1. A review of Casino Royale
(intro only)
By Laura Burgess
2. I don’t think my action film beginning is like others
because it has other elements from other genres
like drama (dramatic, emotional scenes) but I
have used many action film conventions in
creating my product. (Many listed below.)
The establishing shot is of a car quietly pulling up
to a building at night. Text comes up in the
corner telling the viewer where this scene is set.
This is a typical convention of an action movie
when the characters are in many locations
throughout the film. The main light is coming
from a single source and this could represent
that there is only one ‘good guy’.
3.
4. The next shot is a close up of a characters face. He looks tense. The
camera is at a very low angle, making the character seem very
important.
5. The man gets into lift and looks up at the digital numbers
which are increasing as the lift climbs floors. The counter
looks like that of a bomb and this is used to add to the
tension.
6. Next the man walks into a room but the camera
looks as if it is hidden behind something. As the
scene continues the audience realises that the man
is being watched. It is as if the audience is watching
him from in the room, where the camera is.
7. The man looks around when he hears the voice of James Bond, who is
casually and calmly sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.
The audience knows James Bond is in control of the situation even
though he is physically lower than the other man because he is at
ease. Up to this point there has been no soundtrack but now a tense
theme is being played on string instruments.
8. The man walks across to the desk and sits down. This
shift the control back to the man because it makes it
look like his office and his is behind a desk which is
blocking him from any attack whereas James Bond is
out in the open.
9. The man sighs and leisurely takes off his gloves. As he sat down he
opened a draw beside him, containing a gun. He calmly says “If your
theatrics are supposed to scare me you have the wrong man, Bond.”
Both characters are sitting in relaxed postures but the other man
still has a lower camera angle the Bond.
10. The other man asks James Bond how many kills he needs to have
double o status and Bond replies “two.”
Then the scene changes with a bang and a new scene unfold with quick
camera shots and a different sound track with brass instruments.
The change in instruments helps convey the different scene and
setting.
11. The characters use lots of fast, jerky movements as the fight.
Suddenly the audience are back with the man and he has
sharply pulled out a gun, concealed within his desk. The
camera the shows as mid shot of James Bond and he still looks
calm; He doesn’t seem surprised.
12. The man says “Shame. We barely got to know each other.”
He says this as if he means it but is clearly mocking the
other character because he has a small smile on his face
as he pulls the trigger. The gun clicks and no bullet
comes out. The man frowns.
13. James bond has outsmarted him and
has already disarmed the gun. In most
spy movies, the lead character is very
intellectual and I have used this in my
movie beginning too, although I am not
making a spy movie. I am making an
action movie beginning but I just
happens to have an intellectual
character as the lead.
14. Another flash back comes up after a little bit of dialogue. It
depicts more of the struggle which was shown in the
earlier flash back. James bond tries to strangle the other
man and eventually drowns him in a sink of water. Bond
looks horrified with what he has done.
15. Back in the office, the other man is talking threateningly to
James Bond when Bond quickly pulls out his own gun and
shoots the man. The whole chair is thrown to the ground as
he falls and then the room is in silence.
16. The lack of special effects and sound effects makes this
scene seem very realistic. The flashback flashes back on
scene and James Bond picks up a gun lying on the floor.
The man who he thought he just killed picks up a gun by his
side and aims at Bond. James Bond spins around quickly
and shoots him. The beginning titles then appear. The first
colour that appears on screen is blood which rolls down the
camera lens and this foreshadows what is to come.
