SettingTrainspotting opens with a clip from the middle of the movie. The placement of this clip is used to foreshadow what is going to occur later on. The use of such a clip helps build a dramatic start to the film instantly drawing in the audience. This is achieved through the use of motion-the characters being chased through a busy town centre which some members of the audience will be able to recognise and as a result familiarise themselves with the film. The setting then changes to a football pitch where the two characters being chased in the previous scene and the other protagonist now introduced are now playing football, this is used to illustrate the double life of the characters which is essentially what the film is based on.

Characters/CameraThe characters are introduced through the medium of close up shots of their faces and their feet this is used to portray action movement in this scene and also to illustrate them running away from a crime. This is also emphasised by the items falling out their pockets as they run from the police and by their distressed facial expressions and eye movement.. The tracking shot is used to highlight who the voiceover belongs to. The characters are fully introduced as the scene changes to a football pitch where the clip pauses on each of the characters as their name pops up introducing them in order of hierarchy.

Genre

The police chase at the beginning of the clip sets out a genre of crime. A genre of drugs is also clearly shown through the mies-en-scene of the empty room which comes across as a typical drugs den and is instantly recognisable with the audience along with the belt and needles which are know tools of a drug user.

NarrativeThe narrative begins slightly positive emphasised by the upbeat soundtrack and the occasional smile coming from the protagonist. The narrative becomes more positive as we change to a football pitch where the group of friends are having fun illustrating elements of friendship and banter which both are key aspects of the film. However this soon turns negative as we again switch scenes to the main character ”Renton” in a empty drug den falling to the floor. Which shows a much sinister side and also illustrates the spilt personality genre of the characters and the film as a whole.

Lighting

The use of light is key in the clip to demonstrate the opposing lifestyles of the characters for example when shown on the football pitch the bright lighting emphasises the positivity and normality however when the scene changes to the drug den there is not much lighting which gives off a dark look which illustrates the sinister ambiance.

SoundThe diegetic sound playing is Lust for life by Iggy Pop who is mentioned numerous times throughout the film which puts the time in which time the film was made and what was popular at the time in to context. The lyrics of the song also reflect what is happening in the clip and also the narrative that we hear in together with the song come to the idea of making the most out of life and striving for your dreams. The repetition of ‘choose a…’ in the non- diegetic speech explains the meaning behind the story line, that life is what you make it and that anything is possible if you try hard enough.

Also the indie like diegetic music is used to give a sense of the location the film is set as it gives a British feel but is far from “posh” if anything the opposite the music foreshadows the living conditions of the characters.

Editing

• The editing of the film consists of quick jumps. This is done to quicken the pace of the clip keeping the audience interested and matching the speed of the diegetic sound underneath. Shot reverse shots are also used to capture the reactions of the characters and give the audience a feel of their personality. In addition jumpy editing of the sequence helps portray the polar double life of the character “Renton” by switching from scene to scene”

Titles

The film was produced by Channel Four Films which is a British film institute who often produce realist British drama films like the one in question. Universal which is a well know film company was titled as a distributor along with other uncredited companies such as Miramax. Universal is global and is well known for its success at distributing films and may be one of the reasons why “Trainspotting "did so well as it did.