1. The film opens with a pan of the sea. This is an establishing shot to show
the audience the location of where the main character is or where the
current situation is. The diagetic sound of the sea bashing against the
rocks which fades as the camera cuts to Leonardo’s character on the
beach connotes that he has just woken up or had a realisation, a bit like
coming back to reality or crossing into another realm. Considering the
film is about transporting into dreams, this is effectively used too hint of
what will come in the rest of the film.
A wide shot is then used to show the rest of the beach with a house on
the cliffs above. This connotes that their is a character of power residing
at the top of the cliffs as Leonardo’s character lays on the beach. The
diagetic sound of children's laughter is also heard, further backing up
the point of a dream state. This is due to the soldiers on the beach with
firearms being present at the same time as children gives the whole
scene an “Unreal” quality.
He is then taken to see a man in a room of light bulbs. This is enigma
coding as the audience does not know who this man is or why he has an
interest in Leonardo’s character who has just washed up on shore. This
envelops the audience into the narrative and questions them to find out
more on this puzzling adventure. The sound of the beach is no longer
heard. This connotes that the situation has become serious with a
darker tone present in the lighting which is reflected through the mise
en scene where all the people are dressed in black suits. This signifies
that Leonardo’s character is in trouble or involved in a situation due to
the serious nature of the scene. The character with power is not at first
seen, sitting in a chair which further connotes power as he can sit while
his guards stand to protect him.
This essentially has shown me that I could use enigma coding to hint
the narrative to the audience before it is fully explored. I could also
use depths and volumes of sound to show transition to different
locations or a way of creating a more serious atmosphere. In terms of
camera shots, I could use a conjunction of pans and wide shots to set
up a location for a new scene. I could use a mixture of mise en scene
in the form of formal and dark clothing, like suits, along with the dark
lighting to connote a serious tone in my opening that I wish to create.
I could also use multiple heights in my shots to create a sense of
power between character and show how one is more vulnerable than
the other.