Titanic - The Opening Scenes

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What were the intended effects of the opening scenes of James Cameron's 'Titanic'? what are the expectations of the audience? How do they create suspense? What techniques do they use?

A Film is a live active manufactured model of World. The manufacturer is figuratively the Director of the film and the model of the world symbolically being the views that the director is trying to show the audience. The director has to use many tools and techniques to create his model and these have to be used in such a way that the audience can comprehend his outlook on life, which has inspired him to create this model. If the Director's model becomes misconstrued by the audience the Director has failed in skilfully creating his living model of how he pictures the World. There are ways in which the Director can prevent the model becoming perplexing. These include the correct use of actors, lighting, sound effects, music and dialogue. These issues must be addressed to make a good film. I believe James Cameron has used all these tools correctly in his film 'Titanic'.

The film begins with a sepia tone sequence of movie clips taken on the day of Titanic's maiden voyage. The use of sepia is to create the effect of age and integrity of the footage in the mind of the audience. It is used to set the day and era of Titanic in the audiences mind; this helps the audience to see what the day was actually like. The music being used is the soundtrack from Celine Deon's - My Heart Will Go On, which has, since the film was released been associated with the film. The music is deep an emotive and the audience knows of the Titanic's fate and the depressive music contrasts the optimism in the video. This is a deliberate effect used by the director to set up the assured loss of the Titanic but to confuse the viewer with the optimistic images into wanting to believe the characters and occupants of the ship will survive.
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As Titanic departs, the gigantic titles are displayed boldly and forwardly the Letters spelling 'TITANIC' are rippled onto the screen over rough water, symbolising the current location of the Titanic, at the bottom of the Atlantic. The titles then slowing fade and we begin to submerge into the water, again symbolising the sinking of the great ship. Then some dim lights begin to fade in and this is the inviting of the modern symbols of discovery, submarines used to investigate the ruins of titanic sink deep to the ocean floor and the film really opens here.

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