Wall-E Opening Scene
Shot list:
- Long/wide shot | Of stars/space
- Long/Wide shot | Of Galaxy
- Long/Wide shot | Of Planets/star
- Long/Wide shot | Of galaxy
- Long/Wide shot | Of Nebula
- Long/Wide shot | Of Sun
- Pans down | To shot of rubbish covered earth
- Camera moves /zooms | Into planet
- Series of Long/ flying shots | Of rubbish covered earth
- Series of Bird's eye view shots | Of earth, above a city
Characters:
There are no characters which are shown in the opening scene of Wall-E, however, there is actually also no speech in the first 30 minutes of this movie, this could be because the the images of the devastation on earth are enough without any 'intense' dialogue needed. This also connotes how empty and deserted the planet is, by not showing the character of Wall-E.
Location:
The location is made very apparent during this opening sequence of this movie, nearly all of the the shots are establishing shot, for example the 'typical' shots of the galaxy, stars etc. that you normally see in a sci - fi movie, this re-enforces the genre of the movie in the first few seconds of the movie. You can also see the huge size of the location through the bird's eye shots near the end, where you are looking down from on high.
How is this reflect the genre?
Both of these aspects reflect the genre of sci - fi in a way, however they move away from the 'stereo typical' sci - fi. For example the shots that we see of the planets, the stars and the galaxies are all something that we relate to a sci - fi movie, as they are normally set in a distant planet or universe or where the people of earth are visiting far planets.
However you normally expect to see a 'clean' and 'cold' feel to a sci fi movie, with cold blue and white colours. You will also be able to see everything and feel as if you, as the viewer are 'in control' and know what is going on. Nevertheless, in this opening scene a lot of brown colours and it is quite misty and dirty, so you cannot quite see what is going on, it feels quite mysterious.
How is it appropriate?
It is appropriate because the makers of the movie have made it so that the viewer will be able to relate the movie to the genre easily, however they have put a different twist on what you see in a stereo typical sci fi, by using a different feel to the shots, in certain places. They have also done this by NOT using action/thriller sci fi music, which you normally hear in this kind of movie, but a song from a 1960's Rom com has been used instead, this could be to echo how the earth used to be. It also shows a contrast between the ruined earth, and all the hope that comes through the lyrics of the song.
How have titles been used?
Not many titles have been used during the opening sequence, only two appear, firstly'Walt Disney Pictures Presents' appears on the screen, followed by 'A PIXAR Animation Studios film'.
How is this effective?
Not using a lot of titles works really effectively, as it shows very few but effective titles. The fact that it shows who the film has been made and produced by, Disney and Pixar. Will let the audience know quickly that is is very likely to be a well produced movie, because of the brilliant reputation that the two companies both have.
