James Bond Quantum of Solace: Film Opening Analysis

Mise-en-scene is used in the opening scene to help set the scene and create an idea of place. It starts when we see an establishing shot across a lake. We see mountain ranges too. It zooms in across the lake before we enter a tunnel. In this tunnel we see and hear the cars. This is when we first see James Bond. Also during the opening scene we see an area that is being developed and has people working on it. After the car chase, Bond arrives in Sienna, Italy. This is where the opening scene ends in an underground secret tunnel.

Establishing shot over lake at beginning.

High key lighting is used mainly. However, although it isn't dark during the tunnel scene, it is slightly darker as this makes it look verisimilitude as it would be in real life. The audience can still make out the different characters though. This makes it easy for the audience to understand what's happening, especially because the scene is going at such a fast pace.

The camera is used throughout very effectively. Mainly we see eye level shots and we therefore get the car drivers point of view during the car chase. We do also get low angle and high angle shots based on the situation and whether people were in danger or whether they were dominant. It helps show to the audience power. An establishing shot is used at the very beginning over the lake and also when Bond arrives in Sienna. The camera shots have been chosen carefully to enable the best viewing experience from an audience perspective but also to help make it seem most realistic.

Variety of shots of the car were used throughout.

Discontinuous editing is used in the opening scene. This is because to start with we get lots of jump cuts showing off the vehicle Bond is driving. However as we get further into the opening scene it becomes continuous and easier to follow. The discontinuous editing makes the text seem very bitty and jumpy however is needed to show the intensity of the piece. The continuous editing makes it easier to follow as an audience as it makes things happen in chronological order and easier to understand.

Sound is all the way throughout the opening scene. The majority of sound is non-diegetic, such as car engines, gun shots and James Bond theme tune at the end. There was also diegetic sounds such as dialogue for instance between the police officers via walkie talkie. This sound all helps make the piece more interesting and is vital to keep audiences engaged. Also its important as without it people wouldn't know what was going on.

The film falls under the genres of:

• Action
• Adventure
• Crime

The film has certain stereotypes that all three of these genres need to include in order to be classified within this genre. Action is the main genre, the other two being known as slight sub-genres. But this is up to debate and personal opinion.

This film is classified as a 12A. This means no one younger than 12 can view this film, unless accompanied by an adult. This therefore makes me believe that this film is quite mass market, as they have tried to include most ages, however I'd say mainly its targeted at teenagers and young adults. I would also argue it may be slightly male gender specific and could be targeted at this certain demographic more so than woman.

It was produced by Columbia pictures and distributed by them too. This means all the money they got from the film went directly back to them. This is beneficial because it means they don't lose any money. However, only big companies have the capabilities to do this. Being a large, well-known company, and also being a well-known sequence of films, audiences have high expectations for these films. Also though people immediately want to see these films, meaning not much advertisement is needed. this is both beneficial and a negative for the company because it means people will want to see the film no matter what, however being a large company, expectations are high and if it isn't as good as they expect, they will feel very let down.

Production company title at beginning of film.