Skyfall - Opening scene (analysis)

Throughout the opening two minutes of the film, the director has shown a lot and has given us clear evidence that the film is an action. The typical conventions of action films are things like car chase's and missions,etc. which is evident in the opening two minutes to this film, Skyfall. The scene begins with a dim light, followed by James Bond appearing and walking down a narrow corridor. This was shown at a high angle which is straight away quite mysterious as it is in the dark and we can see he is in possession of a gun which engages the reader.

 They have used a variety of shots types and angles. The first shot they used was an establishing shot. This was to show the sort of area the scene was being shot in and also the main character, which as we all know, is James Bond. Establishing shots are significant as they typically set the setting and often establish the main character(s) as shown. They then used a close up of James Bond, this shot was used to show facial expressions and emotion and to tightly frame the main character.

He is shown wearing a suit and holding a gun which would more than likely fit the stereotypes of a secret agent. Also in the screenshot above he is looking quite suspicious which gives a feel of suspense and makes the audience more engaged as you would typically expect something big to happen which not long after is shown in the car chase. The fact that he is wearing a suit partially conforms the stereotypes of 'secret agents' as they tend to be dressed smart.

 The sound they have used during the car chase is very intense and puts the audience on the edge of there seat, as well as building up tension for the point of action. The setting/location isn't very distinctive for an action film, however this makes it more thrilling for the audience as it is something different. It is located in a busy town/city which is more extreme, especially during the car chase when they are speeding through tons of people with no intention of slowing down.They partially establish the setting at the start of the scene when James Bond comes out of the building as well as when they are in the car chase, they are driving down narrow streets packed full of people.