Hello! Today we started to look at specific films within our genre and the elements of their opening sequences. To truly see how the beginning of the film is so effective in setting the mood for the rest of the movie, we'll be analyzing four opening sequences, beginning first with the 1995 film, "Outbreak," which we retrieved from the "Art of the Title" website.
I've listed the questions we answered to conduct said analysis below.
What titles are displayed during the opening sequences?
During the opening sequence, the names of actors, the title of the film, the casting directors, the costume designer, the music composer, its co-producers, the film editors, the production designer, the photography director, the executive producers, the film's scriptwriters, the film's producers, and the film's director at the end are all displayed. These titles were not embedded within each scene and were written in a bright teal blue, outlined in black so that they popped out against the shots.
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
Within the opening sequence, a number of different images are prioritized. At the beginning of the opening, the audience is shown as a bomb is shown landing and exploding at a military base, with a full shot being used to show as one unsuspecting soldier is, for lack of a better word, disintegrated, with multiple shots showing how merciless the attack had been and capturing the extent of the damage caused by said explosion. The primary location of the film's opening is also highlighted, with that being the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Ft. Detrick, Maryland. The interior of said facility is also shown, with the audience first being led through the area populated mainly with enlisted military personnel and then later shifting to show areas with higher levels of restriction, moving from different levels of danger posed by the pathogens being studied by the scientists, ranging from Biosafety Level 1 to Level 4. This served to establish the context of the film as well as to foreshadow later events and their relation to certain locations from earlier on in the movie.
What connotations do these images carry?
The general connotation of the images was that they were rather horrifying, just knowing that a bomb could loom on the horizon or that an infectious disease could begin to spread so easily (well that truth may not be all that difficult to grapple with given the recent pandemic) despite having no idea of what had caused it. The images in the facility were pretty standard on their own; however, I do believe that the music and text seen on-screen during those scenes is what really made them as dramatic and captivating as they were, being that I wouldn't have been aware of how dangerous the pathogens in each room were had I not been provided with said information. On a more general note, I found that the laboratory seemed to exude a serious and sterile feel, whereas the final scene of the opening seemed to act in direct contrast to what the audience had just been shown, being more lighthearted as it was just showing a man washing his dogs in his bath.
How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset?
From the film's opening sequence alone I was able to determine that it was part of the science fiction thriller genre. The very first shot of the film was a bomb being dropped, which placed the audience directly into the action, and likely acted as a parallel to the virus that would soon follow, an immediate threat from which there would be no escape. Admittedly, this was a bit shocking at first since my groupmates expected some kind of exposition prior to such a major event transpiring; however, I do believe it was both necessary and effective in raising questions that will later be explained, making the plot relatively unpredictable, a key ingredient associated with the genre. In addition, I do believe that the title of the film itself, "Outbreak," when shown during the title sequence, was able to hint towards the fact that the film would be in the vein of science fiction thrillers, being that the term has such a negative connotation. Moreover, when the term is shown on screen a couple monkeys are shown scuttling by, which may lead the audience to believe that the disease may be the product of some sort of inter-species transmittance, especially since a later scene sets the location of the film as being a governmental infectious disease research facility, both of which are common trope used in such films. Additionally, I found that the non-diegetic music contributed to apprehension carried throughout each scene, which made the opening all the more compelling.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
First and foremost, the target audience of this film was comprised of adults being that it was rated R. The film concerned a deadly infectious outbreak, which is obviously more age-appropriate for older, mature audiences as opposed to young children. Having said that, it makes sense as to why clips of the bomb exploding, brief images of the injuries sustained from the bombing, and older, grown adults are shown in the scenes. Additionally, the director chose to include text to supplement the information shown on screen, something that adults may appreciate more because they aren't solely immersed in the action of the film, but the storyline as a whole, so for them, any and all context is appreciated to avoid plot holes.
How has technology been used effectively with regards to camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques?
In this film's title sequence, various camera angles, transitions, and editing techniques are used. In the first scene of the opening, an establishing aerial shot is used to paint an image of the relatively peaceful military camp as a bomb approaches the unsuspecting soldiers, building up a quickly released tension as the audience watches as the bomb makes contact with the ground. When this occurs, editing is used to make it seem as though an explosion has actually occurred. Full, aerial, and long shots are then used to capture the magnitude of the attack. By use of a medium shot in the next scene, a military plane is then shown leaving the site, which lies in smoke in the distance, effectively leaving the audience questioning the reasoning behind the attack and who was able to flee the disaster. In the following scene, a wide shot is used to show how the bomb decimated the camp and left it as a pile of firey rubble with no life left in sight, before cutting to a medium close-up shot of monkeys fleeing the site. A brief fade out to black is then used, with the words "Present Day" appearing on screen before promptly fading out, with a point of view shot in the next scene being paired with the words "United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) Ft. Detrick, Maryland" as to establish context for the film with regards to location and its premise. In the next scene, a point of view shot is used before quickly becoming a tracking shot of military personnel, a Staff Sergeant to be precise. As this individual passes through a restricted doorway, the camera begins to follow another subject, this time a scientist as indicated by their lab wear as well as the text on-screen which reads "BIOSAFETY LEVEL 1 Minimal biohazard. Study of low risk infectious agents: Pneumoccous, Salmonella."
As a panning shot occurs of the whole room, the idea that the pathogens being studied in the room aren't dangerous is reestablished as none of the scientists are wearing masks or gloves for protection. In the next part of the opening, a tracking shot is used once more as the camera follows one of said scientists out of the room and into the hall before switching to an area in which the scientists are wearing protective eyewear and heavy-duty masks as they are now working within a "BIOSAFETY LEVEL 2 Moderate biohazard. Infectious agents: Hepatitis, Lyme Disease, Influenza." area, as the text on-screen indicates. A dolly shot is then used for a quick-paced transition to a room where the audience learns information about the research that occurs at this high-security facility, thereby piquing their interest and leaving them wondering at what level they will hear about the so-called "Outbreak" that this film's title warned them about. A tracking shot is then used once more, leading the audience through a short corridor and into another laboratory, where a "through the wall" transition is used to move to another room from which a scientist is exiting. If you hadn't guessed it by now, yet another tracking shot was used, this time following a different scientist into a room where full-body hazmat suits fitted with air-purifying respirators are worn, as the text shows that this is an even more dangerous zone, a place with a "BIOSAFETY LEVEL 3 High biohazard. Multiple vaccinated required. Infectious agents: Antrax, Typhus, H.I.V.", whilst the camera gradually through the scene.
And while the audience may have believed that this would be the end of the opening, they are in for a surprise when yet another tracking shot occurs, leading the audience into a high-clearance area, in which numerous doors must be unlocked before entering the "BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4 Extreme biohazard. Maximum security. Infectious agents: Ebola, Lassa, Hanta viruses." area, where the subjects wear light blue hazmat suits that cover their entire head and which are hooked up to an oxygen tank before they enter another room. The text then disappears and is replaced with the words: "Highly virulent. No known cures or vaccines." just to show how terrifying the virus being studied is and likely answer the audience's burning question of why they needed to go so deep within the facility to find this disease. A medium long-shot is then used as the camera, which has now adopted a point of view shot, remains in the doorway, almost as if it wishes the audience to understand how dangerous it is to enter said area and how reluctant they should be to do so, with it being much safer for them to remain as observers from afar. A cut then occurs which places the audience within the kitchen of a house before a dolly shot is used to show a casually dressed man who is washing his dogs. This creates a noticeable contrast between his disposition and that of the stern men and women at the infectious disease facility, leaving the audience to question if he will be the unlikely protagonist of this film, as the shot fades to black. I would like to note that cuts were used for the majority of the transitions in the film, and if not, I made sure to highlight that above.
After being able to examine the opening sequence of this film at such great length, I must say that my excitement might be a bit "...too contagious..." (Kiana Ledé and Safe 2022).
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