Contextual Studies: Coherant Worlds in Films

This is a list of films we watched the opening scenes of to look at how the different worlds they are set in are coherent.

Gladiator:

• Starts with short text about the Roman Empire: viewer automatically remembers what they know about the Roman Empire and how powerful they were.
• Music is sad, yet warm colours and children laughing:
• Scene suddenly switches to cold colours "Germainia"

Blade Runner:

• Starts with short text about the background of this world as well as the date 2019
• Vast city scape shows the setting for the film
• Night time setting, flames shooting from buildings: Viewer expects this to be a dark and dangerous place
• Car shown flying towards the screen: Lets the viewer know that technology has advanced and therefor will accept unusual objects.
• Large pyramid building: Suggests a building of power

Both of these films are both directed by Ridley Scott but have completely different settings that are established fully within the first scenes.

Brazil:

• Starts with text "somewhere in the 20th century" with the exact time: like a bomb 
• Futuristic music, yet vocally old fashioned to a modern audience
• Sudden explosion on a calm scene (Red Herring): disrupting the peace (terrorism)
• Change of music = sharp and fast, imitates terror
• News report about terrorism: scientist shown to be working, not paying any attention to the report. Suggests to the viewer these terrorist attacks are not unusual/have been happening for a while

12 Monkeys:

• Text at the beginning sets the scene, futuristic, About paranoia and schizophrenia.
• Psychedelic swirling: disorientation
• Chaotic music
• Flashback of traumatic childhood: Sound of wind gives cold. empty feeling

Both about Terrorism and set in alternative futures,

Sleepy Hollow:

• Drips of Red: Assume Blood after a series of images, drips shown to be wax. Suggests not

Edward Scissorhands:

• Snow falling and child like music

Both of these films show qualities of children's ghost stories and fairy tales

Amelie:

• French Joyful Music

MicMacs

• Setting is given, 1979

Both are films about a persons life and show similar subtle comedy.

All of these films managed to set the scene of a coherent world within these first opening scenes by explaining all that the viewer needs to know about the world. For example, Blade Runner gave us a date set in the future and showed a flying car right at the start. This meant the viewer would expect to see ordinary objects doing impossible things, because in the future, anything could happen.