This is my analysis of an opening film sequence for my Media AS.

1. • In the first two minutes of the first instalment, you
hear non-diegetic sound of a woman breathing
desperately. This then turns into diegetic as you see a
close-up of what appears to be a “bloody” bride. Here
you can see that the Bride’s face has been subject to
a technique known as masking in where the right side of
her face is in darkness.
• The opening sequence is very shocking as it engages
the viewer using a sensory technique, through the
laboured breathing, which immediately silences anyone
who is watching the film. This makes it interesting as it
is quite unique and risky to use in an opening sequence
and also very different as it successfully pulls the
audience in more than it would with any other film. The
blood on the bride is symbolic as it contrasts with the
purity of the white which shows that the bride has a
dark past.

2. The Bride’s breathing then returns to a labouring manner as he begins to wipe her face with a
handkerchief with the name Bill on it which shows that the man who is speaking is Bill and
therefore the cause of the Bride’s bloody rampage which occurs later on in the film. The bride
then calms down as he stops wiping. However this calmness is short-lived as you hear clinking in
the background and she pulls her face out of the masking to show an expression of pure fear
and shock as her eyes widen. It appears to be the non-diegetic sound of him filling in his gun
with bullets.
The opening sequence is in black and white which
subliminally suggests the whole good vs. evil concept.
Her breathing then calms down after the sound of
footsteps and you see a close up of a man’s feet and
what appears to be broken glass which provides some
amount of information. It the jumps back to the
Bride and you see the fear in her eyes as you hear
the first proper dialogue, “do you find me sadistic?”
This is interesting as it shows that the man speaking
is the main protagonist as he doesn’t rush to her side
and call for help but instead slowly and casually walks
to her which shows that he doesn’t wish to help.

3. • She then speaks for the first time and
the ending of this scene is truly
shocking and terrible because as soon
as she reveals that she’s pregnant with
his child, he shoots the side of her
head. Although we don’t see the bullet
enter her head, there is a splatter of
blood. As soon as the gunshot is
heard, it switches to a single opening
credit that is in black and white and
has a simple layout.
• This title has been used like this in
order to not take away a lot of
attention away from the film itself. It
also contributes because the layout is
in black and white just like the film so
therefore you can argue that it is
consistent. This shocks the audience as
well as although the
writer/producer, Quentin
Tarantino, does not have a large
amount of experience with films as
others do, the opening sequence is still
very successful in its use for this film
as it is outrageous and detailed and
gets the audience hooked due to the
fact that it is so detailed just for the
opening.

4. There is a small scale of violence in the opening
sequence of Kill Bill. Although this is interesting, it
does meet most of my generic expectations and the
conventions of an action/thriller film. The setting is
dull and gloomy via the black and white. It is
psychological in the sense that Bill has potentially
murdered an ex-lover and his unborn baby.
However, instead of acting as a saviour for a damsel in
distress, Bill supposedly kills her. The Bride
represents women and what is mainly associated with
them such as marriage and child-bearing. This is
reinforced by the fact that she is dressed in white
which is generally a pure colour. It also enforces the
supposedly gentle nature of women as well as the
Bride is not doing anything to encouraging any kind of
violence to this at all. However it is hinted by the fact
that she is smattered in blood which shows that she
isn't as pure as she should be because the red is
somewhat devilish. Bill, who is dressed in dark colours,
shows that he is in power which signifies the patriarchal
sense of society.

5. The general audience for this film would probably be an older teen as
the film itself is violent and perhaps gory in some places. There has
been a lot of make-up used in this opening sequence as the bride is
sweaty and bloody. Various props have been used as well such as the
bridal veil and the fake blood to show her fragile situation as well as the
handkerchief and Bill’s bracelet to show the extent of his wealth.
Analysed:
2 mins