Research into a science fiction film

I chose the beginning scene of ‘The Martian’ as an extract for analysis. The director is Ridley Scott and the top casts are Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig. It was released in 2015. It is produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by 20^th Century Fox. This is a science fiction movie which has $108 million budget. 

The opening start with a long establishing shot that shows the setting- Mars, Acidalia Planitia straight away.

A non-diegetic soundtrack music played. It is very soothing and calming, but also has a sense of future. From the establishing shot, we can see the landscape of the Mars. This might used CGI to create. The atmosphere at the beginning is calm, casual and relax. They are chatting together, it used a shot reverse shot to show the conversation. 

However, there is a warming of the storm suddenly. The atmosphere changed by the warning sound and the red light. These connotes a very dangerous situation for them. Then there is a close up shot on the storm is coming which uses CGI to create. The lighting and the sky changed to dark and chaos, this hints the storm might cause a serious consequence. 

The genre is science-fiction which tells from the special setting and the costumes. I think it is very suitable for teenagers and adults.

Through dialogue, it tells their relationship is very good. But then the danger came, and they obviously started to panic but still took care of each other. There are several point of view shots which take the audience to feel they are also in the film.

The opening scene introduce a team which includes a few people.

They are investigating things on Mars. At first, they were very relaxed. It can be seen that they are all very professional and everyone is busy with their own affairs.

The pleonastic ambient sound of the wind creates a more scary atmosphere. Unfortunately, in the last part, a member Mark was hit and he disappeared. A tracking shot was used here to clearly show that he was smashed so far until he disappeared.

I would say the opening scene is really successful as it engaged people and make they want to see the whole film. The exquisite CGI with the soundtrack creates a very good visual experience. I think it is a cinema experience film.

The opening ends with lots of suspense. I think the following story may tell whether Mark is survived. Or it is also possible that this unexpectedly suspended experiment will restart. I suppose that there should be new challenges and explorations later in the film.