Film Opening Analysis

Obsessed

In the film opening of obsessed it begins with an establishing shot of a neighbourhood and a car driving into the drive. The first two characters that appear on the screen are Idris Elba and celebrity Beyonce Knowles who look happy as ever to be arriving at their new home. Much like married couples they have a little boy who they adore. As they explore their new home there are a number of shots used such as wide shot, high angle shot, mid shot and low angle shot which enables the viewer to look at the setting from a number of angles. In the background there is a peaceful song played which relates to the scene being happy and the romantic attraction of the couple. This drama/thriller is set in the day giving us very low lighting within the house which may imply that at night these particular places such as the loft can bring about great danger.

The Dark Knight

In the film opening of ‘The Dark Knight’ there is a constant ticking in the background, which immediately creates suspense and gives you the idea that something is going to happen. In this case, something bad does happen as the camera zooms into the building (from a wide shot of the town) whereby you suddenly here a loud crash of glass – which was smashed by a grapple gun. The mid shot of the man with the gun is seen to be disguised with a clown mask and is in an unknown room within the large building. The last shot of him is an over the shoulder shot and the rooftops of other buildings in the surrounding area. Another over the shoulder shot is used of a man standing with a bag in his hand and the same clown mask – which the camera zooms into. The effect of not identifying the character yet zooming on to the mask creates suspense for the audience because they are going to be left, wanting to know who the main character is but most importantly the central focus of the mask being worn by all these characters. The lighting of the scene is in an outdoor location as well as inside that is fairly bright. In particular scenes, the lighting is however fairly dark and are set in places that the people are not allowed to be in. This may suggest that they are doing something illegal, bad and dangerous.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

 

In the film opening of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ there is a wide shot of the rain forest and the sounds of animals within it. A Birds eye view shot is used to show the surrounding of the chimpanzees waiting and as the non digetic sounds decrease in volume, there is a sudden sound of the birds above (high angle shot) which creases tension and makes the audience believe something is going to happen next. Suddenly, the humans who were once hiding, charge out of the bushes, trees and plants to try and capture the chimpanzees. This creates a scene of action by which many shots are used, background music is fast and loud and a dolly trolly is used to show movement at a fast pace. As its set out in the open the lighting varies from bright, to fairly dark. Once the chimpanzees are captured and caged there is a close up of one of the animals face to show his emotions and feelings of feeling depressed, scared and upset. Zooming into the chimps face to eventually show a extreme close up of the chimps eyes allows the audiences main focus to be on what is yet to happen. The transition of scenes is shown through the zoom in and out of the chimps eyes making a effective link.