DYM Homework 3 - Title Sequence Sound Analysis

 For my sound analysis, I looked at the title sequence of:

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/lemony-snickets-a-series-of-unfortunate-events/

Music

The music fades in slowly, and is very choppy and staccato. It has a mysterious and creepy feel to it which creates enigma. It builds up as some percussion instruments come in as well as a bass line. At one point the music slows down and fades away, but restarts again to create suspense.

Sound effects

There are a few sound effects in the opening sequence such as a creaking sound and wind blowing. These add to the mysterious and 'haunted' atmosphere that the music creates. We get a sense of danger - even nature is not on their side.

Video

At the start of the sequence we see the protagonists on a small boat in the ocean. Together with the music this creates a feeling of isolation. Later we see the characters flying away in a hot air balloon, and as this is happening the music subtly increases in pitch. As it fades and becomes quiet about half way through the sequence, we see a high contrast black and white clip which does not fit with the dark and washed-out look of the rest of the sequence, creating a short 'break' in both the video and audio. Overall the artistic style of the video fits very well with the eerie music.

DYM Homework 2: Film Opening Analysis

I've chosen to analyse the opening scene of The Dark Knight (2008).





Enigma Code:

• 1:24 - Why does he have a mask, and what does it mean?
• 1:58 - Who is 'The Joker' ?
• 2:16 - Are they going to succeed in robbing the bank?
• 2:53 - Who is the man sitting in the chair? 
• 3:00 - How are they going to open such a secure vault ?
• 3:42 - How are they going to escape?

Action Code:

• 1:18 - We expect that there will be a heist when he fires the grappling hook. 
• 1:32 - As the car drives up we assume that his partners are inside, or it could be a set up.
• 1:48 - He loads his gun, so we know he is preparing for a gunfight. 
• 2:04 - They look around before entering the bank. The police could be on to them already, or they could enter the bank without anyone seeing them.
• 2:15 - The firing of the first gun starts the action - we don't know if the criminals are going to get shot, or take control of the bank.
• 2:43 - As he points his gun at his partner's back, we assume that he will shoot him, but the partner might disarm him and fight back.

Semiotic Code:

• 0:54 - The tall skyscrapers suggest an urban setting such as New York. 
• 1:21 - He has the same mask as the two men shown previously, which tells us that they are working together. 
• 2:54 - The man's calmness tells us that he is an important and powerful character.
• 2:09 - The robbers are running which suggests that they have very little time. 

Cultural Code:

• 1:47 - We know that the three men are criminals due to their clothing, masks and guns. 
• 2:14 - Other than the location, the shots fired in the air and the screaming tells us that it is a bank robbery. 
• 3:45 - We assume that he is a businessman because he is wearing a suit and tie. 

Symbolic Code:

• Evil - Guns, violence, robbery
• The Joker - The robbers only know rumours about him which suggests that he is a mysterious character. Their masks also represent him.
• Betrayal - There are several examples in the clip where a criminal is shot by another. 

DYM Homework 1: Film Still Analysis

This still is from the Sci-Fi Thriller 'Source Code' (2011) . 

I chose to analyse it because:

-On its own, the shot looks very enigmatic. The male character is surrounded by darkness, the only light source being a television screen. It creates a sense of mystery and raises many questions such as why he is there and what's going to happen. 

-His expression, the light reflecting off his eyes and the sweat on his forehead make him appear vulnerable and scared. He is looking up, possibly trying to find a way to escape and not paying attention to the television, which suggests conflict. 

-The framing and lighting is very effective. It is a close-up (CU) which focuses on the character's facial details. The TV screen is out of focus which creates depth of field, but it also adds to the effect that he is distracted by something above him.