The Opening Scene of I Know What You Did Last Summer that I analysed starts from 0.55 - 4.00.
SOUND
Guitar Introduction – which links to the main charcters as they are teenagers. Music with guitars and singing is the type of music teenagers would listen to on the radio or on their iPod.
Man Singing - has a deep voice and the words that he is saying is not recognisable which could suggest that the man is dying as when a person dies you can’t understand what they say. Plus man sounds sinister and could be warning the audience of what is about to happen.
Guitar Music fades into a Deep Pulse Beat that could connote the sound of a beating heart.
Loud High pitched note played in a beat in rhythm with the Deep Drum Beats adds to the tension as to what will happen next.
Waves and Wind is heard during the background music and also during the silences between the music pauses, which gives the sense of atmosphere and environment to the audience as its set near the sea but could also hint that the action that will happen is to do with the natural causes.
The Deep Drum beats stop and the diegetic sound of the spinning of the necklace is heard. The background music starts again but in a lower tone and gradually the innocent piano is added and then the slow heartbeat and then the violin and then the guitar, until the sound of the music is really loud; almost like a whole orchestra. Can suggest the slow but then dramatic end of the characters.
MISE EN SCENE
Natural Landscape - The setting is on the cliff side of a mountain, which seems deserted with the fierce waves of the sea clashing on the rock-side of the cliff. Because it’s deserted it shows that the character pictured is maybe lonely, needs someone and could do something or have done something but no one will know as he is alone. Far from civilisation or scoiety or community.
Fierce Waves – clashing against rocks. The violence of it all could possibly link to the violence or the horror that is about to happen, which is the severe car accident and the “murder” of Ben Willis who is thrown to sea.
A Long, Narrow, Winding, Empty Road – not neccessarily followed but is shown as to how isolated it is and how close it is to the sea. It introduces the action that is about to happen in this setting.
CAMERA WORK AND SHOTS
- Establishing Shot – Ariel shot from above and has the effect that someone is being followed as a predators point of view.
- Beginning of Tracking Shot – exaggerates the violence of the sea as the majority of the scene is over the sea, which can connote the violence and the wrong of the decision that the teenagers will make in the car accident.
- End of Tracking Shot - carrys on to see the winding road. To show how close the road is to the sea as they don’t need to cut to a shot of the road and just carry on the tracking shot.
- Slow Zoom – into the small man, David Egan, who is sat on the cliff side. At the beginning of the zoom as David is almost invisible and camouflaged to the natural surroundings which can suggest that his life is not worthy as you can hardly see him. It also compares his size to his surroundings.
- Close up of the Necklace – mainly because it has important significance to the narrative as during the film the same necklace is seen with Benjamin Willis signifying that he is the Fisherman Killer.
- Side on Medium Shot – It puts the audience in the point of view of the murderer that is about to push him off the cliff. In the point of view of someone who is spying on David.
- Landscape Shot – of the rocks and sea below to see the big drop from the cliffside where David is sat to the bottom of the cliff where he will eventually end up.
- Landscape Shot – of the grassy surroundings David is sat in. Point of view of David looking around for someone. Shows that he is alone and anything could happen.
EDITING
Slow Paced Editing – beginning of the opening scene. Hardly any editing scene as it is just one long establishing tracking shot of the natural landscape. Creates the atmosphere of being calm and tranquil as all is well and no murder has happened...yet.
Simple Cut – is used when it cuts to David’s hand holding the necklace, David’s face expression, the deep fall from the cliff to the rocky sea, the grassy surroundings as David looks around and the empty road.
Fast Paced Editing – The cuts explained above are part of the fast paced editing sequence. This builds up the tension and the horror of the murder that will take place whilst celebrations will be happening. It gives the audience an adrenaline rush as they don’t know what will happen, yet still expect something to happen.
