ANALYSIS OF INDEPENDENCE DAY

BY DAISY STOKES

• THE OPENING SCENE BEGINS WITH THE FILM TITLE SHOWN IN BOLD SILVER/GREY WRITING ON A BLACK BACKGROUND. SILVER/GREY HAS CONNOTATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL, HIGH TECH AND INTELLIGENCE. BLACK GIVES CONNOTATIONS OF EVILNESS, MYSTERY AND POWER IMPLYING THAT THE ALIENS ARE THESE THINGS WHICH ALSO CONFORMS TO STEREOTYPES. INDEPENDENCE DAY IS THEN SHOWN TO SHATTER SYMBOLISING THAT THERE WILL NO LONGER BE INDEPENDENCE DUE TO THE ALIENS. THE NON DIEGETIC MUSIC DURING THIS CUT HAS MUSIC STINGS THROUGHOUT WHICH CREATES TENSION FOR THE VIEWERS, GRIPPING THEM TO CONTINUE WATCHING.

• THE OPENING SEQUENCE CARRIES THE TYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER FILM, QUESTIONING THE UNKNOWN AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT TO HEIGHTEN THE SENSATION OF TENSION FOR THE VIEWERS. ALTHOUGH THE AMERICANS HAVE PREVALENCE AS THE CLIP SHOWS MANY CUTS SUMMARISING (I.E. THE ONE SHOWN ABOVE SHOWING A LONG SHOT OF THE AMERICAN FLAG) THE AMERICANS ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE OPENING SEQUENCE, THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS ARE SHOWN TO BE MINIMALISTIC ONCE THE ALIENS ARE SHOWN WITH THEIR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

• NON DIEGETIC DIALOGUE IS USED FROM ASTRONAUT'S WHO ONCE STEPPED FOOT ON THE MOON TO BUILD IMPORTANCE AND EMPHASISE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. THERE IS DUST WHICH BLOWS OF THE HEAD STONE WHICH EMPHASES HOW LONG AGO THIS HAPPENED. THE LONG SHOT ZOOMS INTO A CLOSE UP, CLEARLY SHOWING THE DATE IN WHICH THEY STEPPED ONTO THE MOON. THE AUDIENCE IS STILL UNAWARE OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT AND IS STILL UNSURE WHAT IS HAPPENING.

THIS CUT THEN FADES INTO THE NEXT CUT SHOWING FOOT PRINTS. THE INSTRUMENTAL NON DIEGETIC DRAMATIC MUSIC IS CONTRASTED WITH THE ACHIEVEMENTS SHOWN, THIS MAKES THE VIEWERS ON EDGE AS IT GOES AGAINST WHAT THE VIEWERS WOULD EXPECT TO HEAR. THE CLOSE UP OF THE FOOT PRINTS THEN BEGINS TO SHAKE AS IF THEY ARE GETTING REMOVED, WHICH COULD ALSO FORESHADOW WHAT THE ALIENS ARE GOING TO DO TO THE HUMANS AND THE EARTH. THIS PORTRAYS THE ALIENS IN A STEREOTYPICAL WAY OF BEING THE ANTAGONISTS. THIS ALSO MAKES THE VIEWERS ON EDGE AS THEY ARE UNSURE ON WHAT'S HAPPENINGS AND COULD IMPLY SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

THERE IS A FADE AGAIN TO TRANSITION INTO THE NEXT CUT. A MID SHOT IS SHOWN OF A SPACESHIP, WHICH IS CONTRASTED WITH THE ALIENS SPACESHIP LATER SHOWN AS ITS SMALL AND NOT AS HIGH TECH AS IT SHOWN ABANDONED SUGGESTING IT STOPPED WORKING. WHERE AS THE ALIENS IS SHOWN TO BE MASSIVE AND MORE ADVANCED. THIS COULD IMPLY THAT THE ALIENS ARE MORE ABLE THAN THE HUMANS AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THEIR INVASION FOR A LONG TIME WHICH MAKES THE AUDIENCE WORRY FOR THE HUMANS AND EARTH. THE LIGHTING BEGINS TO BE HIGH KEY BUT SLOWLY TURNS LOW KEY, THIS IS USED TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE ON EDGE CONTINUOUSLY.

• A LONG SHOT IS USED TO SHOW A ISOLATED IMAGE OF THE EARTH UNTIL A GIANT SPACESHIP BLOCKS OUR VIEW. THE COLOURFUL EARTH IS SURROUNDED BY DARKNESS WHICH COULD SYMBOLISE THE EVILNESS WHICH IS SPACE AND ALSO THE ALIENS AND THEIR PLANS TO TAKE OVER THE EARTH. THIS GIVES THE AUDIENCE A FINAL SCENE OF FEAR AND MENACE.