Quantum of Solace Opening Scene Analysis
Metro
Goldwyn Mayer and Columba are shown to represent the film in the opening scene
with the iconic lion roaring and the statue, suggesting Quantum of Solace will
be a film of high standard and good quality as they are such well-established,
highly thought of companies. The film opens with an establishing shot of an
exotic background, following the typical Bond opening structure - shown by the
fast paced action sequence. This sets the scene and introduces the characters
to the surroundings, implying that this is where the action will take place, as
well as establishing the genre. The Bond films are heavily based around wealth
and glamour, allowing the audience to escape from their everyday lifestyle for
a couple of hours and join Bond in his desirable world of mystery.
The mise en
scene of the scene portrays Bond as a well off, sophisticated character
shown by the use of expensive cars and the suggestion of the boat. His
character is made out to be like 'a rich boy with all the toys' implied by both
the location and the props, causing the audience to form a slightly negative
opinion of him, however as the scene progresses it becomes hard not to admire
him. The mise en scene is very stereotypical to both the Bond films and the
general action genre, helping to create an enticing opening scene which draws
the audience in. The lack of dialogue is effective as it keeps the audience's
attention solely on the action, allowing the fast paced action scene to
interest the audience right from the outset.
A noticeable
connotation of the genre is the music which sets up the opening scene. The
music is very low-pitched and tense, creating suspense and letting the audience
know that something is about to happen. The music also has an important role as
it is so prominent in the first 20 seconds due to it being in the place of a
soundtrack, it has to hold the audiences interest. A way in which this has been
done is by the use of synchronous sound; however it has been exaggerated to
bring out the main elements of the scene, such as the car engines, sirens and
the machine gun fire. There are no titles to distract the audience in the
opening scene, nevertheless, following the typical James Bond structure, a
long action packed opening scene always comes first.
In the first
half of the opening scene, the lighting is very dark in order to create tension
and suspense. The dark lighting produces connotations of mystery, following the
genre as well as creating enigmas as the audience are unable to see what is
going on. A range of different camera shots are shown as well as a very fast
paced editing style to keep the audience’s attention and also to build suspense
as it makes the action seem more dangerous. The editing style is so fast it
makes the audience feel as if they blink they will miss it, helping to engage
and interest them. Bond is shown quickly in a close up shot driving which
worries the audience as they learn he has not got a gun in his hand, only the
steering wheel, making him seem vulnerable. Another close up shot is used to
scare the audience as a magazine is shown being loaded into a rifle, building
the suspense even more by showing there is an element of danger and violence.
From the
opening scenes of both Skyfall and Quantum of Solace I have learnt a lot about
the conventions used in this particular genre. There are many similarities
shown in order to successfully grasp the audience’s attention, such as the
creation of enigmas. These help to gage the audience’s attention as well as
introducing the setting without giving anything away. Bond films are notorious
for their opening scenes, and I now know why. They provide action, drama and mystery
in the first two minutes, immediately making the audience idolise Bond and his
idealistic ways. Through the use of camera shots and editing techniques, Bond
is always shown to be in control despite all the stereotypical challenges
thrown at him. A specific similarity I noticed was the close up shot of just
his eyes, introducing him as the main character, as well as the fast paced
build-up of music. The only recognisable difference between the two opening
scenes was the lack of the sound motif in Quantum of Solace, however I'm sure
it would have definitely been included somewhere in the film.
No comments:
Post a Comment