A white beam of light shines through a hangmans noose. Depth of field used to emphasise the hangmans noose and show the seriousness of the scene. Your heart races as you know someone is about to be called, all this captured in just one shot. A flag then appears with the navy symbol lite up by the same beam of light, the world ‘co’ most emphasised.
As people appear in the scene we see and hear the clanking of chains, soon followed by a slow but powerful drumbeat. Perhaps used to show the beating of the prisoners heartbeats or to show how little time they have left.
The lighting In the scene is used to foresee what is going to happen to the pirates. White light is constantly shone down on them, this could be to show that as they are going to die, they will soon see the white light at the end of the tunnel. The whole scene appears to have been shot with a green filter over the lens, giving it an eery feeling but possible to also represent that they come from the sea.
The costumes in the scene show a clear divide between the authoritative figure and the criminals. The pirates all dressed dull and rather grim looking, showing that they have the future shall be getting no better for them and what a mistreated life they have had. Whereas the navy are dressed in bold, strong colours. Showing that they are meant to be powerful and members of authority, they are in charge in this scene.
The end of the scene is a child holding a pirate coin and gets them all to sing a pirate chant. The chant makes us feel that even though they are classed as criminals, in their final moments the pirates are proud of who they are.
This slightly uplifting feeling doesn’t last long, as the scene ends with the trap doors opening and the coin slowly hitting the floor. Showing that it is the end of those pirates, but still we know that the coin must have some importance, as it is so highly emphasised at the end.
In conclusion, I found the opening scene to this movie to be very powerful. The mise en scene used to capture our attention and make us feel what the characters feel In the film. This opening is what makes you want to watch the remainder of the film and see what will go on.
References: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At worlds end, 2007, Gore Verbinski”- Movie
” pirates.disney.com” – Website
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