The Bourne Identity opening title sequence

The Bourne identity is an action/spy/thriller which was directed by Doug Liman and was made in 2002, it is the first of an very successful trilogy. Matt Damon plays the main role as ‘Jason Bourne, who is a American agent suffering from amnesia and desperately trying to regain his memory which being hunted down. The film is based Based very loosely on Robert Ludlum's novel. The Bourne Identity is rated 12.

Setting The opening sequence of the Bourne identity is set on an old fishing boat in the middle of an very stormy sea. The first shot the viewer sees is of a body floaitng in the sea, the seas dark lighting and colour shows the reader its danger and how it has overwhelmed the body, also the body in the water leaves the viewer with questions.. The viewer later finds out this is Matt Damon

The next shot shows the location of the boat , this is an establishing shot, the colours again are connoting the dark mood while the boat is not the main focus which again suggests the overwhelming power of the stormy sea, also the boat is signifying safety for the floating body ands a source of safety for the character.

Again there is another establishing shot of the open see, this time without the boat, but subtitles telling the viewer where the scene is set, the shot is again suggesting the power and darkness of the sea

Many thriller movies start off with a dark setting, for example batman and the watchmen both are set in dark gritty locations.

lighting and colour

The lighting in the opening scene of the Bourne identity is an important feature used to connate some of the main themes used throughout the film, firstly the silhouette of the floating body conveys mystery and uncertainty, and leaves the viewer with the question of who the man is. lightning can be heard in this scene which also suggests the floating character; Bourne is some kind of monster. The dark lighting and silhouettes are quite typical to the lighting in thrillers and they help convey darkness and tension.

The lighting inside the boat contrasts massively from outside, faces are no longer hidden by silhouettes and the lighting from the lamps suggests the boat is safe and you are able to trust the surroundings as a viewer. It also adds more of a warm feel as you can see the characters faces and the room is nicely lit, and this connotes the safety on the boat

Props The props in this photo really develop both the characters in this scene and the give the reader a better understanding of who the characters are.

The bullet which had been removed from Bourne's back reveals a lot about him, firstly in answers the question the viewer might have had at the beginning in why Bourne was floating in the sea, but then secondly gives the viewer more questions as of why Bourne had been shot, it also helps develop Bourne as the bullet suggests violence

The medical equipment the fisher men has reveals a lot about him as well, firstly it convey his intelligence as he is seen as a simple fishermen but can also remove bullets.

The medical equipment gives the viewer a sense of security as they can see the man is trying to help Bourne

Props

The glasses show the mans intelligence, The medical equipment gives the viewer a sense of security as they can see the man is trying to help Bourne

The magnifying glass also convey the mans intelligence but also show he wants to help Bourne and is curious, and the curiosity reflects the readers views on Bourne.

Body language and accents In the opening scene the body language of Bourne tells us a lot about him as a character, firstly when you first see him conscious he is being aggressive and violent towards the man who is trying to help him. This alone tells us a lot about Bourne's character, firstly that he is a violent man, who's natural reaction to situations is unsure about is to revert to violence, and secondly that he is confused and doers not know what is going on, this hints at one of the main themes, Bourne's amnesia.

Later on in the scene Bourne’s body language shows how disorientated he is, again suggesting his Amnesia and also that he is weak from the bullet shots.

The fisherman’s accent is Cleary foreign as he has more English when speaking, this hints to the viewer they are in a foreign location which is important for the narrative, it also creates new questions for the viewer to ask, as Bourne's accent is American, so what is he doing in an Alien location, floating in the sea..

Camera shots The shot reverse shot is used here to give an eye line match of the fishermen seeing the body floating in the sea the floating body is shown through a long shot to show how far away and isolated it is, but also suggest it is hard for the fishermen to tell if it’s a body or not, and then a close up is used to show the reaction on the fishermen's face when he see’s the body in the sea, conveying his shock.

A close up of the scalpel ripping through the wetsuit adds a sense of fright, suspense and terror to the scene, which the surgical props also adding a sense of horror.

Close ups Close up are used a lot in the opening scene in the Bourne identity, they help create suspense, show the viewer significant props which could be hinting key themes or parts which will help understand the narrative.

The first close up of the scene is of Bourne's hand lying motionless on the table , this shot is used very frequently in thrillers as it creates a tense atmosphere for the viewer as its hinting the hand could twitch and wake up at any moment which could have further consequences for the elderly fisherman who is seen as the protagonist

The next close up is of the surgical process of the fishermen removing what looks to be like bullets from Bourne, everything is out of focus except the fishermen's hand and surgical equipment, this is to draw attention to the bullet and signifier its importance of being taken out

Another close up of Bourne is used to hint to the viewer he is about to wake up, this shot is also typically used in thriller as it helps build suspense as they keep hinting on when Bourne will wake up.

Panning and shot reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is used to show the exchange of dialogue between Bourne and the fisherman, when Bourne finally becomes conscious. During this scene the camera pans to show the ship rocking back and fourth but to also show Bourne's drowsiness. Panning is used a lot in the opening scene as it needs to be conveyed to the viewer that the ship is rocking, as the sea is stormy and unsafe.

Sound and editing

Binary opposition is used straight away in the opening scene. It goes from the poring rain outside, to the inside of the boat showing the two differences in the shot. Cuts are used lots in this scene, For example when the fishermen walks across the top of the boat he is already walking because the shot was cut so that it is more fluent and smooth. The cuts are very slow however as soon as the fishermen notices the body the cuts become faster and sharper showing the audience that something is wrong and that the man is now panicking and worried

Pathetic fallacy is used in the opening scene, this is when the weather reflects the mood of the scene, in the Bourne identity, the thunder and rain, connotes mystery and horror, Bourne is floating in the middle of the sea which is mysterious and then the scene where the bullets are being removed is shocking and horrific, which the lightening shows.

A lot of diegetic sound is used in the scene. It starts with the quiet violin sound but even though it is quiet it still makes the audience nervous as they have no real knowledge what is going to happen. The diegetic sounds are smooth for example the noise of the rain and the thunder. As Bourne is noticed the sounds become loader and faster this hits the audience hard as they now start to wonder who the man is and why he is out at sea. When the sudden movement of the man’s hand happens the two stings happen, this is a typically convention of a thriller as it shows shocks and the build up of suspense. and lightning help to the set the scene and build tension in the first minute or so of the film. Also the other fishermen are speaking in a foreign language which is then subtitled in English The use of foreign language rather than English forebodes that further on in the scene the main character and sailors may not ne able to understand and be able to communicate with each-other, but also adds mystery to the location.