The opening scene of 'Saw 4' uses various camera techniques to introduce the setting and characters. It begins with close-ups of a woman's hand and reveals she is wearing a strange mechanical helmet, suggesting she will be tortured. Circular pans around the woman show her confused and scared facial expressions. Shots then cut away to torture tools and chains, with the lights turning on, before panning to an unconscious man in the same room, also wearing a mechanical helmet.

1. Microanalysis of the opening scene of
‘Saw 4’

2. The credits begin, while they used
transitions of fade in and a shallow
focus, to show the first scenes in a
few seconds before fading back out
into a pull focus and back to the
titles. The sound, is slow pace
ominous music, consisting of high
pitched strings.

3. It starts with a shallow focus,
and a close up of a hand,
with a bug on it. It changes to
a medium shot, and reveals
the first character to the
audience, before doing a
small circular pan they then
use a eye line match back to
her hand, shaking of the bug,
which ambient sound of the
bug making noises before
being shaken off.

4. The mise en scene, shows
of a woman wearing a
blue shirt. With a strange
mechanical helmet,
suggesting to the
audience that she is going
to be tortured.
Before changing to a
cutaway, of tools which
confirm that she is going
to be in some kind of
‘game’ and be tortured.
Using another circular
pan, it goes around the
woman to and the mise
en scene of her facial
expressions tells the
audience she’s confused
and scared.

5. The circular pan continues around,
a second time. Before cut away is
used of what looked like chain
switch, and diegetic ambient sound
of chains contributes. A quick
medium close up of her feared
expression, before another cut
away to the light to show it turning
on with shallow focus in the
background.

6. A medium long shot, is used before
changing into a close up on the
characters facial expressions.
Before a medium shot showing the
character behind a ‘cage’ type
fence suggesting she’s trapped.
Another eyeline match, pov shot is
used to show the character seeing
the prop of the butchers knife,
before a fast circular pan to an
unconscious man wearing the
same mechanical helmet with the
background in shallow focus. Using
a sound bridge, when changing
scene.