Similar Textual Analysis

The Day After Tomorrow Opening Sequence

Sub-genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure and Action

Rating: 15

Written and Directed by:  Roland Emmerich

With respect to camera work and sound the first thing we see in the beginning of the clip is the Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) trademark lion. This connotes power and authority as well as giving validity to the film. Following this the title sequence starts properly. Fading up from black, white san-serif text appears fading in and out with the credits giving us information about who made the film. This effect makes it look very ghostly and puts fear to the viewer and adds tension to the movie. Whilst the titles are rolling we can hear a non-diagetic sound of a girl chiming and we can also hear violins in the background. The girl chiming makes us get goose bumps because it’s very quiet and all you can hear is her and her voice is hitting really high notes. The fact that the music is so calm makes you feel very peaceful relaxed and forget about everything. The black background then gradually fades and we get a CGI tracking shot of blue water with ice. This is a CGI shot because Antarctica couldn’t be tracked that well. During the opening sequence we get an Ariel view of Antarctica giving us our setting for the movie. We see large ice burgs and the blue water. Blue signifies serenity and peace as it is a very tranquil colour the blue also tells us that were at sea somewhere. Over the water we can see the name of the film appear but what the director has done is make it seem like the title is actually there floating on top of the ice and creating a shadow instead of just adding it normally. He did this in my opinion to make it seem as if the name is very important and very big and bold that it creates a shadow. This could also connote that ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ will cast a shadow upon the world and the fact that it’s over the ice suggests that the future actions could relate to the cold and ice.

As the camera continues to look over the icy land a caravan appears and we get a 360 look of the convoy. This is done so that we can see the setting fully and it connotes that the convoy is the only thing around for miles. As we get the 360 'Larsen b ice shelf Antarctica' appears on the bottom of the screen so we now have a destination that we can identify. From the 360 we cut to a close up of the American flag. This tells us that the camp is held by the Americans. We then get a shot of two characters. We instantly get a conventional scene with an old man teaching a younger man how to work the drill. 'You see how it's done?' shows that the older man is trying to teach the younger one something. The younger man then responds 'yeah I think I got it' shows he's not too sure he understood and his language connotes that he's very laid back and has lack of experience. 'Boss will chew my head off if these chords get messed up' shows that the older man is not the one in charge and that someone else controls him. This is shown by the way the older man speaks about him. We then track the older man who goes to a pile of metal canisters with cylinders of ice inside them and picks up 3. From that we then cut to the inside of the convoy and we get a mid shot of the old man opening the door from the inside. We then track the old man to go further inside the convoy which introduces us to the third character which must be the boss. The camera then tilts up so we see both men’s faces. 'You let Jason operate the drill?' this connotes that the boss has no trust in Jason and that he cares about his work. We then cut outside and we see a mid shot of Jason working on the drill. We then cut again to a close up of the floor and a crack appearing which starts go get bigger and the camera starts to tilt up so we can see how long the crack is. We then cut back to Jason and a close up if the drill going straight through to the ground and Jason trying to pull it up. As the crack circles him and the drill we can see fear in his face which connotes that he is very scared and doesn't know what’s going on. We then cut back to the convoy where we get a mid shot of both the old man and the bosses face. They don’t say anything they stand in silence as they are listening to what's going on outside. The effect of the silence is vital as it builds suspense and Showa that they too are confused as to what's happening. We then get a high angle mid shot of Jason circled by the crack and the boss and the old man are being tracked outside. Once they get

All three characters were dressed in yellow snow outfits. This connotes that it was very cold and they are quiet open and happy as they have chosen yellow out of all possible colours. This scene was set in Antarctica and we could hear wind blowing throughout the whole scene which showed it was very cold and abandoned. The fact that the convoy was the only thing around for miles connotes that these three men must be there for work as no one would live there or go for a holiday. They had a waving American flag at the beginning of the scene this connotes that they are very proud Americans and that they might be the first ones to ever step foot on that certain area of Antarctica. The convoy was very simple on the outside, normal and looked a bit like a tin can. Despite how the outside looks the inside was the total opposite. The inside of the convoy was full of information and high technology which connotes that they are there for work and might be researchers.
 In conclusion what I have gained from watching a clip from a sci-fi movie is that to gain the viewers attention and to build suspense one technique to use is silence. Silence can build a very tense atmosphere and make the viewer think what's going to happen next and want to keep watching. Silence in this scene was used when jack was about to jump across the divide. Another main technique which I think is good to build suspense is close ups of people’s faces at very intense moments. So for example re close up of jacks face when he saw how big the gap has gotten showed that he was surprised and might have been scared. By using a close up we can gain the upper hand of making the viewer have different opinions on how the character might feel.