Sunday, 7 December 2014

Jurassic Park opening scene and titles analysis



 Titles - Universal Picture Presents
            An Amblin Entertainment Production
            Jurassic Park





Camera - Jurassic Park uses a wide range of shots in the opening scene to create suspense and fear for what is in the crate. The first shot immediately creates tension, by showing the rustling leaves, making the audience wonder what is coming. The next camera angle is a central close-up of a blank mans face, and it works well because it draws the attention to the man, which enhances the anticipation, and adds to the build up. This specific event arises questions from the audience such as, 'What is he looking at?' 'Why is he looking so anxious?' When questions are asked by the audience it shows that particular image was effective. Throughout the first minute of the scene, the cameras alternate between the trees rustling and the crew, adding tension, then the camera zooms in on the main character with a shotgun, and the audience can identify him as the main character because he is wearing different clothes and looks more powerful. The shots used from within the cage are good as they make the audience wonder what is in the cage, and makes them realise that what is in there is dangerous. Furthermore, the slightly zoomed out shots of the crew and the cage depict that with the power and the force of the crew, they still struggle to contain the dinosaur in the cage, showing how dangerous it is. In addition, when the gatekeeper is knocked off the crate by the dinosaur, the pace of the shots quicken, adding to the suspense in this scene. More faraway shots are used, showing the chaos that the dinosaur has caused, and the crew trying to save the man that is being attacked by the dinosaur.
Mise en Scene - This scene is set in Costa Rica at night, and this is done to create more anticipation because their vision is limited. Moreover, it is it is gloomy with low fog, which also creates tension, as their vision would again be impaired. All the characters in the scene are carrying guns, which shows that what they are facing is dangerous, and adds to the audiences anticipation. The crew are all dressed in the same overalls, which shows that they are unimportant characters, however the main character (Muldoon) is dressed differently, indicating that he is a more important character.
Editing - This film is quite action packed and the editor does a good job of increasing the pace and tension through editing. In this first scene, when the man is attacked by the raptor, the editing quickens, adding to the tension and gets the audience off their seats. Furthermore, an eye line match is used at the end of the clip between Muldoon and the raptor, and it shows the fear in Muldoon's eyes at seeing the intelligence and strength of the raptor.
Sound - The sound and music in this scene is used to build up the tension throughout the scene, until the raptor escapes. At the start, everything is silent apart from the rustling of the leaves, which is eerie and it makes the audience anticipate what is going to emerge out of the trees. Raptor sound effects are added which are to unnerve to audience and make them wonder what is in the crate. The music that can be heard is brass instruments, and they are calm and quiet until the man is attacked, where the pitch, tempo, and volume increases, adding to the chaos in the scene.

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