The document provides an analysis of the opening scenes of three films: American Sniper, Fast & Furious 7, and Mad Max: Fury Road. For American Sniper, it describes how the opening establishes the setting of a war zone through sounds and visuals of tanks. It introduces the main character Chris Kyle and shows how shots frame him as an emotionless killer through his relationship with his gun. For Fast & Furious 7, it summarizes how the opening in London establishes the theme of crime through its blue color grading and diegetic sounds of sirens. It introduces Jason Statham's character as a dangerous criminal through his actions in a hospital. For Mad Max: Fury Road, it explains that the opening

1. American Sniper
Introduction Analysis

2. Film Opening Scene
Title Sequence:
The Warner brother’s logo is the first
thing shown in the film intro. It has a
green/grey tint which shows the audience
what the film is about, before it even
starts. It is grey with a green tint
which portrays the army feel and is grey
is considered emotionless, just like the
main character, “Chris Kyle” who becomes more and more cut off
from the world as the film goes on. The Logo colour intrigues
The sound of the tanks immerses the audience a sense of combat
and war which, accompanied by the opening colours of grey,
initially gives the viewers an idea of what is going to happen
in the film.
Establishing the Setting:
There is non-diegetic sound in the background of an Islamic
phrase “Allahu Akbar” meaning “god is great” in Arabic. This
phrase is repeated 2 times which is then followed by the
diegetic sound of tanks moving around a warzone.
The setting is established using sounds and visuals. Although
the audience might not understand what “Allahu Akbar” means,
it sounds middle-eastern and the establishing shot of a tank
at the beginning of the film introduction will give more
evidence of where they are. The tank is yellow-grey and all
the building and men around them are all wearing the same
colour, this shows that they are in the military and although
not exact, somewhere in the Middle East. The colour scheme
being all the same shows the men as not individuals but as
cogs in a machine controlled by more important people. The men
are shown to have no independence, who only do what they art
told.
Beginning of introduction:
Tanks are on patrol going through a city. There is a close up
shot of the tanks caterpillar track about to crush a
breezeblock. The diegetic sound of the crumbling cement block
and the close up shows how wherever the tank goes, there is
destruction that follows. The intensity of the tanks diegetic

3. sound and the background music will give the audience an
immense viewing experience, creating an environment which
engages the audience massively.
Just before the characters are shown individually, there is a
high angle, showing the soldiers to be unimportant as a high
angle shot represents less important characters and that they
are not going to be a huge part in the film. The establishing
shot shows that they are in a warzone and shows to what extent
the destruction is. That everywhere they go, what follows I
not positive.
Character Introduction
When the main character, Chris Kyle, is introduced, there is a
slow pan from left to right from the barrel of his gun to him.
The frame work shows the gun barrel closer to the camera and
then C. Kyle behind it. This could infer that he is only known
for his skills, and as a shooter without any personality of
his own. This leads the audience to believe he is a brilliant
sniper with a calm hand. What is more, due to the pan from
left to right starting with the gun and then C. Kyle it shows
that they are one with each other and that wherever he goes,
the gun follows.
His firsts words are “It’s a f*cking hotbox”. Which shows the
disrespectful attitude of the men about the place they are in,
and the fact they want to leave urgently. Up until this point,
there has only been diegetic sounds of tanks and machinery
however music begins to play 2 minutes into the 3 minute long
introduction. The non-diegetic sound creates an intense
atmosphere, designed to immerse the audience in the situation,
almost like they are there.
When “Chris Kyle” is talking to his radio, the shot used is a
close up of the scope of the gun and him behind it Showing
again, that his gun and skill is more important than the
emotionless user.
One shot is of the cross hair of C. Kyle’s sniper rifle on a
man. This allows the audience to “Become the sniper” in a way.
Which puts them in the situation of having to kill and making
the right decision. This is uses to get the audience to
interact with C. Kyle and develop a relationship with.
(Putting the audience in his shoes)

4. As Chris Kyle is aiming down his scope to take the shot, you
can hear loud heartbeats and breaths. These heartbeat and
breathing sounds are emphasised which could class them into
non-diegetic sound FX. This shows he is although in control of
what he is doing, scared to shoot as the target is only a boy.
Which could further show that he is not just a killing machine
as he actually sees the person/boy behind the cross hair and
not just the target – Showing his humane side. We then hear a
gun shot, which allows a jump cut between the present and the
past. The flashback is much brighter than the present which
shows how his life used to be happy and now it is broken and
full of violence. This jump cut to the past of him killing a
deer (instead of the boy he was about to shot) references the
film Deer Hunter – Staring Robert De-Niro, asking the question
– Are the soldiers the hunters, or the hunted?
As an audience member, you would feel immersed in the film by
the choice of ambient sounds and the non-diegetic soundtrack.
The sounds would completely surround you and will give you a
feeling of actually being there instead of just watching. The
Mise-en-scene shows the gun to be more important than him, and
that all the men are the same, working for the same purpose
due to their lack of individuality.
The shots used in the introduction are quite long lasting and
then the transitions are very quick between them. This is good
as it symbolises the theme of war as it suggests it is long
and slow but it is very quick finish with death.

5. Fast & Furious 7
Introduction Analysis

6. Film Opening Scene
Setting Introduction:
The film begins with an establishing shot of London England. From this shot
you can instantly tell the location and as there is a blue colour grade
over it, the theme of crime is established (as blue represents sirens
etc.). There is also a narrative over it which has Jason Statham’s
character talking about his past with his brother. The music, when Statham
is talking to his brother, is there as it shows that their childhood was
not one of a normal child but it was dark and dangerous. The props are an
example of their dangerous attitude, for example when a gun is handed to
his brother in a hospital bed. You could infer from this that someone is
trying to kill him and he needs to protect himself even when he is in
hospital.
The camera begins to zoom out and you can see the back of Jason Statham’s
head, meaning the once narrative dialogue is actually diegetic sound
happening in the scene. The fact you cannot see his face as he look at the
window gives the audience a feel of suspense and intrigue them into the
film from the beginning.
During this establishing shot and slow plan, there are diegetic sounds of
London in an emergency state. Sirens of all sorts which is accompanied by
an intense non-diegetic sound track. The blue colour corrections are now
understood as it relates to crime and police.
As he is leaving, he threatens the nurses who are looking after his brother
without even looking at them in the face, this shows how he thinks he is
better than everyone (as he doesn’t believe he should have to look at
people as he speaks to them), which is constant in the rest of the film and
is the reason for his downfall in the ending.
Character Introduction
The camera shots have no cuts in-between and the entire opening scene is
one large camera pan. This represents anarchy and that similar events
happen on a regular basis for this character. . It could also mean that his
life will be prolonged and he will be hard to kill during the rest of the
film
The destruction is exaggerated for only one man to achieve; this shows the
audience that this man is not the normal criminal but a well-trained and
very dangerous person. The juxtaposition of the music, the sad hospital
scene and the rest of the intro exaggerates the destruction he can achieve
which is a main aspect of the entire film. The destruction is exaggerated
for only one man to achieve.
The mise-en-scene of this long lasting shot shows Jason Statham’s character
to always be in the middle of the shot. This shows his importance in the
film and that it all revolves around him.
This entire introduction is one shot which reinforces the sense of
anarchy in the hospital and that these events occur on a daily basis
in sequence in Jason Statham’s characters life. It could also infer

7. that his life will be prolonged and he will be hard to kill during
the rest of the film. The camera is nearly always moving, which
gives the impression that the character will also be always on the
move and will be an extremely hard person to catch or to find. The
fluid movement of the camera is also describing the fluid
characteristics of Jason Statham’s character ad that he moves
quickly, and never needs to rest.

8. Mad Max: Fury Road
Introduction Analysis

9. Mad Max: Fury Road
Film Genre: Action
Directed by George Miller
The beginning of Mad Max starts with a blank, black screen with the main
actor narrating over it, describing his life as what it used to be. Th e blank
screen is done to keep the audience focussed on what he is saying and not
distracting them with any visual effects. The black screen cuts to him
standing looking over the desert (establishing shot). This cut is done to
show the audience it is not a narration but it is him speaking inside his
head. When the landscape is eventually shown, it is a desert, empty and
deadly. At the same time it also explains to the viewer’s why the world is
like this, as there is a news report on how important the ‘Gusaline’is and
that people are killing to get it.
The visuals used are all colour corrected to an orange tint. This shows the
theme of fire and pain, telling the audience the character will experience
much pain in this film.
We don’t see the mains characters face until later on in the opening scenes,
as we are introduced to the back of his head. This gives the persona of a
very secretive character and one who doesn’t want to give any personal
information away as it might be used against him.
From this quiet and still scene, it takes a sudden turn as he then enters
his car extremely quickly and drives of with some speed. The camera shots in
this scene are very fast and are quickly transitioned between them to keep
up the intensity it started at. The change in scenes creates a contrasting
effect that emphasise the atmosphere that the characters live in now. From
a tranquil environment to a sudden chase scene in a split seconds notice.
This introduces the audience to the “mad” environment he lives in and immerses
them with loud non-diegetic sound effects – Often very bass heavy, to give
the audience an intense feel. When ‘Max’ gets caught by the ‘War boys’, they
are more interested in the ‘Gusaline’ in the car than the actual rider,
showing how deformed the lifestyle is at this time. There is a shot of the
place that all the ‘War boys’ live and then the squad of the chasers who
caught Mad Max drive into shot which shows they are going home, with Mad Max
being dragged behind. All of this gives vital information about how corrupt
the “war boys” are and to what extent the prisoner will be torture. The War
boys are all painted white with black eye sockets to de-humanise them and
portray them as a ‘thing’, painted as skeletons. In capture, Mad Max begins
the de-humanising stage too, by cutting his hair, tattooing his body as a
‘Universal Donor’ and branding him with a hot iron. The tattoos on his back
are informational, stating his blood type and other important factors; this
is because he has become a donor for the war boys, so they can transfuse
blood loss and regenerate their health. As the tattoos are being produced,
the diegetic sound of fire burning sound effects like melting, bring the
audience to believe he is in immense pain. The scene is done in a black dark
room but with a light source from the fire on his face. The fire that is
used for the light source as well as the furnace to heat the branding iron
shows the situation he is in is deadly and will bring a lot of pain and
suffering. This introduction ends with another failed attempt at escaping

10. due to his visions of the deceased victims he failed to save, further
emphasising his ‘Madness’. The shots were again very fast, quick and followed
the action vigorously which worked really well along with the subtle intense
music in the background.
Camera Work:
This opening scene consisted of many shots at a very fast pace. This was
done to emphasise the speed of the actions occurring and to make sure the
viewer does not get bored with the many chase scenes. I would like to use
this fast paced type of shots in my Opening scene as well as using the camera
shot from the characters back when introducing to give him a secretive
persona.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Introduction Analysis

11. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Film Genre: Action
Directed by Josh Whedon
The Introduction to this film begins with the ‘Avengers’ taking on a
small army of soldiers defending a strong hold. The introduction is
one long camera shot without any transitions but lots of panning,
this gives the impression that the ‘Avengers’ are used to this
action and that it happens on a daily basis in a particular order.
It also shows how the team work effectively together as their
actions flow seamlessly with each other, working as a great team.
The laser FX from the guns shows how advanced the enemies have
become and is more of a challenge to the team than previous films.
This gives vital information about the work ethic of the ‘Avengers’
and the disorganised enemy they are facing. Obviously the CGI in
this opening scene is far beyond anything that can be achieved in my
film introduction, but the shots and actions they use can be re-
enacted by actors. The one camera shot used to film this
introduction scene moves from one person to another, following the
action, which keeps the audience on the edge of their seat
constantly. The fast paced action comes to a slow motion shot (still
without transitions) when the entire team jump over a barricade
together. This emphasises the team’s efficiency as they are in sync
with each other. The longshot comes to a finish when Iron Man flies
into a force field and the camera goes to a new shot inside Iron
Mans suit where the first lines of the film are said. After the long
lasting shot finishes, the director used a more average approach
cutting shots after dialogue etc. This is good as it gives a break
from all the action so the viewers can understand more of what is
happening. Jarvis, an AI created by Iron man is watching the entire
action packed scene from above as a satellite helping the team to
defeat the enemy and the overlay used in the scanning of the force
field shows how advanced there technology is. This is good and I
would like to include some of this more futuristic editing in my
final piece. The final shot is of the ‘Hydra’ base with text in the
bottom right “Hydra Research Base, Sokivia, Eastern Europe”. This
editing gives an insight into what is happening in the base and
where exactly they are, giving the action some content which is also
a good editing aspect I would like to include.