Deconstruction of Film Opening: Gone

DECONSTRUCTION OF FILM OPENING: GONE

Unfortunately I could not find the opening sequence to Gone on YouTube therefore meaning that I deconstructed it using the DVD that I have, due to this I cannot put a copy of the opening onto this blog post.

Camera Angles:
The opening scene of Gone uses a large range of camera angles. The most common camera angle used is a high angle however, we do see a few birds eye view shots and extremely low angle shots. All of these camera angles are appropriate because they clearly show the audience what is in the shot, even though the viewers do not understand why this is present at this stage in the movie. The low angles simply show the mise en scène in the shot, these consist of point of view shots of the female character in the scene looking up to the trees but in an interesting way that is disorientating for the viewer, this increases tension and suspense because the audience are trying to actually recognise what they see as well as understand it. The birds eye view and high angles are used to show what is happening in the shot, they are used because they are the only angles that enable the viewers to see a specific detail or surroundings in the shot, they are also effective due to the fact that they give the audience a different perspective.

Camera Framing:
It is mostly long shots and extreme long shots that make up the opening sequence of Gone, this is very effective because it gives the viewers a very wide view of the scene and suggests that the setting and location is significant which supports the common use of a long shots which is to establish the location for the scene. However, some close-up shots are used in this sequence to increase the suspense by showing the audience specific things, for example when the female character leans on the tree for support as she ventures through the woodland. Throughout the whole opening scene everything links together which is clear to the audience, the long shots of the forest make it obvious where this is set. 

 

Camera Movement:
The majority of this opening sequence is made up of camera movement, the mostly pans or tilts, the occasional bit of handheld movement can also be seen in point of view shots of the female character or when the illusion of someone watching her is present.  The mise en scène in these shots include the trees and forest land. However, some shots in the sequence are still which is very effective when the mise en scene and contents of the shot are moving, for example when there is water.

Mise en scène:
Not a lot of different props are used in the opening scene of Gone, the audience do not know why they are being used and what for at this moment in the film, they will find out more later in the scene, this mise en scène is relevant to the movie. For example, the female character, Jill, has a map of the park/forest and stops by a park bench to section off an area of the map suggesting that that is where she has walked that morning. This is effective because it gives the viewer a minor insight to the mystery in the film and captures their attention due to the fact that they want to know why she is mapping the woods and how this is relevant to the plotline. Furthermore, the scene is located in a large forest land that has tall trees and rocks, this combined with the lake/pond creates a tranquil environment that is juxtaposed with the title, genre and nature of the movie.

Editing: 
Overall, the editing in this sequence is very slow due to the fact that no major act happens that affects the plot greatly, therefore the slow editing paired with the sound is very effective because it rapidly increases the mysterious element in the scene.

Typography:
The typography in the opening sequence of Gone is very simple in white writing, the colour white is used for practical reasons; to be seen, but could also represent Jill as innocent and pure foreshadowing that she is the victim in the film. In addition, the font of the small writing could be due to the fact that the director wants the audience to draw their attention to what is happening in the scene rather than the opening credits. This is also supported by the random placing of the typography that appears which draws the viewers attention to the whole screen.

Sound: 
The sound in this film opening is constructed of non-diegetic parallel music that is composed of a slow and eerie melody, this fits in with what the audience can see which emphasises the mysterious atmosphere in the sequence. Furthermore, this melody picks up towards the end of the scene where a rapid piano and violin melody is introduced, this accompanied by the onscreen diegetic sound of her car dramatically increases the tension in the scene and makes it clear to the audience that the opening scene is about to end. Other sounds that can be heard in this sequence are onscreen diegetic noises, for example her footsteps, bird noises, the map and pen and the waters strong current. In addition, there is not speaking in the scene which continues to grab the viewers attention because it results in them having to watch the scene to find out what is happening.

Lighting:
The lighting in the opening sequence of Gone is very natural due to the setting and location of the forest land, this is also very effective due to the fact that it creates many shadows in the scene which add to the eerie vibe and mysterious element of the film, specifically its opening scene.