Action Opening Scene Analysis: The Mechanic

Action Opening Analysis: The Mechanic

The character are introduced straight away as their stories are being told so the audience are able to see the protagonist and the antagonist in the 2 minutes opening. The first character presented is the wealthy rich guy with his comrade who must obey him and work for him, which suggests the he's the evil guy as rich guys are stereotyped as the bad guys in the action movies. His wealth is shown by his transports as it's introduced in the beginning of the film. The protagonist is introduced and seen ad the villain when he kills someone however the audience believes that he has a reason. The good guy is a stereotypical action hero because he's muscular, seems tough, as he shows no emotion when he kills the villain. 

In the first scene a wide shot is used to show the opening of the door then the camera turns into a low angle shot of the aircraft which shows dominance and make the viewer seem smaller as it tries to show off the wealth of the man. There is a wide shot used to present more shots of the air crafts which informs the viewer about the lifestyle of the rich man however we are not able to see him up close when he exists out of the car which creates suspense because we don't know much about him. The importance of the character is show when there is a long shot of the expensive cars going past but the camera focuses on the villain then the camera zooms into a close up to his face allowing the audience to get to know more about him. 

The setting seems sunny and there are happy people laughing and socializing however once he enters the location there is violence, which suggest that he's rich because he does bad things for having a wealthy lifestyle so he's confirmed as a villain. Whilst the violence is occurring the camera turns into a close to show his emotionless expression toward the mayhem he's causing. The large steel doors begins to open whilst the titles appear on the screen, this creates suspense, as the audience will want to know what's happening. 

There is non-diegetic foreign music when the wealthy foreign character the plane, which he owns. There are birds tweeting whilst the sun is shining which represents peaceful and happy feeling however the scene is very short so it could suggest that the happiness won't last long. There is silence as he enters the swimming pool to get the audience's attention because something is going to happen, so the scene builds up anticipation because there is no music so the viewers will begin to get curious about what's going to happen next. The music gradually becomes suspenseful before the action occurs, then the man swimming is murdered so the music enters the scene, it is fast paced, low pitch music to match the scene. When the music slowly stops it suggests that the character is dead so the atmosphere becomes silent giving it an eerie effect. Whilst the main protagonist hurries and escapes out, the music speeds up which creates tension as the dead body is discovered.


The genre of the film is action; in the first 2 minutes of the opening we are able to see wealth as Aircrafts are introduced. There is a stereotypical location for a fight or conflict between the good vs. evil characters. Usually action films have a character of substantial wealth that is killed right at the beginning, this will gain attention from the audience, as they will become curious about why the character was killed.

Action: Target Audience

Action: Target Audience 

Action films have traditionally been aimed at ages 13 to the mid-30s; it’s generally aimed at mainly males. This is because males of this age range generally are more interested and enjoy fast paced plot with lots of action filled scenes that include explosions and fight scenes. This genre attracts men, as they like to imagine themselves as the main character.

This table shows the amount of people that watched The Mechanic in the theatre, this shows us that action films are most popular among  males in their teens and early 30s which suggests that they're attracted this genre because of the stereotypical male protagonist. Most of the viewers are in lower middle class which suggests that they watch it to escape the reality. 

Codes and Conventions: Action Genre

Action Genre Codes and Conventions

Romance Opening Scene Analysis: Silver Linings Playbook

Romance Opening Analysis: Silver Linings Playbook

In the opening sequence we are introduced to the main character as this is usually done in a romance films. There is non-diegetic sound of the dialogue from the protagonist however we can’t see the character; this creates enigma for the audience, as the viewers are curious. We are able to see the back of the man - it seems likes he's having a conversation with someone but isn't shown by the camera which makes the audience curious about whom he's speaking to. The shot zooms approach the character slowly so the audience has more information about him.  The love theme introduced as dialogue suggests that he's having a relationship problem, which gives the audience more info about the main protagonist and what he’s going through. There is low-key light that suggests that he's vulnerable as he's facing away from the camera and it could relate to his relationship problems. He is then interrupted by a knock and a voice telling the character that the doctor is waiting which tells us that he’s seeking help but he seems stubborn and doesn’t immediately follow what the man says. Then the scene cuts and we're shown the surrounding of the character, he seems to be seeking professional help as it's affecting him mentally - the audience emphasizes with him because some may relate to his situation or had similar relationship problems.

The scene cuts into a medium shot of the table and the bed showing the protagonist perspective so he could be prepared before seeing the doctor. The camera zooms into a paper on the wall with the word "Excelsior" which means "higher" and "ever upward" in Latin but in his situation this could means that he should have courage because he will soon be able to get over his emotional roller-coaster. Whilst the camera zooms toward the word there is a non-diegetic music that sounds like a low pitched piano which gives it a mellow effect and the guitar is added to build up the atmosphere. The scene cuts into an extreme close up of his face and it pans around him then pauses into of his face - we are able to see the characters face however he doesn't have any expression and looks rather depressed. The character is now exposed to the viewer so they will have more knowledge of the main character. 

The camera moves away from him quickly so they audience don’t get emotionally attached to him as we feel sorry for him. In the next scene we can see his back view again as he runs down the stairs quickly then there is a close up the hand - he grabs an item from someone then we see that he's taking the medicine which treats his physical problems however soon after he walks away and he spits out the medication which shows that he can't be trusted as he does what he likes. The scene cut gradually moving into the circle so the audience can hear what he has to say. The camera slowly pans around the circle showing the people within the group allowing us to see that he is interacting with others: he’s talking which shows that he's comfortable around others. However the scene cuts which shows that he's exercising which implies that he's improving himself and seems much happier and focused alone, this is shown from the non-diegetic sound in the background. Then he is soon interrupted by a woman who standing there waiting for his attention, the music fades out to suggest that he isn’t happy about being disturbed. The camera turn into a high angle shot to suggest that she’s an important character because she looks down on him. 

The woman takes him with her and she seems to be having a conversation about him - the protagonist looks like a child when he follows her. There is a close up on the form to emphasize the he is being discharged from the hospital and she is in taking caring of him which informs the audience that it’s his mother. In the next scene a medium shot is used so we can see his rigid body language when he enters the car and his mother talks to him. However his expression soon changes when a man enters the car, he looks happier and relaxed, turning his body to face the man and begins to have a conversation.