Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
I have chosen to analyse the Opening of the action film, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation.
Synopsis:
"With the IMF disbanded, and Ethan (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, the team now faces off against a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. These highly trained operatives are hell-bent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation, as the group faces their most impossible mission yet."
-Mission Impossible, Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved 11th November 2016, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_rogue_nation/
Producers - Skydance Media:
"Skydance Media (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American film and television production company based at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2010, the company raised $350 million to co-produce and co-finance films with Paramount Pictures. Skydance is responsible for feature-length films including True Grit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, and Star Trek Beyond."
-Skydance Media, Wikipedia, Retrieved 11th November 2016
Productions of Note:
- World War Z, 2015 Gross Profit: $540 million
- Star Trek Beyond, 2016 Gross Profit: $343.5 million
Distributors - Paramount Pictures:
Paramount Pictures Corporation (commonly known as Paramount Studios or simply Paramount, and formerly known as Famous Players-Lasky Corporation) is an American film studio, television production company and motion picture distributor, consistently ranked as one of the "Big Six" film studios of Hollywood. It is a subsidiary of U.S. media conglomerate Viacom. Paramount is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital form only.
Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world,the second oldest surviving film studio in the United States, and the sole member of the "Big Six" major film studios which is still located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood.
Productions Of Note:
- Titanic, 1997 Gross Profit: $2,186,772,302
- Transformers: Age of Extinction, 2014 Gross Profit: $1,104,054,072
Timeline:
00:00-1:00
The opening titles of the various production companies and franchises are shown with the Mission Impossible theme as diegetic background music.
1:00-1:30:
Open's with an establishing shot from a canted angle, that tracks forward over a green grassy field. Superimposed text appears using a stereotypical typewriter 'coding' transition, whereby individual letters quickly appear, giving the perception that it is a piece of coding that has been typed, in coherence with an electronic data beep sound effect as it appears. The text is aligned to the right, placed in the right-hand top corner. The typeface is black and capitalized, drawing attention to the geographical marker of the location of the opening scene, the black stands out on the blue sky background. The text disappears with a dissolve transition. The long-shot tracking shot continues, as a person dressed in a camouflaged grass, outfit pokes their head out of the grass, binoculars in hand. The shot changes to a close-up shot of the person centered to the right of the frame, on a walkie-talkie; the background is still clearly visible in order to display his effective hiding place, and emphasizing that he has not yet been caught, this theme of 'spying' a presentation of an action film. We then see an eye line match (POV shot) seeing what the character with the binoculars sees; people boarding a plane. The shot goes from a long shot to a mid-shot as the binoculars zoom in (shot changes but the superimposed binocular overlay stays the same).
1:30-2:00:
The scene then crosscuts to a mid-shot of a man wearing a dark suit in a dark room, the camera then zooms into a close-up shot. Mid-low angle shot of the man in the suit as he turns round, emphasizing that he is a character of high status/authority. Close up shot of the man in the grass. Cross cuts from the man in the grass to a tracking shot of the man in the suit walking at mid angle shot and then a close-up. Establishing shot of a building from a high angle. Mid shot of a man on a building before switching back to a close-up of the man in the grass as the dialogue switches. Medium close-up of the man in the dark suit from a low angle, shaking his head, he is evidently irate. A shot of a 'mysterious package' of ammunition is shown before the camera zooms out and pans downwards and the noise of a crane can be heard, this allows the camera to take the viewpoint of a crane loading the ammunition onto the plane, in order to involve the audience in the action. The shot switches to another eye line match of the man in the grass, through the lenses of the binocular, showing a long shot of a man (Tom Cruise) climbing onto the aircraft.
2:00-2:30:
Close-up shot of the man, in the grass. Mid shot of the man in the suit as dialogue switches. Close up shot of the man on the roof. Switches back to a close-up of the man in the grass, putting the binoculars back up to his eyes, and then back to a mid-shot of the man in the dark suit. Close up from a side view of the man on the roof. Mid-shot of the man in the dark suit from a profile view. Close up shot of the man on the roof fiddling with the control panel from a low-angle, displaying the shift in power from the man in the dark suit to him as he states "That's why I didn't ask for permission." Close up shot of the man in the dark suit, as the camera pans downwards as he bends down. Mid shot of the man on the roof with a very quick transition to an extreme closeup of the man on the roof, emphasizing the beads of sweat on his forehead in this stressful situation. Low angle tracking shot to the right of the plane, highlighting the enormity of the turbines on the plane as they begin to spin faster, as time runs out. Eyeline match shot of the plane from a long shot angle of the side, through the eyes of the binocular. Mid shot of the man in the grass from the side. Extreme closeup of a diagram of the plane on a monitor, with a slow zoom in but a quick transition to the man in the dark suit from a low-angle with a slow zoom. Close up shot of the man in the grass, with the camera slowly zooming closer.
2:30-3:00:
The opening titles of the various production companies and franchises are shown with the Mission Impossible theme as diegetic background music.
1:00-1:30:
Open's with an establishing shot from a canted angle, that tracks forward over a green grassy field. Superimposed text appears using a stereotypical typewriter 'coding' transition, whereby individual letters quickly appear, giving the perception that it is a piece of coding that has been typed, in coherence with an electronic data beep sound effect as it appears. The text is aligned to the right, placed in the right-hand top corner. The typeface is black and capitalized, drawing attention to the geographical marker of the location of the opening scene, the black stands out on the blue sky background. The text disappears with a dissolve transition. The long-shot tracking shot continues, as a person dressed in a camouflaged grass, outfit pokes their head out of the grass, binoculars in hand. The shot changes to a close-up shot of the person centered to the right of the frame, on a walkie-talkie; the background is still clearly visible in order to display his effective hiding place, and emphasizing that he has not yet been caught, this theme of 'spying' a presentation of an action film. We then see an eye line match (POV shot) seeing what the character with the binoculars sees; people boarding a plane. The shot goes from a long shot to a mid-shot as the binoculars zoom in (shot changes but the superimposed binocular overlay stays the same).
1:30-2:00:
The scene then crosscuts to a mid-shot of a man wearing a dark suit in a dark room, the camera then zooms into a close-up shot. Mid-low angle shot of the man in the suit as he turns round, emphasizing that he is a character of high status/authority. Close up shot of the man in the grass. Cross cuts from the man in the grass to a tracking shot of the man in the suit walking at mid angle shot and then a close-up. Establishing shot of a building from a high angle. Mid shot of a man on a building before switching back to a close-up of the man in the grass as the dialogue switches. Medium close-up of the man in the dark suit from a low angle, shaking his head, he is evidently irate. A shot of a 'mysterious package' of ammunition is shown before the camera zooms out and pans downwards and the noise of a crane can be heard, this allows the camera to take the viewpoint of a crane loading the ammunition onto the plane, in order to involve the audience in the action. The shot switches to another eye line match of the man in the grass, through the lenses of the binocular, showing a long shot of a man (Tom Cruise) climbing onto the aircraft.
2:00-2:30:
Close-up shot of the man, in the grass. Mid shot of the man in the suit as dialogue switches. Close up shot of the man on the roof. Switches back to a close-up of the man in the grass, putting the binoculars back up to his eyes, and then back to a mid-shot of the man in the dark suit. Close up from a side view of the man on the roof. Mid-shot of the man in the dark suit from a profile view. Close up shot of the man on the roof fiddling with the control panel from a low-angle, displaying the shift in power from the man in the dark suit to him as he states "That's why I didn't ask for permission." Close up shot of the man in the dark suit, as the camera pans downwards as he bends down. Mid shot of the man on the roof with a very quick transition to an extreme closeup of the man on the roof, emphasizing the beads of sweat on his forehead in this stressful situation. Low angle tracking shot to the right of the plane, highlighting the enormity of the turbines on the plane as they begin to spin faster, as time runs out. Eyeline match shot of the plane from a long shot angle of the side, through the eyes of the binocular. Mid shot of the man in the grass from the side. Extreme closeup of a diagram of the plane on a monitor, with a slow zoom in but a quick transition to the man in the dark suit from a low-angle with a slow zoom. Close up shot of the man in the grass, with the camera slowly zooming closer.
2:30-3:00:
Low-angle mid shot of the plane moving. Close-up shot of the man on the roof pulling a lever, the shot pans quickly (with a sense of urgency) from the lever to the man, as he delivers his line. Close-up shot of the man in the grass, quick transition to an over the shoulder shot of the screen of his tablet as the camera zooms in. Close up shot of the man in the dark suit, downward pan with a tilt upwards of the plane.
Film Deconstruction:
Setting/Geographical Markers:
There is a clear geographical marker in the opening scene of the film through the use of superimposition of the text 'Minsk, Belarus.' This initially tells the audience whereabouts in the world the opening is set. A typical feature of the opening of action movies is that it is set in some strange or obsolete country or place, because this infers a sense of worldwide danger, and increases the pressure on the protagonists to save the day. The tall grassy field also depicts that the protagonists can easily disguise themselves.
Lighting, and Colour:
Initially, in the opening scene we see a field, the lighting is very bright and natural inferring a sense of verisimilitude, as the director has been faithful to the appearance of the world by using natural lighting and shooting outside; instead of using artificial lighting within an environment of a set. However, when the shot switches to the man in the dark suit, the room is covered in computers with low-key lighting emphasising the shadows. The dimly lit room connotes themes of danger and mystery. The low-key lighting gives little indication as to where the scene takes place, however, it could be interpreted as a hidden underground facility, due to the lack of windows or light. The dark lighting casting shadows over the hidden secrets of the cooperation that are orchestrated behind the scenes even from the audience; this could be a purposeful choice made by the director to create continuing mystery. Light can be seen in the background through the flashing lights of computer switches and monitors, which is a visual representation of the undercover plans that are going on behind the scenes, creating a notion of secrecy.
Motifs/reoccurring imagery:
Throughout the opening scene, there are recurring motifs of inferred/ potential violence or threats to the population within the display or reference to ammunition packages, or weaponry and guns. This implies a sense of danger and foreshadows violence within the film, which gives an indication of the age rating of the film (12A, for moderate violence). Weapons, for example, live ammunition (eg-bombs) are key features of action films, as stereotypically these weapons of mass destruction fall into the wrong hands and must be destroyed by the 'heroes' in order to protect the world; a brief plot synopsis that is followed by many major action films, including James Bond and Jason Bourne.
The binoculars are highly significant in the opening scene, as there is a large number of close-up shots of the man hiding in the grass holding them up to his eyes. Typically there is an archetype surrounding the villainous characters or their 'goons' within action films, that perceive them to be the lurking predator, spying on the protagonists in order to uncover hidden information or infiltrate. Therefore in this instance this idea is being subverted as the man in the grass who is doing the spying, is the first character the audience is introduced to, which creates an assumption that he is one of the 'good characters', allowing them to overlook this archetype.
Costume/Makeup:
The man hidden in the grass is wearing a headdress covered in grass palms, allowing him to camouflage into the background in order to successfully spy on the men loading the ammunition onto the aircraft.
The dark black suit worn by Jeremy Renner's character portrays him to be a character of importance as it presents him as sophisticated and professional, whilst alluding the notion of intelligence; explaining why later in the scene he is the man in charge, who all of the other characters are obeying.
The third character is seen standing by a control panel of a satellite, hacking into a system. His clothing is highly casual with a brown leather jacket and sunglasses on his head, which makes him seem like a relaxed and composed character; with hacking being almost a second nature. He disobeys the orders of the man in the suit, which linking with the symbolism of the leather jacket being highly 'casual' adheres to the view of him being a rule breaker as he isn't camouflaged nor wearing a suit.
Typography:
The font type is Agency FB:
Sound:
Within the opening, as the franchise's logos appear, the famous Mission Impossible theme begins to play. This track resonates with fans of the action genre, as it has a unique instrumentation, with its usage of percussion, keyboard, and bombastic brass, making it unlike any other film theme tune, and rated one of the best 'theme songs' of all time. Schifrin's unconventional 5/4 time signature allows it to be highly recognizable, giving it a propulsive energy which builds tension. The director has utilized this music to build a rising suspense as the music becomes louder and the drum beat increases; the persistent drum beat connotes a heartbeat, that will rise in high tension scenarios. Soon after this we initially hear a dialogue between two characters. We also hear ambient sound of the grass blowing in the breeze as we are shown one of the undercover agents hidden in the grass, this noise allows the audience to feel as if they are too hiding with the character; the ambient sounds paired with the multitude of close up shots are significant, as they allow the audience to feel highly intrusive on the mission that is being carried out. There is also constant non-diegetic dialogue from characters as the camera switches between different characters. Diegetic sound is used when the plane doors close and when the plane takes off, there is also a loud ambient wind sound as the plane travels through the air. The score throughout the scene consists of a face paced track, that increases in pace as the scene increases in tension and reflects the quick transitions.
Effective shots, transitions, and camera movements:
A particularly effective sequence of shots, in my opinion, in the opening scene were the shots whereby the man in the dark suit was giving orders from the low-key lighting room. The shot used was a low-angle shot, which was carefully chosen by the director in order to evoke the idea of power and high authority of this character in the first moments of the film, to the audience. A tracking mid-shot was also used to follow this man around the control room he was in, which displayed that he was so powerful that the camera had to follow him around as if it were being ordered to. This boyeristic shot also inferred that something was on the tail of this man and he was trying to prevent it; which links to the typicality of an action film and the predatorial nature of the villainous characters, that are constantly on the tails of the good guys, in an attempt to create havoc.
A particularly effective sequence of shots, in my opinion, in the opening scene were the shots whereby the man in the dark suit was giving orders from the low-key lighting room. The shot used was a low-angle shot, which was carefully chosen by the director in order to evoke the idea of power and high authority of this character in the first moments of the film, to the audience. A tracking mid-shot was also used to follow this man around the control room he was in, which displayed that he was so powerful that the camera had to follow him around as if it were being ordered to. This boyeristic shot also inferred that something was on the tail of this man and he was trying to prevent it; which links to the typicality of an action film and the predatorial nature of the villainous characters, that are constantly on the tails of the good guys, in an attempt to create havoc.
What have I learnt?:
The opening of Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is an excellent presentation of the action genre, with many iconographic features included within the opening (including the Mission Impossible main theme).
From deconstructing this film opening I have learnt the importance of motif’s and how the inclusion of stereotypical features of the action genre such as weaponry, machinery and vehicles. However on the scale of our opening scene we will be unable to incorporate these features into our opening scene. Therefore instead, I will attempt to incorporate the low-key lighting and low-angle shot’s to imply a character’s power in a scene (which were evident throughout the opening scene). This will be useful when filming the guard in my own opening scene.
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