Action opening- Hancock

Hancock 

Aerial shot of the highway with many police cars, already we know there is an incident, close up of the criminals inside the getaway car with their guns. Quick long shot of the police cars that are closely trailing behind building up suspense as if they are close to being caught. Camera swaps from the chaos to a medium shot of a homeless man on bench sleeping. Two shot of the homeless man and a young boy as he tries to wake him up, informing him about what’s happening as if he is supposed to do something. Shot of lots of telly’s showing the chase symbolising it is a major event.

Long shot of him flying up in the air destructing things in his path shows he isnt very considerate to his city. Extreme long shot as he zooms off into the city at a sonic speed surprising the audience. Hand held shot while he is flying throughout the recognizable skyscrapers.  Canted shots are used also both of these create realism giving you the view of what you would see if you were “Hancock”. Close up of him flying with his thumb in the top of his alcohol bottle as if spilling it at this moment would be disastrous. Birds flying at him showing the audience how high he is as well as adding to obstacles he is having to dodge; linking with the backing song.

Character we focus mainly on is the homeless man. As he is sleeping on the bench his body language is very open, his arms spread out, he is very relaxed as if he has nothing to be concerned about. We later see that he has powers of some kind therefore can protect himself against anything. As the child is talking to him he is very rude and tells him to go away making him far from a “super hero” who is supposed to be kind to the public. As he draws an alcohol bottle out from under the bench it’s obvious he has problems with liquor, the audience want to know why. Also he is rather obnoxious as we see him try to grope a lady, all signs point to him being an unorthodox super hero.

Action genre is all about car chases, guns, bad guys and destruction. All of which this opening contains making it your typical exciting action film.

Action music’s playing, the typical kind used to build suspense leading up to something, we can also we can hear police sirens and shouting in foreign fitting the stereotype of foreigners being the baddy. Bullets flying confirming the genre to be action as well as the car chase that is happening. Diegetic tires skidding around the road showing that they are putting up a fight to get away by going at very hasty speed.  Music suddenly stops as we are averted to a different situation, quiet, calm guitar music plays while we see a man sleeping on a public bench being hassled by a child. In the background diegetic news in playing about the highway chase that we just saw suggesting it is an event which has not yet been controlled. After he abruptly fly’s in the air an aggressive and rude song starts to play as he is swerving in and out of the buildings this could reflect him as a character; rude and aggressive.