Comparing Camera Work In Opening Scenes

Sicario

The film Sicario (2015) begins with an establishing shot of a serene town in a dusty, remote area. The setting is bright with high key lighting. However, the serenity is challenged by the fact that the camera is on the front of a heavily armoured vehicle which is seen just before, you see a P.O.V of the truck moving towards one of the buildings. The building which looks like a regular suburban bungalow is contrasted by the armoured truck which has low key lighting, this makes the people inside the truck look like the enemy. Later we learn that not to be true when Emily Blunts character runs into the building and shouts 'F.B.I'. A shootout occurs and bodies are discovered in the walls which is assumed to be an answer to a question shouted by one of the F.B.I. agents when they run into the house which is 'Where are the hostages?'. At the end of the scene, a crime scene investigator shows up and it is reported at least 35 other dead people found in the wall.

The camera shot at the beginning of the film is a close up of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt)'s face. This is to show her emotions, this helps the audience get a better idea of how the character is feeling. This shot is used in the scene to keep focus on Emily Blunt's face and not to get distracted by anything in the background, the director did this intentionally to show that the character was preparing herself mentally for what she is about to do.


When the shootout has finished, there is a high angle shot of the alleged 'crime-boss' after he was killed. The high angle shot has connotations with powerlessness. The use of the high angle shot in this scene was used because the director wanted to show the dominance of the F.B.I. and the weakness of the kidnappers. The low angle shot of the F.B.I. shows dominance in the scene as it makes them appear bigger.



The way that a majority of the opening scene is filmed is either P.O.V or hand-held, this makes the scene seem fast paced and also more immersive, as it is the way that our eyes would see in that situation.

Captain America: Civil War
In the opening scene, Captain America, Falcon and Scarlett Witch are fighting enemies. It features a lot of high - key lighting outside when the heroes arrive, probably to show that their fight for a bright future. Inside the building, there is a green poisonous gas. Captain America fights people inside the building.

The film is started by a low angle shot of Captain America (Chris Evans) after he falls from the sky, this could have religious connotations as he falls from the sky and could show that the enemies are dealing with God's wrath, the colour of the sky is white, and the colour white has got religious connotations as it is viewed as divine, this shot sets up our expectations of Captain America's character thought the film.

The camera movement is usually steady, however, it has a high frame rate which makes the scene feel fast paced, and there is moments of hand-held filming which makes the film feel more immersive and fast-paced.