Analyse the structure of an opening sequence.

6th sense

Sound

The scene opens with some smooth jazz music. smooth jazz could suggest that the characters are feeling relaxed. this point could also be supported by the fact that the characters are drinking wine and are both talking in a soft voice. music is used to make the film more interesting and to show the mood of a scene.  Music in this film can be seen to be used well because it helps the show that the characters are relaxed. when the music disappears we can feel a sense of false security, which is then supported by Vincent, the man that the characters see, once the tense music is played.  After Vincent is seen there is very light and airy music played. this makes the audience feel tense and worried of what may happen next.

Camerawork

Many camera shots and angles are used during this clip. The first of which is an extreme close up of a light bulb, which slowly lights up from darkness. This could connote to Light prevailing over darkness, which foreshadows what happens later in the film, when the man gets shot, and Vincent kills himself. The man survives the shot however Vincent dies. This is successful because it makes the people who are watching think about what had happened. Also, when the man is lying on the bed, you can see the shot wound in his stomach because it is a mid shot and a high angle. This shows the severity of the wound. The camera also pans to the side just before Vincent shoots himself.

 Mise En Scene

Mise En Scene is used very well in the entirety of the clip. The main thing i picked up on was the characters costume. For example, Vincent can be seen only in underwear. This suggests that what he said to the man

is true about him losing everything. If you compare Vincents costume with the protagonists costume, you can see that the protagonist has a very nice costume. We can also see that the man has a nice house with many art pieces, which can suggest his social status. The darkness in the back behind the protagonist can suggest uncertainty and make the audience feel as if they are on edge. They could have done this on purpose because it fits the mood of the characters in the scene. If we compare the lighting in both of these pictures you can see that the second one is much darker than the first. This shows that Mise En Scene works well in the scene.

Editing

Editing is used in the scene to make the audience feel on edge. An example of this was at the very beginning of the clip, you can sense that something will happen because of the long dark pause. Once the camera cuts to the woman upstairs with her husband we feel like we were wrong, then when the couple go into the bedroom, we can tell that something is defiantly going to happen, because when Vincent arrives, the quick shots between the characters builds up tension. This is clever because it makes the audience feel tense, which is what the actors intended to do. There are not any fancy edits in the scene except a fade in and a fade out. These are used very well to show the passing of time and to show how the man has grown older.  

BRICK

Sound

The scene starts with a man looking at a woman who is presumably dead. In the background you can hear high pitched instruments like xylophone notes. This can connote to youth or safety, as if it was low pitched noises you would feel more at ease. You can hear no other sounds in this moment, it is relaxed, which is ironic as there is a dead body which has been shown. Every now and again you can hear the sound of running water, which can connote to relaxation, This contrasts the original idea of tenseness and makes you more relaxed. Next you hear a school bell. This shocks the audience because it comes in suddenly.  The school bell can connote to youth, which makes sense because next in the scene we can see Brendan (a teenager), Overall the sound in the scene messes with your mind, it makes you feel relaxed even though you know you shouldn't feel relaxed. The musics high notes also matches well with the plot of the opening in a strange way.

Camerawork

At the start of the scene we can see a pan of a mans feet.This could suggest the type of person that the film is based around, then we can see a close up of a mans face, this can connote many things. It could connote that this is the main character (which is most likely of an opening) or it could connote that it is a man who is looking for revenge for what has happened to his friend (which is shown later on in the opening). Next we see a wide shot of a tunnel, a man and a womans body lying on the ground. This shot could connote the future of the film. This scene is good because it drags on for a while (Which will be mentioned later in the editing paragraph). We then see a bracelet on a girls hand, and then the same hand putting a note into a locker. This can suggest that something has happened to this girl and no one is sure what.

Mise En Scene

In this scene we can see many things about the characters and surroundings. The first of which is a man who has messy hair, and untidy clothes. This could suggest that this man is very poor and can not afford proper clothes. Next we see the set. The set happens to be in a bypass, This means that we can see a lot of things in the setting, for example the open space really makes the characters stand out. The colours are also dark so this brings out other things in the setting, for example the sunlight and the characters. the dark colours can suggest a type of mourning and or disbelief.

Editing

The film starts with a production ident which shows the company the produce the film. We then fade into the darkness of the setting, then pan across to the mans feet. We then have a very clean cut of the mans face. This could suggest that the man is very important or that he will be important later on in the film.We can then see some text that says 2 Days previous. This makes it very obvious that the film is set in the future and the man we saw at the beginning is the person that we are going to be following throughout the film.


Momento

Sound
In the clip you can not hear anything other than a sound track. this is strange because you would expect some type of dialogue however it is all silent other than the soundtrack and the sound of the camera shooting. this could be relevant because it allows you to pay attention to the titles that are on the screen. it also builds up tension as you are expecting something to happen.


Editing
The main type of editing that is used is the fades in and out of the titles. Later on in the scene we also see a fade in of a picture which then allows the main title to disappear.  Is no other use of editing through out the scene which is strange for an opening sequence.

Camera work
There is no use of camerawork through out the opening sequence as this is a title sequence. the only type of camera work which is used is the use of the extreme close up of the picture, which then pans into a close up of the mans face who is looking at the picture. The shot of the picture is shown for majority of the clip. it then disappears, this could suggest that it is important later in the film.

Mise En Scene
From what the man is wearing we can guess that he may be quite a rich man. we can also see the man holding which may be an expensive camera. we can not see that setting of the scene so we will not people to talk about setting.