Three Action Openings Analysed-Will Smith

The opening scene of Kick-Ass starts with an establishing shot making it obvious to the viewer the film is set in New York. In the next scene non-diegetic sound is added. This sound is narration by the protagonist of the film (Dave Lizewski). A pre-lap shows the juxtaposition and irony as the scene of the busy city cuts to Dave at his quiet neighbourhood at home. The ironic comment made by Dave is him saying 'a bullet travels at more than 700 miles an hour'.

Another main character, who is female, is seen with a pink backpack on. This makes the audience deduce that she must be quite girly and in touch with her femininity. She then pulls a gun out which is contradictory to what her characteristics portrayed at the beginning of the scene. She looks confident with the gun although looking young.

An establishing long shot is used to show we are in an urban city environment, presumably Gotham City. The camera zooms in on one of the skyscrapers before the tranquility of the opening seen is broken with shattering glass. All the usual outside noise of the city is cut out by the director. This is replaced with quiet music which starts getting intense and quicker as the scene goes along.

The audience start to realise that the introduction is a build up to a bank robbery. The last of the three minutes of the scene finish with the robbers entering the bank shooting bullets into the air.

       Iron-Man starts with an establishing extreme long shot which shows the audience that the opening scene is set in a baron, desolate environment. The camera cuts to three military jeeps driving along a dirt track with non-diegetic music added. The camera then films inside one of the jeeps where Tony Stark is joking around with the military personnel having a fun time. Unexpectedly the jeep in-front blows up. This causes a complete change in emotions as happiness turns into terror. Everyone is shot dead except Tony who staggers out the jeep with shock. Stark tries to escape the gun shots but is dazed, this is characterised by the ringing noise in Tony's head which is heard by the audience. A bomb goes off and Tony falls on to his back. A birds eye view shot is used to show he is injured and is weak.