As well as sound effects there is a lot of background music. This music is hardly noticeable because of the lots of other sounds around. The music adds to the tension and gives the impression that something scary is about to happen.
The camera angles of every film are very crucial. They add to the atmosphere. The majority of all the shots in the opening scene of ‘Jurassic Park’ are either medium close-ups or close-ups. These shots locate the viewers in the action adding to the tension.
The close-ups are mostly on the things that are happening such as the action when the man starts getting eaten. Also, the close-ups are on the men’s faces so that you can see the expressions in the men’s eyes. The close-ups make the attention focused on the action, which also adds to the tension. As you see the men’s faces there is a sense of confusion because there’s a lot of flashing lights etc.
As the shots go into long shots you notice that all the men are holding guns of some sort. Some are holding lasers and a couple are holding big shotguns. The audience now have a further view of the situation and also have objective sight. Objective sight is when you look at the film from other peoples view and not your own.
Extreme close-ups include the man’s hands, dino’s eye and the man’s eye. You notice that the man’s eye is filled with fear but the dinosaur’s eye is not.
My overall comment is that the audience know how to react. When the man’s hand slips away, the audience think that there is something else going to happen and it’s going to follow on later in the film.
The camera movement is used for information. The camera follows the crate, which shows the importance of it. We can’t see the animal because the rapid movement blur’s the image. Therefore this creates tension and shows the speed and power of the animal. This still leaves the audience with an unclear view of what’s happening.
At the beginning of the first scene of ‘Jurassic Park’ there is a lot of backlight focused on the trees. Backlight is when the light defines the figure outline and also defines them from background. This lets the audience know it’s Nightime. Nightime is associated with spookiness which all adds up to the dangerous atmosphere. The lighting also reflects the leaves of the trees and hides what is happening.
A bit later on in the first scene you notice that the men’s faces are half concealed which adds to the tension of the film. When you first see the leader’s faces it has light from the side and from above to make his face shadowed. It is a good light source, which also adds to the tension of the film.
Most of the lighting is of beams. These come from objects such as the guns, spotlights, from the building and the forklift truck. In the background the light makes your vision blurred and the people are blurred in the background to make it look as if there are a big organisation. The atmosphere is eerie and mysterious. Altogether this is a warning to the viewer that something is about to happen.
When all the action starts there is a lot of white flashing light mixed with the sound of sirens. It gives an atmosphere of confusion. Also it leaves you unclear of what is happening.
My overall comment is that in this opening scene Steven Spielberg uses light more to conceal things than to give things away. This is because you get glimpses of things rather than long shots.
The beginning of every film needs to be understood by the audience. This means that if we don’t understand the beginning of the film then we will get lost and will not know what is going on. So at first the camera movement and angles is at slower pace to set the scene. This would mean that one shot would equal twenty-five seconds. It would let the audience know what is happening and where it’s happening.
Then as the scene progresses the pace gathers speed. This is a key part in any film in adding atmosphere and tension. The camera shots get shorter, sometimes each shot could be a fraction of a second long. This builds-up energy and violence for the viewer adding atmosphere and tension. You only get snatches of picture near the end, which gives panic and confusion to the audience.
In the opening scene of ‘Jurassic Park’, Steven Spielberg uses a lot of media techniques. These are the camera movement and camera angle. He uses these to create tension and atmosphere. It would be very plain if you were to sit there and watch the film without any camera movement or camera angles. Furthermore, the lighting and the sound are used to create atmosphere and tension. If you were to use just one at a time then the film would not be very good and no-body would want to watch it. All of these have to be used in conjunction with one another to create a good effect. Overall I think that Steven Spielberg was very successful in pulling the audience in and creating atmosphere and tension. I think if I were to watch the beginning of the film for the first time I would definitely watch it the rest of the way through.
