Face/Off Opening (1997)

Face/Off

Mise en scene;

Setting – A children’s fairground. This has connotations of innocence and fun, which is in contrast with the genre of the film; this makes us think something will happen to disrupt this innocence.

Colour – It’s a faded sepia sort of colour that gives it an olden days look. This makes us feel as if what we are seeing is in the past and has already happened meaning it is a catalyst for something in the film. This therefore creates an enigma as we want to know what happened after this event took place.

Props – The main and most important prop that we see is a gun. This has connotations of power, murder and violence, which could be foretelling of the film, creating an enigma. Furthermore it seems out of place in the setting (a children’s fairground) and breaks through this veneer of innocence previously shown.

Camera Shot/Movement;

We get a close-up shot through the lens of the gun and see the father with his son on the ride. It’s a serene and happy moment but it’s filled with tension since the audience are looking at it through a gun and they are targets. This shot turns a simple and happy moment into a more sinister and darker shot.

We see a long shot of the man taking the cover off the gun. In this shot we can see that he is outside of the innocent fairground setting, on the outskirts, which could represent the fact that he is on the outskirts and rejected from society. This factor teamed with the gun as a prop immediately means that we identify him as the villain.

A tilt of the villain type characters face is used. It begins at the mouth then tilts upwards showing only one of his eyes. The effect of using this particular movement is that we look up to his face not beginning at the top working down therefore it creates an air of importance or superiority about this character. It shows him to be dominant.

Editing;

A straight cut of the father and son hugging to the man hiding out in the grass preparing to shoot is extremely effective because at this point its seems inevitable and obvious what is going to happen. However the questions of why, who etc… mean that it creates an enigma. Why would somebody try to murder a man especially when he is on a fair ride with his own child? This simplistic idea is such a disgusting and revolting idea to many that leaves us wanting to watch the rest of the film.

Sound;

The non-diegetic sound used has a light high pitched tinkling sound, which has connotations of innocence therefore the setting of the fairground anchors this. However it has an underlying sound that is more serious and lower in tone showing that beneath this exterior lies something much more evil. Eventually you hear the laughs of a child, which is endearing and happy, brings a smile to many peoples faces. However in this context and genre it is much more sinister and creepy, since you feel that a child’s life is in danger.