opening sequense analysis media

8/10/2019 Opening Sequense ANALYSIS Media

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Name: Lucy Fionda

Date: 19/10/2014 | Time: 03:30am

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OPENING SEQUENCES -Pan's Labyrinth| 'Signifiers'

The elements that the Opening Sequence work to do are - and what I'll mainly be focused

on:

Allow the audience to set themselves into the film's opening. Uses microelements predominately - e.g.: sound/music, the context and pace.

The attention of the audience should be held within the first 2 minutes or so during the

O/S.

What a clever O/S does is: show briefly the signals of what the story's narrative will

involve - via the O/S contexts.

M.E.S. (aka - 'Mise-en-Scene').

THE ANALYSIS:


2/3

Name: Lucy Fionda

Date: 19/10/2014 | Time: 03:30am

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The main reason why I treasure this particular film, is for it's opening sequence. It opens

slowly, starting with a black screen, a few inter-titles and eerie sounds to set the

atmosphere

At this point in (earliest - 00:10 to 00:30 minutes) we are presented with little text (inter-titles

- I reckon they are called); which don't talk 'much' about what 'happens' in the film, just the

credits to tell the audience who had been involved in the making of this film.

There isn't ant visuals. At this point, we rely on the sound (that is pretty tender and rather

bleak to begin off with). There is the vying breath of a young girl, coming from a child, and

then the sudden emergence of a grief-stricken lullaby; that's gently sung, and has the

audience's ears listening on...

At the 00:43 minute mark, we finally get the story's time period and the location of where this

will take place; giving the audience evidence of some written context. What time and place

this story will be set in: which is - "Spain, 1944".

After that point, it'll fade out and then the music will kick in. It's tender still and is slow in

pace; to give over the depressing mood (00:50 minutes).

The instrumentals start to play in time with the heart-felt pain, of the woman's sorrowing.

They are still rather quiet and impending until the camera will work to pan across (right to

left) the pitch dark screen

The main instrument we hear is the Piano - in a minor key - to set in the tears.

Just as it'll hit a minute, we see our first visuals. The screen itself is still 'low key lit', very little

lighting to articulate anything of the setting, and we hear other minor sounds chiming in;

maybe heartbeats? There is blood flowing in reverse, then me come to be greeted to a

young girl.

MISE-EN-SCENE: (At 01:05 minutes).

She is wearing very old-fashioned clothes, is very pale and is lit very highly (high key

lighting). She looks very luminous and very ghostly; which could be implying that she is

dying/ or is looming into unconsciousness. There is blooding teeming from her nose, and

she looks traumatized - connoting her hurt, signifying she is vanishing She then comes

into focus (from being slightly blurred).

The composition. If were to imagine invisible lines, her eyes would be in the centre (although

this is 'canted angle'); sort of revealing our attention is to be drawn to her eyes, whilst hers'

in return are peering into ours also (This is unnerving and can tantalise the audience -

drawing suspicion to who had done this to her and leaving us wanting to know more). How

she is the centre of our attention, and we'll instantly become to see that she's our

protagonist. The music becomes a little more instant, as the camera will zoom into her face.

Also a rather 'hoarse' male voice-over will then come into this narrative (at 01:20 minutes

exactly). This signifies to the audience that the incident on screen is either to happen yet, or

has just happened; future/past tense - not in the present of this film's opening.

Taken swiftly into another shot (a zoom in action into her eye - enchanting and surrealistic).


3/3

Name: Lucy Fionda

Date: 19/10/2014 | Time: 03:30am

3 | P a g e

The music is solo now, with only the piano playing the same melody as the audience will

watch the girl run aimlessly about this hauntingly enthralling, underworld fortress

Nothing has change from the last, the colour and lighting is still alike to the previous; the

colour pallet mainly featuring the strong impulses of blue and black - whereas the lighting is

dim and everything is in a side key light (illuminating the constructions in bolder definition).

The music becomes symphonic (the piano relaxes, and sudden harmonic singing, chimes in)- connoting something of a heavenly essence/ that she maybe entering another dimension

There are no sound linked to her running, but the voice-over and non-diegetic music.

Eventually, everything will fade to white (as the camera work will complete it's transitions of

her running to the light above the spiral stairway). Then the audience we see a totally

different setting altogether - a sepia, yellow pallet - signifying the past.

The music remains ever so much more insistent; having the inclinations to bring forth the

greater notes, then it'll softly become quiet and calmed - to then come back, all lurid again.

This is a typical trait in O/S, which is deliberate; in the sense it'll make the audience be

attentively invested into the film's story.

MISE-EN-SCENE: (At 02:15 minutes).

The audience is already investing their attention to the film's narrative. How does it do this?

It's music is hauntingly beautiful, and connotes a story full of a series in tragedies. The voice-

over is storytelling, which will help to preclude anyone from diverting their interests

elsewhere - and the visuals are warm in contrast to the recently viewed scene

There are the remains of what used to be prominent cathedrals, homes and other

constructions; whereas in contrast to the underworld, looks more airless and oppressive in

comparison. This is the aftermath of a war/ conflict and struggle between two divergent

sorts.

SIGNIFIER - A VERY OBVIOUS ONE: (At 02:30 minutes).

Now we are sure what the time period is for certain - although the 'inter-titles' had said the

time and location earlier off in this O/S. We now see cars, and a military themed vehicle -

shadowing after them. They are very sophisticated looking cars, and wouldn't be carrying

prisoners or war spies within them.

The camera will tilt upwards - to capture them all driving off into the forests ahead - and then

will fade quick to a hand of a young person; that is strolling through the texts of a book.

The voice-over now stops, along with the music and now there is two people (a mother and

daughter) sitting in the passenger's seats of the car.

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