THE DA VINCI CODE

The Da Vinci Code
Opening 5 minute analysis

Mise en scene

Costume - In the beginning of the scene there was a character featured who was seen wearing a long, black, dark hooded cloak concealing their face and body shape. A connotation of the dark colour implies evil, darkness and also suggests they are being secretive and hiding their identity for a particular reason, causing suspicion among the audience, and also curiosity. 

Lighting-The lighting in the opening scene where the man is running through the art gallery, is low key lighting which creates the effect of shadows, therefore the audience do not know which character the shadow belongs to but allows them to feel a characters presence which makes them feel uneasy.  This contrasts to the lighting in the speech as the lighting is directed at the lecturer so all the focus is at him, rather than the students watching him, this stresses his importance and impact as an educator.

Sound

Non Dietetic sound is used from the start of the film in  the form of a soundtrack, and gradually it gets louder and the pace increases, which creates tension. The music is loud with raised volume and choral, and has religious connotations.

Dietetic Sound in the form dialogue used in one scene during the clip, where the man says "So this is secret you'll die for "implies a that this is an important secret which is the man yearns for, which links to secrecy. During the lecture given by Robert Langdon there is audience participation where one member of the audience shouts a response in another language, Langdons response is "in English please?". This suggests that he is not well educated in foreign languages but also this re-enforces the idea of secrets because not everyone can understand foreign language so what they are saying in their foreign language  may make sense to some people however to others it is a mystery or a secret.

Camera-

At the start of the clip we see a number of close ups on of paintings and some extreme close ups of the eyes on the paintings. Firstly these shots act like an establishing shot so the audience know where the characters are and the close up on the eyes links to the idea that the character is being followed or watched. A Close up are also used when the older man is running through the museum which suggests he is in danger or that he may be tired from his running. That implies that older people are unfit. The close up of the gun creates tension for the audience and is also a clear indicator of danger.

When the older man is running there is also an over the shoulder shot which also links with the idea that this man is being watched/followed. Later in the clip the older man is on the floor and the person who was following him appears. At this point high and low angle shots are used between the conversation between the old man and his killer. The high angle shot is used on the old man who makes him look weak in the situation compared to the low angle shots used for his killer which shows that he has control over the situation and shows he’s powerful.

A point of view shot is used when the character Robert Langdon is making his speech and shows us the entire audience who is watching his lecture, as the audience is rather large it implies he is an important and influential person. The position of Langdon in the frame during his speech is also largely in the Centre of the frame which suggests he has authority.

Editing

A reaction shot is used when the older man is about to be shot which shows his scared face, this implies that the old are weak and in awe. A jump cut is also used in the clip between the man dying and the speech which shows the contrast in environments and situations and it links to secrecy because no one at the speech knows what has happened. A matched cut is used when the older man is running through the museum using changes in angle and there is some continuity of direction and it’s used to exaggerate how far the man has run.

As the clip begins the cutting rhythm is quick but as the man continues to run through the museum the rate gradually gets a bit quicker which creates tension for the audience and makes them feel anxious. The cutting rate of the clip is frequent between the man dying and the lecture and is used as deliberate interruptions and is used to shock or emphasize a detail to the audience.




By Hannah West and Aleena Munir