The document provides an analysis of the opening sequence of the film Independence Day. It summarizes that the opening establishes the aliens as mysterious, powerful, and technologically advanced threats to human independence through the use of dark colors, tense non-diegetic music, and contrasting shots showing American achievements and advanced alien spacecraft. Shots of the moon landing are then destabilized to further build tension among viewers about what may threaten human achievements and the Earth itself.

1. ANALYSIS OF
INDEPENDENCE DAY
BY DAISY STOKES

2. • THE OPENING SCENE BEGINS WITH THE FILM
TITLE SHOWN IN BOLD SILVER/GREY WRITING
ON A BLACK BACKGROUND. SILVER/GREY HAS
CONNOTATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL, HIGH TECH
AND INTELLIGENCE. BLACK GIVES
CONNOTATIONS OF EVILNESS, MYSTERY AND
POWER IMPLYING THAT THE ALIENS ARE THESE
THINGS WHICH ALSO CONFORMS TO
STEREOTYPES. INDEPENDENCE DAY IS THEN
SHOWN TO SHATTER SYMBOLISING THAT THERE
WILL NO LONGER BE INDEPENDENCE DUE TO
THE ALIENS. THE NON DIEGETIC MUSIC DURING
THIS CUT HAS MUSIC STINGS THROUGHOUT
WHICH CREATES TENSION FOR THE VIEWERS,
GRIPPING THEM TO CONTINUE WATCHING.
• THE OPENING SEQUENCE CARRIES THE TYPICAL
CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER FILM,
QUESTIONING THE UNKNOWN AND WHAT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT TO HEIGHTEN THE
SENSATION OF TENSION FOR THE VIEWERS.
ALTHOUGH THE AMERICANS HAVE
PREVALENCE AS THE CLIP SHOWS MANY CUTS
SUMMARISING (I.E. THE ONE SHOWN ABOVE
SHOWING A LONG SHOT OF THE AMERICAN
FLAG) THE AMERICANS ACHIEVEMENTS DURING
THE OPENING SEQUENCE, THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS ARE SHOWN TO BE
MINIMALISTIC ONCE THE ALIENS ARE SHOWN
WITH THEIR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

3. • NON DIEGETIC DIALOGUE IS USED FROM
ASTRONAUT'S WHO ONCE STEPPED FOOT
ON THE MOON TO BUILD IMPORTANCE AND
EMPHASISE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. THERE IS
DUST WHICH BLOWS OF THE HEAD STONE
WHICH EMPHASES HOW LONG AGO THIS
HAPPENED. THE LONG SHOT ZOOMS INTO A
CLOSE UP, CLEARLY SHOWING THE DATE IN
WHICH THEY STEPPED ONTO THE MOON.
THE AUDIENCE IS STILL UNAWARE OF
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT AND IS
STILL UNSURE WHAT IS HAPPENING.
THIS CUT THEN FADES INTO THE NEXT CUT SHOWING
FOOT PRINTS. THE INSTRUMENTAL NON DIEGETIC
DRAMATIC MUSIC IS CONTRASTED WITH THE
ACHIEVEMENTS SHOWN, THIS MAKES THE VIEWERS ON
EDGE AS IT GOES AGAINST WHAT THE VIEWERS WOULD
EXPECT TO HEAR. THE CLOSE UP OF THE FOOT PRINTS
THEN BEGINS TO SHAKE AS IF THEY ARE GETTING
REMOVED, WHICH COULD ALSO FORESHADOW WHAT
THE ALIENS ARE GOING TO DO TO THE HUMANS AND
THE EARTH. THIS PORTRAYS THE ALIENS IN A
STEREOTYPICAL WAY OF BEING THE ANTAGONISTS. THIS
ALSO MAKES THE VIEWERS ON EDGE AS THEY ARE
UNSURE ON WHAT'S HAPPENINGS AND COULD IMPLY
SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

4. THERE IS A FADE AGAIN TO TRANSITION INTO THE
NEXT CUT. A MID SHOT IS SHOWN OF A SPACESHIP,
WHICH IS CONTRASTED WITH THE ALIENS SPACESHIP
LATER SHOWN AS ITS SMALL AND NOT AS HIGH TECH
AS IT SHOWN ABANDONED SUGGESTING IT STOPPED
WORKING. WHERE AS THE ALIENS IS SHOWN TO BE
MASSIVE AND MORE ADVANCED. THIS COULD IMPLY
THAT THE ALIENS ARE MORE ABLE THAN THE HUMANS
AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THEIR
INVASION FOR A LONG TIME WHICH MAKES THE
AUDIENCE WORRY FOR THE HUMANS AND EARTH. THE
LIGHTING BEGINS TO BE HIGH KEY BUT SLOWLY TURNS
LOW KEY, THIS IS USED TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE ON
EDGE CONTINUOUSLY.

5. • A LONG SHOT IS USED TO SHOW
A ISOLATED IMAGE OF THE
EARTH UNTIL A GIANT
SPACESHIP BLOCKS OUR VIEW.
THE COLOURFUL EARTH IS
SURROUNDED BY DARKNESS
WHICH COULD SYMBOLISE THE
EVILNESS WHICH IS SPACE AND
ALSO THE ALIENS AND THEIR
PLANS TO TAKE OVER THE
EARTH. THIS GIVES THE
AUDIENCE A FINAL SCENE OF
FEAR AND MENACE.