Analysis of 3 Opening Sequences

1.The Godfather

Plot Summary: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Camera Angles

The opening sequence of ’The Godfather' begins with a close up shot of a character that seems to be sharing his thoughts and feelings to the viewers. As time goes by we see a range of shots, for example, mid, long, and over the shoulder. These shots are gradually portrayed in the opening scene to show that his not actually talking to the audience but there is someone else there Vito Corleone. The over the shoulder shot is what shows that he is talking to someone else. As the shots change we also learn of the location which is set in an office.

Sound
The first piece of sound you hear is a non digetic trumpet. This suggests a sad start to the film. The next piece of sound you hear is a voice over by the first character on screen. The characters accent is a strong Italian accent.

Mise-en-Scene
The male character shown at the beginning is wearing a black and white suit. The suit could suggest a sense of high class and wealth. However this could also suggest death as the colour black is traditionally associated to funerals.

Editing
The only editing I managed to pick up on in the opening sequence is the fade from the black screen during the voice over. This fade leads to the close up of the character who is speaking. And from then on we no longer hear the non-digetic trumpet.





2.The Lion King


Plot Summary
A young lion prince is born in Africa, making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, resulting in   him becoming King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years he returns home to claim the kingdom.

Camera Angles
The opening sequence of 'The Lion King' begins with a master shot. In this master shot we are able to learn the location of the movie (Africa). Also we see the sun rising which suggests the time of day. Then we get a lot of close up and mid-shots of different animals making their way to see the new born prince, Simba.

Sound
The opening sequence uses non-digetic music. The music also relates to the setting. Having the song in a different language emphasizes the African theme being portrayed in the film.

 Mise-en-Scene
In the opening sequence we see all the other animals making their way to see the new born prince. When the animals arrive, they are greeted by a male lion that seems to have high authority over the rest of the animals. Then when the other animals are shown the cub they all bow. A low angle shot used in this scene. This suggests power as the other animals are forced to look up. From then we see the lioness stroking her cub. This emphasizes the typical gender roles, of women looking after the children whilst the men go out.

Editing

The only editing I manage to pick up on is the fade of the music as a religious ritual is performed on the cub.


3. Blade 

Plot Summary
A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.


Camera Angles 
The opening sequence of Blade is shot in a club. Because of this, a range of shots are used. For instance, a close-up shot is used two minutes in the film, whereby the guy spots that there's blood dripping from the ceiling. Then at 3minutes 25 seconds we see a low angle shot being used. This low angle shot is used to show Blade's power and authority among the other people.


Sound
The first two minutes of the opening sequence all we can hear is techno music which sets the scene of the club. Although the music is playing we can also still hear people cheering. We then hear a guy greeting someone and cheering afterwards.When Blade enters the club thats when the music stops and all we can hear is this eerie music which builds up tension.

Mise-en-Scene
Blade is wearing an all black costume whereas everyone else in the scene they all have a range of different clothing and colours. However, the fact that he is the only character in the openin g scene with an all balck costume suggest that he's the main character. Also the black suggests danger.

Editing
At the beginning of this opening sequence their opening credits in a bright, red, bold,  font.