Research into Similar Media Texts

This opening sequence comes from the film "Children of Men". 

• The Universal Studios sequence appears at the beginning of the film, Universal studios are both producers and distributors so we understand what institutions are involved in the making of this film.
• There is a black screen for the titles: however the sound we hear, is the news, presumably which is non-diegetic.
• The opening shot is a medium shot, taken from over head, of a group of ordinary people in a coffee shop- we are given no introduction the main character at first. However there is a close up shot of a male in the coffee shop, which indicates he is the protagonist. 
• Mise-en-scene: is ordinary clothing. This indicates those involved in the film are "ordinary people". It could also indicate the genre: it eliminates fantasy, fairy tale (which usually uses cartoon characters) etc...
• The tracking of the male from the coffee shop to outside allows a panning shot of a bleak London, which we know through the red bus, and the title along the bottom telling the audience of the location. There is also indication that this is set in the future, with moving bus advertisements.
• The music in the opening sequence is quite orchestral and reflective, gives a sense of something tragic.
• The music, lighting, and the narrative indicate the mood of the film, which is mourning and tense. 
• The lighting in the entire opening sequence is very dim and full of greys, blacks and white, there is a lot of pollution on the street which makes the setting look very unpleasant and boring.
• Characterisation: the main character seems to be very serious, middle aged white male. Males usually dominate thrillers. 
• Narrative: the narrative of Children of Men seems very easy to follow, there has been a killing of the youngest human on the planet. This adds a sense of enigma to the plot, as to why someone who is an adult is the youngest person on the planet. 
• Representation: Children of Men is very generic of thrillers, using a white male as it's main protagonist. Females do no feature heavily, apart from the fact that they may be portrayed as being more emotional, with more of them crying than males. 
• As there is a bomb explosion there is a piercing sound of what sounds like a female screaming. The camera's sudden movements indicates the intense and frantic situation of those involved. There is then a silence before the black screen with the title of the film, "Children of Men". The titles in this film do not move, and are black, plain writing.