Research into openings of action films: Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher's opening was also studied beside Spectre, Rogue Nation and Fury Road as part of our film opening research - it was analysed by Amirah, my partner, as shown below:

https://youtu.be/5xPm2I6M97E Codes and Conventions	Findings	Textual Evidence
Creation of Enigma	The scene starts of my following a white van through the town of Pittsburgh. This creates an atmosphere of mystery, it makes us wonder why they are following that particular van, its draws us in. the high angle shots of the van are interrupted by someone sharpening a piece of metal. This again creates mystery, it confuses the audience, and they are now trying to figure out what is going on. It has made them more alert. Through the start of the scene we do not see who is driving the white van, this creates a sense of mystery as we are being kept in the dark about this character, we don’t know who they are or where they are going. The driver of the vehicle is also wearing a white glove, this is a prop we usually associate with crime, and this idea that we wear gloves whilst committing a crime so that we don’t leave any DNA evidence behind	0.03 – first shot of white van 0.10 – white van is shown again 0.17 – sharpening of a small metal object 0.43 – we can see a hand, wearing a glove
Introduction to Characters	Throughout the start of this sequence we don’t see any characters. However as the scene moves on we do see the side of the drivers face, it’s not a lot but just enough to answer some of the audience’s questions. From that shot we can tell that it’s a male character that is in the white van.  We later on see that the bullet he was sharpening was actually for a sniper, this tells us that the character is dangerous. They may be a big part of the storyline. The fact that we don’t actually see the characters face until two minutes into the sequence, could be telling us that the character is very good at hiding, this could be a hint, showing how he’s involved in the story.	0.45 – we can see that it’s a male character driving the white van 1.43 – making his own bullets 1.56 – carrying a sniper 2.01 – we finally see the characters face
Setting up Plot	At the start of the sequence the white van is shown driving on a motor way where we can see street signs, this tells the audience where the story will take place. The fact that the character is wearing gloves, sharpening a bullet and carrying a sniper tells us that the plot may revolve around death and murder. They are giving the audience little hints about the back story, and what is going to happen. They are laying down the past so when this scene is over they can get on with the present.	0.07 – street signs show us where it is taking place 0.43 – the driver of the vehicle is wearing a glove 0.16 – he is sharpening a piece of metal 1.42 – the piece of metal is actually a bullet 1.56 – the character is carrying a gun
Pace and Rhythm	The cuts used are slow, they don’t skip anything. This may have been used to show that they character was taking their time, whilst committing their crime. It shows their confidence and how they are not afraid to do what they are about to do. The slow cuts also show realism, things are moving in real time, this may be to allow the audience to examine the character’s every move, it may be important further into the movie.	1.10-1.21 – the cuts within this time period show things moving in real time
Mood and Tone (Non-Diegetic Music)	The music is building up as the character gets closer and closer to the car park, where he will commit the crime. As he drives into the car park, we see a mid-shot of a CCTV camera, at the same time the volume of the non-diegetic music lowers, this may have been to show how the driver is aware of everything else but not that. It’s just slipped past him. The music instantly lowers showing that he needs to focus, if he’s going to be successful in what he’s about to do.	Between 0.35 and 0.45, the music is building up. 1.05 – we can see a camera, the sound of the music lowers. 1.49 – the man steps out of the van, and walks towards the edge of the car park.