How effectively does the opening sequence from ‘Children of Men’ (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?
‘Children of Men’ is a futuristic thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón, starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. The film’s opening sequence says a lot about the film through the use of forms and conventions and creates a number of enigmas the audience will be questioning until it is revealed in the rest of the film.
Before any characters are introduced or anyone is seen, the audience automatically gets the feel that they will witness a dramatic film when the credits appear in bold black and white, suggesting that the film is serious. The film also insists on being viewed as a drama/thriller when the explosion occurs and a woman appears from the smoke holding her blown-off arm, giving the sense of a horror film, as well as the loud, dramatic screams.
Then the voices of British news reporters are heard, suggesting clearly that this film is set in England. The use of the blank screen makes the audience know that what is being said in the background is important and then will listen carefully. The news that is heard creates many enigmas for an audience such as “why is the youngest person in the world 18?” “Who is listening to this?” therefore creating a sudden interest in the film. When a picture finally does appear, we are in a coffee shop where everything is dull and everyone is wearing grey or dark colours, suggesting the unhappiness of the public at this time.
The idea that the film is set in London 2027 is very obvious to the audience due to the use of a title stating just that, as well as the news reports. When the camera shows outside, the large red busses, buildings, policemen and so on establish that the film is in London. However, a futuristic element is shown through the use of moving adverts on the red busses, the different look of the policemen’s uniforms and many other conventions. It is also suggested to the audience when shown outside that London is under heavy pollution that it is the future and what we are all afraid of happening now.
The film uses different camera conventions throughout the opening to evoke different things. The use of camera movement when following the lead character out of the shop and down the street using a handheld camera makes it seem like we are following him and brings the audience into the film. Also the rotate of the camera around the character establishes more and more of the new, futuristic city of London, with its grey, dull, dusty complexion creating a miserable, dying city of London.
The use of sound throughout the sequence is very effective in creating enigmas, establishing the setting, and putting forward the genres of horror, thriller and drama. The news at the beginning is non-digetic, off screen sound that gives the audience the most information straight away, from the death of the youngest person on the planet to the condition of the planet and also about the deportations, homeland security and other aspects of the dying future. Suggesting to the audience that the world has changed and creating a number of enigmas. The street noise that is heard also shows the audience that they are in a big city, with the use of cars, horns, large crowds etc. that are very common and well known noises that are easily associated with being in a city as large and busy as London.
When the news report is on, talking about ‘The Death of Baby Diego’, sad music is heard to show how loved Baby Diego was and that this d3eath has affected the world with such dramatic music. Also, the sound of women from the coffee shop crying hammers home the importance of a celebrity in this futuristic time.
When we are outside, the street noise gets very busy and loud for a while, until it gets slightly quieter and then the large sound of the explosion becomes more shocking and unexpected. It also creates the feeling of “the calm before the storm.” Making an audience jump.
You are then left with the sounds of screams, shouting, crying, car alarms and many other disturbing noises the explosion has created. These distressing sounds are then played in the background of the title of the film, stated in capitals, white text on the black background, similar to the other edits, creating the sense of seriousness in the film.
The character of Theo Faron is the only character introduced in the film. He barely talks and looks alone. Walking into the coffee shop you can tell he is different, as he doesn’t appear swayed by the shocking news that has affected the rest of the world. Dressed in dark clothing, he doesn’t stand out amongst the rest of the crowd, and the long coat suggests that he could be hiding something and is a mysterious character. He takes a flask of alcohol out of his jacket pocket and pours it into is coffee, making the audience question why he is doing this, stress? Loneliness? Boredom? Depression?
As an audience watching the opening, I personally really enjoyed the opening of the film. I thought it created a brilliant feel for the film to come and made me ask a large number of enigmas. I thought the first time watching it that I really wanted to watch the rest of the film. The explosion created the largest enigma for me as I wanted to know why it exploded, who did it, who was injured, what was the main character going to do about it, and how was he involved.
I found the camera work very effective in creating a dramatic opening, from the opening shot of everyone in the coffee shop, so you can see everyone’s reactions and establish how Theo differs from the rest straight away. I also like the way the camera establishes the busy city of London. By only seeing a small bit of it you can see instantly how everything has changed. You know that the world is heavily polluted due to the grey, dull colouring and the cloudy skies. The short shot also establishes how things have changed, from hi-tech adverts to rickshaws with motorbikes instead of pushbikes, showing that the future is different but not too dramatically. I personally liked the use of sound and felt that it was most important within the sequence as it gets the most important aspects across; the news report changing from non-digetic to digetic is a clever transition that delivers an important message to the audience that they don’t know is majorly important but they still pay attention to it subconsciously as it’s the only thing happening on the screen at that moment. In relation to sound also, I thought that the unanticipated explosion and the sounds of terrified screams and disruption create a great effect in pushing the idea of the unexpected and strange happenings that may occur in the film.
