Opening Sequence

I have researched the opening sequence of action/thriller film in order to learn and understand what is used to create tension and convey meanings in a short ssequence.

I have decided to analyse the film 'The Amazing Spider-man' as it is a film from the action section in terms of genre.

Lighting:
The lighting used in the sequence is mostly artificial, as most of the opening sequence is set inside a house.The lighting is not used for special effects such as creating shadows so in terms of lighting, not many interesting points can be made.

Setting:
The setting is a big old house. This suggests to the audience that this part of the film is set in the past and is only a flashback of the main character. The size of the house also tells the audience how lonely the little boy is in the first two minutes of the sequence, as he is looking for his dad but cannot find him. The setting is realistic and details on set such as pictures and paintings on walls or even glasses perhaps makes the audience forget it is a fictional film.

Make-up:
The opening sequence of the film is not perticularly rich in make-up as the only character on screen is a little boy. In order to make the boy look as natural as possible the use of make-up had to be minimal therefore there are not many point that i could analyse in this section.

Costume:
The costume in the sequence tells the audience many facts about the character on screen. The costume that the little boy is wearing: Long sleeved vest with sleeves rolled up which says that the parents care about the little boy dressing him up nicely but the kid doesn't really care and just wants to perhaps play around. The boy is not wearing any socks or shoes which suggests to the audience that the boy perhaps has a day off school and wants to play with his parents and is so excited there is no time to put socks on. The boy is also wearing trousers clean and ironed, which suggests to the audience that the parents of the boy want him to look smart and formal as well as clean.

Props:
Although there is only one prop in the sequence, it tells the audience a lot. The glasses which the boy picks up are the same as his fathers on a family photo suggesting that they belong to him. The boy puts the glasses on which suggest he wants to be like his dad in the future, looking up to his dad. The glasses also help the boy perhaps see better which links to the game of hide and seek he is currently playing. He treats the glasses with extra respect which suggests that he really values his dad not only as a parent but also as an idol.

Music:
The music is very slow and mysterious, building the feeling in the audience as if something bad is about to take place. The music is rather sad, perhaps making the audience sympathyse with the little child who cannot find his parents. The music is the theme soundtrack of the whole film which suggest that it the whole story of 'spider-man' started back then.