Description of Mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound in the first 70 to 8 minutes of the first episode of Lost.

1. Emma Mc Conologue
Lost – Opening Scenes Analysis
Lots of cinematography is used in the opening of Lost. Many of the shots in the firstscenes are mainly focused
on the character’s facial expressions,foreshadowingwhatcould happen later on. For example the firstshotis
an extreme closeup on somebody’s eye, which abruptly opens, which immediately tells the audience that an
event has occurred.This shot is followed by a pointof view shot which shows the person lookingup at lots of
trees; this highlights the location in which the show is firstset – a forest, givinga sense of the narrative.The
camera then cuts to a man lyingon the forest floor with a brightred cut on his face; the brightred connoting
to danger. This closeup of the man’s face shows who the main character of the showis,as he is continuously
shown throughout the rest of the opening. A mid shot is used when the man finally standsup,showingmore
of the location and showinghow he is in serious pain. Italso shows the character’s costume, showingthe
audiencethat he could be a business man as he’s wearinga formal suit. A medium closeup shot is also used to
show the state of panic and confusion in which the man feels as he’s up and runningin the forest area,
reinforcingthe sense of danger in the beginning scenes; this is also linked to the use of trackingwhen the man
is runningthrough the forest, givingan idea of the editingpace throughout the show.
Many closeups areused in the opening to focus on specific props,for example a white shoe hung in a tree.
The bright white colour connotes to purity or innocence, contrastingwith the dark forest; the white shoeis
significantas itconfirms thata serious event has occurred.Another medium closeup is also used to show the
contrastbetween the dark forest and the hot summery day outsideas the man makes his way to the edge of
the forest, addingto the tense atmosphere. At this point the camera pans,showinga beautiful bluebeach with
golden sand,which connotes to serenity and peace.
An establishingshotis used to showthe intensity and the scaleof the event, the planecrash thattook place.
The shot shows remnants of a demolished planewith thick black smoke everywhere. Along with this,many
longshots are used to show other situations occurringin thebackground, whilethe character is runningalong
the beach in a panicked state. This man is shown to be the main character as he is situated in the middleof the
longshots, where the audience would look firston a screen, highlightingthathe’s the most significant
character.
Furthermore, low angleshots are used on the main character and the plane.These shots are used on the main
character as he is seen helpingother survivors of the planecrash on the beach; he’s the hero. On the other
hand, high angle shots areused on characters likethe pregnant woman as she’s shown as weaker and more
vulnerablethan other characters.
Mise-en-scene:
Lots of low-key lightingis used through the beginningof the opening, which is used to set the mood of the
show, hintingat the genre of the show. The genre is adventure because the characters havebecome stranded
on an unknown tropical island with vibrantgreen forests, and need to find a way to escape. As the opening
progresses,ambient lightingis used on the island,revealingthe time of day and the time of year in which the
show is situated.The use of colour also shows howvibrantthe trees are, conveying that it’s a tropical
rainforest.The intensity of the explosions displays howthe characters arein danger. The vibrancy of the
natural colours e.g.the ocean and the sand contradictthe dark,murky metals of the abandoned plane; this
shows more impending danger that could occur later on in the show. Barthes’ symbolic codeis used here as
the contrastin colours givedeeper meanings to the opening. The costume used throughout the scenes subtly
tell the audience details aboutthe characters,givinga senseof their personality etc.For example, the main
character,Jack, is seen to be wearinga dark suitwhich is now dirty and torn, signifyingthathe had quite a
well-paid job and was goingon a business meeting; in this casethe audience find out he’s a doctor. Jack’s
profession is reinforced when he starts helpingdifferent people who also survived the cras h,e.g. resuscitating
a woman who was lead on the ground. At this point,Roland Barthes’ code theory shows that an Action code is
used, which refers to events takingplacethrough action. Along with costume, props arealso subtly used to
give more insightto the character and their traits etc.; the main character finds a small bottleof alcohol in his
pocket, which could reinforce his well-paid job.The sets and locations areused to showthat the show is setin
present day,and the sets have been dressed specifically to match the narrative.For example, the remnants of

2. Emma Mc Conologue
the planescattered all over the beach which adds to the severity and the intensity of the opening. The use of
extra props e.g. the white show hung on the tree as a sense of mystery to the narrativebecausethe audience
are put on edge and want to find out what’s going on next. Blockingand performance is extremely important
as itallows the audienceto see who the most and leastimportantor relevant characters arethroughout the
different scenes.Jack is shown as the main character as he is shown in almostevery shotand he is usually at
the front and in the middleof the frame, closestto the camera; through Propp’s archetypal characters,Jack is
shown as the hero as he is helpingother survivors after the planecrash.
Editing
At the beginning, the logo fades into an extreme closeup of the main character’s eye, immediately creatinga
darker atmosphere. The editingpace is quiteslowwith the use of long takes in the forest, e.g. when the dog
runs away into the distance. At this point, there aren’t many cuts which add to the sense of mystery and
suspenseas the audiencedon’t know what’s goingon. Moreover, lots of reaction shots are used to show the
main character and his state of confusion and panic,fortifyingthathe doesn’t know what’s happened either.
As the scenes progress,more and more cuts are used and some scenes startto be merged together to show a
faster paced narrativewith more action,makingit very tense. Editing bridges arealso used to combine some
of the shots together, e.g. when the main character runs behind a big partof the demolished planewhich
keeps to the fastnarrativeand keeps the audiencegripped on the story.
Sound
Sound is extremely important throughout the show as itadds to the tone and mood, and reinforces the genre.
Both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds areused throughout to add a sense of realismto the opening. For
example, silenceis used for the firstcoupleof seconds in the opening to set the main atmosphere. Another
diegetic sound that was used was the synchronous sound of the main character walkingand runningover the
leaves on the forest floor; this suggests that the filmis more serious and dramatic.
Even though some diegetic sounds are used, they are mostly enhanced with non-diegetic sounds to make
them more noticeable.Spot sound is used when Jack is walkingthrough the forest, as it supports the dark
mood of the show. Other non-diegetic sounds includesound effects e.g. the explosions when the engine blows
up are used to add action and tension to the opening, keeping the audienceenticed on the narrative.