The opening shows the Studio who has backed the film and has a financial stake in it’s 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 will also 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 texts is called, in Media Studies, the discussion of Institution and we’ll talk a lot about this throughout the course.!

There is a graphic match between the Universal logo and the sun which offers a seamless slide into the film world. The sun is very bright and the hot colours have strong connotations of heat, passion and sun - there is also a link between the orangey colours and sand/deserts and of course, with a title like “The Mummy” it’s a bit of a giveaway that this is the desert.!In addition, the Pyramids clearly set this in Egypt. This kind of securing of an image to a particular meaning is called ‘anchorage’. At this moment, we have no idea if this is modern Egypt or an Egypt of the past.!

As the camera tracks down the Sphinx we can see construction 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 the ‘scaffolding’ 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 the background. This is intended to show us that this city (which the Narrator tells us in voiceover is Thebes) is thriving - it’s 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 the soundtrack 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 sound sequence that indicates his presence on screen (or his impending arrival). This is done frequently in Action Adventure films - such as James Bond, the Indiana Jones films and Pirates of the Caribbean.!We can see how important he is by looking carefully at the Mise-en-scene - his body language and facial expression (he looks haughty and whips his horses mercilessly) - and the costume backs this up; he is wearing a gold helmet and his 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 introducing Pharaoh. 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 camera works in close up for a large portion of this section, focusing on Imhotep because, afterall, he is the mummy 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 be sound 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 is the 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. This enable us to see the room revealed in reverse. She uses direct address (looking directly at the camera) which is almost never done - it’s called ‘Breaking the fourth wall’ - as it can make the viewer realise we are watching 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 power as before. Her costume is painted on and this allows for the smudging by Imhotep to provide the disruption. There is also a sexy and sensuous connotation 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-stabilise the 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 TODOROV’s theory about narrative.) !!

In this sequence, surrounded by opulence and wealth connoted by the decor and extravagance indicated by gold, we see the relationship between Imhotep and ASN. The main way this is communicated to the audience is through body language. They are frequently seen very close to each other and ASN uses the hand gesture (shown above) to symbolise their love for one another, reinforcing the no touching rule by ‘waving’ her hand across and around Imhotep’s face. This is more chaste and yet more sensitive and sensuous - it connotes a deeper 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 the detail that the director wants them/you to as there are no distractions in the background. The non-diegetic sound (which is mainly the music and the aspect that creates (or contributes the most towards creating) atmosphere) is parallel until the next shot where a minor key is introduced (making it contrapuntal) which indicates a change in the mood - why has the mood changed? The audience will know something is about to happen so the music is 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 to contrapuntal, 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) and this, plus the extremely close focus, makes the audience focus on the moment where Imhotep smudges ASN’s 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 - with the 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, with the atmosphere being insistent and powerful. The sound is being used as a key indicator of meaning. The bowing priests connote Pharaoh’s 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 Imhotep’s and he wants to know why they’re 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-scene is 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 focus straight 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 doesn’t 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 didn’t realise her make-up was smudged) and then she looks into the distance behind Imhotep. This directs the 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 but also the treachery of ASN - She’s lifting her dagger to stab him. This is dramatic irony as we, as the audience, can see what is about to happen whereas 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 and the 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 different angles and distances. This helps to make the scene seem more exciting as the camera moves around a lot and the frantic music adds to the tension. The Pharaoh makes a big, dramatic performance of being killed off - see how his arms 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 directors use to increase tension. The editing PACE is increased.!

The priests of Imhotep look shocked as they see their master kill the Pharaoh - this would be the MOST extreme crime one could commit as the Pharaoh was seen as a god. Notice the uniform nature of their costumes and the use of gold paint. This makes them seem like a group who fit together and aligns them with wealth and privilege; even if they themselves don’t have any power, their master does. Notice how they are looking into a space slightly off screen (Called ‘off-screen space’) - this is often done in films and helps the viewer to imagine a three dimensional 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 increase the level of violence actually portrayed on screen. This will help to keep the certificate down which is important as this is a Blockbuster film and a large part of the hoped-for audience will be families so a 15 or 18 certificate won’t be very helpful in this respect. The main films that make the most money are nearly always 12 with PG closely following. The Mummy does manage to keep a rating of 12 (except in Ireland where it is rated as a 15).