'Midnight Run' Opening Sequence Analysis
The production logo fades-in and is the first thing to appear so that the company’s involvement in the film is established and they can take their share of profit when the film is released. The diegetic music starts alongside the production logo and starts off slow and quite atmospheric which suggests that the first scene may be dramatic. The first shot is a long shot where the camera is placed in a corridor facing the top of a staircase. The building appears fairly run down which could possibly reflect the type of people that live there. We first see a shadow appear on the wall which is cast by lighting from the bottom of the stairs from a source the audience cannot see. A man smoking a cigarette comes up the stairs and walks directly towards the camera as it is facing straight on. The diegetic sound of music is still fairly atmospheric suggesting that this man could be troublesome.
The man is wearing plain clothing however, which gives no clues as to the personality of his character. The man looks back and forth from two doors that are in the frame, however they cannot be seen too clearly as there is low key lighting which makes the shot fairly dark. This suggests that this is taking place in the evening as there is no natural lighting plus, this adds to the suspense that is being built up. The man walks to a third door however the camera is positioned next to it so it moves round to the right to bring the door into the frame. The camera has remained stationary throughout so the shot has moved from a long shot to a mid shot which establishes the male character as someone of importance as he can now be clearly seen by the audience. The man leans and listens to any noise coming from inside the apartment which further suggests a negative vibe about his character as well as heightening the suspicion from the audience. The camera cuts to a close up which shows the man’s face as he continues to eye up the door. The camera cuts back to its previous position as the man reaches into his pocket.
Afterwards, the camera cuts to an extreme close up of the door lock as the man tries to pick it. This suggests that the man is a burglar and a criminal. The camera reverts back to a close up of his face as he continues to work the lock flawlessly which illustrates that he has done this before, seemingly confirming the illusion that he is a criminal. The camera reverts back to the shot of the lock and once again back to the close up of the man. This sequence demonstrates to the audience the effortlessness the character has in apparently breaking the law. The camera settles again on the close up of the man where the lock picking tool he has in his mouth drops to the floor. The diegetic music has been continuous and has not quickened in pace demonstrating an equal amount of importance of all that has unfolded so far.
The camera cuts to a mid shot at new angle at about knee height which shows the man bending down to retrieve the tool. This angle shot enables the audience to see the man as he bends down to this height and suggests he is superior as the camera is at a low angle. This is an assumption which is diminished in the next shot. As soon as the man has bent down half way, a gunshot becomes the diegetic sound for a second as the audience sees a hole blown through the door from the interior. The music stops. The camera keeps its angle but is positioned looking down the corridor once again where we can see the main male character man fall on the floor among wood splinters from the door. The small prop of the wood chips help with continuity and aids the verisimilitude of the events as, even though it is only a small feature, if it was missing the believability of the scene could be questioned.
The camera follows the action on the man as he quickly gets to his feet and produces a gun and continues to move with him at the same distance (a mid shot) as he looks through the hole that is now in the door. As soon as the man gets to his feet the diegetic music starts again which highlights the key action points in the opening sequence as they are silent. The camera switches to the interior of the apartment looking at the man on the outside so therefore we are able to see his reaction as he witnesses what is happening inside the room. The diegetic music has become a bit jauntier and fast paced hinting that the unfolding events are either not too serious or not what they originally appear. The camera then cuts to a point of view shot from the man who can see a person escaping through a window inside the apartment to a fire escape outside. The camera cuts to its previous mid shot angle to show the man move back against the wall. The camera then cuts to the man as he faces the camera as he kicks the door; however the camera is positioned in front of the door so we only see that this is what he has done when the camera cuts again to show the door swinging open. This technique involves the audience in the film more as they become drawn into the action as they have to fill in some of the gaps. The diegetic sound fits in with the action taking place as it is loud banging and the music takes a non-diegetic role for the shot. The camera follows behind the man at an extreme mid shot distance as he runs through the apartment to the window where the other person has just escaped. This continuing action that is followed by the camera quickens the pace of the action, thus drawing in the audience.
'National Treasure' Opening Sequence Analysis
The film opens with the fade-in and fade-out of two logos from production companies involved in the film as they want to put their stamp on the film and they want their involvement known. This is so if the film becomes a box office hit, they will be able to gain recognition for their role in the making of the film as well as receive a portion of the profits. The diegetic music that accompanies them is atmospheric which suggests that the first scene has the potential to be dramatic. These shots last for around 25 seconds.
The diegetic sound of heavy rain is able to be heard before a picture arrives on the screen and as a result a negative and mysterious atmosphere is created through pathetic fallacy. The first shot is a long shot which shows a young boy open a door from the interior of the room. This is accompanied with the sound effect of the door creaking which gives the impression that the room/house is very old and therefore helps to establish more information about the setting. The camera is stationary and is positioned to the left of the door instead of face on. The boy’s facial features cannot be seen as there is only backlighting which is emanating from outside the door. The boy carries a flash light so the audience is able to pick out objects in the room but his face still cannot be seen. Lightning, accompanied with sound effects, light the room for a brief moment so the audience is able to see that interior of the room and pick out objects such as chairs and a lamp suggesting that this is the interior of an average household. The boy turns on a small overhead light which only produces low key lighting however, it is just enough so that we can now see the boy and more objects in the room. The time and date ‘Washington , D.C.
The shot cuts to a mid shot of the boy however; the camera is still stationed to the left and continuing its slow rotation round to the centre. The boy, approximately eleven or twelve, is wearing a denim jacket and has an old fashioned hair style which aids the verisimilitude that the scene is set in 1947. He slowly walks forward continually moving the flashlight and carefully observing things around the room. The sound effect of the creaking floorboards acts as a sound bridge as we are taken to the next shot. The camera is positioned low to the floor and the audience can see a close up of the boy’s feet as he walks forward. The non-diegetic sound of heavy rain is continuous throughout these scenes with the creaking floorboards acting as the diegetic sound.
The camera cuts and we immediately see the boy illuminated by another flash of lightning complete with diegetic sound effects. The camera has moved to the left side of the boy, abiding to the 180 degree rule, and remains stationary while the audience sees him stop moving and turn of his flashlight as the diegetic sound of the creaking floorboard can be heard fairly loudly. A cut follows to the next show where the camera reassumes its place from the second frame however the camera is now stationary. The dim back lighting is continuous but the boy’s face is illuminated as he turns back to the doorway to see if anyone is there or pursuing him. This, as well as the flashlight and minimalistic lighting, suggests that he is there without permission. The camera cuts once again to the left side of the boy as he turns back around and switches back on his torch. The camera then cuts to an off- centre close up of the boy’s face where he is pointing the flashlight upwards. The boy looks past the camera and sighs. Here, the audience do not know where he is looking or what he is looking at and as a result their suspicion is heightened.
This is approxiamately one minute in to the opening sequence. The camera suddenly cuts to a close up of a step-ladder as it is being unfolded with the diegetic sound of a loud creaking noise. The camera is positioned at approxiamately waist height but it quickly moves vertically upwards as the ladder is assembled to reveal the boy as the one who is doing this action. The camera once again cuts to a close up the steps of the ladder as they boy places his feet on them and begins to climb up. Rhythmic flashes of lightning help to distinguish more features of the shots than is achieved purely through the low-key lighting. The camera cuts to a close up the boy and moves upwards as he assumedly climbs up the ladder yet the shot of the boy is obstructed as the camera is positioned behind cobwebs and planks of wood. This gives the impression that this room is quite untouched and hints that this room is in fact an attic.
The camera cuts to a close up of the boys feet positioned at the top of the step ladder. In the background a window can be seen which illustrated that it is night-time and raining heavily, thus adding to the atmosphere of the sequence. The camera cuts to what is assumed to be the top of the attic. In the forefront the audience can see something bulky covered in a cloth, suggesting that this is a hidden object, and the boy is the main focus of the shot. He focuses his flashlight on the object illustrating that this is what he has been looking for.
