Genre 2

The Da Vinci Code- Opening Sequence

Cinematography is used in the opening sequence of this film:

This is a long shot which shows a man who looks like he is running this could suggest to the audience that he might be chasing someone or being chased. Questions that would be asked by the audience would be 'is this man running from something or someone?', 'is something bad going to happen?'. However the audience would see the big photos on the walls which could emphasise that this place is a big house or a museum.

This is a close up which shows that this man running is quite old which the audience will be able to tell from his grey beard. This would make the audience think that he is being chased as he is old and a lot of people would have sympathy for old people and wouldn't imagine them chasing someone. This close up also shows his facial expressions and he looks frightened which suggests that someone is chasing him, but not for a good reason!! This shot also shows how he is turning his head a bit which looks like he is seeing how far behind this person or thing is that he after him.

This is a medium shot which shows this old man trying to lift a picture up, this shows that there could be an escape door under a picture frame. This also builds tension as the audience would be hoping that he escapes and doesn't get caught by whatever he is running from. However it also gives the audience a gut feeling that he might not get away, this gets the audience more involved as they would be saying to themselves 'hurry!!' and this shows the excitement that the opening sequence is already giving out. We  can also see that we have not seen what this man is being chased  by yet and the identity of it is being hidden still at this point.

This is a long shot of someone walking and getting something out of their pocket. This shows the audience that this person here is who has been after this old man but the identity isn't being shown and all the audience are able to see is a long black cloak which makes it more thrilling and scary for the audience as it is un-usual for a normal person to be wearing this.




The mise en scene that is used in the opening sequence of The Da Vinci Code is the costume. For example the old man is dressed smartly and very well presented which suggests that he is an innocent man that is being chased for no reason. This results in the audience wondering why this old man is being chased. On the other hand the person who is chasing the old man who the audience have not yet seen the identity of is dressed completely different as they are wearing a black long cloak. This emphasises that this person is the antagonist because he is all in black which represents dark and spooky. This can also suggest that he doesn't have no feelings as he is after an old man who looks scared to death by his expressions. The setting isn't exactly clear to the audience in the opening sequence as it looks like its a museum which could make the audience think about this old man working here and danger has struck him with an intruder!! We can also tell by the facial expressions of this old man that he wasn't expecting this and this would make the audience feel a lot more sympathy for him as it suggests that he is innocent.

The editing used in this opening sequence is a short take of when this person in all black is pulling something out of their pocket, this short take makes it more exciting for the audience as this person isn't on screen for long which is emphasising and making the audience get involved by thinking about what they are going to do and if they're going to get this old man which the audience would be hoping not to happen.

The sound used in this opening sequence is diegetic sound as the footsteps and the panting of the old man running is coming from him and the breathing and panting of this man emphasises how scared he really is as being so scared can take your breath away. Hyperbolic sound is also used for the footsteps of the old man as it is emphasising that he is running away and how fast he is actually trying to get away. Incidental music is also used when the old man is running, it also starts to build up and gets a bit louder by the time he tries to escape by lifting the frame this creates suspense for the audience, it also keeps them worried about what is going to happen this this man.