UNBREAKABLEMEDIA OPENING ANALYSIS

MISE EN SCENE

The use of the mirror in the beginning is a hint at what the baby is like. The mirror is made of glass and the babies bone structure is also like glass- he is really fragile and breaks easily. This idea is reinforced when the doctor says “his arms and legs are broken” whilst we are looking into a mirror. Because of this, if you are really smart, you can start to suspect what is wrong with the baby, as babies are not normally born with their limbs broken. The effect is that the smarter people in the audience will pick up on these clues and start to realise what is going on. This is the first time a clue is given but normally another clue will be introduced late, for the average person, and another clue (usually blatantly saying the twist) will be given towards the end for the people who have bad observational skills in the audience.

MISE EN SCENEWhen the protagonist is on the train he suddenly goes through a tunnel. This means that all the natural light is replaced with artificial light. Because of this the audience is taken by surprise and the implication, due to the sudden darkness, is that something bad will happen. Because of the artificial light it is foreshadowed that something unnatural will happen. This is a clue to the audience that there is something unnatural and different about him.

When the doctor is introduced he is wearing a suit. This immediately tells us that he is likely to be a successful doctor as he is wearing smart, expensive clothes. To add to this, as the film was set in 1961 there would still be racial tension. This reinforces the idea that the man is a successful doctor as he is black yet still able to dress smart and have power. Because of all of this we trust his judgement and know that he can not have made a mistake when he tells us that the baby has broken all it’s limbs.

CAMERAThere is a very effective use of shot reverse shot in the opening to the film. You see the doctor entering the room to talk to the women who has the baby. Then the camera pans down and you see the women talk. It is then that you realise you are looking into a mirror. You can see the women normally but then when the camera pans back up for the doctor to speak you are seeing him through a mirror. This is very clever as it makes the scene smooth, there Is no cuts, making you more likely to pick up on the clues dropped by props and speech, as talked about on the previous slide, because you are not distracted with fancy editing.

The camera is positioned so that the police are on the right hand side of the rule of thirds. This makes them stand out. To add to this because they are in the door the frame acts as a natural border highlighting their presence. Because we notice them we realise early on that there may be something wrong with the situation which therefore causes tension to rise in the audience and in the scene.

CAMERAAs the doctor says that the baby has broken it’s arms and legs there is a close up of the mother crying. This allows us an audience to see the raw emotions of distress and worry causing us to feel anxious and concerned for the characters. To add to this it highlights the mirror in the background which again links to the idea that the baby’s bone structure is like glass.

SOUNDThe constant crying of the baby is like no other crying that usually comes from a 1 hour old baby. This is made even clearer when the woman says “should he be crying like this?” therefore making the audience suspicious something is wrong. Because of the nature of the babies cry (loud and high pitched). We assume the baby has hurt itself which then links to the comment later “your baby has broken both its limbs”; this makes us suspicious that there is something wrong with the child as that is not normal.

The sudden noise created when the train goes through the tunnel makes the audience jump as it sounds like the train derailing. This is ironic as later on the train does crash but the audience think its just a natural sound due to the previous scare. Because of this it is not obvious that the train has crashed.

SOUNDThe lack of soundtrack and non-diegetic sounds in the opening scene means that we can here what is being said more clearly. Because of this we are less likely to miss important information. To add to this it allows us to here the constant cries of the baby which reinforces the idea that something might be wrong with it.

EDITINGThroughout the opening scene there is very little editing (it is a one shot wonder). This is because the director wants the audience to pick up on the hints that are placed about the characters, for example the mirror. If there was lots of editing we would be distracted by that and therefore not pick up the hints. Instead they use lots of fancy camera work so that we can notice the hints easier.

The sound of the train going through the tunnel has been onicly boosted in order to make us jump. Due to the tense scene prior to the train journey we are still tense and this jump scare relieves that tension allowing us to feel calm and less nervous. Because of this we do not expect the train crash.