Analysis of an opening scence- Jaws

Jaws
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8SnZmUjhAA - The URL to watch the clip.

Mise-en-scene 

Location/setting:

 On the first opening scene of the film it is set on a beach at night with the sea in view of the shot.  There is a party going on, with a girl and a boy highlighted, to start the film.  The girl runs off to the sea to have a swim.  From the girl going for a swim at night the audience gets a feeling that something will happened to her as the scene is set at night.  Being night, this is a typical feature that starts in thriller films so this film jaws has started of the film in a typical thriller way.  The setting indicates tension and suspense- all of which are typical features of thrillers. Because there is a party, the audience gets the impression that the opening characters are young, properly college students. Props make the scene what it is by the fire, which make the scene feel like a party. The characters are drinking beer, as beer bottles are associated with partying, this prop makes the film feel more a college student party. The setting make the audience continue to watch the film to see what events will unfold. This is a realistic location as college students do go for beach parties, and some people do go for a night swim.

Costume:

The costume involved in this are the clothes the young people are wearing. From there clothes and hair styles the audience gets a the theme that it is set in 1975.  Also from the clothes you can tell that it is beach scene as the clothes are beach wear of which the girls are wearing.  What the girl wears (Chrissie) when she is running towards the sea indicates that she is going for a swim.

Lighting

The main source of light that the audience can see is the light from the fire, the corners of the frame are dull and the sea is dark but can been seen to the audience so they know the sea is there. The mood created is tension and suspense as this scene is in night.  The lighting does indicate genre, because the opening of the is scene is set at night, a typical feature of thriller.     

Figure/expression and movement

At the beginning a boy is looking at a girl at the party, he goes over and starts to talk to her.  From this moment you can see the relationship is forming. It is not an ever so important relationship as it sets the film up for the audience. From the girl running into the sea with the girl running after him, this creates a short burst of tension as to whether or not he will get to the girl before the shark gets the girl.    

The main characters:

There are 3 main characters, a man who supplies a boat, a policeman, and a marine biologist. The policeman is introduced at the beginning to sort out this shark problem.

Camera shots

Two shot is used at the beginning for the film for the boy and girl to establish their relationship. 

Genre:

The genre of this film is a thriller. It stays true to the genre by building suspense when the great white shark will attack; it creates suspense by the music it plays which gets faster and louder as the shark approaches the victim, that could die (in most of the film when the shark approaches the victim normally does die). The audience knows when the music is played that the shark will attack but even when it does happen it does shock the audience- which is what the thriller genre does. The setting the jaws is different to an normal thriller with being set in the sea although the 3 characters are alone at sea- which is another type of feature that a thriller has- to build suspense and tension for the audience which is a typical feature of the thriller film.

Analyze a Opening scene 1- Supernatural

Media work:  Analyze a supernatural thriller:  -.

My chosen TV Show: Supernatural

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMwGnF8Q8jo- the URL to watch the clip.

Mise-en-scene.   

Location- As the film title suggest the Clip is about all things super natural, the location in this clip is set in some form of shed or garage that looks old and empty until they characters turn up. There is star painted on the wall which is normally associated with pagan festivals and dark magic. The setting encourages for something to happen which will make the audience jump, which fits to the genre: Thriller.

Props- Props that are used in the film are old pipes, barrows, paint pots, an old table. Typical things that anyone will find in an old garage, basically junk to make the setting feel more lifelike.  The clothes that the characters are wearing indicate some social status in their lives, for instance they are wearing normal clothes eg T-shirt and jeans. This makes the situation they are in more lifelike and more realistic to the audience.

Costume- The man in the suit, in this scene this could mean that he has more power than the 2 boys, so the suit adds to image of ‘power’, and because the other two are wearing just normal clothes he looks more upper class, and with the upper class status there often comes power over ordinary people but this a supernatural thriller and the suit just adds to his image.   

Lighting- The lighting in this clip is very dull and dark, especially in the corners of the room. The reason for this kind of lighting is for the audience to fell a dark atmosphere, create a mood, and to make it almost scary at the thought that something might jump out any second.  

Use of colour: The colours used in this clip are dull and dark, again to make a dark atmosphere for the TV show. The TV show is about all things supernatural and normally colours associated with the theme are often dark and gloomy, which is incorporated in the clip.   

Character Positioning- There are 4 characters in this scene, 2 of them is the main character and the one with the baseball cap on is on their side (only in this episode) the man in suit is the ‘bad guy’. The 3 ‘good guys’ or Protagonist are standing opposite him. The Bad guy (in this scene) has a hold over the good guys, as you can tell by their body language, The protagonists are going on their knees-bowing down to him .The audience can tell that the 3 characters dislike the man in the suit, by the body language they give out- which is negative and by the facial expressions they look angry and nervous of the events that unfold.

Camera Shots/Angles- The main shots that are used are: 

      Bird’s eye view- 0.06-0.07 (time) 

      Medium close up- though out the film 

      Two shot-0.04-0.05 (time)

      Close up- Part of a conversation though out the clip 

      Over the shoulder shot   

(These camera shots are used a lot in this clip, so many times that I could say the exact times) 

Sound-

The sound used in this clip is Digenetic (the character can hear the sound). There is no Non-Digenetic music in this clip.

Movement:

There is not much movement in this clip. The 3 protagonists are in one corner and the antagonist is on the other side of the shed/garage. The only other movement is when 2 of the 3 characters go on their knees. The feelings/atmosphere that comes through is the good guys are nervous at the events that will unfold, this makes the audience  tense at the action that will happen. You can also tell that the charaters are nervous because their facial expressions show that they are nervous, the audience can see this and will react to this.