Sci fi film- The day after tomorrow opening scene analysis

The film opens with the film company logo '20th century fox' which in this case for this film has an unusual element made for this particular film of lightning striking around the logo which is a dramatic type of weather which sets theme of the film of extreme weather and reveals that dramatic events will occur so this will therefore excite the audience. The actual film opens with music which is quite empty and has no beat to it, which is eerie so suggests that a disaster of some sort has struck and has wiped out a population, it also has a slight echo which hints loneliness. An establishing shot/ high angle shot reveals a vast expanse of ice caps  that are melting, this is showing the audience a taste of the worlds natural beauty that will soon be gone if global warming continues, the scientific element of global warming alerts the audience into identifying the film genre. This scene showing the ice caps is placed at the start of the film to shock the audience into thinking that this is a significant sight to see these ice caps that could potentially be gone soon if global warming continues. The camera is moving fast over the ice caps which indicates that the purpose of this is to show to the audience that the ice caps are melting fast. The music becomes more dramatic as the vocals stop, this is to emphasis the significant effect that global warming has on the worlds poles and it's power to wipe out a population, the singer portrays a human and the human's voice is lost leaving only the music. The establishing shot reveals that this location has a great deal of importance to the film. A close up shot of the American flag waving in the wind hints to the audience that the researchers are American, and in typical Sci- fi films Americans are known to save the day which hints out their pride. The next shot is a two person shot which denotes two researchers who are doing work on the poles. They are both wearing thick coats which connotes to the audience that the location they are at is extremely cold. The next shot is a close up of one of the men drilling into the ice caps which suddenly cracks. Another key feature  is of a sci- fi film is the use of technology to explore social, political or philosophical issues. In this case they are using drills to drill into the ice caps to explore the social issues of climate change. The crack in the ice connotes danger and is dramatic as from the introduction the film shows this vast expanse of natural beauty and the fact that someone is drilling into it indicates that this is the cause of global warming and would make the audience feel annoyed at this researcher. The fact that there are people researching on the poles suggests that this film is set in the future as it is hinted that the issue has got to it's worst so something needs to be done to stop this climatic issue.

Action film- Quantum of solace opening scene analysis

An establishing shot denotes a Island surrounded by sea which shows the exotic location of the film, this is a typical location of an action film. The camera zooms in towards the Island, sun reflects onto the sea. The surroundings are mysterious as it is partly sunny but shaded which denotes uncertainty. A series of extreme close up shots of parts of a moving sports car surrounded by darkness connotes wealth suggesting to the audience that the character driving this car is important and has a high status. The darkness surrounding the car parts emphasis that the character is low profile and potentially a secret agent. The camera furthermore zooms into the Island which suggests to the audience that the Island will feature allot during the film. The camera shows a sequence of extreme close up shots revealing the car yet again, this time revealing a chain of bullets which connotes death and two figures behind the wheel which suggests to the audience that they are dangerous and have power. The camera goes back to the shot of the Island, it zooms into a close up shot of a building. The sequence of car parts transforms into close up shots revealing an extreme close up shot of the characters eyes, as only his eyes are exposed this connotes that he is dangerous and has his eyes set on what he must do. An extreme close up shot reveals more of the building. The music is tense and solemn which indicates that scenes of violence could occur. The tone of the music increases leading up to the next scene. A close up shot of the bonnet of the sports car is shown, followed by close up shots of other angles of the car moving at full speed. Straight away a close up shot of a man leaning out of his car window in the middle of a car chase begins to shoot, the machine gun shots connote action and violence which would excite the audience. Various close up shots reveal James' expressions of concentration as he weaves his way in and out of the other cars on the road, his eyes fixed on the target. The sound of the car engines is powerful and makes the car chase more exciting, this would make the audience feel the rush go through their bodies. A close up shot of a lorry crashing into a wall adds to the excitement. A close up shot of James loosing control of his wheel is shown, an identical shot of the lorry driver is shown. This creates suspense and uncertainty and will create tension to the audience of who will succeed. These chase scenes are typical features of an action film. Finally the chase scene makes it clear that this is an action film and adds to the element of excitement, this included the 'good' guy and the 'bad' guy chasing each other.  An close up shot reveals James' look of annoyance, the camera changes into a extreme close up shot of a gear stick which indicates to the audience that things are going to get even more intense as the speed increases. A close up shot reveals the car skidding out of control which adds to the tension. Another close up shot reveals a lorry hurling towards James Bond, he turns out of the way in the nick of time and his opponent crashes into the lorry, an extreme close up shot reveals James' eyes screwed up sympathetically for the opponent. Stunts feature just in this short opening, such as the lorry crashing into the wall and the gun shots which indicate the film genre clearly.

Horror film- Scream opening scene analysis

 

A close up shot reveals the film title 'Scream' which is in a white font but quickly turns red and flickers, this hints an innocent person being in danger. The noise input is a scream combined with the slice of a knife which clearly links with the title of the film and connotes to the audience that this is a horror film. A close up shot reveals the ringing of a telephone which shows the audience that this phone is a important feature of the film and hints to the audience that danger is just a phone call away. On the other end of the line a stranger is trying to get information out of the woman, she laughs and hangs up . As she ends the call a moment later the phone rings again, the camera zooms into an extreme close up shot revealing the look of concern on the woman's face, A close up shot reveals a woman who is connoted to be the main character answering the phone, a establishing shot is not used to give the audience an insight of the location she is in so this adds to the fear of an isolated location. The shot focuses on the conversation between the main character and an unknown person on the phone which is eerie as the surroundings are not shown which will make the audience feel scared as there is an uncertainty of what could happen to her. An establishing/ low angle shot reveals a house lit up which is surrounded by darkness which connotes fear. The background noise of crickets is eerie and would make the audience feel tense. Wrapped on a tree a swing is swinging slightly hinting that something has recently been there and the woman is not alone. An extreme close up shot reveals a hob with a pan of popcorn on it, the phone rings yet again and the camera zooms out from the hob and follows the woman to the phone. The woman is on the phone having a conversation with a complete stranger, she has her back on the popcorn, this close up shot denotes a knife which the woman swipes. The sound is eerie and connotes blood. This gives the audience the indication that graphic scenes will occur because you can hear the knife and screams but are yet to see what will potentially happen. The shot changes to focus on a close up shot of the popcorn, the popcorn starts to pop which is effective as it connotes danger as she is abandoning her plans to cook the popcorn to talk to a complete stranger which makes the audience aware that she has put herself in an extremely dangerous situation.No sound effects at all (during the length of time the woman was on the phone for) is eerie as she is so focused on the phone call with a stranger and doesn't seem to think twice of what danger she is in. The final indication that this film is horror is the dark and eerie atmosphere.  An over the shoulder shot reveals the woman walking around her house, this allows the audience to get more of a sense of her surroundings. The structure of the house is glass so this alerts the reader to the fact that she is vulnerable due to the lack of security and outsiders can see her inside her own home. This hints out to the audience that they know something she doesn't know, the stranger on the other end of the phone could be just outside her house.

Fantasy film- Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets opening scene analysis

The first shot type is a close up shot which moves steadily towards the 'Warner bros' logo between the clouds in the sky which is set in the evening along with the signature Harry Potter music and clearly reveals the theme of Witches and Wizards which connotes supernatural events which is a key characteristic of a fantasy film. The location of the introduction being up in the clouds gives an image to the audience of witches and wizards flying around on broomsticks. The camera continues to move across the sky to reveal the title of the film 'Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets' in an establishing shot. The words 'Harry Potter' are in a spiky font to reveal to the audience that this character is powerful and also resembles Harry Potter's well known scar located on his fore head. Sunlight from behind the clouds glistens on the gold of the name 'Harry Potter' to hint out to the audience that Harry Potter is the most important character in the film. The next effective shot type is an establishing shot which denotes an Urban area set in twilight. This location of an Urban area subverts the usual characteristic of a fantasy film using exotic fantasy worlds. The darkness streets connotes mystery which is a key feature of a fantasy film which suggests to the audience that magic will occur further into the night. An establishing reveals a normal looking house containing a window filled by artificial light, at this point the main character in the film is presented. The camera zooms into a close up shot of the main character, Harry Potter. His appearance also subverts the usual characteristics as Wizards are portrayed to be powerful and the fact that Harry Potter is shown to be a kid wearing glasses this would make the audience question how he is, or if he is powerful as glasses stereo typically indicate that the character is weak. A close up shot reveals a photo of a moving image of two parents and a kid, the next shot is an extreme close up shot of Harry Potter's eyes looking longingly at this image so this indicates to the audience that these were his parents and are no longer part of his life so therefore they would feel sympathy for him. The page of the photo album is turned which denotes an image of Harry Potter along with two friends smiling and a close up shot denotes a slight smile to Harry Potter's face revealing to the audience that these people are an important part to his life. The next close up shot denotes a white owl in a cage which connotes witchcraft and wizardry. The fact that the bird is locked up in a cage indicates to the audience that the bird is metaphorically portraying Harry Potter's situation of being locked in his room. The impression of Harry only being allowed to leave the room is shown when he is called downstairs. A nuclear family is denoted and you get the impression as though Harry is the outcast in the household as the parents treat the son who is Harry's cousin in a much more respectable manor. An over the shoulder shot at an angle reveals Harry's Uncle doing up Harry's cousin's tie. A close up shot reveals Harry's annoyance at the Uncle and the Auntie is blurred in the background which suggests to the Audience that she has no say in the matter.

Romance film- The Holiday opening scene analysis

The film opens with typical romantic music featuring mainly the violin which is a typical feature of a romantic film. The setting is in a natural setting by a glistening river surrounded by trees which is romantic, a medium shot using shallow focus reveals a couple kissing which straight away connotes to the audience the film genre. However, the camera zooms outwards revealing a man with his hands fixed playing the piano showing that they are adding music to the film. This subverts the usual expectations of a romance film as the character is just a normal person and does not appear to be as attractive as characters are shown in other romance films. The voice over of Kate Winslet as the character Iris combined with the music indicates to the reader that this is not going to be the typical perfect romance story as the voice over brings a sense of reality and will portray what being in a relationship is actually like for people, therefore the audience can relate to this. A close up shot reveals a woman on her phone smiling, this indicates to the audience that herself and the man are in a good relationship with each other. Shot reverse shot is used to show the mans smile which indicates that he loves the woman and is happy in the relationship. A close up shot reveals the man kissing her hand, this conforms to usual characteristics of a romance film as this action is romantic and can be seen as quite a traditional sign of affection. Shot reverse shot portray their exchanges of laughter and smiles which portrays the fact that they both share similar feelings towards each other. A dolly shot is used and changes from the male known as Jack, the violin becomes more powerful to keep attention. As the scene changes the film title 'The Holiday' appears in a white font which is a neutral colour, so this represents the two genders as a couple. A close up shot reveals a woman inside a car with a serious expression on her face. Shot reverse shot reveals a man next to her with the same look on his face. A close up shot reveals the both of them, shallow focus blurs the male focusing on the female. This suggests that she is more effected by whatever has gone wrong in their relationship. This scene is a contrast with the previous scene and portrays to the audience the reality of some relationships. An establishing shot reveals a three lane road in an area filled with Christmas lights, Christmas is romantic so therefore conforms to characteristics of romance films. Other films such as 'Love Actually' are set around Christmas time.

Action film- The Rock opening scene analysis

 

The film opens with an establishing shot of pitch darkness which changes to a shot of grey clouds moving fast which is combined with tense music which is fairly quiet which suggests to the audience that action is expected as the film commences. This is interrupted by a bolt of lightening which connotes danger which will excite the audience. An establishing shot reveals silhouette's multiple figures dressed in soldiers uniform which connotes their importance. Their facial expressions are hidden due to shadows surrounding their bodies which suggests that as their duty is to fight for their country they have no identity as they are programmed to kill. The clouds in the sky surrounding them are fairly dark storm clouds which is quite sinister. The next shot is a medium shot. A shallow focus is used to emphasise a soldiers uniform hanging up and the person sat behind it is slightly blurred. The background noise of machine fire combined with the voices of a soldier saying "We can't hold on much longer sir" hints that he has the authority to be out there with them, the fact that the camera is focused on the uniform portrays the fact that he really needs to be there. The fact that his face is covered with smoke suggests that he is trying to hide away from his responsibilities. A medium shot reveals the soldiers walking slowly holding a coffin, this connotes death. A low angle shot shows the American flag being lifted by the soldiers. This suggests that the shot type is to show the respect the soldiers have for the fallen soldier. The American flag shows the pride the soldiers have for their country. The film title 'The Rock' is shown in a heavy font with a black background. The text itself has flames blazing inside it, this immediately connotes danger to the audience. This is a typical characteristic of an action film. The camera zooms towards the text, giving the text the effect that it is the one coming towards the camera. This indicates that action will occur soon. The next shot is the same medium shot using a shallow focus. The general slowly gets up and walks away, the next shot is an over the shoulder shot of him by a mirror not looking into it but looking at something on the table. This suggests to the audience that he doesn't want to look at himself as he is disgracing himself by not helping his team, as the background noise of them trying to get through to him is still on at this time. The next shot type is a long shot which shows a helicopter flying in sunset.  The next shot is a medium shot showing the group of soldiers folding up the American flag, this shows that they have paid their respect and are leaving.The next shot type a close up shot of four soldiers carrying guns and holding a flag high, this suggests importance. The next shot is a close up shot of the sergeant putting a necklace on, a shallow focus is used to emphasise this which suggests to the audience that this necklace is a key feature in the film. A close up shot shows the helicopters landing and combined with the dramatic sunset and air turbulent this alerts the audience to the fact that something is wrong. An extreme clos up shot shows the sergeants eyes, he shows worry in his eyes. The next shot is a bird's-eye view of fire blazing, this creates a sense of danger which will excite the audience.  The next shot is a close up blurred shot showing the sergeants getting ready, this is effective as it reflects the sergeants desires to be lo profile. The rain outside shown through the window is associated with misery so it sets the atmosphere of the film. A cluster of different scenes are shown such as the soldiers marching to the sergeant taking off a ring. These all show that lots of action is occurring and different things are happening.

Horror film- Insidious film opening scene analysis

The film genre is immediately introduced through the use of strong and thrilling high pitched music which builds up suspense combined with the setting being dark and sinister which would make the audience feel the tension and also feel uncomfortable. The character is introduced through the use of a drop shot which denotes a sleeping figure, the character is firstly introduced which connotes that they play an important role in the film. After the character is introduced shown to be sleeping the first effective camera shot, the panning shot draws the attention away from the character which connotes to the audience that the character is dangerous, the panning shot gives the sense of a person scared and walking away. The pitch of the music gets higher and what is believed to be a violin makes the atmosphere creepier and more uncomfortable to the audience. The camera zooms into a silhouette in the window which denotes unknown figure which adds to the tension of what is going to potentially occur. The camera rotates and zooms and denotes a face which is hidden in the shadows which adds to the uncertainty of what could occur next. Suddenly and unexpectedly the pitch and tone of the music increases dramatically and the title 'Insidious' is denoted in a bright red. It flashes which connotes a fire like appeal to emphasis to the audience that one of the main themes is danger. The choice of colour for the title and the shape has a resemblance to a devil which are known reflect bad in the world. The red represents blood and therefore connotes danger, death and violence so therefore it gives an insight to the audience of what is yet to come as the film commences. In the next scene the next shot is a close up and denotes a big wooden house which is black and white mostly overpowered by black which gives connotes to the audience that bad things occur inside the house. The sky is dark grey and cloudy which is dramatic which sets the tone of the film. The actors names are briefly shown, again in red. Their names each one by one are given the effect of disappearing into smoke. The fact that they disappear one by one connotes that the characters in the film are likely to be killed one by one as the smoke indicates fire, therefore fire represents danger. These names of the actors are shown each separately in different shots if various places in the house which is sinister and give the impression that the characters are each killed in these different rooms. The atmosphere is dark and acts another usual characteristic of a horror film by adding to the suspense and uncertainty in the film. However even with no sound effect just the blackness of the night alone is eerie.