Blade opening sequence analysis.

The first shot in the opening sequence of 'Blade' is a handheld camera shot and is media-res as we are thrown straight into the action. The shot is shallow focus as it only focuses on the person in the foreground of the frame. This done as shown in the picture as the character is in focus, however the background is blurred. This means that the audience is led to believe that the car is moving extremely quickly as they cannot see what is going on outside. The director has done this as Blade is an action horror.

This shot is a tracking shot as it follows the two main protagonists as they walk through the 'factory'. The camera pans through a bunch of meat hanging from the ceiling and is done to show the start of the disruption of equilibrium. This means that audience is left wondering what is happening. This creates a mysterious tone within the film which leaves the audience wondering what is going to happen.The whole of this scene is shot in a cold colour palette which means that the film has a blue tinge which is done during post editing and reveals to the audience that the narrative of the film is very dark. As well as this the mise-en-scene of the film includes lots of dead animal and human bodies which means that the audience are confused by the action as they wonder why these objects are hanging from the ceiling.

The medium shot used here is used in order to show the two different reactions of the characters simultaneously. From the shot we can see that the girl is in control as she is plain faced and not effected by what is going on around her at all.
However, the male fits the typical American male stereotype of idiocy and naivety as he is constantly wondering what is happening but doesn't seem fazed by the events. The girls hair clearly stands out as it is bright red which portrays to the audience that she could be dangerous to interact with. This also links to the constant use of the bold red lettering of the credits as when we see these we instantly think of blood and death which is a key part of iconography for a film of the horror genre.

As the music in the scene (which is diegetic) begins to play we identify that we are getting closer to where the action is taking place however, we are unable to identify where the music is coming from. As the camera pans round the corner a large steel door is in the frame which, when opened, reveals a black room which leads the viewer to wonder what is happening as black has connotations of death and mystery. As the characters walk into the room the music becomes louder as we now know where the sound is coming from and a flashing strobe light begins. This strobe lighting means that certain parts of the film are hard to see as they are not always visible. The director also edits the film so that it is in slow motion so that some parts become more visible and the audience is able to identify that certain parts are important. Furthermore, in editing jump cuts are used however they are not always visible as they link to the story and the stereotype that vampires can move quickly.

During the party scene the editing is very fast paced which means that the action becomes more frantic and the audience is left agitated and wondering what is going to happen. As well as this, there are many jump cuts which are used to show the girls are able to move quicker than the speed of light as this is a stereotypical association with vampires.

A close up shot is used as the sprinklers start to spray blood down onto the people in the backroom. This suggests that something weird is happening as this has been highlighted in the frame rather than just having a long shot as they start. This means that the audience is able to understand that this is a weird situation and become freaked out due to the blood coming out which symbolises death. Finally as the people are covered in the blood non-diegetic sound can be heard which sounds like a cat hissing in order to finally reveal that these people are not human.