PUBLISHED BY BECKY
Divergent
In the opening sequence of the film “Divergent” , the audience re introduced to the social situation and basis for the world in which the film is set. The audience are also introduced to the main character of “Tris”, who immediately becomes an anchor for the audience as she is the source of information.
The camera fades in from the titles. Though the audience are opening their eyes to the world of the characters. Accompanied by non-diegetic music, it also sets a calm tone which contrasts to the typical conventions of the action genre of the film. The secondary purpose of the soundtrack here to create a mysterious atmosphere by its use of high and low pitch. To continue the sense of the audience waking up into the world of the film, the camera pans up from a low angle extreme close-up shot of the grass, to an extreme long shot of a field, seemingly out-of-place shipwreck and a fenced derelict city. This is used as an establishing shot. Mise-en-scene is used in this clip t represent emotions and hint happiness though the variety of colour (blue, green, brown, yellow and grey); however there is a dullness in the colours. I felt the light was used well when the camera directly faces its therefore picking up lenses flares. Although light tend to have positive connotations of hope and future, by the lack of its intensity it foreshadows the dim future of the characters and their lack of knowledge of situation. The colours are also introduced through battered objects such as the brown wrecked ship and grey/ white rusted fence.
The camera cut to a pan up of the fence with the city in the background, it then zooms in on the city. The audience are introduced to a series of dull, grey, derelict buildings resembling an abandoned city. The sound of wind over the continued music bring the audience into the action as it adds an imitation of another of the 5 senses. The sound perspective increases as the camera dollies faster through the city.
The tilted up angle shot pans down to show the townspeople, accompanied by a change in the music as it brings a happier tone. The costumes of the people are significant to the storyline as it comes parent that they represent their lifestyles and traits, it is also a visual classification into the factions. The range of colours used is good here as it engages the audience and the colours are striking in comparison with the colour of the set around. A voiceover of the character “Tris” can be heard as the music quietens. A voiceover is used to establish the situation as well as to introduce the audience to the thought process of the protagonist, whom the story follows. Whilst the voiceover is important to the audiences understanding, I feel that here it makes the audience feel a bit alienated rather than a part of the action.
As mise-en-scene is used to represent the different lives of the factions, the voice over describes them as a use of synchronous sound. The Erudite life is represented through the sound by the diegetic noise from test tubes and books, all having connotations of knowledge. Furthermore, it is implied that the audience are examining the situation through the use of a close-up of an eye through the eyepiece of a microscope. This works well as it is a different type of shot which makes the world seem quirky and different and therefore abiding too the connotations of action and sci-fi.
As the audience introduced to the faction of Amnity, a crane tilted own is used to represent the other factions’ views of their importance. By the use of brought orange and green colours, the audience are able to see the contrast into the happiness of world. The fruit that they pick is so representative of then seeing the fruitful side of life, emphasised by the excited dialogues, laughter and facial expressions of the cast.
A match-on-action shot is used of a hammer in Candor, followed by an eye-line match which creates the sense that the audience being judged. The use of the black and white symbolises their aim to tell the difference from truth and lie and the hushed arguments said represent the controversy in this which is a theme later on in the film.
Finally, the abnegation faction dresses all in grey to represent their simple lives. They also appear to all conform to the actions of those around them and have no individuality. There is also a silence as the camera focuses on them which emphasises their dull lives as the audience are made to feel boredom in comparison to the moods surrounding the other 4 factions. There is a final extreme-long stabilising shot which brings the opening sequence back to the beginning and as the music reaches a climax, the shot fades out to white.
The title at the begin inning are in gold on a dark brown background. The letters have a metallic glint which is accompanied by a sound by a scope of glinting metal. By the use of graphology, the audience are made known of the sci-fi theme of the film and the camera moves around the letters. Furthermore, the storyline of the characters putting things together and discovering the truth is represented as parts of the letters come together to create a whole word: the title of the film.
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