Research & Planning: Film Opening Analysis: The Bourne Legacy

I decided to do some film opening research on movies which link to our idea and genre of thriller. This will help me and my group improve our general aspects that we are considering to include in our film opening e.g. the sound/ music in the background, certain shots which are used, how each scene is approached including the mise en scene. In particular, I chose to analyse the film opening to 'The Bourne Legacy' as it had a range of elements which tie in well with our idea and theme.

Title Sequence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PJgQrug7JA

The opening scene portrays the character deep under water in a still position. The deep blue colour connotes a negative tone to the scene and creates enigma as the audience is already confused by the composition of the shots. Following on, the character swims towards an object which is shown through a close up shot, signifying the importance to this item or object. However, it is not very clear and visible due to the colours enhanced in the scene which could create mystery and confusion to the audience. I like this idea where a deep colour under the water has been used to set the scene and mood for the film. Next, an establishing shot is used to show the surrounding area with additional text which is shown on the screen to state the location. The next shot is a close-up shot of the water which shows the character rising up from the water with the object in his hand. I think this links well with our film opening, where an object is used to create confusion and importance, it portrays a sense of power. As the character comes out of the water, a long shot is used showing him throwing it to the ground and leaving it there. Moreover, a close-up shot is used to show the characters facial expressions, displaying a confused emotion. From here, the camera zooms out at a fast pace, portraying the landscape/setting shot, followed by a black screen. The titles are then shown appearing as a scrabbles code form to the bold title stating "The Bourne Legacy." Throughout the scene, the music in the background creates a lot of suspense as it starts off very low in pitch and as the scene carries on, it builds up creating a higher dynamics, in particular when the camera is zooming out the diegetic music is at its climax creating tension and enigma.