Casino Royale

In the opening of Casino Royale, the diegetic sounds of wind used are quite eerie so it feels mysterious and intriguing. The whole opening is in black and white, and the setting (Prague) is revealed with a caption at the beginning. The reason it is in black and white is to suggest that these events are taking place in the past. It doesn’t specifically refer to a year though. This shot is on screen for a long time, allowing the audience to get used to the surroundings. The location looks very cold, and this is due to snow on the ground. The smoke which is in the bottom-right hand corner of the screen adds an air of mystery to the surroundings. The misé-en-scene in this film helps add realism to the surroundings and situations.

The first character we see is very prim and proper, and he speaks with stereotypical English accent. He looks upper class because he dresses smartly, has his nose in the air and also the camera is looking up at him – to suggest he is of a high status. The misé-en-scene helps identify what time of the day it is, even though it is in black and white, the black sky and the windows showing rooms without lights on suggest it is late at night. The man looks curious, like he has something to worry about – the audience becomes interested to find out what he is worried about.

The second character we see is James Bond, he speaks in hushed tones and is very direct and to the point, he looks very calm. We don’t see what he is wearing as he is being shown on a close-up shot. The low-key lighting only highlights James Bond’s face, therefore making him the main focus of the scene. The audience would be aware that Daniel Craig is James Bond, therefore his character does not need setting up or explaining.

However, next we see him fighting – and about to kill – someone. It is then that some background music is played – it features instruments like trumpets and guitars. There is lots of action, and it is cut very fast. This film is of the spy thriller genre, and this is shown through the tense mood – also there is a lot of action in the first few minutes, for example when James Bond is killing the man in the toilets. Compared to the earlier scene, the editing during this sequence is very fast – there are a number of shots during this scene which are shown at a rapid pace. This helps add tension and makes the mood really exciting.

Quantum of Solace

The movie opens with a shot flying over the sea, which takes place very fast. The music played uses a lot of bass and low string notes, this creates a very tense mood – as if something exciting is about to happen. The misé-en-scene suggests that the location is quite exotic – this is due to the blue sea, the mountains and the bright sun shining on the water. There aren’t any diegetic sounds which creates an air of mystery as the audience are unaware what is about to happen and what action is going to be shown. This shot is quite long as it allows the audience to take in the shot and everything in it.

The action which does take place is a very fast and dramatic car chase, the music is very fast and the editing is very quick, this is typical of the action thriller genre. Once established that this is a foreign film, we are immediately aware of whom the bad guys are as they are driving on the wrong side of the road – which is the left. The fact they are firing bullets from a gun emphasises the fact that they are evil. When the evil men are shown they dress very sophisticatedly and they drive very expensive, black cars – this shows that they do make an effort, and maybe work for the mafia or an equivalent as they are able to use and wear such expensive things.

The music then stops as the sound of screeching brakes and gunfire is played, the noises is loud and it helps the audience feel like they’re in the midst of the action, these are diegetic sounds. James Bond is introduced in this film, as he is desperately trying to escape this car chase. He is shown in a medium close-up shot. Due to the use of this shot we can see that he is driving one of the cars involved in the chase. James Bond is introduced in the film after the bad guys as he does not need the introduction that they do as the audience is already aware of whom Bond is. Although he has a very straight face, he looks deadly serious. The genre of this film is spy-action-thriller. This is enhanced through the fast editing, and also we know that James Bond is a spy

The editing during this sequence is very quick, as it repeatedly cuts between different cars and the drivers. The actions slows down as the police discover the car chase, but then speeds up again as the camera follows the car chase action again. When the cars are in the tunnel, the lighting is very dark as there is little natural light, when they are out of the tunnel they have a lot of sun shining on them – therefore it is very bright.

I, Robot

The music is very eerie, diegetic sounds – such as bubbles - are added to the music to create a feeling of uneasiness and curiosity. The robot laws are revealed using captions. The setting is unclear, and this helps gain the audience’s attention as they are interested to see what is happening. The captions disappear off the screen with an effect which looks like the bubbles has separated as they fly towards the screen.

The music then becomes quiet, and consists of only strings as we see the main characters. The setting is revealed to be underwater. We know this because the diegetic sounds of bubbles are heard, and the whole action takes place in a blue light – suggesting that they are surrounded by water. The main character is shown in a tight close-up, helping the audience see the panic in his face. The non-diegetic music fades down leaving us to hear the sound of the main character (Will Smith) screaming for help. Cars are a trademark of the thriller genre so the inclusion of it suggests that his film is a thriller.

We then cut to see the man that was in the car, lying awake in bed. We hear the sound of his alarm clock and sighs a breath of relief. A sound like wind blowing starts off quiet and gets louder and louder as the man gets out of bed. The lighting has dramatically changed from dark blues to a light colour. The light filling the room suggests that the setting is in a foreign country, due to the brightness of the sun. It is unsure whether the sequence underwater is a flashback or a dream, leaving the audience intrigued about the action and left wanting to watch.

He presses a button which causes Stevie Wonder’s Superstitious to be played on a stereo, suggesting weird things happening. The man tenses and flexes as he looks like he’s in pain. The apartment that he lives in suggests that this is taking place in America, as it is small and looks stereotypically like most apartment/flats do in America. He is eating some food, however we cannot hear him eat it as the music is playing – and as it is playing on a stereo, it is diegetic.

The Day After Tomorrow

The music is quiet, with a choir member singing a few notes backed up by some brass instruments. Captions fly over a cold sea. The music is non-diegetic as the sounds are not created by the surroundings which we’re in. The deep blues on the sea and the ice caps which are shown when the camera pans around the location, help set up the situation as the audience can feel the coldness of the location.

The music dies down as a caption reveals where the setting is. The caption is in front of an American flag, revealing what nationality the characters are. Trumpets start playing music, to suggest boldness and bravery. The caption fades away and the camera moves towards the action.

The music dies down as the characters start to interact with each other, and we focus on the mission they’re trying to do. When cracks start appearing in the snow/ice, the music starts building up again to create tension. As the diegetic sounds of the ice cracking are heard, the camera looks down on the camera as he starts to look worried. The camera movement is very slow, which is typical of the thrillers to build suspense just before something dramatic happens.

Then, the ice breaks and the music increases in power and volume – the characters don’t say anything as they struggle to save their friend. During the sequence the editing is very fast in order to create tension, which is an attribute of thriller films – so suspense can be created and the film is exciting to watch. There are numerous close-ups of their faces as their panic is shown.

As they assess the damage, the music fades slightly and the camera pans across the ice shelf. The director has chosen to use an extreme long shot, in order to capture the magnitude of the damage. This is achieved by showing how big the crack in the ice is compared to the people from the scene. During this sequence the only sounds that can be heard are the non-diegetic sounds of the music. The light from the sun lights up the screen and makes it a lot brighter compared to the blue colours which were lighting the scene before.