Film Opening Sequence that follows the Principles of Continuity

I have chosen to explain how techniques are used to establish narrative flow in The Hoax (2006). Set in the 1970s, the story is based on the life of Clifford Irving, an American writer who wrote a biography of a multi-millionaire which turns out to be a hoax. 

The typography is styled like a typewriter font that gives an impression of a writer or someone interested in literacy thus relating to the main concept of the plot. The titles generally appear on black. The film title comes in the same format as the opening credits. The transitions between the credits and the shots are fades or dissolves. This slows the narrative pace and causes the audience to understand that time has elapsed between the previous and following shots.

The first shot the audience see is a black and white mid close up of a man which zooms into a close up. There is another black and white tracking long shot of a plane taking off. The properties of these shots such as the black and white element, allows the audience to understand that this is from a different time frame from the actual plot line. This is further exerted by the slow title transitions.An aerial shot of Manhattan which becomes more saturated as the camera pans. This depicts the transition of the narrative into the time frame of the main storyline. 

There are close ups of the feet of the characters that we are following. The camera focuses on a man in a suit in a midshot. There are more close ups of shoes and of someone polishing a phone. There are cuts between these shots to create a montage effect. This also involves cross-cutting which has the effect of emphasising the buzz of 1970s Manhattan. There is a match cut and match on action of a close up of a woman polishing the table which transfers so a long shot of her finishing the job. The 180 degree rule is also followed through here to aid the audience’s understanding of the physical space.

The next shot starts at a high angle shot of the floor which moves into a room as if the audience is physically walking into the room. A well-dressed man’s desk in cleaned, he is seen as a rich individual. There is a low angle shot of the company board on the office. There is a high angle shot on the people of New York. A long mid shot of person outside office is seen. The buildings intimidate the audience and the characters. Shot order is followed through where the protagonist is first revealed through a mid-long shot of his back. A slightly titled side mid close up of the protagonist follows through with the 30 degree rule. 

Camera movement is featured heavily in each shot. This guides the audience through physical space to make the narrative appear seamless. The audience hence become engrossed in the film and feel as if their disbelief is suspended. The guitar music sets the mood as light-hearted and repetitive that anchors the audience into the confusing world of the setting. The voices over the office shots suggest that the atmosphere of the film is busy.

Techniques such as shot-reverse shot and eyeline-matching were not possible as there were no conversations in this opening sequence.