Film Opening 3 - Casino Royale

Film 3 - Casino Royale

Casino Royale was made in 2006 by Martin Campbell, produced by Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing and Columbia Pictures. It had an estimated budget of around $150 million and made a gross profit of $599,045,960. The opening sequence is about 4 minutes 30 seconds long.



We start the scene with very little non-diegetic sound, it's just very faint in the background. the overwhelming sounds are diegetic - the car pulling up outside the building and his footsteps in the corridor. This builds tension as we know something's waiting for him when he reaches his office. The music builds in moments of tension e.g. when he notices Bond in his office or when he opens the draw to reveal his gun. This heightens the tension and makes the audience feel uncomfortable. When Bond speaks the music dies down to almost nothing. This causes the audience to subconsciously (as well as consciously) like and feel safer around him because he relieves the tension - the music.



When we go into the flashback there is no initial diegetic sound, just the sound of the crowd and the footsteps of the cricket players on the field. Then, when the man in the crowd sees Bond, the music strikes up to build tension as they move through the stands. This is very reflective of how music is used throughout the opening, it is there to build and relieve tension as the scene needs it to, not to provide a general feeling or overall mood. This means it is more noticeable to the audience as it clearly stops and builds, making them aware that something's going to happen and therefore putting them on edge before anything has even started.



On top of the music in the flashback we also have some diegetic sounds such as cricket wickets being knocked off and the crowd cheering. These are quite harsh and violent sounds that foreshadow the upcoming violence in the scene.


Then, as Bond and the presumed villain fight, the music and diegetic (punches, bangs and crashes) sounds build making the audience uncomfortable and stressed then, in the change back to the present, the sounds immediately cut out jolting us back into the present day after being totally engrossed in the action. This is almost disorientating for the audience and can make us feel out of control, this is heightened by the immediate sound and image of a gun which has negative, violent and frightening connotations.
Then when the scene cuts back to the flashback the music and diegetic sounds instantly come back on together, hitting the audience like a wave of sound, shocking them and making them feel tense  and scared. The music builds as Bond drowns the man and then stops again when he dies, signifying that the threat is gone.
There is a second surge of sound in the present day, again shaking the audience from the comfort of the quiet, which could symbolise the significance of his death in the film.
At the very end of the sequence we cut back to the flashback and Bond points his gun at the camera (in the place of the 'villain') and shoots, cueing the immediately recognisable and powerful theme tune showing the return of Bond and his victory over the first two characters introduced. The fact that the tune is so familiar and strongly linked to a single character reminds the audience what film they're watching and makes them root for the well known character even when they know nothing about his plan or story for this film. It rallies support for him and makes the viewer enthusiastic and excited to see what he's going to do next.



The shots in this opening sequence vary, we start with an establishing shot and then move to a mixture of full length shots and close-ups as we follow the newly introduced character through the building. We know nothing about him but watching him from behind and from seemingly under a table males the viewer feel like they shouldn't be there and makes us wary of his intentions.

We first meet Bond from a shot over the man's shoulder. This shows us he is a spy and follows and hides from people; it also connotes that he's invaded the man's space and has been watching him for a while but the man never looked behind him (physical and symbolically) to see.

We then get a close-up of inside the man's draw showing a gun, this has connotations of danger and violence making the audience feel on edge and scared.

All the shots from the office conversation are very long and and still. This is like the calm before the storm and could reflect how both men are being very still and controlled in order to not give anything away. It also lures the audience into a false sense of security as there is no hectic or fast paced semiotics, everything is very slow and controlled. This could also reflect how the audience has no need to worry, Bond is in control of the whole situation as he has the ammunition for the gun.
The lack of extreme close-ups also makes the audience feel more in control as they can see what's around them and prepare for anything that might jump out.

In the flashback we get a montage of shots showing the game of cricket, this could be to establish the scenario but may also foreshadow the more fast-paced action that is to come. When the bowler bowls the camera follows his feet running on the ground and shakes with the impact of his weight on the grass. This unsteady camera work could connote that something's not right in the scene and imply that there is action to come (with the close-up running).

When the 'villain' first notices Bond he is sat in the outside stand in direct sunlight in the centre of the shot making him very easy to identify.

Bond, however, is standing in the shade of one of the stands with people in front of him and is slightly to the right of the screen. This could show his higher level of skills as a spy as he is more difficult to spot and also tells the audience that he doesn't want to be seen and is therefore on a mission, not there for pleasure. The fact that he is not totally in the last third of the shot but also not quite centre shows how he an slip under the radar and suggests that something isn't right with the situation that Bond is going to fix.

We then have an unsteady shot following the man out of the stands connoting that Bond is following him out and that the man is uneasy and starting to blow his cover, he is being careless.

We see Bond enter the bathroom over the man's shoulder, showing again that Bond is one step ahead of him and foreshadowing he man's defeat.

The fight scene is made up of a montage of mid and close-up shots in quick succession. They are from a variety of angles making the scene feel hectic and uncontrolled reflecting the struggle of the fight for the two characters.

When we cut back to modern day we go back to the more controlled, still shots but here are more close-ups to show the character's reactions to the pulling out of a gun the realisation that it isn't loaded.

Back in the flashback after Bond kills the man we get a very long shot held on a close-up of his face. We already know that this is his first kill so it marks the moment as significant as he deals with the feeling of taking a life. The camera is steadier than in the fight showing how he's calmer and more collected now that he's won but it's not totally steady showing how he is slightly uneasy with what he's just done and how he's battling with the guilt of taking a life.

When the man in the present is shot by bond we get a quick succession of shots, one that almost seems to follow the bullet that is very fast paced and then one from high up that shows him falling off his chair. This could connote the significance of the man's death to the plot but is more likely to highlight how this was Bond's second kill, officially making him a double O.

At the very end of the scene he points his gun directly at the camera as he shoots firing us into the famous title sequence, this involves the audience in the action and makes us feel excited for what is to come.

The fast paced fighting of the flashback makes it pretty clear that it is an action film but the relatively complicated dialogue at the beginning shows the more intricate spy plot of the film.

All the opening sequence is in black and white which could be a nod to how long the Bond films have been going on as this is the start of a new era in the films - Daniel Craig as James Bond. It also grabs the audience's attention as it is unusual in modern films and makes us want to know more about what's going on.



Daniel Craig is always dressed in a suit which is part of his character's look and fits in with his calm and collected attitude throughout the scene.

The man in the flashback s dressed in a patterned shirt, again denoting his low level of discretion and his hectic and unorganised approach to his job.

The man in the present is also wearing a suit to show his professional status which is referenced by both him and Bond.

The whole scene is one big narrative enigma. We see the protagonist and find out that secrets have been let out but other than that we don't find out the rest of the plot, why Bond was there or how he found out about the rogue employee. It grabs the audience into the film with loads of questions we are desperate to know the answers to.