Detailed Analysis on the open title sequence of Collateral

Mise en sceneCollateral starts off at a public place which you then find out is an airport and then it switches to a taxi rank, both set in LA. Thrillers usually take place in a big city where action takes place. With them being in a public place people like Vincent (Tom Cruise) can blend in and not be noticed and discreetly do their job. It makes you wonder what other criminals are blending in the bust atmosphere. Vincent stands out in the crowd by blurring out the other faces of on going people to show that they aren’t important and that the audiences attention should be on Vincent.

Wearing sunglasses hides his emotions, you can tell by what people are feeling by looking in their eyes, so he is mysterious and hidden.

The grey hair and grey suit could mean he doesn’t want to stand out, they’re quite bland colours.

The suit is quite sharp and clean cut, he is smart and takes his job seriously. It also looks expensive so he has a well paid job.

Max is wearing quite bland colours it could be putting across he can’t afford nice clothing.

With him wearing glasses it shows that he is intelligent, and his intelligence is wasted on being a taxi driver.

Mise en scene

PropsThis briefcase are typical of the genre because they add mystery and gets the audience asking questions. The briefcase adds to the actions because it stands out and signifies importance.

The crossword again puts across Max’s intelligence. Also it could show he is antisocial because the other cab drivers are talking and socialising.

He might have an OCD about everything being clean, and making the taxi he is using his own.

Describe actors’ performanceBody Language/accent/paralanguage Key phrases etc.

• Vincent’s body language is quite cool and laidback, normal type of body language, so he isn’t noticed. When he bumps into the guy so it looks like an accident he say’s to the guy ‘You OK?’, with a nod so you can tell he is implying something else.

• You can tell Vincent is of a high status with how confidently he walks and talks.

• The difference with him and Max’s body language is Max’s body language is quite lazy and slouchy almost like he can’t be bothered.

• This can maybe mean he is of a lower class because he doesn’t seem confident in his actions.

• This can show also that he is in sort of his own world he isn’t phased or bothered by what goes on around him almost like he is in a constant daydream.

Cinematography

This medium shot of Vincent walking through the crowd, with his surrounding's blurred shows the audience that he is a key character. It also gives the audience a clear look of him to see his character type for example what he is wearing, how he is walking etc.

The same with the other character, surroundings are blurred to show his importance in this scene.

The close up of the bag, could be to tell the audience it is a key prop in the film and it implies mystery and you want to know what is in there. Gives you a taste of what is to come.

APOV (associated point of view), the rest of the surrounding are blurred out again and it is in focus of one half of Vincent’s face. It adds mystery to him because you can only see one half of his face plus the sunglasses really makes him an unreadable character.

There is a low angle of Max which can show he could be a powerful character in the narrative to come and shows the importance to him