The first close up of an angry, barking dog framed clearly inside a rusted cage introduces the film as a startling thriller which will most definitely involve danger and some form of violence.
The high angle used as the man is putting wellington boots on his feet could then suggest that his deeds are being looked down on, which clearly involve mud and dirt since he needs to put on this type of footwear. Accompanied by the lack of non-diegetic music and parallel diegetic sound of the dog barking in the background, an eerie atmosphere is created that makes the audience expect danger and feel fearful for what is about to take place.
The medium shot of the man then putting his coat on, is the first time the audience find out who the character is and get a feel of what sort of character he may be. The fact that he looks unwashed due to the dirt on his face could suggest to the audience that he is a labourer, meaning he knows how to handle himself, and obviously the dog he has locked in a cage outside his home. Therefore, the audience get the feeling that this character is dangerous and that whoever him and the dog are paying a visit may want to play their cards very right.
The last shot taken near this character's home is a reverse tracking shot which slowly speeds up as the character begins to walk. The framing of this shot is perfect in emphasising the isolated area that the film is set in, and evokes a sense of worry in the audience because tension is built through the isolated scene and ever-growing fast pace of the tracking shot.
To contrast with the last few scenes, the eye level shot in high key lighting emphasises the light colours the Priest is wearing representing pure holiness and innocence; very different to the dull, murky natural lighting of the previous scenes. This suggests that the next character the audience have been introduced to is unlike the initial character, and the audience place more trust in this character because of this.
However, the next low angle shot suggests otherwise, as the priest is framed in the centre and presented as a god-like figure, with a man framed to the left of the screen, highlighting the emptiness of the holy building which creates a sense of confusion and suspense, since these buildings are usually filled with people.
Throughout this opening sequence, very little dialogue takes place and there is a lack of non-diegetic music to fill the sound gaps, nevertheless this means the director is able to make the audience feel uncertain and kept on the edge of their seats waiting for something to happen. In spite of this, however, the shot following the church scene makes use of the very loud and aggressive, contrapuntal diegetic noise of machinery being used to make the sharp pointy tool, framed in the centre of the screen. This close up shot shows fire sparks flying off of the tool as it is sharpened, which suggests threat.
Later in the sequence, low key lighting is used to create very dark shadowing for the underground scene, which presents a male character being disturbed and panicking about the three characters that were met earlier in the sequence. The use of this lighting allows the character to stay a mystery to the audience, making them question who he is and why he is being hunted.
The use of a tunnel vision effect added in post-production to act as the point of view of the man living underground who is using a tube to view above ground adds to the tension the audience are already feeling as they wait to see how close the other characters are to discovering this man.
Towards the end of the sequence, the editing becomes a lot more fast-paced and quick cuts are used to switch between the two different sets of characters (the huntsmen and the male trying to escape), which helps to build suspense and panic within the audience who automatically hope for the man to get away without being caught due to the fact that the other three characters have been portrayed in a somewhat creepy manner.
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