Research Into Similar Media Texts

The Phantom of the Opera

• The shot of the candle being blown out without any music on in the background connotes that the film will be very mysterious. 
• We are shown what looks like a postcard which is old this may suggest that we are going into a certain point in time to make us understand the film. At the beginning the film is in black and white, we are shown at shot of the setting which does not look very appealing. There is diegetic sound of the roads. There is a close up shot of feet of someone getting out of the car; this creates suspense as we are not shown who the person is yet. This implies that this may be a main character to the film. 
• When the man enters the building the camera is shot through a broken window this is done so the audience is able to see where they are and the atmosphere of it, also so that we see the man entering. 
• There is a soundbridge used as we cannot see the person speaking only hear him. The man who is speaking has light shining on him shows that the main focus is on him. The man has an echo to his voice which suggests that there aren’t many people in this place. They are in a big empty place, where there are birds flying around, and it looks very dusty-there is a lot of bright light coming through the windows and ceilings which connotes that there isn’t much life in there. 
• The actors are wearing black clothes that make them look like they are at a funeral this enhances the idea that where they are has no life. The costumes they are wearing are not clothes for poor people this implies that they are wealthy and may have a purpose or connection to this building. 
• There are ghost sounds in the background which also relates to the theme of death. The people have dark lighting on them which could suggest something bad happened to them (loss). 
• When shown the chandelier the music played almost sounds like angels singing, this highlights importance of the object. When it is first unveiled the music all of a sudden becomes very loud, almost makes the audience shocked and want to know more about it. 
• The camera goes around the room to show the facial expressions of the actors which enhances the idea that the chandelier is significant. When the chandelier is brought up we see everything come to life, everything turns into colour and we see a contrast from before. 
• There are bright colours used such as reds and gold’s which connotes that where they are is quite wealthy, this also links to the people at the beginning as they looked wealthy which suggests that something bad happened to them. 
• There is also up beat music and we see people dancing around. There is a shot of the outside again; this is done to show the difference between now and before. 
• Everyone in the shot is in costumes and is full of joy. The props we see are very dramatic and over the top, looks a bit like a circus. We can clearly see the difference between what it looked like at the beginning with low key lighting with all the shadows to now with high key lighting emphasising the excitement and busyness of the film.