We watched the opening few minutes of Terminator 2, we had to analyse it in as much detail possible and make notes on the camera shots, sound, editing and mise-en-scene and how effective it is in making the opening sequence seem realistic and look good and suit the genre well.
This is an analysis of Terminator 2 in as much detail as i could do.
It starts with a Long shot of busy roads with lots of cars driving past, we focus on the cars for awhile and also at the same time the producers appear in the center of the screen with a simple font and the colour was white. We then see a mid shot of the backs of the cars and people walking around them. People are passing in front of the camera as if it does no exist and to make the shot seem realistic, the sound used is non-digetic, it sounds very sincere and tense it is also very slow and makes the audience feel insecure. It then cuts to a shot of a girl who is on a swing, she is center of the screen and we focus on her for awhile, this shot is a medium shot so we can see some more children playing in the park around her which shows that it is still a very busy location, it also makes it seem more realistic again like it is everyday life. The girl is also laughing enjoying herself, As she swings back and forth on the swing we follow her movement so we feel part of this shot. More titles then appear the same font in the center of the frame producers, directors. We then see the girl swinging backwards and forwards again without titles. The sound builds up to add tension as it gets louder and louder, the sound effects of the laughter changes, instead of sounding happy like at first it now sounds echoed and unsettling, it makes the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable as the laughter becomes more scary and tense. The image of her swinging then becomes slow motion as the music and her laughter builds up like a crescendo, the image fades like it is being saturated into the light, The girl on the swing throws her head back which looks very spooky and dangerous as she is up in the air her body is covered in white like she has been lost in the white sheet. The music then builds up one last time loud and tense and then there is silence, the girl disappeared and the music stopped. The next shot is a mid shot of a car in darkness (possibly a car from the start). Everything is dark dead and burned. The car is melted with a human body sitting in the driver seat, there is a slight wind sound which sends chills down your spine but still makes the atmosphere silent/dead. Titles appear to show that the time has changed. The camera then moves sideways to reveal more around the first image and looks like the scene that once was a busy road. It is deserted and everything is burnt trees, cars and people. It then fades and moves on to another image abit further along, it shows a long distance of the scene and we see more cars and skeletons in the background. We then have a shot of the playground that we had seen afew shots ago but it looked completely different. The sudden change in colour from the bright white light to the dark blue navy dull colour shows the contrast in the colours and how colours can change the feel of the film. There is non-digetic talking (Narration) of a woman's voice, it is not welcoming or a happy toned voice, it is dull and spooky which adds the tension of the film, she tells the audience about what has happened in the past and tells more about the meaning of the film. The music starts quiet and is very slow and sounds like music to fit the word misery, this goes with the sad low woman's voice, the music and narration then stops, back to silence. We then come across some skulls on a row on the floor from the playground, we then focus on this one skull (close up shot) which could be the girl from the beginning on the swing. Then we have a very effective bit of sound over silence which makes the audience jump out of there skin as a mechanical foot stamps on the skull we are focusing on and makes a loud crush/thump sound, the music then starts again to add to the tension. We then have a moving up shot of the foot on the skull up the body and we see the robotic face and in the background we can see lights. The fighting between the people and mechanical people then starts, with lights coming from the guns and sound effects of the futuristic guns. The sound effects are very robotic. There is uneasy droning music that makes the audience engage in the fighting more. Special effects are used which are the fighting, shooting, lights and fire. We then have a range of different faster paced shots of them fighting such as close up, medium and long shots. There are some of the burnt cars being thrown about, the thought that this was once a busy place with happy everyday people buzzing around and now that it is a graveyard and now a battlefield adds to the action of the film and the misery. There is another voice over and the music gets louder and drums kick in, the image then fades to fire and the titles start again, we see the main actors name and then the name of film appears right in the center of the screen and does not come off, it just zooms out until it disappears of the screen, meanwhile at the same time the other actors and actresses appear on the screen with the white simple font. We then see afew shots of the playground at different angles which is in flames.
There are not many camera shots in this opening sequence but there are lots of use of effective sound and special effects which make this opening sequence very good. We will not be able to have special effects to make our opening sequence look professional but we can be creative with what we can do.
Overall, I think this is a very good opening sequence and will help us with our own one. This is very similar in genre as it is Action/Science Fiction. If we make our shots effectively and look good for the action genre we can achieve making our opening sequence realistic.
This is an analysis of Terminator 2 in as much detail as i could do.
It starts with a Long shot of busy roads with lots of cars driving past, we focus on the cars for awhile and also at the same time the producers appear in the center of the screen with a simple font and the colour was white. We then see a mid shot of the backs of the cars and people walking around them. People are passing in front of the camera as if it does no exist and to make the shot seem realistic, the sound used is non-digetic, it sounds very sincere and tense it is also very slow and makes the audience feel insecure. It then cuts to a shot of a girl who is on a swing, she is center of the screen and we focus on her for awhile, this shot is a medium shot so we can see some more children playing in the park around her which shows that it is still a very busy location, it also makes it seem more realistic again like it is everyday life. The girl is also laughing enjoying herself, As she swings back and forth on the swing we follow her movement so we feel part of this shot. More titles then appear the same font in the center of the frame producers, directors. We then see the girl swinging backwards and forwards again without titles. The sound builds up to add tension as it gets louder and louder, the sound effects of the laughter changes, instead of sounding happy like at first it now sounds echoed and unsettling, it makes the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable as the laughter becomes more scary and tense. The image of her swinging then becomes slow motion as the music and her laughter builds up like a crescendo, the image fades like it is being saturated into the light, The girl on the swing throws her head back which looks very spooky and dangerous as she is up in the air her body is covered in white like she has been lost in the white sheet. The music then builds up one last time loud and tense and then there is silence, the girl disappeared and the music stopped. The next shot is a mid shot of a car in darkness (possibly a car from the start). Everything is dark dead and burned. The car is melted with a human body sitting in the driver seat, there is a slight wind sound which sends chills down your spine but still makes the atmosphere silent/dead. Titles appear to show that the time has changed. The camera then moves sideways to reveal more around the first image and looks like the scene that once was a busy road. It is deserted and everything is burnt trees, cars and people. It then fades and moves on to another image abit further along, it shows a long distance of the scene and we see more cars and skeletons in the background. We then have a shot of the playground that we had seen afew shots ago but it looked completely different. The sudden change in colour from the bright white light to the dark blue navy dull colour shows the contrast in the colours and how colours can change the feel of the film. There is non-digetic talking (Narration) of a woman's voice, it is not welcoming or a happy toned voice, it is dull and spooky which adds the tension of the film, she tells the audience about what has happened in the past and tells more about the meaning of the film. The music starts quiet and is very slow and sounds like music to fit the word misery, this goes with the sad low woman's voice, the music and narration then stops, back to silence. We then come across some skulls on a row on the floor from the playground, we then focus on this one skull (close up shot) which could be the girl from the beginning on the swing. Then we have a very effective bit of sound over silence which makes the audience jump out of there skin as a mechanical foot stamps on the skull we are focusing on and makes a loud crush/thump sound, the music then starts again to add to the tension. We then have a moving up shot of the foot on the skull up the body and we see the robotic face and in the background we can see lights. The fighting between the people and mechanical people then starts, with lights coming from the guns and sound effects of the futuristic guns. The sound effects are very robotic. There is uneasy droning music that makes the audience engage in the fighting more. Special effects are used which are the fighting, shooting, lights and fire. We then have a range of different faster paced shots of them fighting such as close up, medium and long shots. There are some of the burnt cars being thrown about, the thought that this was once a busy place with happy everyday people buzzing around and now that it is a graveyard and now a battlefield adds to the action of the film and the misery. There is another voice over and the music gets louder and drums kick in, the image then fades to fire and the titles start again, we see the main actors name and then the name of film appears right in the center of the screen and does not come off, it just zooms out until it disappears of the screen, meanwhile at the same time the other actors and actresses appear on the screen with the white simple font. We then see afew shots of the playground at different angles which is in flames.
There are not many camera shots in this opening sequence but there are lots of use of effective sound and special effects which make this opening sequence very good. We will not be able to have special effects to make our opening sequence look professional but we can be creative with what we can do.
Overall, I think this is a very good opening sequence and will help us with our own one. This is very similar in genre as it is Action/Science Fiction. If we make our shots effectively and look good for the action genre we can achieve making our opening sequence realistic.
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