Outbreak – Opening Sequence Analysis

The opening sequence begins with an object parachuting in. The camera sees this through a high angle. A high angle can represent intimidation and power. This is shown a few seconds later as a huge explosion is set off. There is another high angle of a house being disintegrated then another of the surrounding area. The high angles in this shot really show the destruction. These few seconds are foreshadowing.

Then the screen displays ‘Present Day’. The camera is moving on a track down a road, it makes the viewer feel like they are travelling in a car as it represents what a viewer would see in a car. Inside the Biohazard building, a camera moves on a track and shows a lot of different rooms with personnel in scrubs and HAZMAT suits using lab equipment. The camera follows a person from each room into the next. This I shot is very long and continuous. This means it was shot all in sequence without any cuts. This clearly sets the scene as a highly important laboratory. The fact that it is a continuous shot also represents how busy the place is. As the camera follows a man through a security door it displays Biohazard level 4, this sets the scene for danger and thrills. There is a medium close up of two people; this is also a two shot.