The document analyzes the opening credits and first scenes of the film Constantine. It discusses how the logos and transitions create a sense of tension and foreboding. The opening scene introduces the main character who discovers a mysterious spear that marks him, and he seemingly survives a fatal car accident. This establishes supernatural elements and hooks the audience to learn more.

1. Constantine
Analysis
By Polly Pritchard

2. The standard warner brothers logo appears, making the
audience excited the film as it is produced by a well known
company with a history of successful and famous films.
This is violently knocked aside by wind creating
connotations of natural disasters and hell, causing tension
in the audience, this forebodes the hellish content featured
several times in the film.

3. The Village Roadshow Picture Logo appears from the
dissolving smoke of the Warner Brothers production
company Logo, the transition is significantly shorter than
that of the Warner Bros. Logo. The dissolving transition
from the Warner bros. logo has implications of destruction,
foreboding the content to come later in the film.

4. Wipe transition to Vertigo DC Comics production company
logo, made to look like dusty wind, which makes the
audience feel tense and confused, furthering the
connotations of hell and destruction.

5. The Quotation forebodes the premise of the film because
the film centers around the ‘Spear of Destiny’ and the
trouble it causes. It also says that the spear had been
missing since the end of world war two, peaking the
curiosity of the audience, wondering what had happened to
it etc. The sound of wind continues from the first credit
through the captions and into the first scene.

6. The establishing shot sets the mood for the film and
established the location. The smoke links back to the
connotations of hell, building tension in the audience,
foreboding chaos and punishment. The crosses represent
the religious themes of the film, religion comes up many
times in the film.

7. Long shot of setting, establishes the scene and poverty the
characters are suffering from, the shot slowly zooms in
closer to the characters into a two shot.

8. Long, Two shot establishing the characters, shows the
poverty the characters experience and the work they are
forced to do to cope with this. A car drives past, breaking
the silence and creating non-diegetic sound of music
increasing the tension and highlight the difference in
finance and status between the driver and the characters.

9. Low angle shots usually imply power and authority but
these connotations don’t match the position we see of the
character, he looks around curiously making the audience
wonder what he is looking at.

10. Match on action shot, the first shot is a high angle shot of
him reaching into the hole, while the second is a low angle
shot of him clutching it tightly, the two images contrast
because the low angle shot suggests power and the low
angle shot the opposite.

11. Shot, Reaction, Shot, shows us a detailed shot of the spear
and then a close up image of the weapon, then his reaction
to put it into context, we then see his almost inhuman way
of reacting to it.

12. Pan shot originally focusing on the second man, pans to
focus on the first man marching towards with a sense of
determination, the low angle again makes him look
powerful.

13. Wide shot of him walking into the road, the car barges into
the side of the shot without any suggestion with noise or a
shot, shocking the audience and creating a lot of tension
very quickly. There is no music in this shot, which could
diffuse the tension or remind the audience that the scene
isn’t real.

14. Reaction shot, we see the second man’s horror and
sadness at his death showing us that while he may be
wealthy he has someone who genuinely cares about him
contrasting with later in the film when he is very wealthy but
unloved.

15. Shows us the damage done by the car accident but masks
the gruesome details, we see the lower half of his body
through the smoke, so it looks as if he is dead or at least
very seriously injured however the smoke prevents us
seeing clearly, creating a sense of mystery.

16. An extreme close up focuses on the first man’s wrist, the
mark show’s that the spear has marked him supernaturally,
this shot pans to show the spear, building tension. The
music is cold and haunting, building tension and implying
something is about to happen.

17. Long shot of location but the first man, jumps up seemingly
unhurt, this is shocking to the audience and will help build
tension, this suggests supernatural intervention, the demonic
imagery contrasts with the religious crosses in the background.
The music fades out with one long note building tension. The
screen fades to black hooking the audience, making them want
to know what will happen next.

18. The title appears from the darkness as the pans around the
title, the background seems to have scratches on it, almost
like tallies, this could suggest imprisonment, highlighting
the feeling of claustrophobia.
The font is clear and square making it easy for the
audience to read, it is in 3D to make it more noticeable for
the audience.

19. The piercing noise of the kettle builds tension, mimicking a
scream making the audience feel on edge. The location
has changed, the shot zoomed out slowly to highlight this,
the caption simply says ‘Los Angeles’ showing the
geographical distance between the opening scene and the
present scene.