B- Analysing an opening sequence- Thriller- The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Supremacy (Greengrass, 2004)





Genre

• The genre of this film is thriller, it follows the general conventions for an opening of a thriller.
• Therefore the audiences generic expectations of the text are fulfilled through the opening sequence, an example of this is through the use of montage for the opening which creates the effect of a dream. This then creates a sense of the unknown for the audience meeting the generic expectations.
• The text also conforms to the characteristics of the genre for example using stock locations, characters and ideological props and costumes.
  

Film Language


The use of mise en scene and characters in this sequence convey the stereotypical opening of a thriller...

• The costume the man is wearing which is a green vest, connotes the idea of being in the army which brings the action in his dream to life. This grabs the audience's attention and starts to bring a sense of uncertainty to life therefore following the conventions of genre. (Here is a picture to show the costume of the two characters)
  

• The physical appearance of the actors also follows the conventions of thrillers, the leading character is a man who's appearance is masculine and he is physically toned therefore creating the impression of a super hero like character. The stock character is a thin blond woman therefore following stereotypes of the protagonists beautiful woman.
• The lighting of the scene is dark, therefore creating tension and a sense of unknown in order to engage the audience.
• The location of the opening is a beach therefore a stock location for a thriller, this is because it creates a sense of isolation making the characters vulnerable.
  
  
• The font used in the opening credits also follows the conventions of a thriller, as the man is usually the lead character the narrative is based around him. The font is bold and in capitals therefore masculine and direct such as the character. (Here is an example of the font from the DVD case)
  

The use of camera and editing also convey the stereotypical opening of a thriller...

• The use of a handi cam to film the action creates a sense of disjointment and little control. This also positions the audience within the action and therefore creates a thrill and a sense of excitement.
• The use of a CU shot to show the man in bed positions the audience with him, therefore allowing them to feel more involved in the action as well as following the typical conventions of a thriller.
• Editing helps to anchor the camera shots and conform to the genre of thriller. Quick cuts are used to connote the action and create a sense of excitement to the audience. The cuts also portray the idea of fragments of memory which is what the film is based around. The cuts contain iconography specific for thrillers, a phone, photographs, disjointed faces and conversations as well as a room number '646'. This gives the audience the impression of being given clues grabbing their attention and involving them in the clip.
  
• The blurred images are also a technique used in thrillers, in this opening it is used to create a sense of being unstable and unable to focus. The slow motion shots are also used for this effect.
  

Sound is also used in the opening to anchor the images...

• Sound effects are used in the opening such as a gun shot which is conventional to a thriller. This creates a feeling of fear for the audience causing them to be interested in the film.
• The sound track for the opening of the film is layered this creates a very atmospheric feeling and anchors the images shown in the opening.
• The sound of waves when the characters are outside connotes their location being the beach and shows how isolated they are as there is no other background noise.
  

Narrative

• The narrative of this film opening is structured in a linear form and is a conventional opening, therefore it creates an enigma which is one of the main aims for a thriller. The opening also consists of character exposition after the montage positioned the audience with the characters straight away.
  
• The audience are very much positioned with the male lead character in this narrative this is shown by the use of CU to show him and the fact that he is prevalent in the narrative.
  
• Therefore the audience are able to identify with the character as they are predominantly posited with him therefore can relate to how he feels. Although the technique of alienation is employed with the montage at the beginning as it is very much disjointed and hard to follow causing the audience to question what is going on.
• The tension within the narrative is maintained and employed by the use of dark lighting, montage and blurred images which are all anchored by the use of sound effects such as the gun.
  

Representation and ideology

• The use of gender is the main distinction within the narrative. The ideology that men are stronger and women are caring and supportive of the male character is prevalent in this narrative.
  
• This is shown by the non verbal language of the woman who is very comforting and listens to all the mans problems. This is compared to him who is leading the narrative and which the storyline is based around.
  
• The non verbal language form the male character also connotes the idea of a hero as he is very muscular and follows the stereotypical image of a hero. He is also protective of the woman as he rubs her face. (Here is a still shot of the male character showing his masculine appearance)
• The woman's physical appearance then reinforces this as she is the stereotypical woman, she is blonde good looking and supportive of them man. The gender roles are reinforced through this clip.
  
• Therefore this clip follows the dominant set of beliefs in Hollywood films of this genre.

Media audiences

• The target audience for this film is mainly men although it could also appeal to a family as the certificate is aged twelve therefore parents and children could enjoy it.
  
  
• The possible audience reading for the text are either that it is conventional to thrillers and follows gender role stereotypes or that it does not follow a conventional opening to a thriller as it does not have such a spooky feel as some.
  
  
• Personally i read the text as being very conventional to the genre of thriller for all the reason's that i have stated before. The text to me comes across as being very stereotypical of a Hollywood film in that the male has the main role and the female is a stock character. This may be influenced by my gender as a female i would be more likely to pic up of factors such as this. My age may also influence my reading into the text as a 12 year old may read less into this fact where as an older female may read more into the the
  

Institutional context

• This film has stars in such as Matt Damon and Julia Stiles in order to draw in a wider audience as fans of the stars may watch the film simply because they are in it. Also to gain more publicity as the stars will bring press coverage.

(Here is a picture of the main star Matt Damon)

• The star depends on the budget for the film for example this films budget was $75 million therefore they can afford to use big stars as actors.
• This film was distributed by a industrial company, Universal studios therefore is an industrial film meaning they are at an advantage in terms of advertising and funding. It also gives more opportunity to appeal to a wider audience and ensure that the budget is commensurate with the target audience.
• As the film was distributed by Universal which is an industrial company they were able to advertise and market the film well, this is evident through the gross revenue of $288,500,217 made by the film.
  

Overall...


This film opening has inspired our opening as i think that the used of blurred images and montage to create the sense of a dream work really well and is an effective way to open a film. From this i have thought of some images we could use within a montage for our opening such as a balloon to portray a feeling of isolation and childhood memory's.