1. Max Phillips
Casino Royale Opening – Macro Analysis
Casino Royalewas the firstmovieto feature the new bond who would be Daniel Craig.He took over the
previous actor, Pierce Bronson,who was a successful and popular addition to the Bond franchise.There was
high expectation for the movie and the opening scenes were a glimpseof what was to come in this highly
anticipated film.
The firstscene we see of the movie is shotoutside on a wintery night. There is a panoramic shotof a high-rise
apartment and a car pullingup outside. On the bottom left the words ‘Prague’ fade in slowly,informingthe
audienceof the setting the scene is in.
The opening scene of the movie gives an idea of Bond’s roleas a lucrativesecretagent. The narrativeplayed in
this scene shows a man entering his apartment and officeroom. Waitingfor him in his officeis Bond.Bond has
hidden the man’s ammunition and obviously searched through his bel ongings whilewaitingfor his arrival.This
is all doneoff screen but is evident later on in the scene.
Once he arrives,himand Bond talk about Bond’s contracts as a ‘secret agent’, and how he hasn’t successfully
killed enough people to be an official ‘00’agent . This gives insighton James Bond’s dangerous job as a agent.
Suspense is builtwhilethey discuss thetopic and scenes of a previous killingareplayed whilethey talk about
Bond’s firstever contract killing. The scenes shown are violent,which will showthe viewers that this upcoming
Bond is ruthless athis job and nothing will get in his way to complete his tasks addingexcitement to what is to
come.
Lighting used in this scene is setup especially to hideBond’s figure so only backdrop lightis revealinghalf of
his facewhilethe restof the room is litclearly enough to show the other man sittingoppositehim. This adds a
sense of thrill to this partof the introduction and suggests Bond is hidingsomethingfrom the man, or that
something is about to happen.
The scenes continueto fade from their conversation to Bond’s killing.This editingfits into the theme of an
action/thriller as itis depictingviolence and action whileaddingtension from the conversation.This sortof
editing and cinematography adds much suspenseto the scene and fits in well with the entire theme of the film
which is an action/thriller.
The effect is dark and fits in with the narrativeof the clips.Ablack and white filter is used on both scenes to
portray the pastand add to the ‘dark’ theme of the scene. Special FX likethis can help portray the film’s
intentions and shows the audienceearly on what type of filmthis is setout to be whilegiving the scene a
spooky feel entirely.
Dramatic,fastpaced music is played alongsidethe action scenewhich fits well with one and other. The
instrumental music syncs with the clips and cinematography such as overhead views and close-ups showthe
true violentnature of what Bond is inflictingon this other man. Whilethere is no gore, the clever editing
tactics used make out the scene to seem extremely violentwhilenot showingany gory scenes . The camera is
followingboth actors whilethey scuffleeach other, with lots of fastjump cuts between pushingand punching.
This keeps the filma suitableratingfor appropriateaudiences whilesticking with the original Bond ideals.The
dramatic music fades in and out between the conversation and the action.This technique makes the whole
opening part a lot more dramatic and creates a sense that something excitingis aboutto occur.
Once the discussion isover,the man asks aboutBond’s second killing,in which Bond shoots him with a
silenced pistol and the aura suddenly goes silent,breakingthe tension and sequencing into the movie titles.
Bond fires his pistol atthe screen and the popular,well-known James Bond introduction is shown.From here
onwards,CGI is used to display themain contributors to the film/series and a lengthy cinematic introduction is
played here onwards until the main movie begins.
The intention of this introduction was to not only contribute to the narrative,but insightthe audienceon
James Bond and his job as a secret agent. Bond is presented as beingclever, quick paced and ruthless.This first
impression will add to the rest of the movie on how the viewer will see Bond as a character.
