In the opening of this film we get a big insight to what the whole film is going to be based on. For the first 1 minute and 8 seconds of the film we don't see anything other than the title of the film and the producers names, we only hear things. We hear lots of swearing and trash talk which suggests to the audience that gangs could be involved in the film. We also hear the police being called about one of their own officers being shot which shows that the police don't really have any power or control over the violence that is happening, we also hear many gun shots being fired which tells the audience that there is going to be a lot of violence within the film. We also hear a young boy crying and saying: 'they shot my brother' this shows that young children are caught up in all of this violence.The first few settings we see are: in the streets when the children are on the way to school this is an interesting setting because we see the young children walking past the shooting area as if it is just the usual everyday thing for them, which is shocking for the audience. We also see the South Central LA school where the children attend, this is another shocking setting for the viewers because we notice that in the classroom instead of having pictures of the children's families or of happy things, they have pictures of violent scenes which is very unusual and unsettling. We also see the area when they are on the walk home from school, here we see that the children are constantly surrounded by violence, we know this because we watch one of the boys walk past a group of older men having a fight.
One of the themes in this film is violence, before even seeing any clip in the film the audience knows straight away because of the sounds right at the start of the film. Another theme is Black Americans, we get to see as an audience what it is like to live in the area they live in and how they deal with things.
The characters that we see in the start of the film are the children, the teacher and one of the boys mother's. It is clear to the audience that the boy who gets into trouble is the main character in the group of kids, he leads them on the way to school and seems to be very cocky for example when he gets up and starts teaching the class. The teacher comes across as very patronising we see this side of her when she calls up the boys mother and is surprised when the mother tells her that she is employed.
In the first minute of the film we only hear off screen sounds this is when we can hear the sound but we can't see where it is coming from, we hear lots of swearing in the men's conversation- this makes the audience feel quite cautious of what's going on because we can't see the characters that are talking, cars, shootings, police which all suggests to the audience that the film is going to contain a lot of violence. We hear screams and police sirens which suggests that people are getting hurt and are living in fear. The police sirens and the car screeching on the road are non diegetic sounds which have been added on to the film. Diegetic sounds are real sounds such as the young boy talking. We also hear a young boy crying about this violence which shows that there is still some innocence in the film, when listening to this the audience feels great sympathy for the young boy. There is parallel sound when the boy is walking through the street and the teacher is on the phone to his mother.
The camera changes from setting to setting very quickly and sharply which could represent how quick a gun fires. The camera pans across the whole classroom this could be to portray the different personalities of the children in the classroom. There is many close up shots which only really occur when the character is showing an emotion, this could be so that the audience feels closer to the character and can begin to understand their story. The camera doesn't really move very much in the opening scene, it is mainly focused on panning. This could show the focus of violence on the characters.
The main characters costumes are casual clothes which shows that they don't have to make an effort to look smart fir school which shows the level of the education they are receiving. Throughout the opening of the film the lighting is quite dull and it is almost like there is something covering the screen of the camera which could represent how the gangs cover up their shootings. The actors in the film seem to be of low class we know this because of the area they live in, the teacher seems to be of middle class due to the clothes she was wearing and her job.
The young boy who gets into trouble with the teacher seems to get the most screen time in the opening scene, followed by the boy who he had a fight with in the class. This could be because these two are the main characters in the film. The pace of the film opening is quite slow this could be a build up to the main part of the film.
To analyse the opening scene of this film we had to focus on: the colour, the binary oppositions, male and female and also the good vs. the evil.
The main colour in this opening scene is black, this could be to portray to the audience that something bad could happen because black represents darkness and mystery. The colour black could also show that the characters are trying to hide something. However, at the start of the opening scene we see a harsh white light which we later find out to be the policeman's torch, this could be to show that the police are trying to find something about the characters and they are putting them on the spot.
The binary oppositions in this clip could be the men vs. the women, in this opening scene we see that the woman has a lot of power, even though she is the only woman against all of the men in the clip. Women are usually shown as weak and not as strong as men but in this clip we see that the woman is actually as good if not better than the men which is opposite to what the audience usually expects to see.
The good vs. the evil in this clip could be the group of the men and the woman vs. the police force. Clearly the police force are trying to catch the group for doing something bad but they seem to get away.
When analysing this scene from the film UP we had to consider how they showed the passage of time, the sound, the mise en scene and the camera.
They showed the passing of time in a really clever and interesting way, this was by the changing of the man's ties. Everyday his wife Ellie does his tie for him before work and we see how the style of tie changes over time and then when we see the couples facial features after the tie scene is over, we realize that they have grown old.
The sound in this clip is a very catchy and happy song which portrays to the audience that the couple are very happy together. However, when the woman becomes sad the music becomes very slow and makes the audience feel the same emotion as the character.
The characters costumes are very similar throughout the clip, the man always seems to be in suits and the woman seems to vary from jeans and a top to dresses, this shows that they are a typical middle class couple. The lighting in this scene is changed quite frequently throughout, for example when they are having fun and enjoying themselves it is very bright and colourful but for example when the lady is sitting in the garden on her own and the man is looking at her it is quite dark and dull and this is to show the characters mood. There is only two main characters in this clip which makes it easier for their story to be shown. The main prop in this opening scene is the house because this is where most of the clip is filmed and where the couple spend most of their fun times. Another main prop could be the hospital because this is where the couple spend their saddest times together.
The camera doesn't have too many shot changes in this scene, the main shot is at eye level for both characters which could show that they are both equal. When the couple are looking up at the sky to the clouds this is a point of view shot which allows the audience to be able to relate to the characters.
To analyse this film opening we had to focus on the camera and the mise en scene.
The camera in the first part of this clip is zoomed in onto some photos which clearly have some meaning to the main character Cady. The camera then zooms out and we see the back of Cady. We then see a slight pan shot of a small section of the inside of the prison where all of the prisoners are watching Cady leave. We then see a transition of the door that Cady leaves the prison from shutting behind him and the camera goes straight to the prison gates opening for him to leave. This is a good transition because it shows the character's departure well.
The costumes of the characters in this clip are their prison uniforms and the police officers uniform, when Cady is released from the prison he is wearing his own clothes which shows his seperation from the prison life to his new life outside the prison. The lighting in this clip is quite dull when in the prison but then when the character is leaving the prison the lighting is very bright which again shows the difference between prison life and his life outside the prison. The main character we see in this clip seems to be around 40/50, and seems to be of low class as he is in prison. The pictures in Cady's cell are a prop because they were of violent people which could show to the audience what he is actually like. His tattoos could also be seen as a prop because he had a nazi sign tattoo which again show what he is like as a person. The setting of this clip is in a prison which gives the audience an insight to what the film is all about.
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