Analysing Opening seqence

Bridget Jones's dairy

The cinematography used in the mid shot is a behind the shoulder shot; it shows the facial reaction of both the man and Bridget Jones. The fact the camera has chosen to put this man in focus shows he is and important character, the audience would assume he was the main character. The high key lighting creates a welcoming feeling, and also creates the feeling that audience can relate to this event.  The camera movement, the track zoom in movement identifies this female as the speaker and reveals that she in the main character.

The mise-en-scene shows that there is a range of people in one living room which could imply that this is a social event. The costume reveals the timing of the year in which this movie is set, as the man in this photograph is wearing a reindeer jumper, which hints that this could be around Christmas time. The audience can build a connection with this time and the amount of people in the living room as Christmas is all about getting the family together. The costume of the girl (Bridget Jones is eye catching and old fashioned as though the fashion of the costume is much older than herself. This shows her lack of fashion and perhaps that she is not very feminine as the top she is wearing is not revealing, this is odd because she is a young woman. The lack of make up on her face implies that she may be a workaholic. The only feature that distinguishes her from the old ladies is her rose cheeks, which show that she is quite young. The fact her costume matches that of the old aged ladies is worrying. The audience ask questions; what has happen to this poor girl? Why doesn’t she have a life?  What is missing in her life?

The fact that she is attracted to this man yet fails to speak directly to him shows that she lacks confidence and that she is a single woman. The voice over shows that a change is going to happen, ‘this was it’ the audience respond by watching intensely. The fade in edit shows a time difference, and the next shot is shocking because it was unexpected

The long shot of the setting makes it easier for the audience to relate to, as the building is a typical building located by roads and a street. This shows there is nothing significant within the setting. This creates a feeling of normality which the audience can respond positively to.  The sound present is a popular song about heartbreak ‘I can’t live without you’ which creates a depressing mood for the audience because it implies this person’s live has ended because of the end of her relationship. The singer is a female just like the voice over is feminine, the main character is female, this shows how this film is directed to a female perspective which reveals the target audience is female.  The audience can build a connection with the setting, the previous shot and the music as they both emphasis loneliness and rejection. The setting shows a flat on an empty street with no one walking around, this presents the house as lonely and it is a rejected building as no one is entering or leaving it. The song emphasises the feeling of loneliness by explaining the reason for this feeling as the result of being dumped.

Cinematography decides to use a crane to introduce the next scene as well as cut, the camera looks up as though to create a feeling of hope, an escape route to the feeling of misery. The mise-en-scene creates a feeling of hopelessness, there’s no sun in the sky, everything is still, there’s no animals or people in sight. This creates a feeling of isolation, the audience respond to this setting with pity, as this setting creates a feeling of not being loved, as though this character is incapability of having a happy romance.

This long shot is a master shot which helps to reveal the personality of the main character, the fact that this room appears boring as it lacks creativity in its design shows that she is a dull individual. The several books in her shelf suggest that she loves reading and that she spends a lot of time by herself to be able to have the time to collect and read all these books. Her television isn’t fancy, it isn’t a plasma or big screen which suggests that she doesn’t have a highly paid job. Her position on the sofa and her costume presents her as a lazy depressed woman and the non diegetic sound, the music emphasises this mood. The books scattered on the sofa, the radio on suggest that she is bored and that her brain is elsewhere. She is trying to divert her attention but she can not forget the fact or the feeling of loneliness. The fact that she is lying on the sofa in pyjamas is strangers as pyjamas are worn in bed, this suggests that she is scared or doesn’t like the idea of going to bed alone.  The audience can connect the title on the screen as the name of the actor playing the character. The font of the letter matches one’s handwriting which emphases the title which is that this story is named after someone’s diary.

This long shot is the first shot to distinguish this movie as not just a Romance but a Romantic Comedy, her facial expression shows hopefulness that perhaps she is a voice message. Her body language; her legs crossed together, her hand on her thigh illustrates impatience. The phone then says ‘you have no messages’, this is the first diegetic sound and the audience find it humorous. Her eyebrows crossed shows anger, frustration at herself at being single. The frowns on her forehead hints that she is may be 30 years old or above. The edit used is fade in, ironically it is the character that fades into the scene instead of the next shot, this illustrates the passing of time. Her unsettled behaviour suggests that she is bored. The audience ask questions such as; what is disturbing this girl? Why is she so unsettled? What is bothering her? Why have the film makers put the song with this scene? Has she been heartbroken? Was she expecting a voice message?  Was it someone important? Was she expecting a voice message from the man in the previous scene?

This mid shot reveals what an emotion wreck this character is, her face shows that she has been crying. The fact that she is drinking wine and is gripping a newspaper in her left hand illustrate these props as her comforters, the wine is used to drown out her pain and the newspaper is used to help her take out her anger. The way her left hand positioned as though it is ready to hit something.  The blanket on her sofa, the books opened, the pile of books and cigarettes on the table illustrates her as a messy person. This could also be a clue to mental mind, that she is not thinking properly and that she is frustrated and angry at being single. This shows how desperate this girl is to have a relationship. The audience wonder the lengths she will go to, to get herself a man. The audience respond to her behaviour with pity as they wonder what brought her to this state. What happened to her? Why is she so upset?

These shots show how the mise-en-scene shows how she uses the props; the newspaper and the champagne glass to bring out her emotions which ironically relate to the lyrics of the song. The fact that the music is depressing and the message behind the lyrics is that she needs a man to be happy ‘to live.’  The audience can connect or identify this as a clue to the plot of the story; the film is going to show how this girl gets herself a boyfriend and if she ends up with the man shown in the beginning.