Ocean's Eleven (Remake) Opening Scene

Ocean's eleven remake analysis

Immediately, the audience is introduced to diagetic sound (dialogue), even before the film has started. The clip of course starts with produces and production studios / logo / opening, but the sound is played as a quick fading in background against the titles. This is extremely useful as the audience can learn immediately that the upcoming scene will be insinuated in some sort of prison area as slamming and bar sounds are made over the top of shouts such as: ‘let’s go, face the wall!’

This clip is controversial, in the fact that it only has two shots within the first scene.

These two shots change from a medium shot, to a close up, appearing as point of view of the people asking questions to the man in the camera, the use of sound is important through this clip to create a sense of narrative and generally keep audience attention as the clip runs from 00:28 – 01:28, running a whole minute long without changing. This is a strange, though, unique device as clips generally run now longer than a few seconds without changing, tracking, panning etc, in some sort of way. However, it draws attention upon the character in question: Daniel Ocean.

Away from speech for a moment, the lighting in the room is also strange as it appears from behind; creating side light on either side of the face of the character shown in shot. The room is a dark blue in origin, and much like The Dark Knight, carries on these connotations of intelligence, the atmosphere of tranquillity (an unusual anticipation for an audience to expressions in what appears a prison), power and seriousness – the sensation of power combines effectively with the focus of shots being of Daniel, indicating he has influence and authority; the audience is drawn to him, which is another reason the 1 minute clip doesn’t bore the audience. The lack of light upon Daniel suggests that he is also a dark character in some way; explaining of what appears his current environment, a prison.

Mise en scene is used effectively, but not over done, to example a setting which looks like some sort of complex, yet it is the chair and dressing of Daniel that really establishes it. The chair itself, combined with the room, gives this memory of ‘Shanksaw Redemption’; a film possibly most viewers of this film will be able to associate in some way, but most of all it is clear that Daniel is wearing some sort of prison uniform. If one was to look into the connotation of the beige colour, also, it is a warm colour, that is usual identified as a secondary colour. Because it has been used as the frontal – the one which the audience focuses on because of Daniel – it creates the reverse effect, and further enhances the ideal that this character is in some way, good.

Representation is firstly created by the mise en scene of setting and light within the two shots. The setting used creates the representation of a bleak, dark environment within prison walls which is expected by the audience, yet does not appear to the typical stereo or idelology for the expectation of bars and small cell rooms. The inside of the room being dark, suggests the antagonists within and the light coming through the window and fan is the ideal of freedom; helping aid the hearing of what appears release.

Sound is important in this opening scene as it helps create narrative as well as representation. Most of it is dialogue, diagetic sound, particularly when ‘frauds’ is mentioned, it aids the mise en scene of the character: Daniel appears a calm, collective, sensible character – although his physicality adds age to him (01:29 particularly the audience can focus upon the man’s appearance further as a middle aged man) that he may be of a high regional class, as compared to the expectation from the audience of antagonists being of a low working class and ‘gritty’ regional one. Though the audience gather, from the use of mise en scene mostly at first, that Daniel is in ways, not as innocent as his appealing character is. More so, at 01:35 incidental music is used to follow the question ‘what do you think you would do, if released?’ a jazz, up-beat theme comes in and the clip gradually fades to black (none of the camera work or the mise en scene change at this point). Instead, it creates a cliff hanger at the end of the scene and creates foreshadowing due to the type of incidental music that the expectations created by mise en scene lighting, Daniel Eleven might not be an entirely innocent character and have antagonist motives.