US: Jordan Peele
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.
What connotations do the images carry?
The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials.
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