Skyfall
Genre- Skyfall is a mixture of both an Action and a Drama. The scene starts with the male protagonist drowning, with various shots to depict this. We start by seeing him through the use of a low angle shot, with connotes vulnerability and a breach of safety, especially in this situation. We start by seeing his back which then makes him just a silhouette, this is because his figure is shown in a restricted light which also connotes that he is hidden away and not wanting to be seen. This also represents vulnerability as he has bee put into a bad situation. We (the audience) figure out that this is James Bond, which then changes to a tracking shot of him sinking further and further down, then into a medium shot where we are able to see the male protagonists facial expressions.
The scene then moves to where we are able to see a females hand reaching out below him, getting a grasp of him and dragging him down. This many connote elements of the film and how his womanizing may bring danger and vulnerability. This may also connote that the male protagonist has a lot of enemies that may want to hurt him and drag him down.
This then moves to a high angle shot of the male protagonist being dragged down into a black hole. This again connotes the loss of control by the male protagonist and the sense of vulnerability James Bond faces. this could also connote that the end of his journey as the connotations surrounding a black hole is death, therefore foreshadowing the end of his journey.
This then transitions to a mid shot of a cardboard cut-out version of the protagonist that looks as if it is a shooting range target as it has the markings of a target. This connotes that he is a major target in the story that is about to be told. The cardboard cut-out is also shown to be bleeding from his left shoulder. The red blood connotes the danger that the male protagonist will have to face through his journey. The colour red is usually associated with death and danger. A medium shot is used again to show the silhouette of a woman which then moves into a panning shot to reveal her whole body. This silhouette of a woman is most likely used again to reiterate his relationship with women throughout the film. lastly, an extreme close up is used when showing the male protagonist's eye. The camera then zooms into the center of his eye, showing the audience that the film is accounted from his point of view and his version of events.
The opening scene in terms of mise-en-scene-
There is lots of imagery used in the opening scene with all of the skulls and the knives and graves. These are vital to the story line as these foreshadow the events that follow in the film. This is when one of the main characters are killed by a knife in a church. This is imagery that is very smart in the way it is used to present the chain of events that the male protagonist will have to deal with. This then links back to how the story is told from his point of view and you (the audience) are seeing these events unfold as he would.
This then moves to the imagery of the silhouettes and mirrors which could foreshadow the storyline again and give the audience the impression of how these events he is facing may be caused by himself and the way he has gone about dealing with the situations he's been put in. This can be used by the way he shoots himself in the mirror which could link in with the phrase of 'shooting yourself in the foot'. This could also reference the cardboard cut-out that's been shot in the shoulder in the very start.
All throughout the opening scene James Bond, the Male protagonist is seen to be wearing a smart outfit, which consists of a suit which connotes the professionalism of the main character. This could also give insight to what this person does for his job and what his job consists of. By the use of him wearing this specific outfit shows the power of his job compares to the regular 9-5 job.
This then transitions to a mid shot of a cardboard cut-out version of the protagonist that looks as if it is a shooting range target as it has the markings of a target. This connotes that he is a major target in the story that is about to be told. The cardboard cut-out is also shown to be bleeding from his left shoulder. The red blood connotes the danger that the male protagonist will have to face through his journey. The colour red is usually associated with death and danger. A medium shot is used again to show the silhouette of a woman which then moves into a panning shot to reveal her whole body. This silhouette of a woman is most likely used again to reiterate his relationship with women throughout the film. lastly, an extreme close up is used when showing the male protagonist's eye. The camera then zooms into the center of his eye, showing the audience that the film is accounted from his point of view and his version of events.
The opening scene in terms of mise-en-scene-
There is lots of imagery used in the opening scene with all of the skulls and the knives and graves. These are vital to the story line as these foreshadow the events that follow in the film. This is when one of the main characters are killed by a knife in a church. This is imagery that is very smart in the way it is used to present the chain of events that the male protagonist will have to deal with. This then links back to how the story is told from his point of view and you (the audience) are seeing these events unfold as he would.
This then moves to the imagery of the silhouettes and mirrors which could foreshadow the storyline again and give the audience the impression of how these events he is facing may be caused by himself and the way he has gone about dealing with the situations he's been put in. This can be used by the way he shoots himself in the mirror which could link in with the phrase of 'shooting yourself in the foot'. This could also reference the cardboard cut-out that's been shot in the shoulder in the very start.
All throughout the opening scene James Bond, the Male protagonist is seen to be wearing a smart outfit, which consists of a suit which connotes the professionalism of the main character. This could also give insight to what this person does for his job and what his job consists of. By the use of him wearing this specific outfit shows the power of his job compares to the regular 9-5 job.
Narrative- Enigma code, Journey in water.
Character- Man in suit, man pointing gun, naked woman
Atmosphere- Tense, rough. As the opening of the film starts, it is very fast paced which continues throughout the film opening which keeps the audience engaged and wanting to keep watching. This could also foreshadow the way the story is told and could also represent the speed of the Protagonists life. The use of little lighting and no lighting gives the impression of what the story is going to be like. The use of dim lighting give a sense of danger and fear of the unknown.
Themes- Death, blood, and danger
Setting- Underwater
Sound- The Skyfall song, written and sung by Adele. The classic 'famous' James Bond song starts playing at the start of the film as this is one of the many James Bond franchises. This music starts very quiet and gradually gets louder and louder. it gets louder as the opening scene moves on. The connotations that surround the use of music are that the story is going to get very intense and is going to be high action and adrenaline. this is when the Adele comes in signing the track 'Skyfall' which begins with the words "This is the end". This goes hand in hand with what is being shown in film opening as we can see the male protagonist drowning as these words are being sung. This is how the enigma code is then created as this could depict his death but highly unlikely as the film has just started. This is then followed by the words "hold your breath and count to ten" which could then connote that he is going to come back up to the surface by he's only holding his breath. The use of both diegetic and Non-diegetic music is used however Non-diegetic is used more prominently. The use of diegetic music is more noticeable when the sounds of gunfire and other little things which reaffirm to the audience that this is an action film as this noises are usually associated with an action film.
Style of Title- Professional, smart, well written. The titles used in the opening scene are very useful as they clearly reflect the tone, atmosphere, setting and the style of what story they are choosing to depict. The titles that they have chosen to use are also depicting their own story along with the story they have chosen to show to the audience.
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