Opening Scene- James Bond: Skyfall

Within media, film makers produce a 2-5 minute introductory scene which is presented to the audience at the very beginning of the viewing; this clip is often referred to as the 'opening scene' or the 'title sequence'. Typically, within the first initial moments of the film the audience is introduced to a main character as the opening credits are also presented. Within this time, the characters role/status also becomes prominent towards the audience which allows them to form a fondness or a disliking towards them, depending on their agenda. However, it is also possible to take a more aesthetically pleasing approach by making the title sequence more artistic; by doing to you can captivate the attention of the audience and keep them guessing rather than entering straight into the initial storyline. Most opening sequences also contain a symbol/sign/song which will later be associated with the film itself and should hopefully be recognisable as an icon depending on the success and popularity of the film itself, e.g. The Hunger Games introduces the Mockingjay which later becomes an iconic symbol in association with the film; this symbol is now recognised even by those who have not personally seen the films themselves.

The scene begins underwater creating a tense atmosphere almost instantaneously. It then continues to fill the screen with intense shades of dark blue, black and blood red. The audience is given their first glance at the main character (in which he can be identified as an actor via facial features) through the use of a target; already the film is introduced as an action thriller whilst also alluding to violence and conflict. The audience is then introduced to a female character although it can be inferred that she is not as important in the hierarchy of characters as the editing uses a jump cut to quickly revert attention from the females face, reinforcing the lack of importance; the camera focuses on her body rather than her face through the use of a tracking shot down the length of her entire body. It is also of great significance that she is present only in silhouette which presents elements of seduction as well as alluding to a mysterious and possibly toxic romance. As the credits are presented within the frame the mise-en-scene is extremely symbolic as the weapons that are falling to the sea bed turn into headstones of graves; this psychological imagery indicates the violence and tragedy that could be present within the film itself as it represents loss, death and consequence. The clip then enters vibrant shades of red which is an indexical sign that represents blood; this reinforces the violence present. There is then an extreme close-up of the main characters eyes which connotes feelings of intensity. It then goes on to present the main character in conflict with his own shadows; it can be interpreted that this allows the audience to presume that there will be elements of betrayal and the question of trust present within the film. The opposing element of fire is then introduced; the most natural contrast of fire vs. water represents the conflict/battle which is obviously a main theme within the film due to the numerous symbolic references. Feelings of betrayal are reinforced through the use of mirrors as the main character shows signs of defense, even against his own reflection; it could be argued that the lifestyle in which is focused on throughout the film could also induce feelings of paranoia.