Fim Openings Research - Part 2

My task was described in my last post. 

So here is my analysis of the opening 2 minutes of the film Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn, which I am using as one of my detailed analysis':

Mise-en-scene:

• Establishing shot shows city lights in the dark which signifies to the viewer that something is happening at night, possibly good and evil which links to Claude Levi-Strauss, which is where the narratives are structured around a series of binary oppositions. This would create conflict and therefore drive the narrative forward.

• Man in car, driving at night time (dark), which again links back to Claude Levi-Strauss' theory.
• Very dark exterior - low key lighting - which shows that the atmosphere outside is dark and therefore its at night time. Knowing this, it creates a mysterious and nervous generic effect on the viewer because the darkness gives off that kind of mood.
• Car park with lift, which is the only source of light, which creates the contrast between light and dark which can link as well to Claude Levi-Strauss as it shows a structure around a series of binary oppositions. 
• Bedroom is also dark with an open window, presumably with a view of the city which can emphasise the mystery being created within the opening. This can be identified as the Enigma Code (Roland Barthes 5 codes theory) which relates to mood or atmosphere and is the way in which tension or suspense is built up to keep the audience guessing about what happens next. Within the opening there is no commentary or narration and with everywhere being dark, it creates suspense for the audience, as normally you link darkness with trouble and this creates tension.

• Repetition of scenery as at the end of the opening, it jumps back to the man driving the car through the city and then a panning view of the city itself, which signifies to the viewer that the events that are about to take place within the film, are going to take place within the city shown. 

• The text used is very old fashioned and bold, which gives an 80s effect to the film, which show all of the typical opening credits.

Camera Shots:

• High angle shot (also establishing shot) which allows the viewer to get a grasp of the scenery that the film is being set in.
• Low angle shot, showing character driving car which gives the viewer a full perspective.

• Over the shoulder shot showing characters view of road and city, which means that the viewer can relate to the character being shown and what they're experiencing, which makes the film easier to understand.

• Medium side shot implies drama as it is not your usual angle shot of someone, usually it would be a frontal shot.

• Tracking and high angle shot of car moving which again shows where the action and scenes are taking place.
• Over the shoulder tracking shot of man walking towards the lift which gives the audience a sense of suspense as the lift is the only source of light and showing an OTSS adds drama.

• Point of view shot, making it easier for the audience to relate to the character
• Long shot to show characters attire
• The character seen in the opening does not show any facial expressions or gestures, which makes the story hard to tell as you can not see his emotion and therefore find it hard to pick up the sense of the story. By doing this, the writer is showing a sense of confusion and suspense as the audience are unaware of any undercurrents or hidden feelings, urging them to watch on.
• The character is also only seen in his car and then walking to the lift and then into his room, which makes his positions very limited, creating suspense.

Editing:

• Fade transition used to fade establishing shot into shot of character in car, which gives a sense of timing, that the city lights at night, is associated with the man driving in his car.
• Blurred vision in car, which gives the lights on the street a bigger effect, which could be a subtle hint at something.
• Quick shot to different shot from him driving to then parking in the car park, which gives an effect that it is a sudden change and the mood is going to change.
• Edited lift doors opening into bedroom door opening - smooth transition, this gives the viewer a sense of timing.

Sound:

• All was non-diegetic sound, which means you can hear sound but you can't see it within the frame.
• Backing music with lyrics was futuristic which gave the opening a draw-in effect, which means that it draws the audience in to watch more as its different.
• No voice over or commentary is used which also creates mystery as the audience don't know what it's about.
• The effect of the sounds and visual techniques produces mystery for the audience as the screen is dark the whole time and the soundtrack is different, and with no dialogue, the audience are left none the wiser, making them want to watch out and figure out what's going on.

 

Order of Opening Credits:

They do not use the common opening credit order and don't include the name of the studio name and production company who made the film, which is strange as they're a common thing to include. Instead their order of credits was as follows: 

1. Starring
2. Film title
3. Featuring
4. Casting
5. Music
6. Production design
7. Producer name

Codes and Conventions:


There are typical codes and conventions featured in this action thriller film, which include:

• A battle between the protagonist and the antagonist, which ends up with the antagonist dying.
• The main lead, who is the brave protagonist trying to restore equilibrium is a male character.
• It is mysterious and exciting.

Representation:

In the opening, there is a man being represented by his actions and movements, helped by the mise-en-scene. There is no dialogue or speech in the opening and the only text that appears are the opening credits, not explaining what is going on. The man is represented as mysterious, which is down to the mise-en-scene showing mainly darkness in the background.


Genre:

The genre of the film is action crime thriller, which is well presented in the opening, as the man is seen driving fast in his car which is your typical action film character, and with is all being dark and mysterious, this portrays the crime thriller part well. The soundtrack helps to contribute towards this impression too as it is futuristic but also a fast track which also indicates a thriller. The genre also meets its target audience of around 16+ with an R rating, mainly for a male gender, but open to all.


Ideology:

The messages being perpetuated about the genre is that it's exciting and thrilling, hence the fast music and fast paced car and scene changes, which shows the dominant ideology. This is because the filmmaker wants it to be appealing and edgy so that people are encouraged to watch it and recommend it to others.