Quantum of Solace

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Within the first 60 seconds of the opening sequence for the Quantum of Solace the shots have managed to capture a wide variety of camera techniques, introduce a binary opposition, highlight action and enigma codes and edit clips in a way that excites the viewer. Our first shot is a wide shot of a beautiful natural landscape that establishes the setting. The gentle track sees the camera gradually getting closer to this setting. However the cross cutting of shots shows a parallel action scene that we begin to consider is taking place near or in this setting. The binary opposition is created between the flashes of action scenes and the gentle track towards the natural setting. It is also shown to the audience in a literal sense as the high contrast between the black gloomy colours and the natural bright colours oppose each other. The low key lighting within shots creates high mystery to the consumer as we are unsure of why this is happening. The enigma code is created by the mystery behind the shots and the action code is also created by showing flashes of bullet reels and fast moving cars. The rack of the landscape eventually reaches a point where we notice a bridge within the mountains and then the flashes of light relate to the surrounding setting. We eventually reach a point where the camera establishes a car chase and the action code is satisfied. The quick cuts between the action shots creates a fast pace f for the audience and the editing skills of the parallel action represent to the audience the advanced technology being opposed by a natural landscape.

After establishing the setting with a gentle track towards the landscape the camera shots begin to gain a faster pace as the action shots become dominant. The enigma code means that the audience has not yet become clear of all details so still live in insecurity as to what is going on. The low key lighting within the extreme close up shows a mysterious looking character and this begins to introduce certain characters. The quick cutting between shots is maintained as this keeps the fast pace of the action going which keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. The medium close up shot of the car and the firing gun creates a new binary opposition of good and evil as the audience begin to associate the weapons with the “evil” side of the story. The MCU shows enough detail for the audience to understand what may be happening. We are yet to be introduced to our main star however shots begin to show fast snippets of Daniel Craig. An over the shoulder shot is used to help the audience have an “in-car” view which adds realism to the shots and helps the viewers experience the action first hand. We are then introduced to our star for a split second with a medium close up shot. This gives enough detail for the audience to recognise the star however this clip is not on screen for a long period of time as the quick cuts are still being maintained to add to the fast pace of the shots. We are then taken away from the low key lighting shots within

the tunnel to a high contrasting shot of the car chase being continued through the naturallandscape. The shot then tracks the cars in their movement at a high speed which works hand in hand with the fast pace of the clips.

Again we see the use of the over the shoulder shot which may also be seen as a back seat driver view which helps the audience experience the action and the way the shots pull in the viewers adds excitement to their experience. The repeated use of this shot keeps the audience interested as they want to maintain their own escape from reality within these shots. The two medium close up shots of the black cars establish a new setting along with the previous recognisable cars that were earlier seen in action. The pace of the shots is still as fast as the action is still being carried out. The new setting has now created a high contrast with colours as the bright whites of the quarries oppose the blacks of the cars. This may suggest to the viewer that the peacefulness and purity of the working quarries are being interrupted by the mysterious black cars. These shots both create the same binary opposition between nature and modern technology and this opposition is then carried into the next shot. This shot shows an extreme wide shot of the setting and the cars again interrupting this natural setting. After more fast paced shots full of action and mysterious glimpses of characters we are taken to a close up shot of our star. The close up manages to catch facial expressions as well as the barrel of the gun which adds tension to the clips as the audience begin to anticipate the use of the weapon. After analysing a 3 minute opening sequence I noticed that throughout there was never a certain shot on

screen for longer than around 5 seconds. This explores a lot about the editing of each clip as

the pace is maintained throughout the whole sequence and this keeps the audiences interest and reflects the action within the film.