Notes on camerawork: 'Drive' opening sequence

Drive - (Nicolas Winding Refn)

ELS aerial. Fade to MCU of Gosling from below. Filler light from street lamps behind and in front. Cuts to driving close up - builds intimacy. Gosling on left side of screen (weighing). Music is parallel with image and is non-diegetic. There is no diegetic sound. Cuts to another aerial ELS - establishing the situation and pans across. Fade back to close up of Gosling driving and a POV shot. (Warm light and streets at night connotes mystery, anticipation). Cuts to wide shot in parking lot and then MCU - Gosling on right and Mulligan appearing on left; symbolises her importance. (Dressed in red which connotes passion) - closed framing, tracking shot. Elevator door closes on this frame. Cut to dark apartment, key light from outside, lots of shadows - connotes mystery, trouble and perhaps danger. Jump cut to aerial ELS. Pans, zooms out and then in. Cut to POV shot driving.