Zoe's AS Media Blog: Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Analysis

The next film I am going to analyse is Breaking Dawn - Part 2. The opening sequence is beautiful and I would not chose to do a sequence that is entirely shots of stunning scenery but I would like to incorporate it into my piece. The shot also has an effect which looks like blood is covering the scenes. I am thinking of involving an element of crime into my final video so this was rather inspiring and very effective.

Summit Entertainment LLC is an American film studio and a subject of Lions Gate Entertainment.

Usually the Summit logo is in blue but that would not fit in with the rest of the opening sequence. This shows that the company have really thought about the mise-en-scene of the film by looking at colour. Red represents the blood as Bella is currently becoming a vampire.

From the distribution logo it then fades to a white screen. White has connotations of goodness, innocence, purity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection. As this is at the very start of the film it could be a representation of her purity before the change into a vampire. Vampires are often portrayed as evil which would be a contrast to the connotations of white. The blank screen could represent the slate being wiped clean. She has had to leave her old life behind and she is starting a whole new life now everything down to her biology has changed.

A title that reads 'Summit Entertainment presents' fades in very quickly. The titles are blood red which has connotations of energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. This couldn't describe this film more. Despite the obvious connections between red, blood and vampires... this film is mainly about a war against the vultory to save their daughter, danger comes with war and vampires are dangerous and the Cullens form an army of vampires to defend themselves from the vultory. The vampires are extremely strong and powerful. They whole family is determined to protect the child. Obviously there is a lot of passion, love and desire as the Bella and Edward move in together and their love grows.

I really like the way that the title does not change but it changes from red to white. When I remembered this film this is what I remember liking a lot. I wondered there was an effect on adobe that would look like blood was flooding in to the title. But when I looked closer it is just another title in a slightly different position and the red title fades into the white. This could represent the blood leaving Bella's body as she becomes cold and turns into a vampire.

This establishing shot zooms in and pans to the left slowly. This is where the Cullens are free to run and catch animals for blood. It is their territory and it's where they have the safety and comfort to be themselves and it is where the majority of the film is set. The titles changing from red to white is consistent throughout the opening sequence. The snow could represent how cold Vampires are but the fog that is covering their 'territory' could signify that something is coming that could change the way that they live. The camera is a high angle shot which signifies that something greater than them or something from higher in the hierarchy is watching over them carefully and that the Cullens are vulnerable.

I would like to use shots like this in black and white to really set the scene of my video to give the audience some visual into where the the video takes place.

This shot shows the main title as it is the name of the film. Rather than the titles changing from red to white like they do in all other titles in the opening sequence, it turns white sparkles and it looks as if it turns to ice then it fades into a deep red colour. This could represent the way that Bella pictures herself as a vampire before the change. She imagines the good like as their skin sparkles which could signify that she is caught up in the 'magical' side of the supernatural rather than thinking about becoming a killer.

The establishing shot show the sun rising over the mountains, this is a clear link to the title of the film 'Breaking Dawn'. The titles sparkle when it is white which represents vampires' skin when the sun shines on it. As it sparkles it could signify that this film has a significance and that it is different to the others. The previous films were named after the moon where as the name of this film is linked to the sun. This could represent new life, not only of their new daughter but of Bella becoming a vampire and truly being part of the Cullen family now more than ever. The sun could bring hope to them signifying that there is 'light at the end of the tunnel' and that is part of the story will end positively.

Unlike the previous shot which was captured in black and white this particular shot was edited to have a red effect over it. The colour is a deep red which looks like blood. Red connotes danger and this is backed up by the chance that Bella may not survive the change from human to vampire. The red could also represent the craving of blood that takes over her body once she has turned into a vampire. The fog which could represent the something dangerous approaching is at the bottom of the shot and there are mountains towering above it, this signifies that nothing can stop her from protecting her daughter and her family. She sees the fog which represents the voltory as a threat as it is in red.

Also because the shot focuses on the tops of mountains which represent the way she feels after being turned into a vampire. She suddenly has a lot of strength after being extremely ill towards the end of her life as a human. She is stronger and faster and ever so the mountains could represent her mood and her happiness.

The next shot contrasts the previous one as it is shot once again in black and white. There is also a contrast within the shot as the mountains are completely black but the fog is very white. This contrast between light and dark represent Edward and how in his past he was a danger to the people around him he killed innocent people for his greed. He has seen the error of his ways and is now a 'vegetarian' vampire and only feeds on animals. This could signify why the shot focuses on the bottom of the mountain where the trees are as this is where he would hunt. Unlike Bella who is on a high as she is new to the feeling of pure superiority over humans, Edward has been this way for hundreds of years and is much more humble than her and not as full of excitement as she is. The fog is white, this could signify that he does not see it as danger, he has a better understanding of why their child could be seen as a threat but he believes that it will resolve.

The next shot is again shot in red. This could signify his warmth, his love and the fact that he still has blood running through him. The shot shows a divide between the vampires and the werewolves territory which is represented by the river. Despite this the camera is positioned on the Vampires side which show that Jacob has left his pack and is going to defend Renesmee. The red could also represent the feud between Jacob and is 'pack' they are angry that he has betrayed them for vampires.

This shot shows the credit for Billy Burke who plays Bella's father in the films. This shot represents how he is unaware of his daughters new life and how much danger she is about to come into contact with. He is kept 'behind the scenes' almost, this is represented as the camera is behind the mountain. The sky is clear and there is no fog in the shot, this signifies that he is in no danger.

From this point onwards in the opening sequence you start to see flickers of light and blood boiling. Which represent the biological change that is currently happening to Bella's body as she changes from human to vampire.

The next shot shows the mountains reflection in the water this represents Nikki Reed's character Rosalie as she isn't afraid to tell the truth and be brutally honest she is a true reflection what what is really happening within the story. The land is quite baron and this could represent the fact that she is no longer living.

This part of the opening sequence shows blood pouring and then merges into a waterfall using a graphic match. This could represent the character Renesmee as she is half vampire half human as she still craves blood but still has life running through her.