COLLATERAL OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE

COLLATERAL OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE

MISE-EN-SCENE OF OPENING PROPS SEQUENCE SETTINGS There is a use of parallel editing to show the two locations in the opening title sequence which are the airport where we first are introduced to the character Vincent and then the taxi station where we are introduced to the character Max. The contrast in locations represents the contrast in characters and highlights how different their lives are, however because we are shown both characters so closely together we can assume that there different life styles are going to collide.

COSTUME

The use of costume shows the different status these characters have. Whilst Vincent shows authority and business in his smart grey suit, Max shows a lot less authority or the need to look a certain way, he instead wears a hoodie and t-shirt we can assume he feels comfortable in, merging into society without the need or longing to stand out.

Both of Vincent’s props show authority and business that he is going to be involved in, we can see that he is hiding his identity with glasses and this tells us that he is going to be involved with activities where your identity must remain anonymous. Max’s props such as his postcard show that he isn't content in where he is in life, he is ambitious to do better but whether he will we do not know at this point, his glasses may be used as a prop to show vulnerability, he unlike Vincent has no need to hide his identity and he is already invisible.

SOUND IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE DIEGETIC- There are some diegetic sounds used in the opening title sequence such as the noise of people at an airport and then again when the shot cuts to the taxi rank where we here industrial noses, tools, alarms and a radio. This is used to present a realistic mood that is relevant to both locations.

NON-DIEGETIC- There is also a soundtrack playing with builds up tension which is common within the thriller genre of film. This soundtrack of music enters after the briefcases are dropped and exchanged, this highlights the significance of this event and hints that from this moment onwards action is about to begin. The sounds in the track are quite metallic and this represents the busy industrial setting of the film, the sound fades out when Max shuts the door of his taxi which presents his sense of isolation but comfort in his place of work.

VOLUME: *Low *High *Low PITCH: Low/cynical

SFX: Used when briefcases are dropped to add significance

CAMERA SHOTS IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE Wide shot with particular focus on the character Vincent: This shows the audience the significance of the character Vincent and also gives the impression he is in a busy environment but for some reason or another stands out from everyone else. Next we have a similar shot where the focus is on another character who we can guess is going to collide with Vincent. The pace of this character is faster to suggest he does not possess the same level of ‘cool’ and ‘relaxation’ that Vincent has. This is a medium close up on the main character in this scene Vincent, this is used to show the audience that his emotion and pace has stayed the same, he does not show any signs of uncertainty or worry for what he is about to do.

CAMERA SHOTS IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE This is ‘two shot’ when both characters collide, we can see that they are pretending this is an accident but the look that the other character gives Vincent suggests this was planned when he states “enjoy LA”.

This is the briefcase that becomes a significant prop as we realise both characters swap briefcases, this suggests that Vincent needs to obtain something he couldn’t bring through customs, such as a weapon. This is a medium close-up of the briefcase to show significance and show the swap clearly. This is an ‘over the shoulder point of view’ shot, It is almost from Vincent's perspective but we can still see him in the side of the frame to acknowledge the conversation and eye contact.

CAMERA SHOTS IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE This is a ‘medium shot’ of Vincent who is calmly walking away from the situation, again the focus is on him whilst the background of busy irrelevant people are blurred out.

This is an ‘associated point of view’ of Vincent who is now leaving the location of the airport, this view point makes the audience feel like they too are going to follow on his journey to carry out whatever business awaits him in LA. We are now introduced to the character Max, this ‘medium close up’ does not give away a lot about him but from his costume and the use of glasses we can he is straight away an opposite character from Vincent. His clothes suggest he does not have a job with a high status and he portrays a more innocent personality.

CAMERA SHOTS IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE This is a wide shot that clearly shows the new location of the scene. It is not as busy as the airport and is obviously and industrial environment which we soon can recognise as a taxi rank.

This is ‘medium close-up’ again of Max who we can see is comfortable and secure in his working place of his taxi, however he seems defeated and unhappy with his current life. This is a ‘close-up’ of Max where we can purely focus on his emotion to realise he is not content in his current situation, we sense he wants more from life.

EDITING IN THE OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE •The editing in the opening title sequence is continuity editing, all the shots flow well into one another •The 180 degree rule is put into action when we see a dialogue from the character Vincent and the other character who is delivering his briefcase • The editing is at a fast pace that changes when the scene cuts to the contrasting life of the character Max, as the pace of the editing slows down we can see that Max’s life is not so fast moving and full of actions as Vincent’s is • The fast editing helps us to identify that ‘Collateral’ is a ‘Action Thriller’ •The contrast in editing = the contrast in characters and location