Media essay for the opening sequence of Iron Man.

1. Emma Mc Conologue
Iron Man – Opening Analysis
The editingpace throughoutthe firstthree minutesof the filmstartsoff slowertosetthe scene of
the film,usinganestablishingshottoshow the film’slocation;thisisa mountainousdesert
landscape. Throughoutthisshot andthe trackingshotsof the vehicles,ambientlightingispresent
whichmay have beenenhancedtocreate high-keylightingtomake the firstscene lessdramatic.
Setsand locationsare extremelyimportantthroughoutthe openingsequenceasitgives anideaof
the narrative.Italso allowsthe audience toworkoutwhatgenre thisfilmis – inthiscase it’sa Sci-
Fi/Thrillerfilm.The dustcoveredoverthe vehiclesreinforcesthe locationinwhichthe filmisset;it
alsogivesan ideaof the time periodinwhichthe filmwasset – presentday. Ambientsoundwas
usedto create a regimentedsense of place withthe vehiclesbackgroundnoises.
Propsplayan importantrole inthe openingsequenceastheycan be usedas subtle plotdevices and
give small hintsabouta character’spersonalityortheirtraits.Anexample of thisis wasaclose up
shotusedon the radio,whichplayedthe non-diegetic,asynchronoussong - Backin Blackby AC/DC;
thishintsat the fasternarrative pace and a soundtrackto the film.Anotherpropusedisthe drink
that RobertDowneyJr.Was drinkinginthe back of the army vehicle;it’susedtoshow how isstatus
ishigher;he has an importantor verysuccessful jobetc. Moreover,there are close upsusedonthe
phone thatTony Stark has,highlightingthe ‘hightech’technologyatthe time the filmcame out.This
alsogivessubtle hintsabouthowthe filmisaSci-Fi.
Tony’scostume reinforceshishigherstatuscomparedtothe soldierswhoare satin the van nextto
him;on the otherhand the soldierswere wearingtheirarmyoutfits,connotingtoadangerous
environmentthattheyare in.Blockingandperformance isextremelyimportant throughoutthe
sequence asitallowsthe audience toworkoutwhothe main characteris; thisisshownby Tony
Stark beinginthe middle of frameswheneverthe cameraisfilminghim –thisisthe firstplace the
audience will looksothe audience sotheyimmediately knowthatTonycouldbe more important
comparedto the othercharacters inthe scene. Furthermore, midshots andshot/reverse shots are
usedwhenthe soldiersandTonyare sat inthe vehicle talkingtoeachotherand ambientlightingis
usedto cast lightonone side of the character’sface at a time,makingthe scene more dramaticto
contrast withthe darknessof the inside of the vehicle. The camerausesclose ups onthe character’s
facesto enhance the panicand the scaredexpressions whenthe carexplodesinfrontof them,
addingactionand tension withthe use of lotsof cuts.Moreover,some jumpcuts were addedafter
the explosiontoaddthe same effect.
Throughoutthe differentscenesthe colourscontrast –for example,the armyvehiclesare adark
greenshade comparedtothe landscape,whichisbright,dustycolours,connotingtothe desertlike
environment.The costumesare alsoquite dark,whichcouldforeshadow whathappenslateron in
the film.However,alongshotshows a bigexplosion inwhichvibrantcoloursoccur suchas bright
orangesand yellows;these colours reinforce the actionwithinthe film. The longshotalsoshowsthe
colourcontrast fromthe colourful explosiontothe setbehind,whichisquite dull.
Highangle shotswere usedalongwiththe trackingof the armycars at the beginningof the
sequence,whichsuggesthowthe soldiersare quite vulnerable andgoingintoadangerousplace;
thisshotcould alsoforeshadowhowtheymaybe introuble lateroninthe plot.Many close up shots

2. Emma Mc Conologue
are usedonprops to highlighttheirsignificance,e.g.the radioused tolinktothe rocky,upbeat song
at the start of the sequence.Moreover,the close upshotonthe missile demonstrateshow
dangerousthe environmentTonyinis;thislinkstothe thrilleraspectsof the film.
Many shotsin the vehicle focusedonthe window beinginthe middle of the screen,showingthe
audience thatthe car is still lovingthroughthe dryenvironmentandalsothat there couldbe
somethingsignificantthathappensinthe window.Sinceit’sinthe centre,it’swhatenticesthe
audience the most.
Selectivesoundwasusedonthe gunshots to directlyreinforce the warzone of Afghanistanthatthe
soldiersandTonyare in, showingmore thrillerelementstothe opening.Someexamplesof diegetic
soundare the dialogue fromthe differentcharactersanda car door opening;these are generic
soundsthat are heardeverydayin the background. Some soundse.g.the explosionnoiseswould
have beendiegeticbutwouldhave beenenhanceddigitallyinpostproduction –thistellsthe
audience thatthiseventisextremelyimportantandisa plotdevice inthe narrative.