Analysis of Opening Film Techniques Employed

1. -V For Vendetta (2006) Film TechniquesExamples of typical film techniques used and why– Illustrate your findings with references to actual onscreen moments. Titling – colour, font style, over image or black, timing, credits presentation etc 0:00-0:38 show a variety of well-known logos and animation sequences that are entirely in black-and-white which grabs the viewers attention from the start as they are usually shown in colour, which insinuates that this film is going to be very ‘dark’ and/or morbid.At 2:05 another animation begins and continues until 2:18, showing us fire against a black background in a particular pattern – we only see small parts of this until the pattern has been completed, when the camera shows the entire picture and we can see it is the symbol of the film (a circle with a ‘V’ through its middle), which fades out to show the title of the film.Camera Movement (panning, tracking, crane shot and crabbing etc)This scene uses a tracking shot at 1:11-1:13 to follow the movement of a dog on the screen and show that it is moving at a rapid pace towards the character shown before.1:29-1:30 shows a very brief vertical tilt shot that follows the character as he walks up some stairs, giving us the sensation that we are watching him from a lower platform.1:30-1:35 uses a crane shot to raise the level of the camera and move forward a little, allowing us to see more of what is going on – from this the audience can see the environment and knows that the character is being led up a podium to a noose.Framing of Shot (CU, MLS, ELS etc)0:55 shows an extreme long shot; even though we cannot see the environment as it is completely dark, we can tell that the character is very far away and being secretive, so we could assume that they are underground or in a tunnel.At 1:02 the character is shown using a medium-close up. From this we know what he is wearing and what expressions he is making; while this creates no empathy for the character we know more about what he is doing than before.1:35 uses a medium-long shot to show a large group of people. We can tell the time that the film is set in as we can see the dress code of the characters, and we understand that they are angry or hysterical as we can see their expressions and that they are facing towards and calling/yelling at something.Camera Angles (high and low angles etcWe see the crowd of people at 1:35 from a high angle, showing that we are seeing them as though we are on the platform and thus is a point-of-view shot. We do not see any other character through a high or low angle except through other point-of-view shots; for example at 1:50 we are looking up at the character, but he is not in a position of power and thus we must believe that we are looking at him.Selection of mise-en-scène including colour, figure, pops, lighting, objects, location and setting;From 0:50-1:28 the scene is very dark and there are lots of shadows as the scene uses low-key lighting. The quality of light is very hard as shadows stand out significantly from the lit areas and we are given the impression that the scene is in a secretive environment that only a few people know about. However from 1:29-2:00 the scene is brightly lit with high-key lighting and we understand that the scene has changed and the location is outside now.The lack of definitive colour gives the scene the impression that it was an event that happened a long time ago – there is a lot of dark yellows shown in the environment due to the type of light (natural or candle-light) which gives the scene a dated feel. There is also a lot of black used in the scene in both the environment and the characters’ clothing.Because of the characters’ clothes, we understand that this scene is set a long time ago as the women at 1:35 are wearing Elizabethan headdresses and and the men are wearing old-fashioned shirts (most noticeable at 1:00-1:02) and hats.Editing directions(Match cuts, jump cut, reverse shots etc)The sequence in the tunnel/underground (0:50-1:28) shows numerous matched cuts, with an increased cutting rate as the action increases, making us feel that the action sequence was not expected. There is a jump cut at 1:29 as the scene changes completely and the character is shown being led up some stairs; the cutting rate has slowed again and we understand that the tension has suddenly drained away as the man has been captured. There is no dialogue between the characters, so no reverse shots are used.Sound techniques(diegetic, non diegetic, silence, dialogue From the beginning of the scene (0:41-2:06) there is non-diegetic dialogue from an unknown character, telling us that the narrator of the story is female, but we do not know why she is telling us what happens. She explains about the origins of the Guy Fawkes legend, allowing us to understand what the film is going to be about (even indirectly).During this sequence there are other diegetic sounds made such as the clashing of metal during the sword-fight, and the squeak of wheels of the cart. However there is no dialogue between any of the characters shown onscreen at any point, making us feel detached from the scene as though it is unrelated to what is actually going to happen.Actor’s positioning and movementDuring this scene the main character shown is kept roughly in the centre of the screen, emphasizing his importance and who we should be focusing on. He moves around a lot during 0:50-1:28, showing us that before his capture he was very energetic and willing to fight others if he needed to. However after 1:29 he is shown to be submissive towards others, giving us the impression that he might regret his actions. -the opening titles are preceded by the animations of the production companies; these are shown in black-and-white to emphasize the fact that it is going to have a ‘dark’ theme. -1:02; the camera is tilting up to allow us to see the environment as well as props and character. -1:36; medium-long shot; we can see lots of different characters from a low angle to show they are looking up at something. We can see how they are dressed and therefore what time period it is set in.