Analysing Film Openings - Last King of Scotland

'The Last King of Scotland'

 The film starts with two production logos and title slides giving some information about the film, for example the country of filming and the time of year. In one of the production logos, there is a burning vehicle which creates tension. Like most of the other films, this film also starts with an establishing shot. It is a long shot which tells us little about the area. It is an area with less buildings and more trees, which could be country side. There are also lot of people which could tell us that it is about a community. They look very happy and they are only wearing their underwear. They ran towards a lake and jump into it, it looks like they are celebrating something.

We are introduced to the first character using a mid-shot and he is most likely to be the main character of the film. After the mid-shot we are introduced to two other characters in a group shot. They are pretty smartly dressed and they are having dinner together. As a part of mise-en-scéne the house and the actors sound educated and looks like a well-off  family. This reflects on their class and their personality. We also have some close-ups and some over-the-shoulder shots as it is mainly dialogue. Overall the lighting of the room is a little dark which creates a tense atmosphere. There is a light shining behind the main character which emphasises his emotions and gives him an arrogant-looking face.

According to the dialogue, they are celebrating the graduation of the main character. His dad sounds very arrogant about his higher degree than his son. As he says the line, two close ups of the characters are shown in the extract. This was to show their emotions about the conversation. But the main character appears to hide his feelings and not show them to his parents.

The room is furnished with old fashioned furniture and everything looks very old. This is the setting that was created to make the audience feel like the film was set in 1970s. For example, old fashioned props and politeness of the characters and their vocabulary is slightly different to present day. The film has not established the story yet and has not given the audience much knowledge about the film. 

 
This is the first production logo appeared with animation and non-diegetic music.

 

The film four logo is the second to appear as a production logo. It was a bit special compared to others and stands out a lot as it is a burning firetruck and the camera zooms in and changed the subject into the production logo. This makes it memorable

 

This is the establishing shot which the film starts with. In the background there is a coach and few other vehicles. There is also a large building which seems like a cathedral or a castle. It looks very green and there are lot of trees behind the building.

 

Mid-shot when we are introduced to the main character. The light behind him reflects and lightens up the side of his face.



 

Group-shot when the family is together. They all looks happy except one of them. The room looks a bit dark and gives a sinister feeling.

 

 

First close-up of the character, she looks very happy. And she is smartly dressed which reflects on her class and personality.

 

He is also smartly dressed and he looks smart and professional. This is an over-the-shoulder shot during their conversation.