SH: Opening Sequence Analysis

Mission Impossible II (Woo 2000)

This opening sequence is effective as it throws the viewer straight into the heart of the storyline, about what the character is about to involve himself in over the course of the film.

Technical Analysis

• A combination of camera, sound, mise-en-scene and editing are used to create the opening scene. The camera work which creates effect uses a 360 degree pan around the protagonist this is a good effect to use, the audience feel as if they are 'examining' the character and hightens the sense of action.

• The editing of the scene helps to make it seem much more dramatic with the use of both slow and fast paced editing at times of intense action, as this is done in the opening scene with moments of extreme sense of action through fast paced editing it sets the pace of the action for the rest of the film. This is an idea I would consider using in our own opening scene.

• Mise-en-scene includes a location that has an obvious portrayal of action or drama embeds the sense of abnormalism to this character as he is shown doing his dangerous hobby. The idea of fully showing someones inner details of their character, or at least hinting them is very important to an opening scene.

• The clip is fairly heavy with non-diegetic sound which is fairly conventional of a film opening as they often contain some sort of music to set the tone of the film. In this case the dramatic music matches the genre. This idea would help us to create our opening sequence if we included non-diagetic sound in the background.