Mummy Opening Final Notes FITTED to Shot18 One Per

8/6/2019 Mummy Opening Final Notes FITTED to Shot18 One Per

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The opening shows the Studio who has backed the film and has afinancial stake in its success. There are several Big Studios - Can

you think of them?!The fact that this comes from Universal suggests that this might be a

Blockbuster - knowing when it has been released and who is in it willalso help with this. Certainly, coming from Universal there will have

been plenty of money available to make the film.!

Discussing the companies that invest in, produce and distribute textsis called, in Media Studies, the discussion of Institution and well talk

a lot about this throughout the course.!



There is a graphic match between the Universal logo and the sunwhich offers a seamless slide into the film world. The sun is very bright

and the hot colours have strong connotations of heat, passion andsun - there is also a link between the orangey colours and sand/

deserts and of course, with a title like The Mummy its a bit of agiveaway that this is the desert.!In addition, the Pyramids clearly set this in Egypt. This kind of securingof an image to a particular meaning is called anchorage. At thismoment, we have no idea if this is modern Egypt or an Egypt of the

past.!



As the camera tracks down the Sphinx we can seeconstruction is taking place. This indicates the

setting in TIME for this part of the film. It is worth

remembering that when we talk about TV and Film

Setting - we mean TIME and PLACE.!We can see people actually working on thescaffolding and we assume, as the audience, that

these are slaves. Where do we get that idea from?!



The camera has tracked down the Sphinx and across a street, showing lots of depth in thebackground. This is intended to show us that this city (which the Narrator tells us in

voiceover is Thebes) is thriving - its a large metropolis and visualises for us an Egypt

alive with people. This helps the audience as we are more used to seeing the pyramids

and Egypt as a dead civilisation - full of ruins, tombs and archeological artefacts.!The market square we see above has been filled with people and the diegetic part of thesoundtrack gives us chatter and dogs barking - all part of creating a sense of a real

world. The set has been created using models (for the buildings) and greenscreen

techniques (for the people).!



In this sequence we are introduced to Pharaoh Seti I - the high key lighting continues and the non-diegetic sound introduces him using a motif (a soundsequence that indicates his presence on screen (or his impending arrival). Thisis done frequently in Action Adventure films - such as James Bond, the IndianaJones films and Pirates of the Caribbean.!We can see how important he is by looking carefully at the Mise-en-scene - hisbody language and facial expression (he looks haughty and whips his horses

mercilessly) - and the costume backs this up; he is wearing a gold helmet andhis horses have golden blinkers and armour. As gold is such a precious metal,we can be sure this is a rich man. The voiceover anchors this by introducingPharaoh. We also use our knowledge of the connotations of colour, without

thinking about it, and realise that Gold equals or indicates wealth and power. !



In this scene, the camera pans around Imhotep, a key character introduced by the narrator. The cameraworks in close up for a large portion of this section, focusing on Imhotep because, afterall, he is themummy of the title. He is Keeper of the Dead and as such, the mise-en-scene reflects this by using

low key lighting and by ensuring his costume is dark. He is wearing a gold necklace which connotes wealth and power (just as with Pharaoh). In the background we see many buildings which connotes a

huge city and we can see the Sphinx and a pyramid which links this location with the one we first saw.!The Foley track is used to enhance the sounds of soldiers exercising in the square below. This would besound added in the editing process and highlights the sheer numbers of soldiers present. Although it is

added in post, it is still diegetic as it provides clarity to an element of sound from the film world - this isthe purpose of the Foley Track. The low-key light helps with this as the dark allows for figures that are

not rendered in as much detail as they might need to be if they were in full light and/or in the foreground.The soldiers have been animated using complex CGI techniques developed by ILM (Industrial Light &Magic). This is all about introducing a second key character - of which there are three in this segment in

the film. Notice how the male characters are introduced first.!



In this shot, the camera tracks backwards, preceding Anuck-su-Namun. Thisenable us to see the room revealed in reverse. She uses direct address (looking directly at the camera) which is almost never done - its calledBreaking the fourth wall - as it can make the viewer realise we arewatching something constructed and not real when an actor looks straight at

the camera and, in some cases, even talks to the audience.!The mise-en-scene is key in this sequence - the room and furnishing, even the

priests that line the room are covered in gold. This connotes wealth and poweras before. Her costume is painted on and this allows for the smudging byImhotep to provide the disruption. There is also a sexy and sensuousconnotation to her costume and this is mirrored in the fact that she has two

lovers - the Pharaoh and Imhotep.!



The rows of priests standing silently by indicate how important ASN is- she is the concubine (girlfriend) of the Pharaoh (although these

priests belong to Imhotep). She is sacred and as the narrator tells us,she is not to be touched by any other man. This is an important part of

the story line - the narrative requires a disruption to de-stabilisethe status quo - a story is, after all, about a series of events that are

usually triggered by something that upsets the normal order of things.

(This is from TODOROVs theory about narrative.) !!



In this sequence, surrounded by opulence and wealth connoted bythe decor and extravagance indicated by gold, we see the relationship

between Imhotep and ASN. The main way this is communicated to theaudience is through body language. They are frequently seen very

close to each other and ASN uses the hand gesture (shown above) tosymbolise their love for one another, reinforcing the no touching rule

by waving her hand across and around Imhoteps face. This is

more chaste and yet more sensitive and sensuous - it connotes adeeper relationship than one just based on sex which is interesting

(and ironic) when you consider they do not touch here.!



By this stage, they are touching and the camera begins to track into a close up and then to an extreme close up - this makes the audience focus in on thedetail that the director wants them/you to as there are no distractions in thebackground. The non-diegetic sound (which is mainly the music and theaspect that creates (or contributes the most towards creating) atmosphere) is

parallel until the next shot where a minor key is introduced (making itcontrapuntal) which indicates a change in the mood - why has the mood

changed? The audience will know something is about to happen so the musicis being used as an indicator of meaning just as much as costume, lighting,camera movements etc!



In this sequence, in line with the change in tone of the sound from parallel tocontrapuntal, the camera continues to move in to an extreme close up. This means that

the audience cannot view anything else on the screen and shows how important the

director sees this scene - he has chosen not to allow the audience to be distracted by

anything else as background details are largely excluded in an ECU.!The music increasingly becomes off-key (in a minor key for those who are musical) andthis, plus the extremely close focus, makes the audience focus on the moment where

Imhotep smudges ASNs make-up. In terms of the narrative, this is a crucial moment and

the sound, camera movement and make-up all work together to highlight this importance

to the audience. After all, the smudged make-up is what the Pharaoh spots that confirms

his suspicions that ASN is unfaithful and swiftly leads to Imhotep being mummified - withthe movie being called The Mummy this is obviously a crucial turing point - the

disruption in the narrative as we have previously discussed.!



As the Pharaoh arrives, his musical motif sounds and the tone of the music is regal, withthe atmosphere being insistent and powerful. The sound is being used as a key indicator

of meaning. The bowing priests connote Pharaohs power and reinforce what we have

been told by the narrator about him. The narrator is anchoring the meaning - making it

clear to the audience how the signs on the screen should be read.!!His body language is also interesting - he holds his head up very high and appears to look

down his nose at everyone which is another indicator of his character and power. He asks

in Egyptian What are you doing here? which shows us that he is already suspicious -

these are not his priests but Imhoteps and he wants to know why theyre in his rooms.

Here dialogue is being used to forward the narrative.!!



The dialogue becomes the key signifier in this part of the sequence. The mise-en-sceneis still crucial and is still all about gold and its connotations and the Pharaoh continues to

use body language as the main signifier - he struts through the room and whooshes the

curtains aside with gusto...!In this sequence, the cameras use a shot-reverse shot sequence which is the usual way

to film a conversation between two people - big close ups are used and the focusstraight cuts from one character to the other, sometimes using an over-the-shoulder

shot (like the one above but usually a bit closer to the shoulder). This allows us to focus in

on the characters faces. So, the close up, or big close up (which is nearer and doesnt

usually include the shoulders of the character) is often used to portray the emotions of the

character - their reaction, response, feelings, emotions.!Here we see ASN look down to her right, appearing coy and certainly not looking all

innocent and happy to see her official lover. Bear in mind it is often worth looking for what

is NOT shown or NOT represented when trying to figure out meaning.!!



Here the dialogue is key - Who has touched you? There are subtitles in Egyptian which are there to add authenticity - the subtitles suggest that what the character is saying

is a real language and allows the viewer to understand what is being said.!She is looking at him directly now and as he asks who has touched her, the surprise she

shows is denoted by her eye movements - she looks surprised (she didnt realise her

make-up was smudged) and then she looks into the distance behind Imhotep. This directsthe audience to expect trouble as the shot alludes to a place/space outside of the frame

(but within the film world) and the audience are aware of the presence of Imhotep -

therefore they can predict he is about to come back into the main action. This simple slight

movement of the eyes is crucial and shows just how important small details are, how much

filmmakers rely on them to make meaning and how much of a visual medium film really is.! !



In this part of the sequence, the camera has switch to an over-the-shoulder shot and so we can see not only the reaction of the Pharaoh to Imhotep butalso the treachery of ASN - Shes lifting her dagger to stab him. This isdramatic irony as we, as the audience, can see what is about to happenwhereas the main character, to whom this will happen, cannot. The music stops

to allow for the Foley Track to amplify the sound of a sword being drawn andthe pace and frenetic nature of the music continues to be parallel to the action

- the fight and death sequence are matched by the tone of the music.!



The fight sequence continues in the same way with many cuts from differentangles and distances. This helps to make the scene seem more exciting as thecamera moves around a lot and the frantic music adds to the tension. ThePharaoh makes a big, dramatic performance of being killed off - see how hisarms are completely out-stretched and his facial expression shows pain. The

frequency of cutting is increased as well and this is a main way that directorsuse to increase tension. The editing PACE is increased.!



The priests of Imhotep look shocked as they see their master kill thePharaoh - this would be the MOST extreme crime one could commit asthe Pharaoh was seen as a god. Notice the uniform nature of theircostumes and the use of gold paint. This makes them seem like a groupwho fit together and aligns them with wealth and privilege; even if they

themselves dont have any power, their master does. Notice how theyare looking into a space slightly of screen (Called of -screen space)- this is often done in films and helps the viewer to imagine a threedimensional world outside of the frame they are viewing.



The clever use of back-lighting coupled with the curtains (again gold)allows us to see the fight between the three without having to increasethe level of violence actually portrayed on screen. This will help to keepthe certificate down which is important as this is a Blockbuster film anda large part of the hoped-for audience will be families so a 15 or 18

certificate wont be very helpful in this respect. The main films thatmake the most money are nearly always 12 with PG closely following.The Mummy does manage to keep a rating of 12 (except in Irelandwhere it is rated as a 15).

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Mummy Opening Final Notes FITTED to Shot18 One Per