Analysing Film Openings - Bridget Jones' Diary

The first two minutes in this film is the stereotypical opening to a rom-com. The first thing the audience sees is the name of the production and distribution companies and their logos. This is used purely for advertisement and to show the audience who produce the whole film. The first of the production slides is “Studio Canal” and the second is “Miramax Films”. They use a fade to black to switch between the first and the second of the production slides.

The audience can see the snowy Christmas weather clearly through the use of elements of mise-en-scene such as costume and location, which makes it clear where the heroine is and what time of year it is. We are in her poit of view almost immediately and know who the Bridget Jones of the title must be. This is done by using a close up to start the film instead of using an establishing shot which would be more normal. A mid shot is used near the start of the film which clearly shows her emotions (miserable) which mirrors the weather (pathetic fallacy). A low angle is used to see the character’s face. The woman has her hair tied up roughly which shows she is stressed and she is not happy about what she is doing. She is dressed in a warm jacket and scarf. Elements of mise-en-scene such as props show she is going somewhere as she is dragging a heavy suitcase around. By the woman walking on the road this shows that the film is set in an isolated location, this could also be due to the weather. We then finally see an establishing shot as we see the woman fade away from the screen and can see what looks like an old English country side town. This is done in editing as the fade and the establishing shot would have been done on different layers of the editing programme and sets the main character in context - an isolated village.

We then cut to a mid shot of the woman walking towards a house. She is not walking in an energetic manner which suggested she does not want to go to where she is going. The audience can tell it is in the same town as the establishing shot which helps them to recognise where the characters are. There is a clear match on action; when she is walking towards the house and when she is in the house.

Sound is used both diegetically and non-diegetically in the opening. Non-diegetic sound is used to reflect the emotions of the character. This is done by playing slow music which engages the audience with the low key feelings. Diegetic sound is used through dialogue to show a relationship between the characters.

After watching the opening two minutes I would like to continue watching this film, as I feel like it would be a very uplifting and enjoyable film. By having a variety of camera angles and movements, it creates a gripping story line and unanswered question; what is going to happen next? We are also very identified with the main character, which needs to happen in our piece very quickly, even though it is a different genre.