Hello again, I'm Back with a new task. For this week, I am doing an analysis about a movie opening sequence. It is the task that is given, we have to analyze the movie opening in terms of how it reflect the the movie itself, why I choose this certain movie opening to be analyze and all the element in this opening scene. So let's start with mentioning the movie.
THE MOVIE:
YES, WATCHMEN. A Zack Snyder box office movie that i personally love. Why i choose this movie is because this movie has ticked all the requirement on what i expect from a movie. It has depth in story telling, excellent interpretation from the comic to real life situation, suspense and to me it has kept me hook from the start to the end of the film. I love superhero movie, but this movie is different. It is not like a superhero we expect. You think all hero is good? all villain is bad? happy ending?? if you want your mind to be twisted i recommend you watch it.
If you haven't watch this movie, beware of spoiler alert, it's coming. And if you have watched it, then you might want to re watched it because here i will show you some things that you might missed from the opening scene.} {.
OPENING SEQUENCES.
Here i will show you the scenes from the opening and explain what i have analyze from it. From the agenda of the scene and even to the Easter eggs.
1. BATMAN AND NITE OWL SCENE.
Here from the intro of the scene it show the superhero Nite Owl punching a burglar that are trying to shoot him. There are camera flash everywhere. This opening shows the start and origin of a crime fighting superhero campaign, the camera man and flashes symbolize that this action is being pictured as heroic to the community and it is being held as one of the most popular news. But if you look closely on the background you can see Nite Owl is saving a couple from the burglar. And Some say Nite Owl are actually saving the Wayne's, which basically are Batman parents. To prove this theory you can see on the background it clearly shows a Batman comic poster issue #1 is stick to the brick wall. The scene is trying to show a domination, that Batman does not exist thanks to the superhero of Watchmen for saving his family.
2. SILK SPECTRE AND SEXUAL HARRASMENT AWARNESS
In here it show the Silk Spectre are being held as one of the best super hero because of overthrowing the criminal. She is also supported by the police that are standing around her and she is holding a newspaper that introduce her as a world wide super hero on the front page. This scene shows that the superhero community is getting bigger and is the "centre" of it all, they are so important that even police are supporting them.
BUT you can also see the eye view of those policemen were not where it is suppose to be. They were eye glazing Silk Spectre, and this shows a sexual harassment still can happen even if you are someone that are highly viewed by people. SPOILER ALERT, This also reflect that later in the movie, the Silk Spectre is R@p3d by a fellow superhero. Which is very cruel and undeserved because of what she has done to the community.
3. SILK SPECTRE RETIREMENT & LEONARDO DAVINCI'S "LAST SUPPER"
I have made highlights to each and every superhero here at the retirement party scene and how each of them reflect the famous paintings. Here you can see the scene is very much inspired by art literally. This can also means something else, to depicted an art form and also reflect the message from the original art form to the scene. So the director must have wanted this scene to have the same message as the art form itself and it show how artistic the scene is by mimicking one of the greatest art. Intelligent!!!!. And i do believe that the unborn child of Silk Spectre is pictured as the main center of this scene despite Silk spectre is seen in the middle. Because later in the film, the child grow up to be the next Silk spectre and ironically she is the that unite the superhero. Same as how the artwork center is view as.
4. WAR END
Here you can see a famous photograph of Alfred Eisentaedt's V-jay day in Time Square. Instead of a sailor kissing, The superhero Silhouette is presented as the kisser. You can see how they organized this scene based on real event. For this one is resemble the day America won WW2. These scene actually send a message about bisexual relationship which at that time was unacceptable in America.
5. THE COSTUME.
This scene pan from right to left, from a scene of a little girl watch a couple arguing then the camera pan to the left and shows the "Costume" of Silk Spectre. This scene tell the story of the child of silk spectre witnessing her mother arguing, and the costume tells that she missed being a hero. And on top of that the title took advantage of the scene and inserted a credit title of the Costumes designer in the film. A good way to chain up the message and the visual.
6. THE GIRL WITH THE FLOWER AND THE RIFLE.
In this scene, there is a girl holding a flower on the protestor side and a soldier on the other side. This scene zoom in as the girl approach the soldier. As the camera zoom the point of the rifle it shows the girl putting the flower inside the rifle thus showing peace, but a shot was fired and the flower is destroyed and the petal flew seperately, which shows violence and how the protestor is destroyed like the flowers. The use of zoom in this scene is to hide the view of what happen to the other side but replace it with a metaphor using the action of the flower in that focus scene.
This scene is actually a referenced by Elliot Erwin photograph, "Peacemaker" as you can see from the picture on the right.
And as usual the director again used referenced pf an art form to influenced his scene. and this time he also take advantage of a message here. Since he use a reference from a photograph, he include a credit title about the director of photography in this film. Again, to chain the message and the visual of the scene.
7. RORSCHACH
This scene zoom out and dolly to the back to give a wider message to the viewer thus introducing new charachter and completing the message by the scene end. It shows a man walk toward the camera and reveal that he is a customer from a prostitute. As he walk by, the view introduced another two charachter, the man reading newspaper waiting for his turn and a child with a hateful expression standing. This scene may see as what it is. But actually it reflect on what will happen on the movie later on. As you can see of the man with a news paper covering his face all the time, and when he turn, it still cover his face. This reflect the anti hero Rorschach. You can see Rorschach is wearing a similar outfit with the man, and his face is ALSO COVERED. And you can see the way the child posed is the same as the posed of Rorschach, This reveal that the child grew up with hatred and become Rorschach.
Not only that, the news paper signs read "A-Bomb" . This shows later in the movie that Rorschach is dead because he EXPLODE.
8. OLD ERA AND NEW ERA SUPERHERO.
Here it show how the superhero community "Minutemen" is re establish as "Watchmen". It shows a progression of the community from being just a "Minute" into a whole "watch". But you can see the director also use color grading to depict that the old era color is more vintage, more brownish but clear. It show that the old era are a bright community despite it being so basic. And the new era color is more enhanced i would say. but it brings more depth, to show the darkness of what it might bring. You can also compare the color of their costumes, the old era on top has more striking color, and the the new era at the bottom shows more a gloomy tone. So here the color also play roles in sending the message of a scene.
You can see the video of the Opening scene here.
