Quantum of Solace Opening Scene analysis

Quantum of Solace Opening Scene analysis (Action)

The opening scene of Quantum of Solace starts with the opening credits depicting the companies who created the movie including Metro Goldwyn Manor and film giants Columbia, in term showing the audience the quality of the companies involved helps sell the movie to the audience. It also allows the audiences to connect with any other movies made by the companies, it brings publicity and viewers from the companies best movies and respective audiences.

The opening scene is introduced with an establishing shot of the setting which in this case is an island the protagonist is currently centered on and gradually zooms in to add effect, this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. The camera view then interchanges between close ups of different parts of a car and the scenery gradually zooming in which helps layer the scene and adds the necessary structure and stability needed for the audience to assume that this is in fact a car chase; which is a common occurrence in the action film genre and allows us as the audience to expect certain elements from this film from the very start. Eventually the camera begins to focus on different close ups of a man which we would immediately assume is the protagonist in the movie and cuts between the close ups on the man and the cars involved in the car chase which are in fact an Aston Martin DBS V12 and an Alfa Romeo 159. As the camera focuses on the short cut scenes of the cars, main character and the scenery, it helps add emphasis on the speed in which they are travelling and gives a slightly tense atmosphere as a tracking shot follows the action of the car chase to reveal to the audience what is happening, helping to further engage the audience into the movie.

Sound is very important within an action film as it helps set the tone, mood and atmosphere of the movie. Non-diegetic sound is used to reflect the narratives events such as the wind and immersive atmosphere in which the movie is set. At the beginning of the opening scene there is a tense music being played which helps set the scene of the film as the audience is introduced to the main protagonist. The music then cuts into diegetic sound which is used in the scenes involving the cars as the audience can hear the engine noises and gun fire in the car chase which helps add emphasis onto the action hero which is very typical of the action movie genre. It reveals to the audience the main character and some sort of  hidden villain; in which the audience can infer that this is not he main antagonist which is usually present in action movies who are in some sort of gun battle.This helps immerse the audience straight away in what is unfolding in the scene and allows them to relate this movie to others of the action genre. As the music is reintroduced inot the scene it adds effect and structure to the scene, providing a background to the car chase which helps provide a high tempo feel to the car chase which helps infer to the audience the speed at which they are travelling.

The main character is introduced in the opening scene when the there is a close up of different facial features of his face. The audience recognizes that he is the main character through the use of the camera shots that they are involved in. The main character is introduced through the car chase as they show him attempting to flee from armed pursuers which helps the audience relate this character to other action heroes throughout the genre. The audience would also recognize the characters individual skill at both driving and shooting; qualities usually associated with an hero in the action genre. This could help the audience think of what the protagonists profession or where he got his set of military grade skills from. The audience can see that the character is wearing a type of suit which reflects his high standards of himself and shows the audience that he may be in a high quality job. This is typical of the action genre as the hero is normally shown as a strong, muscular character or a slightly more sophisticated, tactical character. However either way the action hero is normally very masculine and Quantum of Solace is no exception. 

Certain enigmas are used in the opening scene of Quantum of Solace such as the choice of the director to not feature a proper full camera view of the main character which may leave the audience to assume what he may look like. The audience want to know what will happen to the main character after the supposed car chase ended and at the end of the opening scene the audience is left with questions unanswered as another character is introduced and the audience will be curious at what significance the character will hold in the scenes afterwards.

 Noticeable cliches are used in the opening scene of Quantum of Solace including the use of action scenes such as car chases and gun fire to help emphasize the qualities of the film and how it relates to the action genre. The opening scene also shows a lack of gun skills of the pursuers at their inability to hit the hero in multiple situations involving the protagonist, this is typical of an action film as they want to contrast the protagonists skills for the movie to the otherwise incapable gunmen, helping show the audience the vast power and skill of this action movie hero. This engages the audience as they recognize these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative of the scene.



The Expendables 2 Opening Scene Analysis

 The Expendables 2 Opening Scene Analysis (Action)



Sound is very important within an action film as the constant use of diegetic sounds help set the tone of the movie and helps add emphasis to the mood and atmosphere for the audience. Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events of the film such as the attempted breakout of a man being tortured in the opening scene. Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characters in the different armed convoys, it reveals to the audience the close relationships between the main characters and helps the audience relate to the characters more, this shows that the action genre often relies on more than one character to help carry the plot of the film and they often are very closely bonded.

An establishing shot is used to show the audience the setting of the opening scene which in this case is a desert village, this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. A close-up shot is used to show the characters different thoughts and opinions of the events unfolding around them, and also helps allow the audience to understand more of the connections between the characters as you can here the dialogue between the characters. A two-shot is used of the characters played by Jason Statham and Jet Li to show the relationship between the characters. A tracking shot follows the action of the armed convoy as it moves along the desert to reveal to the audience the direction and speed in which they are travelling which helps immerse the audience in the films world. This engages the audience in the array of gunfire and violence and may allow the audience to relate this action movie to others.

The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when it zooms in on the armed convoys, the audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of their dialogue between eachother and the wide array of camera shots that they are involved in.

Certain enigmas are used in the opening scene of the Expendables 2 such as the puzzles about the characters bonds outside of the current event which is happening, this makes the audience curious as they wish to find out more about the characters and allows them to easily become immersed in the situation the characters are placed in. The audience wants to know what will happen to the characters after they successfully break into this stone building with their armed convoy and this allows them to relate more to the characters if they feel a sense of familiarity with the characters due to the dialogue between the characters and how they look out for eachother.

In the opening the audience can see that the characters are wearing some sort of military uniform, this hows the audience that they may have some sort of training and so they have skills in army related missions in their lives. They also happen to wear the uniforms in a messy fashion which infers to the audience they may be ex-military due to some sort of discharged from duty. The uniform often shows the muscle of the main characters (Stallone, Statham etc) to show the masculinity of the film, this is typical of the action genre as they tend to make the characters very muscular and this helps the audience to relate these characters to others from previous movies in the action genre.

Noticeable cliches are used in the opening scene as they use an extensive amount of gunfire and heavy duty vehicles to help emphasise the action genre qualitites in the film, this engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the story.

The Expendables 2 Opening Scene

Genre Descriptions

Genre Descriptions

Genre	Conventions	Film Titles
action	Main hero and villain, Lots of Explosions, fight scenes, chase sequence between the protagonist and antagonistic character, violence, exotic locations	Mission Impossible The Bourne Identity Fast and the Furious Saving Private Ryan James Bond
Horror	Gore, jump scares, paranormal entities, suspense filled moments, creatures, creepy locations	Sinister Insidious The Ring Paranormal Activity
Comedy	Funny, contains jokes, awkward situations, a light atmosphere is present	The Dictator The Inbetweeners Bruce Almighty
Adventure	Usually contains fantasy elements, likeable characters, an ultimate goal for the protagonist.	The Hobbit Lord of the Rings
Romance	Usually involves a male and female lead, normally the man Is tasked to win over the women, kissing and other signals of love are present	Titanic Romeo and Juliet The Notebook



Favourite Film Genre

 

My Favourite Film Genre

 

 

My favourite film genre is action as I enjoy the special effects and physicallity of the storylines and how it is portrayed on the big screen. I enjoy the cgi involved in the movies as it adds a sense of realism but it is also normally exaggerated to add effect to the film.

Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist (main character) are put through a series of challenges including extended fighting scenes, violence and normally some sort of chase scene. the action genre normally consists of the "hero" battling against all sorts of different challenges and tasks and usually has to defeat a "villain" in which they normally win.

Advancements in cgi make the creation of action films and their sequences a lot easier and cheaper to make. The genre is closely associated with the thriller and adventure film genres, and it may also contain elements of spy fiction and espionage. The action film genre is split into many different sub-genres including: action comedy, action thriller, action horror, sci-fi action, disaster films, martial arts, spy and superhero films.

The action film genre has many notable actors spanning across the decades such as: Steve McQueen, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris and Clint Eastwood from the 1950s to 1980s, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvestor Stallone, Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford all had major parts in an action film between the 1990s and 2000s. Several actresses have also taken the main role in an action film including Lucy Liu and Milla Jovovich, most recently however actors such as Matt Damon, Jason Statham and Colin Farrell have all become involved in the action movie genre.

As well as actors and actresses involved, directors have played a pivotol role in the development of action films throughout the film industry. Notable directors include: James Cameron, Michael Bay and  Robert Rodriguez have all contributed a wide variety of films to help increase the number and quality of action films in general.

Some notable films which i really enjoy in the action movie genre are the mission impossible film series, the fast and the furious film series, the Bourne film series and the x-men film series as all possess a highly qaulified cast, a good storyline, strong acting and very good cgi which really helps me enjoy the films overall.