And then there were none opening scene analysis

And then there were none analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uicIq-G8Hbg&list=WL&index=29

I have chosen to analyse this opening scene to a TV show because it has a similar set up to our final movie idea. It’s a murder mystery show like the movie we want to create. It also set on an isolated island where no one can escape their fate, in our movie we want to have all the characters involved with the murder stuck in the same room until someone confesses to committing the murder.

 The opening shot intrigues the viewer as they see a bunch of characters on a boat and do not know why they are on that boat or where they are going. The fact that they do not all sit close together shows that they do not know each other but they all have a connection as they are all on the same boat for a reason. The safety boat behind shows that the sea can be dangerous and where they are going can be equally so. It’s an extreme long establishing shot used to film with a Steadicam as the movement of it is limited. The uninhabited sea shows isolation which is enhanced by the grey blue green.

All changes in shots throughout the main opening sequence are jump cuts to unsettle the viewer and make them jump. This is further enhanced by the dramatic change in colour from shot to shot. The shot before was bright and blue and this shot is dark grey with hints of red. This shows that the characters before they reach the island are innocent but he woman in the house is not. The lobsters start to represent the people in the boat, as she troughs them into hot water it could be a metaphor for chaos or drama as we refer to that as being in hot water.

 

  The opening scene has diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound and ambient sound. You can hear the howling wind and the sound of the cooking pot clashing as the maid puts the lid on it. There is an eerie classical track playing in the background that is slow and builds up to help create tension and suspense, it’s mostly made up of violins. This shot is a close up and we can see the characters looking confused, agitated and suspicious. The colour of the woman’s clothing is purple which is a royal colour which implies that she might be self-centred as royalty are often the centre of attention. All of them are dressed in a 1940s style which is when the book that inspired this show was written.

The man at the front of the boat like the woman is wearing bright clothing showing that there could be a connection between them. Later we realize that they become a love interest. The man's updated style shows his status and youth as the older male characters are dressed in dull colours. The older men are wearing long brown coats and jacket which were popular at the time. The camera man decided to film the two half’s of the boat separately to show how the characters take sides. Both shots where close ups.

In this shot you see them all together looking into the distance which makes them look determined to get to the white house as there might be something for them there. The house is white and almost is invisible in the fog, this makes it scary as it represents how people who might go there disappear too. Also white represents isolation and the concept of being trapped with no escape is quite terrifying. The whole opening uses continuity editing with cross cutting as one narrative is on the people on the boat and the other is the woman getting food ready in the house. The opening scene also uses clever parallel editing as we connect the two sorts of stories together. As this shot takes place a dong sound to make the viewer jump plays, this is to make the island look intimidating.

In this shot we see the maid cutting the lobster brutally which could refer to an event that happens later on in the performance. Her preparing the food is almost a sort of foreshadow of what might happen to the characters. Also the variety of knives might unsettle the viewer as knives are seen as dangerous as they can not only be used for cooking. The displacement of the knife as the maid uses it is unnerving as the gap where the knife used to be does no longer look aesthetic and could creep some people with OCD of perfectionism out. Also the sound of the cracking of the lobster shells is very sinister as it may represent how some of the characters will start to crack under the pressure of certain strains put upon them later on in the show.

 

This shot is interesting as it is another close up like before only this time we do not know what the character looks like and as he has appeared later on in the opening it makes the viewer suspicious as we do not know who he is. Also the character is very formally dressed unlike the other characters which make him stand out. He looks as if he has a high status which is backed up by his knowledge on how to lay a posh dinner table. Also his slow precise movements make him even more suspicious.

 

 In this shot we get to see how daunting the island is to the characters visiting as the shot is filmed as a long shot from far away. The characters look really small compared to the island which show how empowering and possessive the island is. This shot is an extreme long shot.

 

 In this shot we yet again see the mysterious character, what he is carrying is made to look very significant as the camera tracks the tray with figures on it and as it is put down and the man steps backwards, the camera stays filming the statues. The man’s black costume gives him a dark villainous feel as that what we associate with the colour black. The jade statues look like abstract versions of humans this could be another link to the characters we saw on the boat. This shot is a close up and as it takes place the background music starts to ever so slightly build in sound.

This shot is entertaining as it moves down to reveal what the woman is doing which offers an interesting change from the camera moving to the side to track something. As the lobsters represent the later misfortune of the characters visiting on the boat, it shows that the island will just put them through torment. Also she throws them away and deals with each lobster one by one which reflect how the show later deals with the storyline, it takes it step by step.

 

In this shot the audience gets further intrigued by who the man in the black suit is as we see him, but his identity is still not yet revealed. This shot moves upwards to reveal the meeting place of the character. The effect that this filming technique creates is that you feel a god like presence or you feel like a god as it is filmed above making it look as if you are looking down on people. This makes the viewer question if there is another person involved watching everything. Also the jewels on the chandelier are red and green, this links to the variations of colour in the shots, for instance the shots of the boat at sea had green tones and the red tones seen in the kitchen. The green represents envy and the red bloodlust which are two themes shown throughout the performance. Also this is a tilt shot.

 

In this shot we see why the woman was throwing the lobsters. It’s a really dramatic shot done with a drone as it reveals the hole in the island and the music intensifies to add dramatic tension. Also how small the woman is now compared to the  lobster’s shows how the island is like a monster. Also the hole could represent how the characters are like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The island for them is an unknown place which makes it even more interesting. This shot is an extreme long shot and an aerial shot.

 

This is an extreme long shot of the island. This is to get the viewer to finally see how big the island is and how isolating it is and how claustrophobic the house is as it very small and with many people inside the house with no other place to go it looks like it will almost trap the characters. The music at this point fades quietly out and to get the viewer to pay more attention to it. The shot is moving to create a scene of traveling and there is also no sign of the boat which makes the audience assume that that characters on the boat have got to the island.

I have not used the entire clip for my essay as I felt the rest of it was past the opening part and I liked how climatic the final shot of the island was.

Dirty rotten scoundrels analysis

Dirty rotten scoundrels opening scene analysis

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksfkxOZUfrw&index=31&list=WL

Before this scene we see a brief shot of what company helped produce and/or release this movie. The first shot is really long; it's a mid-shot mixed with a close up and it very intriguing. The camera tracks the actors which could have been done smoothly by using a Steadicam or a dolly to move the camera around. This shot is interesting because you never get to see the actor’s faces this is confusing to the viewer as we don't know who the protagonist is and why we can’t see their faces. Also the woman can be seen as the good person as her white dress connoted innocence and so do her pearls. The man however is wearing black which suggests that he is a dark mysterious character and maybe the bad guy. Also his voice is calm and smooth almost manipulative.

When the shot stops moving it becomes an establishing shot and we get to see whereabouts the two were. It seems they were in a luxury place on a high up balcony as you can see a beautiful view and neat flowers in pots. Some of the stars in the sky have been added in by special effect to make the scene prettier and more magical. They seem to be in a foreign country as the apartments on the other side of the lake, sea or river look European and the two weren’t wearing coats so I assume it must be warm where they are. As the camera stops moving around the music starts playing and the credits come up. The credits are in gold shiny font to give a luxurious feel to the movie hinting that a main theme in the movie could be money. The music is orchestral and non-diegetic, when the title of the movie comes up the tone of the music changes giving a slight and cheeky atmosphere. When the title is revealed we get a hint at understanding what the movie is going to be about and that the man just now could have been conning the woman and in the next shot we know for sure.

The previous shot dips into black and then fades into this shot. Here we see a casino because the lighting is ever so slightly dulled, we see it to be shady. This is and establishing long shot that turns into a close up as this shot also moves so we can get an idea of where the main character is. When the dolly is no longer in use and the camera stops moving we see a man in the same black suit as before only he has his back to the camera. He perfects his hair which could imply that with him everything has to be perfect, it can also be seen as him covering up who he really is, making sure the gel in his hair completely covers his hair. Then someone comes up to him also smartly dressed in black tells him about a girl in the casino. As this man is talking quietly it is seen as conspicuous and secretive, also the more he talks the more he reveals about what the man with his back to us does for a living or spare time.

 

Half way through the man telling the other man with his back to us about a girl the shot changes quickly and we see her sat there. The costumes and lighting in this shot have been especially designed for this scene so the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the character they are talking about. The light on her is bright, she is the only female in the shot and the men surrounding her are wearing darker clothing. Also the pale blue on her dress makes it seem as if she is childish and baby blue is a children’s colour and can be used to represent youth. This implies that she could be easily persuaded and blackmailed like a child is.

In this shot we see the character in the black suit finally turn around. This suggests he is a secretive character. The red in the background shows danger and the look the man has shown that he has a plan. This shot is a close up and is one of the shots that doesn’t move.

shutter island opening scene analysis

Shutter island analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pD7jDzI5mg&list=WL&index=32

 I have chosen to analyse the opening scene to this movie as it is has a similar sort of layout to the movie myself and Morgan want to produce for our final opening scene. Our main genre we want to focus on is mystery. Our movie as a whole will have a twist at the end and will include a person with a mental disorder which is very similar to this movie.

This opening shot fades in from black giving the opening scene a dark feel. The shot is an establishing shot showing a corridor of what looks like a prison. It’s confined and empty which adds to the creepy atmosphere. The red font intones danger and gets the viewer prepared for a dangerous movie with hint of blood. The fact that no character has been shown helps build tension and confusion for the viewer. The lighting is dulled to add to the dark storyline and help set the scene. The music in the background sounds like a harp playing and its out of tune, this makes for a very stereotypically creepy atmosphere. It’s like something you would hear from a horror movie when you hear a wind-up toy. The shot instantly sets you up for a mystery movie with a lot of suspense.

 

The first shot then dips into black and back out again and fades into the next shot which is an aerial shot that is spinning. It shows a spiral staircase and this could represent that the character will spiral down a deep hole and that the movie will end up spiralling into chaos. The black and white in contrast with the red makes it stand out which makes it even more imminent and important as it reflects what the viewer is about to watch. This shot is something you would stereotypically see in a film noir film. This opening scene starts out with montage editing and tells a story, sets the scene and tone of the movie. This opening scene also used a lot of visual effects. All of the sound heard throughout the opening scene is non-diegetic with sound perspectives. As this shot plays, the sound intensifies adding a low pitch sound under the high pitched harp to unsettle the viewer.

Like every transition in this opening scene it dips into black into the next shot.In this shot the sound lowers getting rid of the harp and just having the low pitch sound underneath with lower sound to create a sense of emptiness. In this shot you see water droplets that make the room look unkempt and abandoned. If this room later links to the character it could represent how he is feeling and his emotional state. The hints of red behind the open door could show that freedom from this room could be dangerous. The shot is a long shot combined with an establishing shot. The open doors contradict the closed cell door in the first shot. These shots of the building make it seem as if it’s a labyrinth with no escape which further unsettles the reader.

This shot really grabs the viewer attention because it’s the first close up we see and because it is of a hand of an unidentified person it shows that they are very important. The hand moves agitatedly which make it seem that the character is unsettled and has problems moving. The hand traces the crack in the concrete as they may have a past memory of that place and they are tracing back to it and trembling as the memory is most likely unpleasant. The opening credit is now in a sharper font which gives the shot a different feel. White connotates innocence which could mean that the character is innocent. The change in colour and of font resonates with the change in shot type. Also at this point the music yet again intensifies shocking the viewer, also the moving credits show that the character is no longer innocent and also add to the intense creepy atmosphere.

As the shot fades to black the music instantly drops again and unsettles the viewer. The colour of the font now stays consistent as we now get brighter shots with more colour, the music intensifies to make up for the slight loss of creepy atmosphere. The gates open in this shot to reveal the place with what we presume the rooms that we have just seen in it through an establishing shot. The shot is edited with a zoom alongside what seems to be a track. This makes the reveal of the setting even more powerful and dramatic. The shot shakes at it moves to again unsettle the viewer. Some of these shots may be flash backs or forwards but in is unclear. The music yet again intensifies as the shot comes to an end.

 

We then get a dramatic silence as we get another shot showing one of the characters, maybe the protagonist in an over the shoulder shot. In the background you can see flames which are usually a sign of danger and destruction. Yet again in this shot we see the red tones. The fire could suggest that the character has a burning passion abut a certain thing or that the character is destructive, violent and dangerous to others.

Before the next shot we see a quick glimpse of something gold and then it fades into this shot with a character standing on a gun. This implies that the character is fed up of violence and is angry; he wants to stand against it. The foot also drags it away as if the character is determined to get rid of it themselves. At this point the music in the background is still relatively quiet and keeping the tone of the atmosphere. The gun shown implies that someone might get shot or injured during the movie.

 In this shot it goes back to the film noir affect. The snow shown contradicts the fire we see in the earlier shot. It makes the character that we see for a brief second at the edge of the shot seem like a cold hearted character that is isolated in the dark. The white snow could again hint at the characters innocence. Also in this scene we have a bit of the harp come back into the music almost making the montage do a sort of loop. The music slightly intensifies midway through this shot as if its building up again. The shot is a long shot.

 

In this shot violins start to play to help intensify the moment and to add slight diversity to the music and moment to get the viewer to pay attention to this room. This is an establishing shot with a slight tilt from a low angle. The room that we see seems to be a prison cell. It unnerves the viewer as it is empty and still seems to be locked. The light shining through the door and window make it look as if the outside world is so much brighter and offers freedom. The dark colours make you feel as if you are trapped and can be used to create a clostraphobic feel.

 

Before this shot you see a gate with a dark background to again enhance the trapped feel the scene gives off, then see dark for a long time until a character lights a match as stereotypically seen in horror movies. As the character lights the match the music intensifies for a moment to add effect and make the viewer jump. The match can represent the characters last little bit of hope that they are clinging onto. The shot is an extreme close up.

There is a long period of black before the next shot fades in; this is to make the viewer really pay attention to this shot. It’s an extreme long shot with an establishing shot. It shows how big the island is and how isolated it is.  The shot zooms which help intensify the creepy effect and look of the island as it does this the music also intensifies and at the very last shot it builds into a sudden climax. You can see a building in the background which is most likely the building we see earlier on that looks like a prison of some sort. It’s very similar to Alcatraz.

As the final shot plays (the final shot is the one seen at the top of the post) you see the title of the movie in red in the same font we saw in the beginning. This brings the opening scene into a loop. Also as the shot zooms in on the title it makes the end of the scene very climatic and the viewer is dragged in on the edge of their seat wanting to know every story and reason behind every shot and finally who the character is.

  





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comment on movie idea pitch

Minute movie pitch - eight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i4Y8fslG9s

Hot Fuzz Opening scene: Analysis Essay

Hot Fuzz Opening scene: Analysis Essay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RAkY4R691E 

Movie information

Hot fuzz was released in 2007 as a mystery crime drama film with a lot of dark humour in it. It stars some big actors like: Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Nick Frost and Bill Nighy. It had a budget of $12 million and made $80.7 million at the box office.

Target audience

The target audience of this movie was teens and above as the dark scene of humour may be to adult for younger audiences to understand; however as it is an action movie it could still appeal to a younger target audience.

Opening scene

The opening scene consists of the protagonist walking down a long corridor with his shoes tapping against the ground. This builds suspense and tension while the audience waits to find out why he is walking so determinedly down the corridor. While this is taking place we see the credits pop up. The first credit was to

Universal pictures that helped fund the movie. The slow pace start to the scene allows the reader to read all the credits without paying too much attention to the scene; this is useful for the company as it helps promote its name better. The slow start to the scene is purposely slow to add diversity to the next shots that are  incredibly quick with fast editing. This immediately draws the watchers attention. This shot is an establishing shot and sets the scene as a formal building most likely one of high importance as it is in great quality and everything looks very organized, this makes the character walking down the corridor seem very organized and intelligent. Someone who knows what he is doing. Also you can see that he is the protagonist as he is highly featured in the main sequence where the plot of the movie starts off with a small anecdote.

Editing

There is an interesting contrast between the shots in the opening scene as they can vary from one extreme to another with very quick transitions that flash before your eyes. The type of shot goes from (extreme) long shots to (extreme) close ups. This contrast gives an interesting effect and keeps the viewer very entertained and busy. These types of shots help develop the character as they make him seem as if he has just sailed through life and also the diversity in shots makes the characters personality quite diverse as well as the variation of shots is not something you always see. The quick transitions between shots are like that to make it seem as if the character is having flash backs to his past life. The shots often flash to the next and in certain shots like in 0:54 seconds in, where the camera flashes can be interpreted as flash backs. The quick editing can also be inferred as his life going quickly. There are a lot of visual effects in the clip as well, like the one at 0:43

where you can see the protagonist twice as the filming has been layered so you can see two shots at once, one of the shot fades nicely in and out. This shot stands out as in is one of the only shots in the clip that does that. You can also see jump cut editing at 1:15 which is similar to the layered shots as it one of the only parts to the clip that features a shot in the same area. One interesting thing that two of the shots do in the clips is they start out as an extreme long shot and then zoom to be an extreme close up or goes from a close up to a long shot by zooming out. This continues to add diversity to the clip. The clip also uses a linear narrative as the protagonist talks about his story in order. The clip uses cross cutting in places as well.

Camera angles

There are a couple of different types of shots used in this clip, you have (extreme) long shots and close ups, mid-shots and a reaction shot at the end where the protagonist gets stabbed in the hand. You also have multiple establishing shots, and a couple of POV shots,

all of which focus on the protagonist. Also we have shots where the camera tracks the protagonist using a dolly and/or Steadicam.They also show a tilt shot.

Sound

There is mainly diegetic sound in the clip because the movie focuses on a realist approach, but it does have non diegetic sounds like a swoosh that's made when the camera moves quickly seen in 1:23, where you can also see a graphic match. There is also a voice over where the protagonist describes his past journey in an empowering, controlled and confident tone. Dialogue is used when the armed force storms into the building and when they are shouting during their training. Also non diegetic sound is used when they play a song over the clip. There is also ambient sound like the bashing around of the punch bags.

Mise en Scene

The movie is set in England as the protagonist has an English accent and is part of an English police force. This is seen and heard in the first shot where he shows his identification. The colours used through-out the video are very bland, plan and dark which reflects the characters dull but hardworking attitude. In the first shot we see bright colours then as we see the character and get to know him the use of bright vibrant colours disappear. The costume

seen through out on the character is black which shows the character is formal and what profession he is in. The gesture of the character is tense and he stand up straight at all times, this suggests that the character may not know how to relax or is completely consumed by his profession that he acts like that all the time.