AO- Analysing an opening sequence- Phone Booth (Schumacher, 2003)

Genre

1. Phone Booth is a psychological thriller
2. There is not much suspense or tension created in the opening sequence of the film. The sequence suggests is that technology plays a big part in the film. Also the fact there are no main characters that are established in the opening sequence suggests that what ever happens in the film affects a lot of people. However these techniques are usually used in crime thrillers, because of the technology used.
3. The opening sequence conforms to characteristics of a thriller through the music, which has characteristics of machinery and technology, linking in with the theme of the opening sequence. Also the opening sequence has shots of a policeman, conveying crime and deviation- which link into characteristics of thrillers. However, the singing at the beginning of the sequence would not normally be associated with thrillers, and so has a contrasting effect.

Film Language

1. The opening sequence is shot in New York, in a big city centre, which we associate with crime and violence; this is backed up with shots of policeman and emergency vehicles. There are also shots of guns, again conveying crime and violence, there are also a lot of phones, and the fact that the title is called Phone Booth suggests that the centre of the crime is a phone.
2. The movement of the camera starts off slow, but then increases, which adds to the intensity of the sequence, the cuts between different groups and individuals are also quick, and quite jumpy, this adds to the uneasiness for the audience, it also creates more mystery surrounding the sequence and the people in it.
3. The music in the opening sequence anchors the images by increasing the movement of the camera and the cuts to them as the music increases, so they are simultaneous.
4. There is not much dialogue in the opening sequence of the film, which adds to the mystery of the film, and that the audience doesn’t really no what is going on. However, towards the end of the sequence there is a voice-over narration, and he has a deep voice, which we associate with evil and sinister behaviour. He starts to talk about the people of New York and phones that are used there, connoting that he is plotting a crime with phones, which has an effect on the people of New York.
5. The director uses the sequence at the beginning to connote that the film had something to do with technology and science, because of the zoom into the satellite, and then the zoom into earth, which happens to be the inside of a phone- again associating the film with phones and technology.

Narrative

1. There isn’t much of a narrative, because no characters are established in the opening sequence of the film and there is hardly any dialogue, the only dialogue is the voice-over, but we have no indication to whom or where he is. The only thing we get from the sequence is that it looks to be situated in New York.
2. The audience are positioned with the people in the city, as if they were there watching what people were doing. This is shown through the quick movement of the camera, portraying the busyness of New York.
3. There aren’t any examples of identification in the opening sequence of the film, because during the sequence we are never focused on one particular person for a long period of time, so no relations can be made.
4. The major themes that are in the narrative are is the idea of technology being at the centre of the narrative, and that most people that are in the opening sequence is on a phone. Another theme that is in the narrative is crime, and images/shots that connote crime and violence, however these are themes that will come about later on in the film.
5. There is not much tension created in the opening sequence of the film, however there is some mystery and uncertainty that is created in the opening sequence. This is done through the lack of knowledge and understanding that surrounds the film.

Representation & Ideology

1. There are many social groups that are represented in the opening sequence of the film; however the groups are not a focus point of the film, as they are just representing different social groups within New York.
2. A common belief that is used throughout the opening sequence is that phones and technology as a whole are used all the time in life, today, and that they now control a big part of our lives.
3. The semiotics of the framework represent that people that do bad things are usually punished, and do not get away with carrying out a bad deed.

Media Audiences

1. I think the target audience would be predominately men aged from 15-35, because of its high intensity plot and the crime involved.
2. The probable reading of the text is that the film is a crime thriller- because of the connotations of weapons that shown. There is also a lot mystery surrounding the film, as there aren’t any characters established at the beginning of the film, and the antagonist is never seen. Another probable reading could be that people always get what’s coming to them, because the main character cheated on his wife, he was targeted for an attack.
3. I think that this film is a bit outrageous, and I don’t think that this could happen in reality; however I am hooked by the mystery and suspense of the film. I don’t think that I was influenced much because of my age, gender or background, except that there are consequences for everything in life.

Institutional Context

1. The film had bankable stars such as; Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, Katie Holmes. They are important because they help to promote the film and bring in an audience.
2. The film was produced by 20^th Century Fox, an industrial film company.
3. The marketing strategy was to package the key attributes in the posters, with bid pictures of Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker and Kiefer Sutherland. The film had a production budget of $11 million, and a prints and advertising budget of $25 million. This suggests that 20th Century Fox invested a lot of money into advertising and getting the film across to audiences.
4. Yes, because the film opens in the centre of New York, which they would have had to close off while they shot these first few scenes of the film- this would have cost quite a lot of money.