JR 6245: Film Opening Analysis 1

I Am Legend (Lawrence, 2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFSp0GYuCxI

Media Audiences:

• The film is a Thriller Horror (Mainly thriller but has a sense of Horror from the scary creatures)
• The establishing shots immediatley reinforce the audiences generic expectations due to the still shots showing how the city, once great and alive, has now become a wasteland.
• The soft, sad piano music in the background of the begginign still shots conveys to the audience that although something monsterous has occurred, it is also tragically sad and devistating. Also this non-diagetic music is played with diagetic sounds of wind and birds which emphasises the fact that there is no, or appears to be no, human life.

Institutional Context:

• The sound plays a huge part in this sequence as it dramtically shows the implication of having no life on earth to the audience. The fact that the sound of the birds can be heard is unusual as in the city, normally it would be to loud and busy to even notice a bird. This is a good effect to notify the audience subcontiously.
• A shot from a birds-eye view see the single car of Will Smith, the protagonist, driving through the empty streets of the city, reinforcing the idea that he is alone. The first shot of him is positioned in his car, the camera is tilted down facing his gun and as he lifts it up to put on his lap and hold closer, the camera pans across to follow his movement then shows him in the shot. This is a very good effect as it connotes a sense of danger in him having to carry a weapon with him and a sense of unease is created as he holds it close to him.
• As he drives round the corner of a street the camera is positoned as to watch the car turn to the right and drive off, as it does so the camera pans to right to follow the car then moves up slightly, possibly on a crane, to the height and direction, and zooming or closing in on the half warn away posters. The posters read 'God Still Loves Us' which is a good effect as it shows without saying or explaing the fact that the inhabitants of this place had done something wrong, they needed to rely on God's love, possibly a last hope as they knew it was the end.