zsdhdtukarshgj

1. Emma Mc Conologue
Lost – Opening Scenes Analysis
Lots of cinematographyisusedinthe openingof Lost.Many of the shotsinthe firstscenesare
mainlyfocusedonthe character’sfacial expressions,foreshadowingwhatcouldhappenlateron.For
example the firstshotis anextreme close uponsomebody’seye,whichabruptlyopens,which
immediatelytellsthe audience thataneventhasoccurred.Thisshotis followedbyapointof view
shotwhichshowsthe personlookingupat lotsof trees;thishighlightsthe locationin whichthe
showisfirstset – a forest,givingasense of the narrative.The camerathencuts to a man lyingon
the forestfloorwitha brightredcut on hisface; the brightredconnotingto danger.Thisclose upof
the man’sface showswhothe maincharacter of the show is,as he is continuouslyshown
throughoutthe restof the opening.A midshotisusedwhenthe manfinallystandsup,showing
more of the locationandshowinghowhe isin seriouspain. Italsoshowsthe character’scostume,
showingthe audience thathe couldbe a businessmanashe’swearingaformal suit. A mediumclose
up shotis alsousedto showthe state of panicand confusioninwhichthe manfeelsashe’supand
runninginthe forestarea,reinforcingthe sense of dangerinthe beginningscenes;thisisalsolinked
to the use of trackingwhenthe man isrunningthroughthe forest,givinganideaof the editingpace
throughoutthe show.
Many close upsare usedinthe openingtofocusonspecificprops,forexample awhite shoe hung in
a tree.The bright white colourconnotestopurityorinnocence,contrastingwiththe darkforest;the
white shoe issignificantasitconfirmsthata seriouseventhasoccurred.Anothermediumclose upis
alsousedto showthe contrast betweenthe dark forestandthe hotsummerydayoutside asthe
man makeshiswayto the edge of the forest,addingtothe tense atmosphere.Atthispointthe
camera pans,showingabeautiful blue beachwithgoldensand,whichconnotestoserenityand
peace.
An establishingshotisusedtoshowthe intensityandthe scale of the event,the plane crashthat
tookplace.The shot showsremnantsof a demolishedplanewiththickblacksmoke everywhere.
Alongwiththis,manylongshotsare usedto show othersituationsoccurringinthe background,
while the characterisrunningalongthe beachin a panickedstate.Thismanisshownto be the main
character as he is situatedinthe middle of the longshots,where the audience wouldlookfirstona
screen,highlightingthathe’sthe mostsignificantcharacter. Furthermore,low angle shotsare used
on the maincharacter and the plane.These shotsare usedonthe main character as he isseen
helpingothersurvivorsof the plane crashon the beach;he’sthe hero.On the otherhand,highangle
shotsare usedoncharacters like the pregnantwomanasshe’sshownasweakerandmore
vulnerable thanothercharacters.
Mise-en-scene:
Lots of low-keylightingisusedthroughthe beginningof the opening,whichisusedtosetthe mood
of the show,hintingatthe genre of the show.The genre isadventure because the charactershave
become strandedonan unknowntropical islandwithvibrantgreenforests,andneedtofindaway
to escape.Asthe openingprogresses,ambientlightingisusedonthe island, revealingthe time of
day andthe time of yearin whichthe show issituated.The use of colouralsoshowshow vibrantthe
treesare,conveyingthatit’sa tropical rainforest.The intensityof the explosions displays how the
characters are in danger.The vibrancyof the natural colourse.g.the ocean and the sand contradict
the dark, murky metalsof the abandonedplane;thisshowsmore impendingdangerthatcouldoccur
lateron inthe show. Barthes’symboliccode isusedhere asthe contrast incoloursgive deeper
meaningstothe opening. The costume usedthroughoutthe scenessubtlytell the audience details
aboutthe characters,givinga sense of theirpersonalityetc.Forexample,the maincharacter,Jack,is

2. Emma Mc Conologue
seentobe wearingadark suitwhichisnow dirtyandtorn, signifyingthathe hadquite a well-paid
joband was goingona businessmeeting;inthiscase the audience findouthe’sadoctor.Jack’s
professionisreinforcedwhenhe startshelpingdifferentpeople whoalsosurvivedthe crash,e.g.
resuscitatingawomanwhowas leadonthe ground. At thispoint,RolandBarthes’code theory
showsthat an Actioncode isused,whichreferstoeventstakingplace throughaction. Alongwith
costume,propsare also subtlyusedtogive more insighttothe character andtheirtraits etc.;the
maincharacter findsa small bottle of alcohol inhispocket,whichcouldreinforce hiswell-paidjob.
The setsand locationsare usedto showthat the show isset inpresentday,andthe setshave been
dressedspecificallytomatchthe narrative.Forexample,the remnantsof the plane scatteredall
overthe beach whichaddsto the severityandthe intensityof the opening.The use of extraprops
e.g.the white showhungonthe tree as a sense of mysterytothe narrative because the audience
are puton edge andwant to findoutwhat’sgoingon next. Blockingandperformance isextremely
importantas itallowsthe audience tosee whothe mostandleastimportantor relevantcharacters
are throughoutthe differentscenes.Jackisshownasthe maincharacter as he isshownin almost
everyshotandhe isusuallyatthe frontand inthe middle of the frame,closesttothe camera;
throughPropp’sarchetypal characters,Jackis shownasthe heroas he is helpingothersurvivors
afterthe plane crash.
Editing
At the beginning, the logofadesintoanextreme close upof the maincharacter’seye,immediately
creatinga darkeratmosphere.The editingpace isquite slow withthe use of longtakesinthe forest,
e.g.whenthe dogruns awayinto the distance. Atthispoint,there aren’tmanycutswhichadd to the
sense of mysteryandsuspense asthe audience don’tknow what’sgoingon. Moreover,lotsof
reactionshots are usedtoshowthe maincharacter andhis state of confusionandpanic,fortifying
that he doesn’tknowwhat’shappenedeither.Asthe scenesprogress,more andmore cutsare used
and some scenesstartto be mergedtogether toshow a fasterpacednarrative withmore action,
makingitverytense. Editingbridgesare alsousedtocombine some of the shotstogether,e.g.when
the maincharacter runs behindabigpart of the demolishedplane whichkeepstothe fastnarrative
and keepsthe audience grippedonthe story.
Sound
Soundisextremelyimportantthroughoutthe show asit addsto the tone and mood,and reinforces
the genre.Bothnon-diegeticanddiegeticsoundsare usedthroughouttoadda sense of realismto
the opening. Forexample,silence isusedforthe firstcouple of secondsinthe openingtosetthe
mainatmosphere.Anotherdiegeticsoundthatwasusedwasthe synchronoussoundof the main
character walkingandrunningoverthe leavesonthe forestfloor;thissuggeststhatthe filmismore
seriousanddramatic.
Eventhoughsome diegeticsoundsare used,theyare mostlyenhancedwithnon-diegeticsoundsto
make themmore noticeable.SpotsoundisusedwhenJackiswalkingthroughthe forest,asit
supportsthe dark moodof the show. Othernon-diegeticsoundsinclude soundeffectse.g.the
explosionswhenthe engineblowsupare usedtoadd actionand tensiontothe opening,keepingthe
audience enticedonthe narrative.
Overall,Ithinkthatthisfilmopeningwill helpme withmyfilmbecause ithasa strongnarrative that
immediatelypullsthe audience in,andimmediatelyintroducesthe maincharacter,allowingthe
audience tobe able to sympathise withhimmore.Theseelementsare thingsthatIwill tryto
incorporate intomyfilmopening.