Analysis of the opening scene of Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark

1. Mise en scene analysis- IndianaJones andthe raidersof the lostark
The mise en scene inthe openingof the filmisveryimportant.The firstthingthatwe see inthisfilm
afterthe creditsisa jungle withwhatwe assume tobe the maincharacter walkingintoframe away
fromthe camerawiththeme musicplayingquietlyinthe background.The effectof thisisthat
straightawaythe audience knowswhatthe filmisgoingtobe basedaroundas junglesare associated
withadventure andactionfilmsusually.Also,havingthe firstpersononthe screenbeingthe main
character helpstointroduce character,especiallywhenit’sthe firstfilmof apotential seriesof films.
Costume isan importantaspectof mise enscene.Whenwe firstsee IndianaJones,one of his
distinctive featuresishiscostume.He wearsaleatherjacket,hatand loose trousersandhe carriesa
whipwhichbecomesanintegral partof hischaracter. IndianaJoneshasa dirtyand unshavenface
too.The effectof hisappearance isthathe appearsto be ruggedand toughlooking,itshowstothe
audience thathe doesn’thave muchcare forhisappearance and hisclothingsuggeststhathe only
wearsone setof clothesastheylookwornand tired-looking.Inthisopeningscene thereare porters
whoappearcomplete oppositestoIndiana.Theyweardirtyandtattyclothingand trundle luggage
alongthe ground givingthe impressiontheydon’twanttobe there and are forcedto.These
costumesandappearance depicttothe audience thattheyand Indianajonesare oppositesandthat
theyare inferiortohim.AsIndianajoneswearsbetterclothingtothem, he looksimportantand
significantincomparison.Atthe beginningof the scene,there isverylittlelightanditisdark
meaningthe audience can’tsee anyone’sfacial expressionsmeaningitbecomesverymysterious.
The lightthenchangeswhenthe audience see anidol of some kindwithacreepyface made out of
stone inthe jungle.The change inthe lightportraysto the audience thatthe filmisgoingto revolve
aroundsomethinginanextreme environment,thisistypical of anaction/adventure film.
Cinematography
As forthe cinematographyof thisscene,the cinematographerusesonly12shotsinthe last16
secondsof the openingscene toreveal Indianajonesproperlytothe audience.Usingsomanyshots
insuch a small amountof time is keyto revealinghischaracter.These shotsreveal thatIndianajones
isalert,intelligentandmostimportantlyfearless.Outof the 12 shots,11 of themare close ups and
these give the effectthatthe people are watchingare livinginthe momentwithIndianainthe
jungle.Usingsomanyclose up shotsallowsthe audience towitnesshow the characterisfeelingand
lookingatthat time. Inthe part where Indianaandhiscompanionenterthe cave there are longand
slowtakesto increase suspense andtension.The clipshortensinlengthandshortsharpcutsare
used.Here,Indianaisshowninlowangle shotsmakinghimseempowerful andheroic.Asit
continues,there are continuouscloseupstoexpressthe character’semotionswhilstinthe cave.
Sound
In the part where Indianastartsto approachthe goldenidol,there isadeepandlow brass sound
usedto drone overthe conversationbetweenIndianaandhiscompanionbehindhim.Thisdevelops
a sense of tensionandanxiety,makingthe scene intense. The non-diegeticsoundusedhere just
adds tothe intensityandtensionthe audience will be feelingwhilstwatchingIndiana.More
instrumentsare addedtothe backgroundmusicto increase fearandtension. Atthe momentwhere
Indianagoesto take the idol,the orchestral soundinthe backgroundincreasesinvolumeand
becomesmore dramaticshowingthatitis a pinnacle partto the scene ad couldbe dangerous.

2. Editing
Throughoutthe cave scene withthe goldenidol,matchonactionis usedwell bythe editorMichael
Kahnto showhow Indiana’sactionsare goingtoset off a trap and endangerhim.There are many
cuts and theyare increasedasthe scene continuesinordertobuildtensionandsuspenseastowhat
mighthappen.Thisisperfectlyrepresentingthe adventure genre.