Wallander opening analysis

Wallander contact sheet

Wallander opening;

Cinematography:

-In this opening sequence here there are many different shots used, for instance, a tracking shot is used right at the beginning when the camera follows the 2 women, this is a beautifully framed shot as it has a very clear foreground and background, it also makes the viewers ask questions about who these women are?? who have they just killed?? why did they do it??. In short this shot gets the viewers very involved in the story right from the start. The actual titles use close ups of the male characters face, this connotes that he is the main character and that we should pay very close attention to his emotions, this is easy due to the fact that a close up is used, this makes it very easy for emotions to be identified in the frame.

Sound:

-The music here is quite modern, but very subtle, this connotes that the film is set in the modern era, thus making it easier for a modern audience to relate to the film (this makes the suspense and horror in the film a lot more affective etc.) There are a lot of natural sounds that you would here in every day life, this reinforces the earlier point of the audience being able to associate with the film. The mix of natural sounds and modern music does set the scene in modern britain, as such there is a great interest and association from the audience.

Editing-
editing in the wallander opening consists of a lot of match on action, for example, the women are covered in blood, it then cuts to a shot of the knife, this is a match on action in the form that the knife explains where the blood has come from. This also sets the overall tone for the film as a thriller, it does this by showing the theme of death, crime and anger (show through the womens facial expressions.) The editing is also in the titles in that the yellow titles are clearly added in, this bright colour really does stand out and provides a contrast with the background, this accents the titles and shows very clearly the titles, and therefore that the production team had a major part in shaping the film.

Mise-en-scene-
Again the mise-en-scene during the titles says a lot about the film that is to follow, for example the contrast between the yellow and the blue connotes that there is going to be conflict in the rest of the film. It also tells the viewer that there is going to be confusion and madness in the film, this can be seen in the contrast in the tone as well as the actual difference in colours. The mise-en-scene is also very dark very often this shows how nitty-gritty the film will be, this can be seen from the grey sky, which is realistic, yet also dull and slightly ominous.