Hossameldin Elrayes

Auteur - James Cameron

What aspects of the openings are visually similar: this is known as the signature style of the director.

I will analyse their use of colour/framing/shot types/angles/movement, pace of titles/editing, how characters/place/time are introduced. How do they utilise music and sound?

If the genres of the films are different – For example, Is the signature style of the director still recognisable?

What will I be discussing?

Aliens is a sequel to the film Alien. It is a Sci-fi movie genre which was made in 1986 starring Sigourney Weaver.

Titles and Speed:

The title screen was quite fast to begin with, but then the start to this film intro was quite slow and the titles were placed at either the top or the bottom of the screen (or both) first, before the title ALIENS came on screen in the middle. When this happened, then all the titles were placed in the middle of the screen.

Camera Shot Types:

From this point, our eyes (the camera) are drawn to the increasingly glowing I in ALIENS. It is like a portal to another dimension and it’s like we are entering a new world and leaving reality behind.

Then there is a fade to the next scene, which is a dark blue sky with stars and a spaceship in the background and the titles are still going on. This went on for 50 seconds with another fade into the next scene.

Mise en Scene:

Most things match with what one would imagine on a spaceship (which is basically a lot of machinery which have metal layers and most have a huge amount of dust to tell us that the person in the hibernation cabinet has been hibernating for a very long time).

There is also a space-suit helmet which is a strong genre signifier.

Lighting/Music:

James Cameron used Low Key lighting here since this is a spaceship in space and it looks like it has been there for a very long time (also shown by the dust). This could also be because the spaceship lost power a long time ago and lost its destination.

The music used is very melodic as it complements the sleep of this character.

Aliens

Avatar is another film directed by James Cameron. It is also a Sci-fi movie genre but was made more recently (in 2009) starring Sam Worthington as Jake Sully with Sigourney Weaver as Grace.

Titles and Speed:

This Film started off with a fast beginning (with a first person view of his dream) and it also had a point where it stopped and the many character is hibernating. However, this film tends to include a voice over which narrates the main character’s feelings and what he went through/is going through. The titles are not shown at the beginning of the film, and there is not even a title. It just goes into the storyline straight away.

Camera Shot Types:

James Cameron has an establishing shot of where the main character is and it is of a spaceship (like ALIENS). It is a close shot to create an enigma code. This will keep the audience engaging with the storyline.

There are no fades used any more and space behind the spaceship (in the background) is black and not blue as in ALIENS. The establishing shot of the spaceship went on for went on for 20 seconds now, which is much quicker than in ALIENS.

Mise en Scene:

Most things match with what one would imagine on a spaceship (which is basically a lot of machinery which have plastic layers (as everything is much more advanced now since 1987).

There is also lots of hibernation beds which are a strong genre signifier that indicated that this is a Sci-fi movie.

Lighting/Music:

In this film, James Cameron used High Key lighting here since this is a spaceship in space which has light everywhere. It also gives a sense of liveliness and movement to the spaceship. There is also a dark blue light-base as there was in ALIENS.

The music used is very soothing tribal music as it complements where the character is going (a native land). It is also quite adventurous and has a steady beat, which implies movement towards their destinations. (Like approaching wars in the medieval times)

Avatar

Terminator 2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is a sequel to the film The Terminator (1984). It is a Sci-fi movie genre as

well and it is starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator.

Titles and Speed:

The titles show up in the middle of the screen and are still a bit quite fast to begin with, but then the start to this film intro was quite slow and the titles were placed at the bottom of the screen first and this was to aid the storyline. There is also a narration added to tell the story of the transition between the scene shown at the beginning. Another thing I realised is that James Cameron’s movies always have a back-story clip before the film starts.

Camera Shot Types:

In this movie, James Cameron used a lot of panning shots to show what has happened to Los Angles in 2029 A.D.

There is still a lot of panning when we see the war between the humans and the machines. This also complements Levi Straus’ theory of the binary oppositions Humans vs. Machines.

Mise en Scene:

Most things match with what one would imagine in a Sci-fi movie (which is basically a lot of machinery which have metal layers and the laser guns are also a very clear genre signifier that this film is a Sci-fi movie genre).

There are also damaged cars which tells the audience that the normal day-to-day life in this area has ceased to exist. This is probably due to the war between the humans and the machines.

Lighting/Music:

James Cameron used Low Key lighting here since this scene looks like it took place at the hours of darkness. This could also be to add effect and draw the audience’s attention to the explosions, which generates light.

The music used is very melodic but it does complements what we see as we can see a children’s playground burning and the music is harmonious. This is called Contrapuntal music.