Monday 21 October 2013

Pirates of the Caribbean opening scene analysis.



Sound - The clip opens with diegetic sound, that has a slight suspense to it. Over lapping this, there is another diegetic sound, with quite a jumpy ring to it. This automatically gives us an idea on the genre, we can already tell that this film isn't going to be a comedy. We then hear the sound of stormy weather; wind and creaking boards. During this, quietly we hear a young female singing a song, the closer we get to the boat the louder it gets. A young girl singing a melody is typically used in many scary films, as it creates an eerie effect. We hear some dialogue between a few people on board, they all seem to have a serious and even an angry tone to their voice at times. Along side with the diegetic sounds and the stormy noises, this helps add a sinister feel to the scene. This also steers us away from the idea of this being a comedy. When the umbrella is found in the water, we hear a ticking noise. This makes the viewers expect something to follow. A deeper sound then kicks in, making us realise that something dark and gloomy is about to happen. The beat of the music gets faster, showing us the panic and the movement on board. We also hear several men talking amongst each other, this also helps show the panic. When the young girl finds the necklace, we hear another diegetic noise, which sounds quite negative, making us realise that finding the necklace isn't a good thing. The music builds up towards the end, getting louder, it then suddenly cuts making us realise that is the end of that scene.

Camera - The first shot we see is a long shot of the ship slowly sailing towards us. The camera tilts up, zooms in on the little girl and then pans around the ship. This helps exaggerate the size of the ship in comparison to the young girl. The next shot is coming from behind her, the camera doesn't seem to be completely steady as it moves towards her. This shows us that someone is creeping up on her, but creates a slight mystery as we couldn't see who. We then see an over the shoulder shot, this shows us who was creeping up on her. There is then a medium shot of one of the men on board, this shows us not only the character but also the surroundings and what's going on in the background. At 2:00 there is a high angle showing us down to the water, this also helps exaggerate the size of the ship. We then see a close up of the boy in the water, the shot has been taken at sea level, letting the waves crash into the lens, making us realise that the sea is quite rough. At 2:14 medium shot of just their knees and below. This shows us the panic on the boat as we see a lot of legs moving quickly. At 2:30 we see a long shot of the men on board facing into the water, the camera then slowly pans up and over them revealing what they are looking at. This also creates a slight mystery as we want to know what they are looking at right away. This shot is then followed by a medium shot of three men, this lets us see their facial expressions. It is then followed by a long shot of the burning boat, the camera tilts down showing us the damaged parts in the sea. At 2:44 the camera slowly moves up and down giving the impression that the boat is swaying from the waves. At 2:56 the camera tracks the movement of one of the men, this helps reveal what is going on in the background. At 3:22 we see a low angle close up of the young girl, this shows us that the girl is looking down at the boy, this may not only suggest that she's looking down at him because he is laying down, but also maybe because she looking down on him because she is higher up in class than him. At 3:47 we see a close up of the boys necklace, this may suggest that it will play an important role throughout the film. At 4:23 we see an extreme close up of the girls eyes, the shot immediately changes to a close up of an older women's eyes, this connects the two characters as one.

Costumes - All the characters a dressed rather old fashioned, this helps show us what era the film is set in (18th century). All the men on board are dressed reasonable smart. However, the young boy that was found in the water's clothes are rather dirty. This also suggests that he is from a lower class.

Lighting - The lighting only seems to be natural light as it is set outside.

Actors - All actors seem to be men, this also helps understand the era, as women had very little rights. Therefor a women is unlikely to be found on board. Other than the young girl who contrasts with the rest, making us realise that she must be very important.

Make up - One of the men on boards face seems to be rather dirty, this may suggest that they have been travelling for quite a while as well as working on deck.

Settings - The scene is set on a ship. Although whereabouts the ship is, remains anonymous as the fog blocks out the surroundings.

Effects - There doesn't seem to be any noticeable effects.

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