Personal Film Opening Analysis

PLANET TERROR

Brief Summary

Basically, Planet Terror is just a 'zombie breakout' film, that is funny and very enthusiastic when it comes to violence and gore. After a strange deal goes wrong and turns into a gunfight, a deadly gas is released into the air and the whole town become infected and turn into zombies. During the film several main characters who are trying to get through their problems in life then find themself in a group trying to get through the night.

Analysis

The film starts off at first a tense sounding song, which then turns into a rock 'n' roll track as the institution logos come across the screen. Dimension pictures, R.I.P. and Grindhouse are the only companies involved in the production and distribution as the film was a low budget project. The first scene jumps in with the same backing song as it cuts into a fast guitar solo. The sound is non-diegetic however. It's set in a night club and it focuses a dance girl pole dancing, showing she is clearly one of the main characters. She is wearing a mini skirt and a bra, to create the character (by showing how she makes a living and what type of person she is). This first scene mainly conists of a selection of different medium shots and close ups of the character seductively dancing with several close ups of different parts of her body. Every now and again the camera pans round the stage to show the rest of the club behind her. The setting is quite dark, it is just lit up by the lights in the club to give it a dingey and realistic sense. The editing speed is fast and the shots are quick and short to go with the music. As she dances the cast names appear in small writing at different places on the screen, and then the same with the director, producer, main crew etc. The majority of the shots are taking from a low angle to show she is high up and confident but as the dance proggresses the camera becomes more level as if to show she is vunerable. As the music stops and she finishes dancing a close up is used to show the emotion on her face as she is crying.

The scene then cuts to the changing rooms for all the dancers and the camera follows a man who is obviously the club owner walk through as he shows his authority by telling the people there what to do. All the girls are getting changed and there is diegetic music playing in the background. The man makes his way through the room and makes his way to the girl from before who is wiping away her tears in the mirror. They begin to have a heated conversation and a medium shot is used to establish their positions in the conversation. Then a series of close ups are used to show their anger and a shot-reverse-shot is used to accompany the dialogue. The scene in short and when is finished by the girl leaving.

She leaves the club and starts to walk down the road. It's very dark and the only lighting involved is from the street lights or the lights from the vehicles that later pass by. Some non-diegetic horror music makes the scene tense as she continues to walk, whilst different medium and long shots are used to show her walking. She hears a strange groaning noise and then several military style trucks drive past and knock her to the ground, which is captured by the use of a medium shot then a close up of her face as she falls. The scene is finished by a pan of the trucks driving past and away, then focusing on a sign they drive passed labelled 'military base'.

A quick edit is used and it suddenly cuts to an army base where the trucks pull in and park outside a hangar. Tense action style music is played a series of longshots are used to show the base, the vehicles and the men around the base. After the setting is established it cuts to a long shot of a man getting out of one of the trucks, and walking over to a group of men with one man stood slightly ahead of them. A tense interregation takes place and close ups are used to show the anger in the man who got out of the truck and the fear in the man he is questioning. The conversation also includes a shot-reverse-shot. The man in power then murders the other and is shown by a medium shot. After that another man gets out of the truck. He is wearing a soldiers uniform but it is one of obvious power and authority. A strange and distressing sound is played several times to insinuate that there is something surreal about the man. He then has a tense argument with the man who previously seemed to be in control. Eventually the conversation turns into a gunfight and a string of different close ups, medium shots and very quick edits capture all the action and the use of speed creates realism and panic. A strange looking container is shot open and starts to release a green gas. The soldiers in uniform who have started to fall apart walk in relief towards it as if they are addicted to it or need it to survive. The men who were not yet infected become zombies . The man 'previously in power' before the gunfight manages to escape in the panic and many close ups are used to show his desperation. He gets in one of the trucks and starts to drive away. It is very dark with very little lighting and suddenly a zombies hand comes through and the car drives down a highway bridge in panic.

The car drives out of the shot, and using the same shot, another car with smoke coming out of it drives into the diner/gas station next to the highway, and the camera pans to follow it. The music changes from the tense action music from before to a more calm song. A barely dressed woman gets out of the car and starts to fix it. This is shown by several close ups and mediums of her fixing the engine and putting water in the tank.