Analysis of Opening Sequences

Heat:
Sound:
There is a combination of different sounds that creates tension throughout the opening sequence. The sound is also heightened at certain periods, e.g. the heart monitors in hospital. In the beginning the sound is soft and slow and sets the scene in LA. The music gets quicker when the main character reaches the hospital and walks through the many corridors.

Camera Shots:
The camera shots are quick and rapid, some seem to follow the way the character moves. This makes the audience feel as if they are the main character and are walking in his footsteps. It also heightens the tension throughout the sequence and makes the whole piece feel more urgent. At the end, there are a lot of close-ups of what the long haired character (Val Kilmer) is carrying in the box.


No Country for Old Men:
Sound:
Throughout the duration of the sequence, the majority of the sound was dominated by a narration/voice-over. There is also subtle hints of environmental sounds underneath the narration. A soundtrack kicks in when there is the fight in the police station and the music is sharp and tense to symbolize the environment in which the scene is taking place.

Camera Shots:
There are long and medium shots that capture the landscape in which the narrator is describing and the duration of the shots are not that long. During the fight scene there are lots of shots of the same episode, but they are taken from lots of different angles to give different perspectives of the scene.


Carlito's Way
Sound:
At the beginning of the sequence the only sound that could be heard was a gunshot that occurred twice. After that, cinematic music started and continued throughout the entire sequence, until the last few shots when the main character narrates until the sequence finishes.

Camera Shots:
There are not a great deal of shots throughout the sequence, just long continuous shots that pan around the main action that is occurring. The camera spins around to disorientate the audience and make them feel like the main character who has just been shot. The final couple of shots were switching between the main characters face and a poster that is the only thing in the sequence that is in colour.