RESEARCH INTO AN ACTION OPENING TITLE: Spectre

Action Opening Scene Analysis.

Spectre, starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux was directed by Sam Mendes and released in 2015 by Eon Productions Ltd. 

The scene opens with the text "The dead are alive" - immediately, this captivates the audience as it presents an ominous tone due to the ambiguity of the statement; the denotations of the words 'dead' and 'alive' also heavily juxtapose each other, thus encouraging the viewer to continue watching to discover the meaning behind the sentence depicted. 

Almost immediately the setting is established following the text. It can be seen that the opening scene is located in Mexico, or a country of Mexican heritage as the traditional 'Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) skull float is shown in focus in the camera's depth of field with a parade of several people and another skull float behind it. People on the balconies are also in costume of skull masks, top hats, suits and floral Mexican dresses. This assumption is further supported when text of the same font appears again stating "Mexico City", and "Day of the Dead".

The time period is also instantaneously established as actors of multiple races, and tourists in costume of regular clothing (t-shirts, shorts, sun-hats) are shown, suggesting that the once sacred tradition has now become a tourist attraction as it is now well-known through the spread of new media and is also easily accessed through developed transportation. 

As the scene progresses, the audience are then introduced to someone we can assume to be the main character or protagonist as he is followed with a continuous tracking shot, and is shown as positioned still whilst the crowd around him moves in the opposite direction. He also has an attractive woman next to him, holding onto his arm, displaying a typical convention of that of action as the man is in a stronger position (shown below).

He is following a man who is wearing a costume of a juxtaposing colour to him (white with a red tie, red symbolising danger); their encounter is paired with a tonal change into a non-diegetic soundtrack from the diegetic sound effect of the parade and Latin American music as only the percussion music continues to play once this happens, adding a sense of suspense and tension/conflict between the two, acting as a convention of action. From this, the audience can perceive the man dressed in white as the villain as he appears to be 'wanted' from the occurring narrative of a subtle chase and through the use of sound.

As the narrative continues, the pair enter a hotel and get into an elevator, where the audience can presume that they are most definitely in a romantic if not sexual relationship as the woman has the makeup of red lipstick, which holds promiscuous connotations, and is whispering into his ear in a provocative manner. 

They then enter a hotel room in which they begin to kiss and take of their masks; the camera follows the woman in the tracking shot as she lays down on the bed but then shifts back to the man who is suddenly dressed in a costume of a suit. This portrays to the audience that he is extremely stealthy, quiet, a womaniser and unsuspecting - the costume also signifies that he is a man with a powerful status. These attributes convey that he is the clearly defined hero - a typical convention of that of action.

Once he leaves the hotel room, the tracking shot continues and follows him as he walks along the setting of the edge of the rooftop nonchalantly, putting in an earpiece and pulling out a gun prop; from this, he can be considered as an individual who is in these situations on a regular basis (a spy, perhaps) and has highly developed technology, most likely provided by the organisation or people who have hired him. The soundtrack also completely shifts to orchestral music with hints of percussion, once again indicating that this is a scene with a suspenseful yet dramatic tone. 

All the conventions indicate that this is an action film. It can be assumed that the narrative of this film will follow him through his missions, and perhaps even his romantic affairs as the previous woman has been completely disregarded. From the perspective of an audience member, this film is targeted for most people, or at least people who are of age to view violence, and action enthusiasts due to the different elements of various genres within action (romance, drama etc.)

Personally, I believe this is a highly successful opening as it is done in a stylised manner due to the non existent cuts in the editing; it prepares the audience for the cleverly laid out narrative, and how swiftly it occurs. As a film out of the James Bond franchise, this opening compared to the others is also intriguing as it begins in a foreign location.

THE TRAILER