(00:00 - 03:00)
Camera:
In the opening credits, there is a long shot of James walking across who proceeds to shoot a gun at the camera. This immediately creates the effect that the film is going to have lots of action and fighting scenes in. Afterwards, there are lots of long shots in order to establish the setting, showing surfers and then, what I presume to be, German army officers.
There is a close up of James, establishing him as the main character and the one the audience should focus on the most. All the shots are in quick succession, setting the fast and action pace for the film.
Sound:
There is the familiar James Bond theme at the start of the opening credits, which immediately engages the audience as you expect it to live up, if not succeed, the expectations of the previous films. There is a gun shot when James fires towards the camera, again establishing there will be lots of action in the film. Finally, there is the ambient sound of the sea to begin with, letting the audience know it is not set in England, but in a foreign place abroad, which is a typical characteristic of thrillers. The sound creates tension, as the incidental music of the soundtrack is constantly played throughout the 3 minute clip, leading the audience to expect a climatic ending.
Editing:
The graphics at the beginning show circles following horizontally across the screen and then track James, as if looking down the barrel of a gun. This again establishes the film as having lots of action and gun-fights in. Apart from this, the only editing used is basic straight cuts, which are quick to set the tempo of the film.
Mise En Scene:
The colours used at the beginning include mainly black, red and white. Black and white give a authentic and 'business like' feel, whereas red is usually associated with blood, which would fit in with the film genre. James is also dressed smartly, making him appear trustworthy and suave, as the audience would expect a secret agent to look. Furthermore, the army costume of the guards and war setting establishes that a dramatic, fighting scene will take place shortly. Props also include: a briefcase, gun and special agent equipment. These are all familiarly associated with secret agents, conforming to the audiences stereotypical views of a action-thriller film. Lastly, James gets the most screen time, establishing that he is the main character and earns the most focus.
Donnie Darko
(00:00 - 03:00)
Camera:
The sequence begins with a pan shot of a scene off of what appears to be a mountain, surveying the landscape which is mainly made up of trees. This pan continues to a road, where there is a man lying in the middle of it. This immediately makes the audience ask questions about the scene, which thrillers are intended to do. The slow zoom builds tension, as the audience do not know whether he is alive at this point. There is a pan-mid shot around his face so we are enabled to see his expression, which looks perplexed but not in pain. There is then a close up, but it is dark, making the situation seem ambiguous and not enabling the audience to fully understand who the character is. This moves to a mid-shot of a boy cycling, which is followed by a close up of a Halloween carnival sign. This again makes the audience ask questions, as this could be foreshadowing future events.
Sound:
There is an ambiguous sound that is playing over the titles, but it then becomes apparent that it is the sound of thunder. This builds tension as the audience do not know what is happening, as the screen is completely black, which gives them an open mind for what scene may proceed it. The music then becomes more tense and instrumental, coordinating with the camera shots, leaving the audience asking questions about the scene. An ambient sound of birds fits with the scene of a landscape, however is unusually eerie as it seems to not fit the intensity of the scene. The music then becomes instrumental and upbeat, ridding the audience of any tension they had before, yet still asking questions.
Editing:
At the beginning of the clip, the titles appear small and white on a black background, and in an unusual font, which fits the thriller genre. There are few titles, and accompanied by the sound of thunder, which makes the audience ask questions about the situation. After the pan shot, the title of the film appears over the horizon, which then fades to white. The male character also receives the most screen time, establishing that he is the main character in the film.
Mise En Scene:
The lighting at the beginning is naturalistic, however incredibly dark. This makes the audience believe that it is set either in the early morning, or dusk. (As the birds are tweeting, it becomes apparent that this sequence is shot at dawn.) However, after the title appears, the lighting becomes naturalistic, however incredibly bright, which makes it unclear as to where the film is going.
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