Using the four categories associated with film language we had to analyse three opening sequences of our choice:
Cape fear:
Mise en scene:
- A criminal in a prison cell.
- The posters indicate he is religious
- Tattoos of scale of justice and books about law show he is obsessed with order
-Changing of clothes indicates he is no longer restircted and he is ready for freedom.
- The bars show he is in a prison cell and therefore trapped.
Camera:
-The opening shot is tilting down the wall of the prison cell.
- It then slowly zooms out to show the whole prison cell through the bars with the actor in the centre
- The camera then follows him as he walks round the corner and down the stairs. From this we can tell that the camera is on a crane as it follows him all the way from the cell to the bottom of the stairs in one continuous shot.
- It then switches to a close-up shot, outside the prison.
- The last shot switches to a long shot showing an area of the prison with the actor walking through out of the gates to freedom.
Sound:
-The music used in the beginning is contrapental to the events occurring. It is to dramatic for music in a prison. However the music towards the end of the sequence becomes more parallel to the events. The roar of thunder and heavier music matches him leaving the prison.
- During the sequence there are both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, the slams of the doors and the voices are diegetic, but the music heard and some of the voices are non-diegetic meaning they were put over the sequence when it was being edited.
- There is very little dialogue in the scene. The only person that speaks is the main character, his speech comes across quite harsh and deep, which matches the stereotypical criminal.
Editing:
There are no many transition's during this opening scene. There are two transitions that switch from one shot to another towards he end.
When editing, a music track as been placed over the shot as well as enhanced sounds of voices, keys and footsteps.
Up:
Mise en scene:
-A married couple and their life throughout the years.
-Costumes change as they get older.
-Use the change in ties to show the passing of time.
-Lighting and music changes when the events change. Low key lighting and slower pace of music is used.
-Set in places that are significant in their lives. Their home, their workplace and the hill.
Camera:
The first shot of the sequence is a match an action shot, the flash of the camera is taking place the same time the characters are having the picture taken but we see them at different times. We see a close up of a man face in the first few seconds, it then zooms out to show a women standing by his side, we can assume that they are the main characters involved and by their costume that they are just married.
The scene is set by a long shot showing their home and then just entering it for the first time.
Editing:
There are very few transitions between the shots in the sequence, they simply cut from one to another.
The order of events happen very fast, they show 50 odd years within 2 minutes by only showing main events in the couples lives. They help speed up the events by 2 specific features. The various bow ties the man wears help show a matter of months by only changing a small feature. The jar of money also reflects the period of time, the amount of times they have to break it is shows small events that occur over a number of years.
Sound:
There is no dialogue during this opening sequence, however the music is constantly running. The music playing is parallel to the events occurring, it changes pace when the events change to help the audience figure out what is going on since there is no dialogue.The film makers use the music to reflect the emotions they want the audience to feel so when the couple are first married and starting out their lives it is very upbeat, then when she loses her baby it slows down. All the music heard is non-diegetic meaning it was added during editing.
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Mise En Scene:
-The costumes and location suggest a very wealthy, middle class family.
-The music automatically tells us it is a teen drama film which is normally associated with being popular among teenage girls.
- Main character presented as a teenage girl, we later find out her name is Cher.
- Seems to be set in late summer as they are just going back to school.
-High key lighting suggests a very normal and pleasant events.
Camera:
The first shot is a birds eye long shot a moving car. The shots that follow are all close ups and mid range shots. Then cut to a close up shot of Cher which zooms out to follow her walking through her room to a door. The camera follows her father from behind along the corridor and down to stairs to show a long shot of the hallway to set the scene, it is the establishing shot. The shot that follows is a match an action shot as her father walks through a doorway leading to the kitchen. The camera tracks Cher's and her father as they walk around the kitchen.
Another birds eye shot of the car is used before a long establishing shot is used in front of Cher's friends house.
Editing:
All of the transitions are cut straight into with another very quickly. This opening sequence is an introduction into the life of Cher, so they try to show as much as possible in a short period of time. There are no special effects or changes to the speed of the scenes.
Sound:
The sequence begins with a song that is non-diegetic and parallel to the events in the story. It is upbeat. The song continues until dialogue is introduced. The dialogue of Cher is as you would expect from a teenager. The initial dialogue is a voice over that has been edited over. Further on in the the scene a conversation takes place on screen between her and her dad. Her dads dialogue is more as an adult would be expected to speak to their child, it is more harsh and in a much lower tone.