2. The 20th Century Fox logo is the first thing the audience sees in the opening of this
film. This has been done on purpose as the audience will recognise the logo as they
same logo and music is used for all 20th Century Fox Films. By recognising the logo the
audience automatically creates an expectation for the film as this company have
produced some very successful films with high production value. As well as the logo,
in the next shot there is a black screen with the credit “TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
PRESENTS” which reinforces the recognition in the audiences mind. Also, it is almost
an advertisement for the company, creating an even bigger name for them and their
films. As the second shot is shown, quiet and mysterious non-diegetic music begins.
3. The mysterious, non-diegetic music continues as contrasting shots are shown. We see what we think is a home
video of a young girl on her 5th birthday. The happy scene we are watching contrasts with the mysterious music,
making the audience anxious and uneasy. As the music and sequence continues, credits appear around the screen.
Many shots are used in this ‘home video’ sequence for example all of it is using hand held, making the home video
more realistic. Close ups of the girls face are used to show her importance, also she is the first character we see
which also signifies to the audience that she must play a big part in the film. A sharp, almost metallic sound effect
is used towards the end of the home video, again contrasting with the scene we as an audience are watching. The
pace of the cuts increases as the video comes to an end.
4. The scene suddenly changes from the home video, dramatically cutting to a dark room showing a male character opening his
eyes. This cut tells the audience that it was in fact not a home video, but a memory of this man through his point view which is
why a hand held camera was used. This makes the audience create a link between this male character and the little girl in the
memory and we assume she is his daughter. This shot has very low key lighting, creating shadows which adds to the mysterious
atmosphere along with the non-diegetic music that is still playing. There is then a cut to a shot showing the location of this male
character which is a living room. He looks comfortable here so we assume the living room is his own. The low key lighting makes
the audience feel uneasy and anxious as to what is going to happen. The male character turns on a lamp, creating more shadows
in the room. Credits appear on screen, the actor ‘Liam Neeson’ is the first credit to come up, which shows he is a big actor. Many
of the audience will be watching the film purely because he’s in it so by putting it first the film may gain more viewers.
5. The male character looks at a photo, then puts the photo on the side and stands. There is a medium close
up of the photo showing a young girl on a horse. This close up is used to again show the significance of the
character who we as an audience assume is his daughter. The title of the film appears next to the picture
frame which makes the audience link the two together. The audience predicts that the girl is the one in the
film who is ‘taken’. The non diegetic music then abruptly comes to an end as the shot cuts to a street in
America. The music is replaced by the diegetic sound of traffic and the breaks of a car that the camera is
focused on. This dramatic change in sound signifies the beginning of the film, alerting the audience.
6. The male character, played by Liam Neeson, enters a shop to which he is greeted by the shop keeper. At
this point in the opening, due to the music and previous shots, the audience is very suspicious and many
may presume that this shop keeper is an antagonist due to his stereotypical antagonist image, for
example he is foreign. However, there is then diegetic dialogue between the 2 characters to which we
discover he is in fact neither protagonist or antagonist, he is just a shop keeper, however the audience is
likely to still be suspicious, which they have purposely been manipulated to feel. There is a series of shot
reaction shots as the two males are talking which shows they are talking to each other and also their
facial expressions and reactions to what each other is saying.
