The opening scene of The Matrix uses dark colors, green tones, and sci-fi sound effects to set a mysterious and technological tone. Shots slowly zoom in on coded text and a man's torch to introduce the futuristic world. Men are shown searching dark corridors with flashlights for a woman, seen in an over-the-shoulder shot entering a room and then a close-up of her face. Throughout, the lighting is dark and the soundtrack features building music and computerized sounds to further immerse the audience in the film's sci-fi genre.

1. The Matrix – Film Opening - Analysis
Already from the first part, we can see the genre through
the connotations in the shot above. The sky is grey and dark
which gives a sense of mystery and the green Warner Bros.
Pictures logo in green which connotes genres such as sci-fi/
horror/apocalyptic. The audience from looking at this
would be a male one because the colours are masculine.

2. The green theme is still continued. Green writing
and characters appear and the camera slowly
zooms to form ‘THE MATRIX’. The letters/coding
hints to the audience that the film is to do with
technology and futurism.

3. Like a lot of post apocalyptic/sci-fi films, a voice
over is used at the beginning usually to portray the
opening to the story. In this case, the voice over is
introducing the narrative whilst green codes are
appearing.

4. There is another slow zoom from all the
codes/numbers going into a close up of these
digits. This is where the number zero uses graphic
match.

5. A fast zoom introduces another graphic match
where a white dot becomes a man’s torch. The
graphic match shows a close up of this man.

6. The camera is following these men in dark
corridors with torches. There is a long shot
which shows the setting.

7. The camera slowly moves behind the men’s
shoulders. The camera acts as if they are on
of the men. This is an over the shoulder shot.

8. There is a very fast cut to the man kicking down the door
and them entering the room. There is a low angle shot when
the man kicks the door and the camera is positioned as if
the audience are the door so it directed at them. It is more
tense and personal. Then there is a mid shot of the men
walking into the room.

9. A wide angle shot is shown here which
establishes the room and a woman. This
is another POV shot which makes the
camera one of the men.

10. The last shot cuts to introduce a
character. It is a close up which shows
her face clearly. The men are still visible
in the background.

11. Sound and Effects
From 0:29 – 0:39 there is a build up of music
which gets louder as it zooms to the name of
the film ‘THE MATRIX’. It then goes quite. The
music sounds harsh and tense.
Then there are sound effects: sci-fi/techno
sounds. They sound digital and computerised.
From 0:45 – 1:17 there is the voice over of a
man and a woman.
At 0:59 more techno/computer sound effects
are put in with the voiceover.
1:17 – 1:29 has a small soundtrack which
becomes louder as it zooms. Computer/sci-fi
sound effects are used as well.

12. Lighting
The lighting is dark all the way
through the mise en scene of The
Matrix. Going through dark hall
ways and dark rooms with torches
implies that something is wrong.
The dark mysterious setting entices
the audience and has enigma codes
- the audience may ask who are the
men looking for and why?

13. Audience
Stereotypically the audience
would be male because of the
codes that have been used: dark
setting, masculine colour
scheme, a female woman to
attract them, props such as
guns, computer/techno codes,
space/futuristic noises.

14. Theories
Enigma: The audience will want
to know why the men want this
woman and what she has done.
Binary: Opposition in Men vs.
Women, Good vs. Evil, Humanity
vs. Technology.