Film Opening Continuity - The Matrix

• The clip starts with the distribution and production company's names and logos, however instead of their standardised logo colours, they are all themed to the colours green and black which are the colours of the matrix. This gets the audience ready for the film before it's even started.
• There is then a fade to black, then to be followed by the matrix numbers falling into the screen. This is turned into a transition into the title of the film. The title then zooms into the screen and fades again to black.
• This then opens to a shot of a blank screen with a flashing space bar taking up the whole frame, in the background is a phone dialling sound, so the audience knows that they are waiting for something.
• The phone is answered (as the voiceover), the computer screen shows the call being received, giving the audience an idea that it's either their computer screen or someone else's, tracing their call.
• The conversation is happening between the male and female character across the voiceover, while the screen changes to 'trace program: running', making obvious to the audience that the speakers are being looked for by someone.
• Next, it cuts to a shot of the full matrix, zooming in on separate numbers very slowly. This brings attention away from what is happening on screen, to what is being said over the voiceover about another two characters. This dialogue being said is significant to the storyline which is why it was emphasised.
• One character then hears a suspicious, computer sound over the phone, then causing her to leave and the voiceover to finish. This then brings attention back to what is happening on screen.
• The camera zooms rapidly through the matrix numbers into a white light. The white light then transforms into the light of a torch, held by a police officer holding a gun near his face, in an extreme close up shot. The focus pulls away from the police officer, to his background, where more police officers stand around with torches and guns. The audience is unsure as to whether they are the good or bad characters and are also unsure as to how dangerous the people they traced on the phone are.
• The same shot pans then pivots, following one police officer with his gun out, in a ready-to-fire position.
• A corridor is shot from the end of, so the viewers see the policemen all walking quickly and quietly down it. These shots have had no dialogue, very low key lighting (apart from the torches) and limited sound, except for the quiet violins as background music. This is all factors of building up tension and suspense.
• This cuts to a close up of the grimy door, panning around it, with silhouettes of the police officers surrounding it with their guns, ready to fire. The pan ends with a side-view of the door, which a man then nods to signal another police officer to kick down.
• The next shot is a low angle, mid shot of a police man kicking down the door, but from the audience's point of view, at the screen. This gives the police officer superiority and power, leaving the audience scared of these men.
• There is a quick cut to the door breaking, then cutting back to the men storming in, fastening the pace.
• The audience is put into a new empty room, with nothing but wooden tables against the wall and a women sat in the middle of them, facing the wall. This is a wide shot of the room, also known as the master shot. Again the room is dark and the only source of light is coming from the mens' torches being shined at her back.
• The camera goes back to the police officers, all in line with torches and guns. Two men shout at the woman to freeze and put her hands up, which should scare the audience and the woman.
• A mid close up of the women's face, lit from her computer is shown to the audience but not to the police officers. Her face is calm when she should be scared. This intrigues the audience to know more about her character. She slowly but still calmly puts her hands up as if she knows her next more already.