Analysis Of Action Film Openings

By Suhena Begum

Bending The Rules• The film ‘Bending the rules’ starts straight into the film with an

establishing shot and the credits are shown in the corner. The film is set in New Orleans in an ordinary street which is an aspect of mise en scene. The establishing show allows the audience to pick up important information about the setting/ atmosphere in which the following events will take place. This is where the main character is introduced in the establishing shot and the sound of him moaning suggests he might have been waiting for someone for quite a while. This then leads to an tilt up & close up shot of the main character; tilt up of the camera allows the audience to see what the costume the character is wearing (sunglasses, summer shirt, men’s necklaces, shorts etc). The costume illustrates the warmth of the atmosphere and the necklaces could emphasis his personality.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

• Fast pan up to the second character running across the streets, the fast pan up illustrates that two things are happening at the same time, in the same place. The intense music builds up as he carries on running highlighting his fear, his costume contrasts with this as he is wearing a shirt and block trousers which is quite formal. A mirror shot is taken where he’s reflected on a car side mirror which links into an action match; helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots metaphorically. His sudden fall on the floor gives the audience a sense of struggle; which then cuts into a close up shot of the newspaper which drops out of his hands and lands on the floor, this could show the significance of the newspaper. The music fades slowly and the dialogue between the main character and the second character takes place. The high angle shot taken of the second character demonstrates that he’s inferior which builds up the tension in the atmosphere.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

• Subsequently it pans to a man wearing a mask, which foreshadows danger. The covering of the face with a mask could suggest that he is a thief and the gun could symbolise that he is dangerous. Shot reverse shot is used to show both the characters (main character & second character) reaction to what was happening. Similarly, over the shoulder shot emphasises that the man holding the gun has more power and control. The mid shot of the characters allows the audience to focus our attention on a particular subject and permits the audience to pick up details of their movements, which could then foreshadow an argument/fight.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

• Again the newspaper is shown in an extreme close up shot which could possibly exaggerate the importance of it. In the background there is a sound of a gun shot foreshadowing violence being involved in the movie. The two shot of the characters (main and second character) could establish a relationship between the two characters and could suggest that they’ll be the protagonists in the film. This also allows the audience to focus on the handcuffs which the protagonist is holding towards the second character suggesting that he is a police officer and the other a criminal. To end the opening scene there is a sequence shot of the car driving off, the sequence shot shows the length taken for the car to drive off moving into the next scene.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

96 Minutes• The film ‘96 Minutes’ starts off with the logo and organisations

appearing on the screen. The title of the movie is plain and simple and in white bold text and is quite small. There is slow music playing in the background and it starts off with an extreme close up shot of the protagonists hands holding a chalk. The sound of the chalk rubbing against the board could suggest intensity and deep concentration. This is followed up by a tilt up to the protagonists face, this allows us to see the characters expressions, the extreme close up of his eyes could symbolise that he’s feeling disturbed.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

• This then cuts into a flashback which shows the audience what he’s thinking about. The volume of the dialogue in the flashback increases, causing distress. The flashback is set inside a car and the 4 characters inside the car is constantly filmed in a shot reverse shot allowing the audience to see each of the characters expressions as they all seem distracted. Then a close up shot of a women who is amongst the 4 characters shows her bleedings while sitting at the back of the car revealing the cause of the tension. The use of foul language adds to the pressure and confusion. This makes the audience aware of how serious the situation is.

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit

• This then cuts into an action match, where we can vaguely see the protagonist sleeping in a bed and the sound of the alarm hints that the film’s setting has changed to a bedroom. The dark lighting could foreshadow that something negative has/going to happen. The flow of the piano music adds to the continuity of the film and creates a depressed atmosphere

KEY:Mise en SceneSoundCamera worksEdit