Analysis of the opening of Touch of Evil

This is the opening sequence of Orson Wells' 'Touch of Evil'

This sequence depicts a bomb being placed into the boot of a car. It is one smooth shot with only one cut in the sequence. This makes it interesting as most opening sequences have multiple cuts in them. The first thing we see is a bomb or some sort of device with a timer on it. It is being held by someone who activates the timer.

We then hear various diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, such as an echoey ticking of the timer, which adds to the feeling of suspense. We hear laughter, probably from a female character, which creates a sort of juxtoposition in the sequence as laughter usually symbolises happiness and bombs usually symbolise danger. The character then moves out of the way of the camera, which in turn moves. This rapid movement causes the audience to feel on edge and nervous, like the character. We hear music on the soundtrack, which suggests a party or night out. We then see the first character run across the frame and the camera tracks along a wall, as his shadow passes over it.

We see the character open the boot of a car and place what we assume is the bomb into the back. This causes the audience to wonder why this character is doing this and we wonder who the victims will be. This enigma prompts us to keep watching.

We then see another male and a female character walking to the car and getting in it. These must be the victims of the bomb planting. This revelation makes the audience want to know why they have been targeted. As the car starts to move, the music bursts into a jazzy tune which creates the feel of a good night out, not knowing the danger which lurks behind them. The car turns to a crossing/junction where a police officer/traffic conductor stops the and allows a car to pass.

This delay allows time for the camera to track backwards. It also creates a sense of urgency as they do not know the danger which they are in and the delay could mean that the bomb goes off in the wrong area. The car is stopped again, then it drives past another young couple. The camera locks onto this new couple and the car drives past.

We follow them as they walk through the busy street. We then reunite with the car which the bomb is in as it comes to a customs check, where we hear the first dialogue of the sequence. The people in the car and the couple which we followed through the street seem to be aquainted. The dialogue indicates that the man who was walking is some sort of investigator, and he is recognised by both the customs officer and the man in the car. After this sequence, we learn that the woman in the car can hear the bomb. We move back to the couple who begin to share an intimate moment.

However this moment is interupted by the sound of an explosion. We cut to the explosion of the car witht he bomb in it, and the opening sequence ends.

This sequence is interesting as it shows how it is possible to tell a story without cutting from one angle to another, and yet still have a variety of camera angles. It also creates enigma which encourages the audience to watch more. This sort of enigma is what we want to create in our own opening sequence.

Analysis of the Opening Sequence from 'Double Indemnity'

This is the opening of 'Double Indemnity' a film from 1944. I have chosen to use this clip as part of my research as we are hoping to use 'film noir' as an inspiration for the main film task: To produce the Opening Sequence and Credits of a feature film.



This clip shows a chase sequence during which a car runs through a red light. This creates the feeling of enigma in which the audience wonders what the car chase is about. The music is orchestral and dramatic, adding to the suspense of the chase.

The shot cuts to a shot of the back of a man in a fedora and long coat. This medium-long shot adds to the feeling of mystery as we do not know the identity of this man.

He is greeted by a man who is much smaller than him. They go into an elevator and we see that the tall man seems to have a wound in his arm, this reveals part of the story, that this man could have come to the other man for help, after being wounded.

There is a short dialogue where the small man tries to make conversation with the tall man, who answers with short sentences. This creates an awkward feeling like the tall man is not wanting to talk to the shorter man, who it seems is just being polite. We see that the tall man has not come to the small man for help, but instead just to do to an insurance office.

The camera tracks behind the man, as if following him. He goes through the door and the camera tracks over the shoulder of the man to show what appears to be rows of tables at a lower level than what we are on. This camera movement makes the audience feel as though they are following the tall man into this room and the lack of dialogue creates enigma around the events as we wonder what this place is, why the man is wounded and what has happened.

We then see a low angle shot of the tall man as he walks along a balcony and into a door. This shot creates the feeling of superiority, and that the tall man is superior to the people working much lower down. The camera pans across as the man walks along, as if the camera was the eyes of one of the workers.

Then the opening ends. This is a good opening to study for my media piece as we are aiming to create a simple sequence which builds enigma and doesn't give too much of the story away, prompting the audience to keep watching, to find out who this man is, and why he is behaving in the way he is. In our piece, we wish to cause the audience to wonder why something is happening and if we were to create the full film, it would prompt them to keep watching. The shots are very basic, as is traditional to the era of film making. Overall, I feel this opening sequence is a good inspiration for the genre which I would like to do. However, I do not think that there is any intense moments which would grab the audience's attention, such as a murder or interrogation. I will take this into account as I plan for my piece.

Analysis of the Preliminary Video

When completing the Preliminary Task which was set:
To film and edit a sequence including the following techniques:-

• Using the 180 Degree Rule
• Match-action shots
• Shot/reverse shots
• Smooth continuity editing

We had 2 attempts at the exercise.

 This is the first attempt at the preliminary exercise

This version of the preliminary video fulfils the criteria of using the 180 degree rule, match-action shots and relatively smooth continuity editing. However it doesn't show the shot/reverse shot techniques due to a technical error. Therefore we had to go back and re-shoot the scene with a close up of Character B (the male) in order to match the close up of Character A (the female).

This is the second attempt at the preliminary exercise

This does include the close-ups of Character B, however when editing we noticed that in his close-ups, the lighting was significantly different to the rest of the shots. This is because we had to share our filming location and it was being used for other purposes which led to more light in the area. This helped me realise the importance of continuity and I will ensure that the lighting in any shooting periods carried out over a few hours/days will be relatively similar. However, if at all possible I will try to use lighting which can be controlled, for example spotlights and studio lighting. 

Throughout the montage, aside from the lighting, the continuity is very smooth and effective. There are hardly any jumpy cuts and a lot of match-action shots which help disguise the cuts, for example walking through the door, the chin stroke and standing up to leave. However, when Character A sits down at the beginning, I feel that the editing is a bit too fast paced and a little bit jumpy. However it still runs fairly smoothly and overall, I am pleased with the editing in this sequence.

Completing the preliminary task has helped me to understand the basic techniques of film and has helped me explore the program (Adobe Premier) which I will be using to edit the main project.