Sherlock Holmes Opening

By Anisha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098QxdbedQI

Production Logos• The three production logos are a part of the flooring stones,

which is has puddles of rain water, making the first seconds of the opening looking mysterious already, as it begins with camera filming the floor in a handheld point of view shot, suggesting how it could be a detective/spy or an ambiguous character.

• The colours are dark, presenting to the audience that it is set at night, adding to the mysterious feel to the opening.

• The introduction of the production logos are filmed in a unsteady pan shot, making the ‘‘character’’ seem like he is seeing these logos, as he is walking.

• The music begins with a slow, mellow Victorian or Elizabethan era score – with the violins, organ. This could imply how it is set during that time.

• There is subtle and faint sounds of rainwater splashing and horse neighing and its footsteps. In the second screenshot, it is slightly darker because an shadow and slight reflection of the horse carriage went past that logo.

• The logos are also filmed in midshot to introduce the logos in a simple form, so the audience are aware of who are creators and distributors.

Setting/Location

• The camera then pans up slowly, the viewers can see the normal form of the flooring stones and it carries on panning up to the location, which is in a eerie village, which is another example of this film being set from an specific previous eras. The village has small houses and huge white pillars, suggesting how the village is cramped. The score become are dark, with the low bass of the strings instruments, creating the scene to be more serious and like a mission mode. This score is played throughout the rest of the film.

Horse Carriages• The score of the deep low

bass violins speeds to tell us that it is getting to the point.

• The two horse carriages are portrayed to be intimidating as the horses are rushing, shrieking and neighing anxiously to go somewhere , the sound of carriage rustling suggest that someone important is in there.

Zooming In

• The camera starts off with a slow zoom to the carriage for a few seconds then it quickly zooms to the carriages, then into the carriage, and introduces two characters who in long coats and top hats, this could suggest that they either sneaky villains or the authority figures – police or detectives.

• The facial expressions are serious and emotionless, suggesting how this opening scene is going to intense or suspenseful.

• Since the characters are in a horse carriage, it could symbolises their role of importance in the film and how they are not the working class, prehapsthe middle class.

Guns• The sound of the gun

clicking dramatically illustrates an sense of violent action about to come, this creates a uprising action.

• It then pans up to their face. The first shot was looking at someone else clicking their gun. Other one was holding his own gun. The midshot of the two characters looking at each other shows their determination and how they are ready to fight.

RUN!

• The screenshot of the quick pan, suggesting how protagonist is actually running for his live, the sound of the footsteps adds to the apprehensive running.

• The shot reverse shot of the horses running with the police officers on the carriage and protagonist running from them, suggesting how fast this scene is, and how this protagonist could possibly be a criminal or a villan. The horses neighing adds to the intense scene.

Tension Building up• The man running past the fire,

crow flying above him are signs of him being around terror and danger.

• The establishing shot of British landmark; St. Paul’s Cathedral is filmed, to perhaps include some religious aspects or importance into the narrative. Or it could suggest how the director wanted to show the audience that is set in London.

• The long shot of the police officer with the horse on the bottom screenshot suggests how the tension is still building up and how they very desperate to catch the man running

More Guns• The man introduced previously

then click his gun to show how all are ready to get the man running, shows how the man running is probably someone very ruthless.

• The midshot of the man in centre and on the right are policemen and are nodding to the man with gun, as a sense of approval of his action , showing how the man is working with the police force.

• Whilst the man on the far left is looking at them, perhaps having a softer side to him or is unaware on how to handle this situation.

More Running

• The extra long shot of the man running around the St. Paul’s Cathedral entrance showing us far away he is from the policeman in the horse carriage, he is escaping from them gradually.

• The close up of the man about to jump off is generic scene for an action or crime genre film and it suggests how quick and slick the character.

Stop and Stare• The man jumping off in the long shot and then the close up of him

falling into a front flip, presents the character to be agile and in a rush to way from them.

• In the backdrop, the ‘‘unexpected’’ door behind him is very typical for a character on the run, suggests how that is the only stray of hope for the character to escape from the police force even further.

Quick Escape• The low angle mid shot of the protagonist opening the door and then seeing that behind the door is just

darkness, makes the place he entered to be ambiguous and it adds curiosity to the viewers, questioning on what is in that place of no light. The opening scene ends in a black fade out, suggesting how a new scene with different location, which most likely will be inside the building that the man entered in. The fade out also interests the viewer, as it makes them want to watch more and see where the protagonist has entered and will he be ever be caught by the police force.

• The sound of the man breaking some kind of glass material suggests how their something hidden in there, obviously made out of glass.