Film opening analysis

Trainspotting

Camera work and editing:

Throughout this opening there is a wide range of different camera angles and camera usage. The film starts with a chase and the camera looks hand held, they could have chosen to do this to give the chase a more personal affect to make it look as if you the audience are in the chase with the characters but also making it more exciting a chase is a high adrenaline situation so is able to keep the focus of the viewer’s especially as it’s the opening scene and the audience haven’t been told why they’re being chanced. On the other hand if they had used a fixed camera it would have given the chase a much more staged look and may have stopped the audience from relating to the characters (even though it isn’t a situation the majority have been in.) It switches between high and low angle shots throughout the chase depending on who the focus of the shot is for instance they use a high angle shot when they are focusing on the, what look like security guards chasing them as in society they are people who have authority and power over the general public. However they use a mid-shot that is slightly low angle on Renton when he’s running they could have chosen to do this to show that because he has stolen from the men chasing them he partly has power over them but not enough to not be running from them as well as using a low angle shot when he jumps down the stairs. They also use a fair few point-of-vie(POV) shots whilst he is running, again they may have chosen to use a POV shot to help the audience relate with their main character to show what he is seeing from his eyes but again also to put the viewer directly in the line of action. When he is hit by the car it switches to a POV shot from the driver and its very effective as it shows Renton in a slightly different light, from his facial expression it almost shows him to be a bit crazy as he’s just been hit by a car yet he laughs and smiles about it. After the chase it cuts to Renton in his what looks like house, the camera usage changes to a fixed camera this could have been done to represent that he is in a

permanent situation and that it’s not so high pressured. They use a range of mid-shots to possibly give the audience a better idea of the setting and in doing so giving them a broader insight into the characters lifestyle. Also using some extreme close ups of his face when he is smoking again giving the audience an idea of the sort of habits the character does which in a way fluffs out the profile the audience will subconsciously be building up of the character, a close up also allows the character to see in this case the condition of his skin and how deeply he is inhaling the smoke, the way he is gives off such a care-free impression that he isn’t in any hurry and is content with what he has there. In the football match they use what looks like a hand-held camera again to again maybe try and include the viewers in the action and they use fast pace editing again to mirror the game’s pace. The shots range from close ups to wide shots of the whole team, they would have used the wide shots to introduce the new characters to the audience which they then followed to use close ups of their faces when their names flashed onto the screen. They used a few close ups to show the action during the match, focusing on foul play actions from the characters such as Sick Boy which gives the audnace an insight to the type of people Renton associates himself with. Mise-En-SceneThe costumes of the characters in the opening is a direct give away to what sort of lives they lead and where they fit into society. Renton and his companion are wearing casual jeans and jumpers which look worn giving off the impression they’re old and possibly implying that they cannot afford to buy new ones. Whereas the men that are chasing them are in what looks like brand new suits and smart shoes which has the connotations of wealth and power in some cases, this contrasts with what Renton is wearing. Renton and his companion both have very short haircuts, Renton has a shaved head and stereotypically you can associates that with gangs and chavs. The overall settings in the opening all look rough and worn down which you could associate with poverty. The flat that he supposedly lives in is dirty and looks like its falling apart with no personal touch or decorating, this could imply to the viewer that the characters that live there do not care about where they live and it’s just a place to rest their heads and do drugs which is the opposite to what society say is right showing that Renton doesn’t care or conform to social norms. The colours of the footage look almost dulled to make everything look dirty also the use of mainly dark browns, black or mustard yellow help in giving off the overall vibe that the characters in this film are going to be of a controversial nature and implies that they may be involved in illegal things such as drugs.

SoundFrom the start to the end of the opening there is a soundtrack in the background and the song they chose to play was extremely fitting ‘Lust of life- Iggy Pop’ However it is just the instrumental but if you were to watch the film knowing the song it is very fitting as the characters in this film are lusting for a different kind of life to modern society. Renton is narrating over the film opening and he starts with: Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose

washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Which is just amazing, he is philosophically questioning everything that in a day to day life that society has set as normal and is clearly stating that he has no interest in any of it. This narration implies to the viewer that he again is care- free and he does not want to conform to the standards set by the general society. He ends the narration on: but why would I want to do a thing like that. I chose not to choose life. I choose something else. And the reasons. There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin. The ending is just as powerful as the opening and confirms the suspicions of the viewer that he’s care-free and ties up all the loose ends about why does he live in such a rundown house? Why is he stealing? It’s because he is addicted to heroin.