling performance of Rosamund Pike.
Original Edited

SHOT ONE: MISE-EN-SCENE
Pike’s performance in the scene is crucial to both the mise-en-scene, and the narrative as a whole.
Before looking up, there are a few moments of the shot where Amy appears to be asleep, as she is looking away from
her husband. It is also important to note that -if the narrator is assumed to be the same person that is stroking Amy’s
hair- the hands that are gently stroking Amy’s hair seem contrapuntal to the narration.
When she looks up, her eyes appear to have a cold, empty feel to them. Instead of looking up lovingly at her husband
like the audience would expect, she has a strangely blank and empty gaze that is unnerving and unsettling. It suggests a
kind of long-standing animosity between the two. The gaze even turns menacing towards the end of the shot, breaching
pretences and becoming outright scary in its presentation.
When this performance is combined with other aspects of the scene, such as Affleck’s disturbing narration and the
washed-out colour pallet, the overall mood is cold, detached and unnerving. Her blank and emotionless expression not
only suggests how mentally disturbed her character is (and will become), but also how broken and unstable their
marriage is.
The composition of the shot is also important; the character of Amy is seen to be very close to the camera and is
centrally compromised, focusing all of the attention of the audience on her. This allows the viewers to pick out the
specific details in the character and performance, and as such embellishes these areas.
The setting is not overtly clear due to the shallow focus and blur, and is established in later shots. This is somewhat of a
breach in convention, as Fincher decides to show one of the characters first instead of establishing the setting like many
other filmmakers might. This was a specific choice to show the importance of Amy to the plot.

SHOT ONE: SOUND/ICONOGRAHPY/EDITING
The sound of the shot is muted, leaving only Affleck’s eerie narration and the equally unsettling music as the only audio
to accompany the frame. This, in a sense, steals Amy of her voice or response, leaving only her actions and expression to
oppose Dunne. This conflict is integral to the plot, with many of the key moments of the battle being done through the
actions of Amy, not what she says. By muting the shot, Fincher is able to connote to the long-standing conflict that will
take precedence in the narrative
While the iconography of the shot is much more subtle, it is still prevalent. Like many thriller films, the audio symbols in
‘Gone Girl’ are a lot more subtle. For instance, narration is played over the first few moments, but its main goal is not for
exposition as it would be in, say, a fantasy film. It is much more ambiguous, conveying specific emotions rather than
outright exposition like many other films in its genre. Furthermore, the visual cues are very much in line with other films
in its genre. Thriller films often open with a long lasting shot, whether to build up to a moment of action or convey a key
theme. ‘Gone Girl’ is no different, lingering on a close up of Amy for all the reasons that have been listed before. The
colour pallet is very much in line with other thriller films as well; unlike action or romance films, thrillers prefer to use
much darker, monochrome colours (such as ‘Sin City’ and ‘Shutter Island’) Overall, while the film may seem much more
convention-breaking in certain areas, it’s iconography definitely relates to typical thriller-drama archetypes.
The editing of the shot is the final important area for media language. The shot lingers for around 25 seconds, much,
much longer than typical POV shots would last. It also takes it’s time during transitions; fading in and out from black
slowly. It is clear that Fincher wanted to spend as much time as possible focusing on Pike’s performance in this shot,
which, once again, shows its importance and relevance of it to the narrative as a whole. This area is certainly convention-
breaking, as many other films would not risk having shots last longer than a few seconds (especially a POV shot).

SHOT ONE: NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS

SHOT ONE: TYPICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURES/TODOROV’S THEORY
When analysing this first shot, it is crucial to understand the impacts it has on the narrative. For example, according to
typical narrative structures such as Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibriums, the fact that the two are identical
symbolises the narrative structure.
The initial equilibrium is that Amy and Dunne live together in a (almost) celebrity marriage. Amy then disappears,
creating the disequilibrium. In attempting to repair the problem, however, even more problems seem to be created, such
as the press thinking Dunne has killed his wife, and Amy actually murdering somebody in cold blood. Amy then returns,
and a new equilibrium is created, but its completely opposite to what the audience expects.
Dunne choses to stay with his wife, and have a child in order to maintain their marriage. Most of the audience would of
expected a ‘happy’ ending of some kind, either with Amy being caught or Dunne escaping. Fincher, instead, decides to
choose a new equilibrium that completely breaks narrative conventions.
First Shot Last Shot

SHOT ONE: PROPP
Like in many modern thriller films, Propp’s narrative theory is not as applicable to Gone Girl as it first appears to be.
For example, from the initial moment we see Amy, we might presume her to be the ‘Princess’ and might presume Nick
to be the ‘Hero’. This may be due to the gender roles we associate within films, but, in actuality, is very far from the truth.
Even in the first shot, when Amy lifts her head up, the audience suspects this to not be the case. Her cold expression
may alert some viewers, and already may suggest that she is definitely not the innocent ‘princess’ as depicted in Propp’s
theory. Also, Nick’s narration certainly does not paint him as a ‘hero’.
As the narrative progresses, these terms become looser and looser until there are only a few characters that can be
labelled as anything by the audience. It seems as though Fincher intended to break narrative convention from the very
outset of his film, but this comes as no surprise to the audience if they’ve watched his early works.
Films such as Fight Club and Se7en (The latter being one of he most bleak films Fincher has ever done) completely
pervert narrative conventions, from Propp’s theory to Todorov’s. This is true for Gone Girl, connoted by the fact that the
first and last shots are the same. Films rarely have an unsatisfying equilibrium, let alone one that nearly entirely mimics
the initial one. This is just the nature of Gone Girl, and, by extension, the nature of David Fincher as a director.

SHOT ONE: BINARY OPPOSITES/NARRATIVE THEMES
It appears as though Fincher wants to represent this entrapment in marriage in a physical sense. He wanted to show how
a new equilibrium at the end does not necessarily have to be ‘happy’. The fact that the ending is the same as the
beginning, and all the events that have happened in-between have only served to solidify their marriage if anything,
connotes that there is a cycle in the relationship between Amy and Dunne. A cycle that, no matter what, (even if one of
them commits murder) cannot be broken.
Amy and Dunne seem to be binary opposites in nature, clearly evidenced by how unstable their marriage is suggested
to be. The only thing that holds them together, and forces them to continue to do so, is the fact that their marriage is
very public and PR heavy. It is clear that whatever love was between them is quickly diminishing, evident even at the start
of the film through the cold and unnerving look Amy gives her husband.
A narrative theme of passion and domestic conflict is prevalent throughout the film. Deception is also a key narrative
theme, with psychopathic/sociopathic tendencies being explored as well. This is shown in the first shot, as what is
supposedly an intimate moment between the two main characters seems much colder and unnerving than expected
(mainly due to the media language discussed previously).
Overall, the importance of this shot to the narrative cannot be understated. It’s media language presents a cold and
calculating image of a wife that should be loving an caring. Its narration makes the husband seem completely
disconnected to her wife, and makes their relationship feel broken and unhealthy. However, the fact that the two shots
link up at the end, connote to the never ending cycle that they will both be but through, and the idea that one cannot
escape the other, no matter how hard they try.

SHOT ONE: STEREOTYPES
“When I think of my wife, I always
think of the back of her head. I
picture cracking her lovely skull,
unspooling her brain, trying to get
answers. The primal questions of
any marriage: What are you
thinking? How are you feeling?
What have we done to each other?”
The stereotypes of the narrative themes are a definite area for consideration.
When Dunne first mentions ‘cracking her lovely skull’, certain stereotypes of genders are induced. For instance, this
image of domestic violence associated with men may be considered stereotypical. This is about the only stereotype that
is prominent however, as everything else seems to have been done specifically to be an anti-stereotype.
Pike’s cold and calculating expression, for example, is certainly not the typical image someone would have of a blonde
woman. This unnerving and cold facial expression can certainly be seen as an anti-stereotype.

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE
After the crucial first shot, Fincher fades out to black and moves on to establishing shots of the town, including the title
card and most of the credits. (I’ve left out a few establishing shots above, as there are around fifteen in total that are all
two seconds long, excluding the final shot of the clock).

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: MEDIA LANGUAGE

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: CAMERAWORK
When regarding the camerawork of the shot, it is important to note the typical ‘stable’ style that Fincher uses
throughout.
Only three shots within the entire opening sequence have any kind of movement in them what-so-ever. When there is
movement, it is always a very smooth pan or tracking shot. This means that each two second shot feels very stable and
grounded. It can be suggested that, by using very still and stable shots, the ‘life’ of the shot is removed somewhat. As
discussed before, Fincher rarely makes any attempt to ‘humanise’ the camera and make the audience feel like a physical
participant (unlike, for example, Steven Spielberg in the opening of Saving Private Ryan) and instead opts for them to be
solely observes. Handheld camera work is used sparingly in his films, and when it is it’s during a moment of climax or
great peril.
All of this holds true for the opening sequence. There is rarely any movement, and definitely no lavish credit-sequence
(E.g. Casino Royal) to break up the shots of the town. Only the few of the shots are close-ups, with most being long-
shots that have a wide field of view. This makes the subjects and buildings the camera focuses on seem empty and
abandoned.
Its also important to note that the title card begins to fade out quickly after the shot fades in. This may relate to the
theme of deception and disappearance, as the title is pretty much ‘Gone’ before the audience can even see it. The shot
itself is a wide angle long-shot of a boat moving down the Mississippi river, which denotes a very solitary and lonely feel
(especially when combined with the washed-out colours).
Overall, the establishing sequence of the town serves to not only show the audience settings and locations that will later
become important to the film, but also serve as a symbol for the lonely and empty feel to the scene as a whole.
Fincher's cinematography style is also reflected in this sequence

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: MISE-EN-SCENE
Just like the first shot, elements of mise-en-scene play an important role in the opening sequence.
The setting of the sequence is the main focus. Its all established through quick two-second shots, leading to an efficient
and purposeful establishment of the fictional town of North Carthage. Fincher highlights key areas, and cuts between
different places and subjects to give the audience an overall feel for the small mid-southern setting.
What the setting means, however, can be traced all the back top the novel. Both the film and the book link with the
themes of a ‘suburban-horror’ that occurs at least once in every sleepy, small, mid-western American town. There are
many other films, such as Fargo (dark comedy by the Coen brothers set in Minnesota) and Donnie Darko (a truly
psychotic-thriller set in a small town in California) that explore this theme of a realistic ‘hidden horror’. Gone Girl truly is a
part of this group, as the audience quickly learns the setting of the film, and it quickly becomes familiar.
The lighting/colour of this sequence is very similar to shot one. Many of the colours are dulled and washed out, and the
setting feels very cold as a result. The overall effect is also very similar to shot one, except this time it applies to the
setting. In this sequence, the setting appears cold and removed of life (rather than the character of Amy unlike the first
shot). This links back to the entire over-arching theme of the film, and also foreshadows that the movie will, in fact, be
‘dark’.
These two mise-en-scene aspects relate heavily to the thriller genre. It relates to setting as, in many thriller films,
directors prefer to have a smaller and more focused setting, making any moments of action and climax that much more
impactful (E.g. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; locations are re-visited frequency to build familiarity and develop a
heightened sense of tension).

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: MISE-EN-SCENE
When analysing the composition of the sequence, it is important to recognise Fincher’s usage of the rule of thirds.
I’ve taken three unique shots from the opening sequence to illustrate this. The first, which is of the boat and title, splits
the frame horizontally, with the bottom horizontal line being about where the horizon is. This means that about two
thirds of the shot is of the sky, which gives a clear and clean backdrop for the credits to fade out onto. The title itself is
positioned in the direct centre of the shot, but is very small and distant. This, once again, embellishes the cold and
divided theme of the opening.
Most of the shots do not follow the rule of thirds, however. They either fir into the horizontal lines of the vertical, but do
not converge as many other films might. It feels as though Fincher intentionally broke this rule by focusing on parts of
buildings and the edges of subjects, rather than getting a complete image. He may have done this to reinforce the cold
feeling of the sequence itself; the audience has very few subjects that they can focus on wholly and fully before the shot
cuts again.

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: SOUND/ICONOGAPHY
The sound of the sequence is more one of the noticeable choices by Fincher.
Many other directors may have chosen to either mute the background sound of the shots and just have the music be
played, or have a sound bridge between shots. On he contrary, if you view the sequence again you’ll notice that there is
no diegetic sound-bridge between shots. The background noise changes constantly, and the only sound that links all the
shots together is the eerie ‘What have we done to each other?’ track.This is even more pronounced by the fact that each
second is two seconds long, so the background noise switches regularly, almost forming a kind of dissonant beat. When
a director choses to do a straightforward cut to a different setting with no type of sound bridge, he may have done so
to disturb/impact the audience. The lack of a diegetic sound fade between shots is jarring, and the fact that the only
bridge is the unnerving non-diegetic background track is even more so.
It’s clear that Fincher wanted to present humble, rather harmless settings and scenes with a juxtaposing mixing of sound
to counter the visuals. This clash between what is one the surface and what actually lies beneath (once again linking to
Affleck's “What are you thinking?” narration)
The iconography of the feature definitely links to the colour pallet. It becomes a trending theme within the film for many
of the on-screen colours to be muted and stark. Another example of audio iconography in the text is the haunting tones
of the music track. Many of the tracks within the Gone Girl soundtrack can definaltey be classed as dissonant, with one
track (‘Sugar Storm’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzCcA5rRHDo) even being contrapuntal; it comes at a crucial
moment of realisation for the audience. Fincher has clearly done this one purpose to not only create a motif, but to also
build a very strong atmosphere through careful implication of audio and visual iconography.

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: EDITING
The editing of the sequence is very barebones, with basically no special editing techniques or added effects. Probably
apart from some simple colour correction/background enhancement, it is very unlikely much in the way of VFX was
used at all. This makes the sequence feel very simple and basic, but also removes much of the life and soul from it. It’s
editing is so simple that the audience may feel as though it’s some kind of stock footage, and this effect was clearly
intended by Fincher.
Also, by making every shot last exactly two seconds, the film brushes quickly and efficiently through the credits, and
does not linger like some other feature films might. All of this has been done by Fincher to set the tone of the film early,
and connote to an eerie and empty feeling that he sustains and builds upon throughout the narrative.
The editing of the sequence may break genre conventions. For instance, many thriller films (Fincher’s own The Girl with
the Dragon Tattoo and Fight Club included) have long opening credit sequences. These usually have CGI or VFZ
graphics added to them, and serve as a way to effectively build tone and add character to a film. In Gone Girl, however,
the opening credit sequence is about as bare-bones as possible. This speaks volumes about the tone of the film and the
narrative itself.
This is an example of a VFX heavy credit sequence from Skyfall. The
difference between this and Gone Girl’s sequence is huge.

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS

ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE: TYPICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE/TODROV/NARRATIVE THEMES
The sequence itself is very conventional in terms of narrative structure.
Like many films, TV shows or stories in general, Gone Girl first establishes the setting before discussing characters. This is
because a story often wants to give its audience a sense of bearing and coherency before getting into the actual
narrative. Gone Girl is no different in this case, as it establishes the fictional town of ‘North Carthage’ before developing
the plot and its characters.
Furthermore, an equilibrium as a according to todorov’s theory is shown in the establishing sequence of shots. An
equilibrium of a sleepy mid-southern town is shown, with the disrupting factor being Amy’s later disappearance. During
the disequilibrium, the sleepy town turns into a hive of press activity, ranging from the local news network to national
news stations. Through this example, it is clear that not only Nick’s environment is disrupted by his wife’s disappearance,
but also the town is as well.
The narrative theme of Gone Girl is reflected through the opening sequence. While many critics argued that the film
was misogynist or misandrist, the one recognisable theme of deception and psychological warfare is prevalent
throughout. For example, by having the shots feel cold and lifeless in the opening sequence, Fincher creates a theme of
alienation. The audience knows that what they are looking at throughout the establishing sequence is inhabited, but
they, nevertheless, feel a strange and subtle weariness and uneasiness at the images. Whether it be the bleak colouring
or lack of sound-bridge, the shots seem like they’re hiding something or deceiving the audience in some subtle way.
This was definitely the intended goal of Fincher, as one of the other major narrative themes integral to the film is the
sense of deception and manipulation.

FINAL FOUR SHOTS
The final four shots of the extract only requires a small comment but are important nevertheless.

FINAL FOUR SHOTS: MEDIA LANGUAGE

FINAL FOUR SHOTS: CAMERWORK/MISE-EN-SCENE/SOUND/EDITING
The camerawork of the sequence is similar to that of the establishing shots; distant and isolation. Affleck stands alone,
and the shot never zooms in further than a medium long-shot. This makes the character seem isolated and distant, and
also (especially when combined with his performance in the mise-en-scene) makes him look alienated. He is isolated as
a subject, which reflects how he will eventually become isolated as a character.
For mise-en-scene, the most important areas are costume, performance, colour and composition.
The costume of Nick Dunne links with the colour scheme of the opening. For the first two characters in the film, we’ve
only seen them wear grey/white/black clothing (a trend which continues throughout the production). These colours are
very mute and monochrome, and are a reflection of not only how the character but also the atmosphere of a scene as a
whole. By dressing Dunne in grey, a dour and sombre mood is generated. This also relates to the colour of the
sequence, as the constant pallet of grey and muted blue’s continues throughout the full two minutes.
Furthermore, the performance of Affleck is subtle yet important. He appears to be deeply worried and troubled, like the
crux of a situation has began and he doesn't how to react. This look of dread reflects back to the audience, further
building up suspense and an unnerving atmosphere. This performance is heightened by the composition, as he is
centrally compromised with no other subjects in shot, focusing all of the audiences attention to him.
The only important technique to note in terms of editing is the decision to cut on movement. By cutting when the
subject is in action rather than after or before an action, the sequence is a huge amount smoother a feels much more
polished. Usage of this technique is the mark of a true professional.

FINAL FOUR SHOTS: NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS

FINAL FOUR SHOTS: NARRATIVE
Again, this area only needs a small note but its implications to the narrative is important nevertheless.
In terms of todorov’s theory, we see a typical equilibrium in Nick’s routine; putting out the rubbish bins. It dosent appear
to be a very pleasant equilibrium, however, as clear from the expression on his face. It is later revealed that this is the
moment where Nick debated going inside the house and divorcing Amy, but decided against it. After this fact is
revealed, it becomes clear that this moment is very important to the narrative.
The theory of equilibrium’s is also reflected in the last few scenes, as, at the end of the film, Nick can be seen standing in
the same position by the bins with the same expression. This links with the first shot, as that is also mirrored in the final
moments.
It is clear that Fincher wanted to reinforce the isolation and entrapment Nick feels as a character.
Start of the film End of the film

WHOLE TEXT: AUDIENCE THEORY CONSIDERATIONS

WHOLE TEXT: MASS/NICHE AUDIENCE
Gone Girl was a huge success. It’s disciplined $61 million budget led to a $369.3 million box office earnings. This
incredible return attributes to not only the pure quality of the film, but also the extensive marketing the distributors, 20th
Century Fox funded.
From this number (and the names involved) it is clear this films was targeted at a mass audience. The success of the
book and the fact that Gillian Flynn (the writer) may have had an impact. For instance, the millions that red the book may
have watched the film for that reason alone.
Other factors, such as the inclusion of very recognisable bankable actors such as Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry may have
attracted a mainstream mass audience(especially Ben Affleck; he is one of the biggest A-list actors there is). For those
more invested in films and film making as a whole, David Finchers name on the poster may have attracted additional
viewer base.
When combined, it is clear to see how Gone Girl was able to tap into the mainstream viewer base of America.

WHOLE TEXT: TARGET AUDIENCE/DEMOGRAPHICS
In terms of target audience, on of the only discriminate factors was age. The film contains frequent use of very strong language,
various moments of nudity and one moment of extreme violence, so therefore is rated an 18. This (obviously) cuts off the
younger and teen age groups, and instead focuses on the mature age group. Due to the nature of it dealing with marriage and
adult themes, it may be targeted at middle age families, especially those that live in the USA.
When considering a demographics model such as NRS social grade (seen above) it can be said many of the viewers who
watched Gone Girl most likely fit into the A-B range. This is because the film has a much slower pace and deals with much more
complex issues rather than simplistic ‘good vs. evil’ stories. This may appeal to the A – B categories as they have much more
disposable income and are more likely to ‘explore’ (as covered in psychographics) when looking for films to watch.
Its important to note that this model for demographic's is slightly crude; there are many in all classes, regardless of the A-B
group, that are ‘explorers’. Just because a person does not have disposable income does not mean they are interested in more
detailed plots and narrative’s within media.

WHOLE TEXT: PYSCHOGRAPHICS
For the psychographics section, Gone Girl definitely pertains to
the explorer, reformer, and mainstream groups.
Explorer and reformer groups are relatively similar, and are both
looking for new and interesting takes on films and media. I
believe Fincher provides this in Gone Girl, as both the book and
the film often greatly subvert expectations and put the audience
in a constant ‘What next?’ mentality. It also breaks conventions in
many other ways, and deals with themes not often touched on by
other pieces of media. In this light, it is clear to see why Gone Girl
would appeal to both these groups.
Furthermore, the mainstream group many be reached by this film
due to its bankable stars and companies behind its production.
As previously discussed, the fact that Gone Girl features such
huge names as Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry may attract a very
large mainstream audience. This is because these are the actors
(or directors, in the case of David Fincher) that the viewer base
recognises, and will therefore watch the films they are in.

WHOLE TEXT SUMMARY: HOW IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE
ATTRACTED?
Overall, those going in to Gone Girl expecting a psychological drama/thriller film will not be disappointed.
From the media language, entailing aspects such as the muted colour scheme and eerie soundtrack, (which is wonderfully composed and
very well placed throughout the film) to the narrative aspects, such as the clear conflict between Amy and Nick and the very unnerving
look Amy gives her husband, it is obvious that this film follows many of the visual/audial expectations of its target audience. The one area
that is subverts, and continually does so, is its narrative conventions.
Thank you for viewing of the opening two minutes of Gone Girl. Our production group will try to use the incredible atmosphere-building
skills of David Fincher as a model for our own piece as we move forward throughout the planning process.

Textual analysis

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Textual analysis