opening sequence analysis

1. Molly sandford

2. The sound at the start of the sequence is very mystical and the notes seem to
introduce the titles, this sets the tone for the scene telling us that the things
we are seeing are out of the ordinary. The undertones sound almost sinister
but the violins and higher tones make it seem very magical evoking that we
could be about to experience these two qualities in the film. There is a rhythm
to the non digetic music which sounds like a heartbeat so this makes us more
involved in the scene because we feel more connected to it.

3. As the character enters, the music becomes more chaotic to
match what we are seeing. This tells the audience that the
character has to move quickly because he could be under
pressure to complete his task.

4. We then hear a digetic sound of a creature roaring in the distance and
a low rumble as if an earthquake is immanent; this alarms the audience
and we feel on edge as we worry about what will happen to the
character as the source of the noise gets closer. The sound then
dissolves into the theme music and everything becomes calm,
suggesting time has passed.

5.  The first shots in the scenes are extreme close ups and close ups of
mystical creatures. The low key lighting here makes the creatures
look spooky and this suggests that the creatures are going to be
used for a sinister experiment. The colours here are also cold tones
which foreshadow that the person who uses these creatures might
be the ‘bad’ character in the film because it all comes across as
very unfriendly.

6. Here the low key lighting is effective because it highlights parts of the room
that are most important to give us the most important messages. The window
shape tells us that this could be an old fashioned house, possibly a mansion
which is often seen as a mysterious setting in action adventure films where
something unexpected happens. The bottles tell us that this is an old
fashioned room for experiments, this adds to the eerie atmosphere of the
room.

7. The use of low angle shots when the character enters the room gives us a sense
of mystery and it makes us want to see the characters identity so it adds to the
excitement of the sequence. The close ups of the equipment around the room
also adds mystery because you cannot see the whole picture and not enough
time is given to fully process what we are seeing on screen so we wonder what
we are seeing. The shots don’t become fully clear until nearer the end of the
opening sequence and this is done specifically to keep us guessing.

8. The editing is very fast during the points that the subject works in his office
because it is supposed to tell us the sort of work he does and about all the
research he is collecting. The quick cuts between the shots help to shift our
attention to the separate things he is doing and telling us the important pieces
of information about him. The editing starts to build up nearer the end of the
scene and it climaxes when we hear the roar, the slower cuts show us that he
is in a bad situation because it’s like he has given up with finishing his
research.