The Opening Sequence of 'Children of Men'

In the opening scene there is a diegetic sound from when the man is in the coffee shop, the sound of the TV is heard and as he leaves the shop it fades away gradually leading into the sound of busy streets. This therefore creates a sense of realism. The editing is limited in the opening sequence because only one cut has been used when the public are looking at the TV. The camera then shows what is on the screen making it the centre point of what is happening and what the film is actually about.

Furthermore, we see a lot of auto-mobiles for example 'red buses' and also black bin bags. From what we can see we know that the film is set in London, which has become a dirty and unkempt environment. Subsequently, this gives the idea that the rest of the film will consist of drama because the environment shows there is obvious complications happening at that time.

In the opening of 'Children of Men' the director (while tracking the "hero") uses a series of mid shots and long shots to capture the main character in the initial scene. Firstly, the director has used a mid-shot to capture the torso of the main character and has used a long shot to capture the rest. This therefore gives the audience a sense of what the characters about by the way they present their self portraying how they look and behave. The director has also used a pan camera movement from left to right as the character leaves the shop to give the audience an idea of setting and location. Just before the end of the scene a point of view has been used. A handheld camera might of been used to capture this shot because there is constant shaking which could mimic a man running from potential danger, giving us the feeling that the city can be threatening.

One main character has been identified and we know this because the camera tracks him as he enters and leaves the shop. For all we know he could be the protagonist of the film but does not fit the established idea of being a hero because he doesn't show empathy when he hears of the boy's death. We instantly get the feeling that this character is the one who will restore life to the human race due to the Mise en scene.

Overall, the themes of the film from the opening scene seem to be death, murder, drama and hope. We get this idea because we hear the news about the death of the youngest person alive and also later the explosion in the coffee shop. The idea of hope must of been within the people who were in the coffee shop, because they might of been hoping for a better future for mankind. Therefore, was this reason why the shop exploded?