REVIEW

1. Skyfall
Rowan Larder

2. Overall impressions
• The overall impression from the opening sequence is an action packed thriller,
targeted at the thrill seekers and action gurus. The opening sequence features a
lot of exciting CGI and hints at “Bonds” possible death. It is filled with hints
towards the upcoming content in the film, such as house that is called Skyfall in
the film. We see a quick glimpse of the house in the opening of the film.

3. Genre
IMDB put the film into a
Action, Adventure and
thriller category

4. Analysis of shots
• In this opening sequence we see a
lot of gender representation, most
notably in the first few seconds we
see Bond fall into the water being
pulled down into the darkness by a
woman's hand, in this shot we see
that the hand is much bigger than
him. This is a representation that
classically in the bond films
although the men have the power
they are easily controlled by
women and their desires.

5. Analysis of shots
• In this shot we see cardboard cut-
outs of Daniel Craig in the style of a
target, the target has a wound on
his right shoulder which is
significant to the film as it is the
symbol of his struggle for
ideal health. The shot zooms in to
the wound on the target, this is like
we are seeing inside the hero's
story.

6. Analysis of shots
• Dark and gloomy colours used in
this shot are giving a sense that it in
the past or a nightmare. The use of
a dark blue connotates sadness and
upset. The use of knives coming
down from the sky shows
the masculinity of the trilogy with
each knife representing a past
James Bond character which we
then the shot pan over and zoom in
where CGI is used to transform the
daggers in to gravestones.

7. Analysis of shots
• Visually this is through featuring
locations of the film in
the opening sequence for example the
Chinese dragon foreshadowing his
journey to China as well as a scene of
a mansion with two deer's outside,
this is foreshadowing the finale in the
mansion where he was born 'Skyfall'.
On the initially seeing this it would not
become clear to viewers that these are
the locations they visit however it then
makes it seem recognisable later on in
the film.

8. Analysis of shots
• Later in the title sequence we see
Bond in an abandoned warehouse
shooting down his own shadow, this
is symbolic of his mental
state throughout the
film, fragmented and unsure of
what it true. This on the other
hands could be interpreted as him
shooting his former self, something
which he has to do in the film in
order to become stronger and be
'reborn' as a better secret agent.

9. Analysis of shots
• The use of colour changes towards
the end of the credits, this is going
with the idea of tension mounting
in the storyline. The colour goes
from a dark blue to a red
symbolising danger, aggression as
well as passion. These are all things
that fans and typical viewers would
expect from a James Bond film.

10. Editing
The opening of Skyfall includes fast paced editing to keep the audience
engaged so that they don't get bored or even think to look away for
even a second as they may miss something important or interesting.
There has also been use of black screens which have been used to
differentiate the scenes. The lighting that has been used in the opening
of Skyfall is low key lighting which has been used to enhance a
mysterious and ghastly appearance. Moreover in some extents of the
film opening high key lighting has also been used by the director to
evidently show those scenes to the audience.

11. Sound
At the beginning of the opening we hear the classic James Bond theme
music. The music starts off slowly and forms up to a crescendo as the
protagonist is being dragged further down into the water, this effect
builds up tension to emphasize the climax that is being constructed. The
non diegetic soundtrack throughout the film opening is ‘Skyfall' by the
artist Adele.

12. Mise en Scene
• The suit indicates professionalism
as the audience already has an
image in their head of how an Ml6
agent may look. Also his hair being
short and neat gives the protagonist
a clean look, and also shows he
cares about his image.
The suit also shows power as he
looks sharp but also show
seriousness and authority.

13. Mise en Scene
• Also this house is shown
throughout the film opening a
couple of times, hence suggesting
its importance in the film, as it
foreshadows that there will be
scenes in or around that house and
it will be important scenes.

14. Mise en Scene
• The graveyard connotes death
which is presented throughout the
film opening, and the guns and
knifes falling this all is also a genre
signifier of action, as it has weapons
and the connotation of death which
is expected in action

15. Mise en Scene
• During the Skyfall title sequence, a
soundtrack produced and performed by
Adele is played throughout. The soundtrack
emphasises and reinforces the dark &
powerfulness of the mise-en-scene in Skyfall.
I think the power portrayed in her voice fits
along with the mise- en-scene seamlessly and
fits the connotations of a classic James Bond
tune.
• The mise-en-scene is represented as a surreal
dreamscape of guns, enemies, blood and
daggers, in an underwater setting with dense
shadowing. This gives the audience a sense of
danger, thrill, and mystery. I also love the way
that the weapons are manipulated into other
objects such as the daggers into gravestones.

16. Mise en Scene
• The title sequence of Skyfall is fairly
long lasting just under four minutes.
This has allowed for a lot of people
who have helped and worked on
the film to be given credit. Whereas
usually, only the most important
people such as the actors and
directors are mentioned.
Screenshot showing the use of black and
red which have connotations of action
and death,

17. Mise en Scene
• The location changes throughout the title
sequence, implying Skyfall has elements
of both action and fast pace revealing the
genre of the film. The camera appears to
be tracking Bond throughout the title
sequence, giving the impression that we
are following him on a journey. In the first
scene we see him being dragged down
into the unknown creating tension and
relaying the uncertainty of Bonds safety
to the audience. It is clear through the
use of dark colours, images of guns in
multiple scenes, and the tense powerful
music that the genre of Skyfall is action.
This screen shot shows the weapons
being manipulated into daggers.