Analysis
At the start of the opening scene we hear non digetic sound, which is sound that is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be preset in the action. This sound in particular sets the tense mood of this scene.
Next we see a rocky landscape, this is probably in an exotic place and is a mise en scene setting the scene for us. The type of shot used here is an extreme long shot which is used to set the scene, this combines with the music so that we know action will be involved soon - this type of shot is used so action should be thrilling to the eye.
This scene then fades into black, we know now that this scene is in a different place. This is a cut in shot, a shot that cuts into a small portion of the scene, as this happens we see an extreme close up of the side of a piercing black shiny car. There is use of low key lighting which intensifies the mood of the scene, once this happens you can hear the use of digetic sound - the sound of the car. As this small section of the opening scene goes on you start to see other parts of the car, the bonnet and the exhaust pipe.
We next go to a cut away shot, this is a shot away from where the main action takes place, but is still setting the scene with a long shot.
Then it takes us back to the car again with a cut in shot, but this time showing not only one car but two car boots. The shot that is used here is a close up, this shot frames the entire object to be looked at. The other thing that is shown in this scene is a close up of rattling bullets, this is a prop in this particular scene it sets the tone of the décor, showing that there will most likely be violence.
As this scene fades into the next it shows a full shot of a car with two characters inside, a full shot which is the height of the frame is filled with an object or a human figure. Two of the characters are blurred, you cannot see them well so this suggests that they are not important to the film. The luxurious car that is in this in scene is another prop to the film and this also sets the tone of the décor, showing that the people in this car could be wealthy in some way.
Cutting away from where the main action is again it still zooms in on the rocky landscape, but this time it is a full shot.
Cutting back into where the action is, there is an extreme close up of the wheels, boot and then to the eyes of a figure, this is important showing that this is most likely the main character. Carrying on through this scene it starts to get faster and so becomes more tense, showing extreme close ups of the prop, the gun and then the hands. We know now that action will take place soon. The shot goes back to the key characters eyes, they seem confident and raring to go, this is part of mise en scene, as he is acting through his eyes.
Cutting away again from the action it goes back to the road now which is a close up shot, and the non digetic sound gets louder as the mood gets more tense.
Cutting in back to the action the non digetic sound finishes and the digetic sound takes over from the power of the car, as this happens there is a close up on the hand, accelerator and on the wheels as the car goes faster.
Through out this whole scene you will notice there is no slow clip until the end, as this makes the whole scene tenser when action is taking place.
The next shot is an extreme close up of the bonnet and the boot of the car as it races forwards, going into a new shot, a full shot of the car.
In this quick snippet in the scene we see the action from a point of view shot. This shot presents action from the approximate view point of a particular character. In this point of view shot we see in the wing mirror a car with shots being fired, which then turns into a medium shot of a man firing a gun. This prop although its suggests power, could also show weakness in as much as he needs the weapon to be powerful.
As the scene progresses, we can see that there is a extreme close up of the side of the leading car, which shows a reflection of two cars, this then goes into a pan shot. This shot is from one side of the picture into the other side, this then just shows the actual two cars firing.
In these next few scenes we can see that mise en scene is costume. We can see that they are all wearing suits, this suggests they could possibly be wealthy from criminal activity etc.
The next snippet shows a medium close up of the key character from side on, notice how we have not seen his face yet, this adds to the mystery of who he is.
Throughout this opening scene there is a lot of use of low key lighting this makes it more dramatic and tense.
We see another point of view shot of the men firing, also showing a full shot of the car in front. This progresses onto a medium close up of them and then a close up of some lorry wheels. Although the character in the lorry is insignificant, we still see inside his lorry and how he is struggling not to crash.
Further in this scene we see the key character from a low angle shot, this shot shows below the eye level and this makes the subject seem larger and more powerful. We therefore know that this main character will be in power throughout this opening scene.
There are a few close ups in this scene, as you get to see the acting through the characters faces. The way they struggle how confident they are or shocked etc, and this really does set parts of this scene, because other wise there would be no emotion and it would look wrong.
As we progress we see a lot of shots of the main character: a medium shot, which is a shot from the waist up, a medium close up, giving a chest view of the individuals and close ups, which frames the entire object to be looked at. This links in with the acting through their face and body movements.
They repeat a lot of the snippets so that you can see the entire action taking place at once.
Once they reach outside, non digetic sound comes back in to set the mood again, hearing this is on, we know that the action will slow down soon, the shot used here is a full shot of all three cars.
Progressing on with the scene we see more close ups of the cars and a few close ups of the main character, some shots focusing on their eyes in the car mirror, to show how focused he is.
The next part shows a medium close up of the police officer, showing mise en scene with his uniform, showing his profession.
When this scene is nearly over it shows a lot of cars going faster and faster, the following shots are used: full shots, close ups, medium shots and medium close ups.
Once they get to a construction site, you can see a lot of diggers and a few workers, which sets a new scene as they have been travelling for a while.
As the police car gets shot down, and falls this is one of the longest parts of the scene so far showing that the action will come to an end soon.
Near the end of this scene we see the main character in a medium shot reaching for his gun, once he kills the villains, we know that the action scene is over as the non digetic sound finish’s leaving just the digetic sound of the car falling.
The non digetic sound comes back very calm, as the car slows down.
Next we see a long shot of where they are now setting the scene once again.
Although the scene is coming to an end when they reach this alley way, the lighting is still low key as the scene is somewhat still tense.
Once the key character steps out we see a low angled shot of him suggesting that he is still in power but over what. When he opens the boot of the car we see a high angled shot of a man tied up showing that he is insignificant, weak and holds no power in this situation.
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