The opening scene establishes the mysterious tone and Victorian era setting of Sherlock Holmes. It begins with rainy floor tiles and production logos being filmed in an unsteady handheld style. The protagonist is seen running from horse-drawn carriages carrying police officers through the streets of London. He jumps through a unexpected door at St. Paul's Cathedral to escape, finding only darkness on the other side. The scene ends in a black fade out, leaving the viewer curious about what's behind the door.

1. Sherlock Holmes Opening
By Anisha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098QxdbedQI

2. Production Logos
• The three production logos are a part of the flooring stones,
which is has puddles of rain water, making the first seconds of
the opening looking mysterious already, as it begins with
camera filming the floor in a handheld point of view shot,
suggesting how it could be a detective/spy or an ambiguous
character.
• The colours are dark, presenting to the audience that it is set at
night, adding to the mysterious feel to the opening.
• The introduction of the production logos are filmed in a
unsteady pan shot, making the ‘‘character’’ seem like he is
seeing these logos, as he is walking.
• The music begins with a slow, mellow Victorian or Elizabethan
era score – with the violins, organ. This could imply how it is
set during that time.
• There is subtle and faint sounds of rainwater splashing and
horse neighing and its footsteps. In the second screenshot, it is
slightly darker because an shadow and slight reflection of the
horse carriage went past that logo.
• The logos are also filmed in midshot to introduce the logos in a
simple form, so the audience are aware of who are creators
and distributors.

3. Setting/Location
• The camera then pans up slowly, the viewers can see the normal form of the
flooring stones and it carries on panning up to the location, which is in a eerie
village, which is another example of this film being set from an specific previous
eras. The village has small houses and huge white pillars, suggesting how the
village is cramped. The score become are dark, with the low bass of the strings
instruments, creating the scene to be more serious and like a mission mode. This
score is played throughout the rest of the film.

4. Horse Carriages
• The score of the deep low
bass violins speeds to tell us
that it is getting to the point.
• The two horse carriages are
portrayed to be intimidating
as the horses are rushing,
shrieking and neighing
anxiously to go somewhere ,
the sound of carriage
rustling suggest that someone
important is in there.

5. Zooming In
• The camera starts off with a slow zoom to the carriage for a few seconds
then it quickly zooms to the carriages, then into the carriage, and
introduces two characters who in long coats and top hats, this could
suggest that they either sneaky villains or the authority figures – police or
detectives.
• The facial expressions are serious and emotionless, suggesting how this
opening scene is going to intense or suspenseful.
• Since the characters are in a horse carriage, it could symbolises their role
of importance in the film and how they are not the working class, prehaps
the middle class.

6. Guns
• The sound of the gun
clicking dramatically
illustrates an sense of
violent action about to
come, this creates a
uprising action.
• It then pans up to
their face. The first
shot was looking at
someone else clicking
their gun. Other one
was holding his own
gun. The midshot of
the two characters
looking at each other
shows their
determination and
how they are ready to
fight.

7. RUN!
• The screenshot of the quick pan, suggesting how protagonist is
actually running for his live, the sound of the footsteps adds to the
apprehensive running.
• The shot reverse shot of the horses running with the police officers
on the carriage and protagonist running from them, suggesting
how fast this scene is, and how this protagonist could possibly be a
criminal or a villan. The horses neighing adds to the intense scene.

8. Tension Building up
• The man running past the fire,
crow flying above him are signs of
him being around terror and
danger.
• The establishing shot of British
landmark; St. Paul’s Cathedral is
filmed, to perhaps include some
religious aspects or importance
into the narrative. Or it could
suggest how the director wanted
to show the audience that is set in
London.
• The long shot of the police officer
with the horse on the bottom
screenshot suggests how the
tension is still building up and
how they very desperate to catch
the man running

9. More Guns
• The man introduced previously
then click his gun to show how
all are ready to get the man
running, shows how the man
running is probably someone
very ruthless.
• The midshot of the man in centre
and on the right are policemen
and are nodding to the man with
gun, as a sense of approval of his
action , showing how the man is
working with the police force.
• Whilst the man on the far left is
looking at them, perhaps having
a softer side to him or is unaware
on how to handle this situation.

10. More Running
• The extra long shot of the man running around
the St. Paul’s Cathedral entrance showing us far
away he is from the policeman in the horse
carriage, he is escaping from them gradually.
• The close up of the man about to jump off is
generic scene for an action or crime genre film
and it suggests how quick and slick the character.

11. Stop and Stare
• The man jumping off in the long shot and then the close up of him
falling into a front flip, presents the character to be agile and in a
rush to way from them.
• In the backdrop, the ‘‘unexpected’’ door behind him is very typical
for a character on the run, suggests how that is the only stray of
hope for the character to escape from the police force even further.

12. Quick Escape
• The low angle mid shot of the protagonist opening the door and then seeing that behind the door is just
darkness, makes the place he entered to be ambiguous and it adds curiosity to the viewers, questioning on
what is in that place of no light. The opening scene ends in a black fade out, suggesting how a new scene
with different location, which most likely will be inside the building that the man entered in. The fade out
also interests the viewer, as it makes them want to watch more and see where the protagonist has entered
and will he be ever be caught by the police force.
• The sound of the man breaking some kind of glass material suggests how their something hidden in there,
obviously made out of glass.