Furious 7Opening Scene

AnalysisRhys Ward

TypographyAt the start of the Furious 7 opening scene there is a piece of small, capitalised text that scrolls from left to right, reading, "LONDON, ENGLAND." This is generic to films involving action and 'spy' characters because it is what we would expect to see in government agencies, such as MI5 or the CIA. It also acts as a little bit of intelligence for the audience as it lets them know of the location of where the film is taking place. As the opening scene develops more text scrolls across the scene, this time showing the names of the actors, directors, etc. Every typography element is identical to the first piece of text, which for the audience confirms this government secret service concept. The fast paced animation as the text comes on and off of the screen builds up tension and excitement for the audience, especially when combined with the music used. This in itself foreshadows the action to come in the rest of the film.

Mise-en-SceneLighting is kept light and bright throughout the film. There is very little dark, only in the shadowed areas of the hospital. This predominant light connotes joy and excitement, and may represent the excitement and action in the narrative. The dark in the hospital may be used to represent the danger of this male character and to create an antagonist character profile for the audience, therefore they can begin to work out what is happening and who is who from the start. The purpose behind this is that the directors will then have the audience engaged and exploring the narrative/characters.

The colours visible in the opening scene vary depending on whether the camera is on  the inside of outside of the hospital. When looking outside (at the beginning and ending of the clip), the colours are kept vibrant in contrast to when you're inside the hospital (during the middle of the clip) where the colours are dimmer and darker. The bright colours used outside could be metaphorical to say that there is more good than there is bad; there is the single antagonist male character against the group of protagonists (cultural code as you will have to have seen the prequel films to know about the cast). This metaphor can be applied to the darker colour scheme used inside the hospital as well because you have just the single male antagonist; his brother, who as an audience we are convinced is also an antagonist due to his character representation; and then the hospital staff and police officers who have been killed/injured.

Mise-en-Scene (2)A dark jacket and dark trousers accompanied by a shirt and tie, as worn by the male antagonist character, usually conveys a level of importance and responsibility. However this is contrasted by the additionally connotations the audiences takes in. He may still be important and authoritative, although not for the right reasons, which is why the audience may find this costume choice difficult to digest. One concept could be that he important in the eyes of the authorities, i.e. the government secret service, for them to catch him. The other people in the clip are dressed up in nurse or full on police uniforms, which is self-explanatory. 

The setting and location of a film are one of the key elements in engaging the audience and making them think about something. Using London as the setting for the opening scene instantly helps the audience identify the genre of Furious 7. This is because major cities and other well known destinations are a generic code for action films, therefore audience members can easily think about the relationship between the action genre and London, being a major city. Within London, the opening scene is set in a hospital. It is evident that something bad has happened to his brother and that is why he has ended up at the hospital, and a concept could be that the antagonist male is out to get revenge on whoever did this to his brother. Another interpretation of the hospital location could be that it is foreshadowing further injury or death to come, which is again another generic convention of action films. All of the modern technologies, such as the Jaguar F-Type car, suggests that this film is set recently. 

Mise-en-Scene 3How this antagonist characters walks around and how he positions his body portrays a confident characteristic. All of the destruction around him would cause a protagonist to go crazy and want to help the injured in as many ways as they can, however how he smoothly walks out of the situation and drives away unscratched emphasises this idea of an antagonist character. As for the hospital staff, they are shown petrified and quivering in the corner of the room, indicating that this man has caused all of this destruction and is considered a dangerous character. This idea should cause the audience to take a dislike to him because he is making people feel scared in their own workspace and is also injuring and killing people without feeling any guilt.

Generic ConventionsThere are lots of generic conventions for action films that apply to just the opening of Furious 7! One of them I have already spoken about, which is the modern, big city location. Another generic convention is the camera shot of the expensive, supercar. The Jaguar F-Type features at the end of the opening scene as the antagonist drives away from the hospital. Explosion, killings and mass destruction is shown the audience from more or less the start of the opening. The fire, debris and mess signifies the mass destruction well. The killing is shown as the antagonist character walks out of the hospital and you see all of the police officers lying on the floor, either dead or really badly injured. One explosion seen is when the male hands one of the live police officers a grenade that then explodes and as a result kills him and causes even more destruction! Up beat, energising music is another of the conventions associated with the action film genre. The convention is applied in Furious 7's opening scene around the middle, where the character is making him way out of the hospital. This music continues until it cuts out at the very end of the clip. The directors might have chosen to incorporate this up-beat music in to their film's opening scene because it will keep the audience entertained early on in the film and will also help to construct an excited atmosphere. Even from this point we get this concept of their being 'baddies and goodies'. This main character for the opening scene is represented as a 'bad guy' from his actions, tone of voice, what he is saying, his attitude... From previous 'Fast & Furious' films, the audience will be aware of the good characters who will eventually come in to action (cultural code). All of these different generic conventions identified in the opening scene have the main purpose of helping the audience to identify the film's genre of action.

EditingEditing is kept sharp and continuity is achieved to a good standard in Furious 7's opening scene. The 180º rule is used when the male character is talking to his hospitalised brother, because the camera does not move past the 180º line imagined between the camera and characters. This helps the audience to keep on track with what is being happening here; the two characters will maintain the same left/right relationship. If the rule was not followed and the camera did move past the 180º line then it would become a reverse angle shot and the characters would switch positions, which could be difficult for the audience to focus on and would in turn cause them to lose interest possibly. Shot reverse shot and match on action continuity editing techniques aren't used in this opening because they're not necessary. The story is told well with the camera simply trailing behind the character, and this is recognised by the audience knowing & understanding what is going on. It is evident that the standard of editing is good because it is seamless when watching, and this is something that you would expect to see from a high-end, major-budget film.

Camera ShotsAt the start of the scene an establishing shot looking over London is shown. The purpose behind this will be to show the audience where the action is taking place, as that is what establishing shots do. The Tower Bridge and other significant buildings on the London skyline help us to identify that the shot we are looking at is actually London. The next shot type we see if a close up of the man's face as he moves from the window and to looking over his brother. Directors may have used this close up shot to show the audience what one of the main characters look like so that they can identify him later on in the film and so they can associate any connotations that they are making around him, such as that he is an antagonist. The next shot type is the medium shot of this character looking over his brother. The shot may have expanded from the close up to the medium in order to get both the man and his brother in shot simultaneously, therefore the audience can see everything that they need to to ask questions or gain some further knowledge. The main shot type used with the male character however is the long shot. This shot is used from the male leaving the hospital room to the very end more or less. This camera shot is good for showing the audience the male's confident body language, including his walking style. It also shows his bad attitude towards the destruction he has caused. The long shot is great for both of these reasons because it gives you a view of the entire character, from head to toe, and as an audience you start making connotations from his body language, etc.

Establishing shot looking over London.

Close up of the male antagonist’s face.

Long shot of the male character.

IconographyThe gun that the man hands to his brother in the hospital is iconic to violence, connoting he is a violent character and one not to be messed with. An audience will create a negative image around him and remember that he is a villain further on in the film. The Jaguar F-Type, being an expensive car, is iconic in relation to wealth and authority. This shows that this character has a lot of money or works for an organisation rich enough to provide him with that car. With wealth comes authority, suggesting that either this man or the organisation he is working for has some responsibility and authority over someone or something. From other connotations the audience will have developed around this character, we can imagine that this wealth and responsibility is not from/for good reasons.

SoundDiegetic and non-diegetic sounds are used throughout this film opening, such as dialogue and music. I have already spoken about the up-beat music played in the background and its effect in the generic conventions paragraph. The dialogue is one great way for the audience to form an opinion around someone, for example by looking at their tone. When you listen to the tone in the man's voice it comes across as being quite rough, which gives off the immediate impression of his being a 'bad guy' in the film. He speaks slowly, highlighting to the audience he has a laid back attitude. Other dietetic sounds include the destruction, for example the falling lights and other objects. These sounds accompany the visuals and help the audience relate to the amount of destruction that has happened in the hospital. As for non-diegetic sound, the music is all there is.