Bethany Jones Media Studies AS Level

Opening Sequence analysis- Contagion.Narrative- The narrative shown in the opening sequence of Contagion is that people are getting ill and are dying. We can tell this by the makeup of the characters as they all look pale and feverish. You can tell that the illness is contagious as the camera follows what the characters are touching and use close-ups to show each prop once the hand has left it such as the peanuts which the star ‘Gwyneth Paltrow’ has touched, showing it can be easily spread. This gives the audience this information indirectly. Also, the editing technique of sub-titles are used to tell the audience what part of the world each person shown is from and the population which tells the audience how many people could become infected with this illness. Within the first few minutes we are shown that a character is having an affair which will draw the audience in as they know something that the husband doesn’t know so they want to see how this is played out.

Atmosphere- The atmosphere created in this opening sequence is a tense and ill feeling atmosphere as the audience are put into a state of nausea and also want to know who these people are, what will happen with the affair and also what this illness is… This is done by having a filter that the camera uses which give the scenes all a greenish tint which makes the audience feel nauseous and uneasy. With this, a couple of features such as the prop of the meat being cut at the market where the ill man goes further puts the audience in a state of nausea so that they can relate to the characters more. Also, the music in the background builds up throughout the scenes which builds tension and makes the audience feel more on edge.

Representations- In the opening it shows many locations around the world so that there are representations of all ethics, both male and female and also the comparison of rich and poor in just the first few minutes. This tells the audience that the whole world is in threat of this illness.

Genre- Contagion has many connotations of a Thriller such as the illness that is spreading and the affair that is occurring. These are examples of opening enigmas that will be developed throughout the narrative and also having the micro-elements combine to build tension. The subgenre that it fits into would be a Disaster-Thriller as if this illness spreads it has the potential to infect the whole world. It also has the potential to become a Horror as gore is shown when the man is run over by the lorry. In addition to this includes an element of drama in it by including the affair between characters. Overall, I would class this film as a Disaster- Thriller.