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Film Opening Analysis – Die Hard
In the opening scene of the film Die Hard, we see an establishing shot of the plane, it’s used to
show where the characters are and in this scene it’s also used to set the time, the effect this
has on the audience is that it shows them where this part of the film is so they aren’t confused
when they watch it. Another shot we clearly see is a medium close up of the man sat next to
Bruce, this is used to introduce him into the part of the conversation. The effect it has on the
audience is that it makes us feel a part of the conversation because we are close to the
character.
Before Bruce leaves the plane, there is a shot reverse show when he is with the air hostess.
This is used to make us feel like we are there but the effect this has on the audience is that it
shows the obvious attraction they both feel for each other. There is also a low angle shot of
Bruce when his gun is revealed to the other guy. The effect this has on the audience is that it
makes Bruce looks very powerful. We also see a high angle shot when the Asian character is
talking to the party guests. This clearly shows us that he isn’t anywhere near as powerful as
Bruce or as important. In addition, there is also a close up of Holly’s photo, when she is on the
phone, which features Bruce and her children. This clearly effects the audience because it
shows her family and when she slams it down, it shows that she is very angry with Bruce but
still cares for him enough to have a photo with him in it.
Thereis also a lot of camera movementin this opening scene. Thereis a very long tracking shot
on Holly when she is walking down the corridor, the effect this has on the audience is that it
shows Holly’s importance as the camera moves and stops when she does, it’s like she is pulling
the camera withher.There isalsoa pan when the Asian character iswalking fromthemusicians
to the balcony, this shows us the size of the office and how important it will be in the film.
There is also a few shallow focus’, one of them is when Bruce is walking off the plane. This
effects the audience because it draws areattention to Bruce and no one else, and it also shows
us that he is important in the film and that he may be the main character within it.
In this opening scene, there are also a lot of different editing techniques used. One of them is
an Eveline match. This is used when Bruce is leaving the plane, the man sat next to him see’s
the gun and we can see him looking at it, then there is a close up of the gun. The effect this has
on the audience is that it shows us what the person is looking at and it also shows something
that is important likea gun. Thereis also a sequence shot, a sequence when there is no editing,
of Holly walking down the corridor. The effect this has on the audience is that it makes it look
like the person it’s tracking is pulling the camera but it also shows that they are significant or
important. The opening scene of Die Hard also contains cross-cutting between Bruce’s and
Holly’s story. The effect this has on the audience is that it shows these two stories are in the
same time zone and that everything is happening in the same time.
The Mise-En-Scene is also very important in the opening scene. In the shot where we see the
plane landing the lighting has an orange tint, which shows the audience that it’s almost night-
time which signifies the beginning of a new day or that something will happen because worst
things happen at night. There is also a large variety of people in the opening scene. When we
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see the man sat next to Bruce, he is wearing suit like apparel but his top button is undone, this
shows us that he is relaxed on the plane but also that he is relaxed as a person because most
men who wear suits, wear it with every button done. Bruce, however is wearing jeans and a
leather jacket, this gives the audience the impression that he isn’t that bothered by his choice
in clothes as others are and also that he is a bit of a rebel which makes the audience think he
is cool and while inside the airport he also smokes which makes us believe he is even cooler
and doesn’t have any regard for rules. However, Holly isn’t dressed like Bruce at all, she is
wearing a formal outfit, which consists of a black skirt and a red blouse, this effects the
audience because the red of her top shows future danger which shows the audience that she
is important and something bad could happen to her. Throughout the opening scene we see a
lot of people with permed, curly hair except Bruce, this shows us that Bruce doesn’t care for
fashion but it also shows that he is his own person and he is who he wants to be.
There is also a lot different sounds in the opening scene. At the beginning there is something
like a sound bridge because the plane noise starts on a black screen but then we see the plane
landing in the next shot, this effects the audience because it lets them guess the next scene.
There is also a lot of diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound as well. When the title of the film
appears there is a sleigh bell like sound but it sounds distorted and a drum beat is added to it,
the effect this has on the audience is that it sets what time of year it is and also the way the
sounds are distorted also gives off the impression that something bad is going to happen.
However, there is also diegetic sound, when we see the office party, we can see and hear the
classical music,the effect this has on the audience is that it shows them that everyone can hear
it and it also gives the impression that this party is very formal otherwise they would be playing
other varieties of music, like pop which gives off a more relaxed vibe at a party.
