Yasmin and Lauren Productions: March 2015

Deconstruction of Saw opening

SAW opening scene

At the beginning everything is dark and the diegetic sound of water can be heard, with the non diegetic eerie music, to accompany the opening title. The ambience is suspenseful. A medium shot of a man waking up in a bathtub is shown, allowing the audience to see the dark and dirty surroundings. The diegetic groaning and shouting of the man combined with the low key lighting creates a tense atmosphere. The off-screen deep voice gives a sense of mystery as the other man frantically looks round. When the lights are turned on, the blurry point-of-view shots give the audience a look at what the characters are experiencing. The first look at Dr Gordon, shows him as weak and vulnerable, looking around horrified, as he has his hands above his head, hiding under a metal bar. As his vision comes into focus, there's a fast tilt down, accompanied by a non diegetic wind instrument, so that the audience see what they are so shocked about- a dead body. The camera then zooms and spins upwards, in a comical way that contrasts the gruesome image. Fast paced straight cut editing is used to show the dead man's head wound and both hands, one of which has a gun, the other, a tape recorder. Straight cuts are used to show the different reactions of the two men, and as the dark-headed one starts to panic, the music intensifies, accompanied by the clanking of the chains which keep both men attached to opposite sides of the room. The camera movement gets more frantic, mimicking the fear and panic in the man.

Deconstruction of Taken

Deconstruction of Taken

The opening scene starts off with some old family footage on a hand held camera and melancholic non-diegetic piano music. Towards the end, the camera starts to flash giving the seemingly happy scene, a sinister effect. Suddenly a straight cut shows the protagonist Bryan Mills waking up, suggesting the first scene was a dream. Perhaps he is nostalgic for the memories of his daughter as a little girl. When he turns on the single lamp, the lighting is low key and eerie. The non-diegetic melancholic piano music adds to this effect. When Bryan gets up the camera focuses on the photograph he was looking at- of his teenage daughter, suggesting she plays a major part in the storyline.
When he is in the shop, lots of over-the-shoulder camera angles are used to show the two men having a conversation. As he is wraps the present, close ups of his hands are used to show effort and precision. The music has stopped, to emphasise the focus being put in. Straight cuts are used between shots and the sound suddenly goes from silent to lots of diegetic background noise when Bryan arrives at the party. The party location is extravagant, with fountains and waiters. It is a picturesque setting with a classy white building surrounded by trees and flowers. When Bryan talks to Lenore, over-the-shoulder shots are used again, and diegetic party background noise can be heard.
When Bryan watches his daughter on her new horse, a long shot is used, with other people's heads in the foreground. This makes him feel as though he has been excluded from Kim's life. The sad emotions he is feeling are juxtaposed by the contrapuntal sound of everyone singing happy birthday.