Comparing three opening scenes

Godfather (1972)

The scene opens with a close up image of an Italian man. The close up shows great detail in his face which reveals the tension he clearly feels. The background is completely dark highlighting his face but also allowing the audience to make the assumption he feels on edge. As the man continues to tell his story to the godfather, the camera progressively zooms out revealing more of him. This allows him to show more by using gestures, gripping the audience to the story. As the camera continues to zoom out slowly you see that he is sitting in a dark room behind a desk. The focus is still held on the man when the Godfathers blurred image appears. He is introduced with an over the shoulder shot. By not showing his face, this adds tension as you have no idea what this mysterious man, sitting in a relaxed fashion looks like. The camera still continues to zoom out to reveal more gaining the audience an understanding of the set up. At this point the audience begin to feel impatient to see this mysterious mans face. When the Godfather finally speaks up the zooming out stops,reflecting the importance of the Godfathers words.

Enduring Love (2004)

Enduring love begins with an extreme long shot involving all the beautiful scenery which makes the two people seem so insignificant in comparison. The extreme long shot is beneficial in this scene as it demonstrates just how isolated the actors are. After the characters find a place to sit on the grass the camera switches to a mid shot, revealing them sitting down and laying out a picnic. A long shot is then used to show the couple lying on the grass with the scenery behind them. Then, continuous over the shoulder shots and mid shots are used to film the characters having a conversation. Mid shots are used to feel close to the character and to reveal their emotions.

                                                        Raiders of the lost ark (1981)

Raiders of the lost ark begins with an extreme long shot, capturing the wide mountain scenery. One man then walks on screen and stands in front of the camera. This is an interesting shot as he seems bigger then the mountains as a result of being closer to the camera. More men continue to walk past filmed with a mid shot then walk away from the camera going filmed with a long shot. The camera is positioned at the front and men walk past. This makes the audience feel incredibly involved as you are aware more characters are behind you. The camera then moves to the inside of the forest and films the men running using a tracking shot. This is an effective shot as the camera moves as fast as the men so you, as the audience, feel the tension that the actors feel.