'I Am Legend' Opening Scene Analysis

Purpose and Conventions

I believe that the purpose of this opening is to put the audience in wonder and fascination, while wondering what, exactly, is going on. The film is a post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film, so it goes into two of the given briefs. No science fiction elements appear in the opening, however, except perhaps the sense of fascination we're supposed to gain from the establishing shots of the desolated city. Another purpose to the opening of 'I Am Legend' is to establish a sense of isolation and loneliness, a common convention of the post-apocalypse genre.

The most prominent convention of post-apocalyptic films in this opening is probably the sense of desolation and isolation we're given in the establishing shots of the deserted city. We also gain a sense of uncaring from the protagonist, who drives recklessly through the dead streets. This, again, leaves us with an enigma. 'What has happened to the city?' and 'Why is he alone?' are the questions the audience should be asking themselves, questions that appear in many post-apocalyptic films.

Shots and Angles

Half of this opening relies on establishing shots. We're supposed to gain a sense of wonder from the desolated, majestic city. We also get a fairly rare birdseye shot of the protagonist's car early on before we're introduced to him, tracking the car from far above moving through the city. All of these establishing shots are very well done and set the scene and the convention of isolation brilliantly.

The shots after the establishing shots are very well done too. The very next shot we get is of a gun that the protagonist grips, which indicates a sense of danger and unease. We then get a good tracking shot of the car, again, moving through the city from behind. There are also many POV shots from the protagonist for the audience to see what he sees. The shots are very well done in this opening; especially the establishing shots near the beginning.

Mise-En-Scene

The setting is established well, as said before, through a series of establishing shots near the beginning of the scene. There's a theme of desolation and abandonment within the shots, with empty cars and growing grass in an urban environment being well placed to add to that sense. The establishing shots show that the city has been abandoned and something has happened to the civilians.

The green of the rural environment is placed to contrast the grey of the urban environment; to show that civilisation has long since passed. This is also the reason for the placing of the animals and birds in certain shots. The contrast of 'nature versus urban environment' is used in many post-apocalyptic films, and I hope to use this in my own.

Editing

The scene is well edited, not that much editing is needed. For the calm environment that's necessary, the shots are fairly long and there are not many transitions. But it is well paced and achieves what it strives to; a sense of calm isolation from civilisation. The transitions between shots are well placed. Special effects are certainly unnecessary in this opening.

Some shots are edited together to place a connection between the protagonist and his dog, such as eyeline matches and a couple of shots with them both near each other focused on something to show that they're quite similar and understand each other. The shots are needed to create a connection between them.

Sound

No non-diegetic sound is used and the scene fully relies on diegetic sound. The most prominent sound is the engine of the car breaking the silence of the world. This is needed to create the abandonment of the setting. We're being told that there are no other sounds; that the engine of the car is the only sound for miles around and that the protagonist is alone.

Other diegetic sounds are just as important to break the silence. We, again, get the contrast of 'nature versus urban' with the sound of nature, such as animals bleating and birds flying off, and the sound of the car's engine being an urban sound. They contrast each other, just as the setting does, and are an important convention of many post-apocalyptic films.

Narrative

We're given little narrative, other than the fact that everyone is gone and the protagonist is alone in the area. It's fairly easy to guess that the scene is set in the future, after the human race has left or an apocalypse has happened. We get this from the grasslands and wildlife seeping into the urban environment and the lack of people in the city. The sense of isolation gives us a small amount of narrative.

The protagonist being alone seems to be an important part. The scene indicates that it's just him and his dog surviving together with no help from anybody else. He appears to be hunting animals in the opening, showing us that he's became rather wild and needs to hunt for food.