Textual analysis

1. Textual analysis
Olivia Moreland
The film I decided to use
for my textual analysis is
Sherlock Holmes as it is the
same genre (crime thriller)
as our opening sequence.

2. Shot 1 -
This opening shot is very dark and shadowy, and is
low key lighting, which helps build expression and
atmosphere and can make the audience expect
that there will be drama in the film. The carriage
suggests that it is set in a earlier time period,
being that the film is Sherlock it shows that it is
set in Victorian times. It is in the center of the
screen and is the darkest object in this frame,
which makes it stand out and will draw the
viewers eyes to it, which makes it more important
in this opening sequence. The camera zooms in
on the carriage extremely fast and follows the
carriage which makes the audience feel more
immersed in the film and like they are part of the
action. There is diegetic sound of horses neighing
and fast hoofbeats, which are very fast paced
sounds and makes it feel more action packed.

3. Shot 2 -
In this frame there is another example of low key
lighting, but you can also see most of his face clearly
enough to establish his character. Because of the
moustache and the prop of a bowler hat is part of
the iconic 'Dr Watson' character, it makes it easier
for the audience to establish who he is. This is also
very dated costume and how he is represented,
which is adding to the Victorian era setting, and a
hat makes him seem like he is smart and doesn’t
have to worry about money. His eyes are in the
center of the screen which means the audience will
have all their focus on him, because of the rule of
thirds. His facial expression is very serious, and is
parallel with the non-diegetic sound of fast violin
music in the background, which is helping build
tension for the audience.

4. Shot 3 -
This is a very interesting shot because the
camera is moving as if attached to the carriage
as if someone was standing on it, and it moves
extremely fast, hence why it is blurry. This is
very fast paced for the viewer and they will
feel like they are involved in the moment and
it make the film more realistic. It was also
edited very fast from the previous shot to
show a lot is happening at once. The lighting is
again dark, it is showing the time of day as
well as adding atmosphere, as all the shots
have very lowkey lighting. The streets make it
seem like a city location as the buildings
featured are very tall, which is where the
audience will expect it to be for a Sherlock
Film.

5. Shot 4 -
This shot is extremely useful as it shows St
Paul's cathedral which helps the audience
immediately establish the location –
London. It has very low key lighting and you
can hear a crow cry in the background
during this frame, which gives the audience
a sense of foreboding and builds tension for
them, and makes them want to continue
watching. The camera is following a dark,
unrecognizable figure as if it was a person so
it makes the audience feel like they are
running around the streets of London as
well. The cathedral is in the upper third of
the frame so the viewers eyes will look at it
before any other parts of the screen whilst
viewing this frame.