The Purge (2013) - Film Opening Deconstruction

Synopsis

The Purge is a 2013 American dystopian horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco and the first installment in DeMonaco's Purge film series. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane and Max Burkholder as a family held hostage during "The Purge," an event during which all crime is legalized for 12 hours.
Despite mixed reviews, the film was commercially successful, grossing $89.3 million, far surpassing its $3 million budget. It was the lowest budget film to hit the top of the box office charts since 1988.

The Purge (2013 film) n.d. in Wikipedia. Retrieved 15th November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purge

Producers: Platinum Dunes

Platinum Dunes is an American production company created in November 2001 by filmmakers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form. The company specializes in horror films, particularly remakes.
On October 7, 2009, Paramount Pictures announced a first-look deal with Platinum Dunes. They plan to branch out of the horror genre into action and thrillers with this new deal. On May 27, 2010, it was announced they will work on the reboot to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film series of the same name. In 2014, Platinum Dunes was named The Hollywood Reporter's Producers of the Year. In 2015, the company was also named to The Hollywood Reporter's 30 Most Powerful Film Producers in Hollywood.

Platinum Dunes n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 15th November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum_Dunes

Productions of note include:

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) directed by Marcus Nispel. Budget: $9.5 million. Gross: $107.1 million.

• The Amityville Horror (2005) directed by Andrew Douglas. Budget: $19 million. Gross: $108 million.

• The Hitcher (2007) directed by Dave Meyers. Budget: $10 million. Gross: $25.4 million.

• Friday the 13th (2009) directed by Marcus Nispel. Budget: $19 million. Gross: $91.4 million.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) directed by Samuel Bayer. Budget: $35 million. Gross: $115.7 million.

• The Purge (2013) directed by James DeMonaco. Budget: $3 million. Gross: $89.3 million.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) directed by Jonathon Liebsman. Budget: $125 million. Gross: $493.3 million

• Project Almanac (2015) directed by Dean Israelite. Budget: $12 million. Gross: $33.2 million.

• The Purge: Election Year (2016) directed by James DeMonaco. Budget: $10 million. Gross: $118.4 million.

Distributors: Universal Studios

Universal Studios is an American film studio owned by Comcast through the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. The company was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour.

Universal is the oldest surviving film studio in the United States, as well the world's fourth oldest (after Gaumont, Pathé and Nordisk Film). Its studios are currently located in Universal City, California and its corporate offices are located in New York City. Universal Studios is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America and is one of Hollywood's "Big Six" studios.\

Universal Studios n.d. in Wikipedia. Retrieved 15th November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Studios

Distributions of note include:

• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Box office gross: $792,910,554

• Despicable Me 2 (2013) - Box office gross: $970,761,885

• Furious 7 (2015) - Box office gross - $1,516,045,911

• Jurassic World (2015) - Box office gross: $1,670,400,637

• The Secret Life of Pets (2016) - Box office gross: $676,658,314

Timeline

•  00:00 - 0:09: The video begins with a plain blue screen and starts playing calm orchestra music before the words 'UNIVERSAL PICTURES presents' fade into the middle of the screen in white clear text. It is shortly followed by the words 'A PLATINUM DUNES/ BLUMHOUSE/ WHY NOT production fading over the previous text. (2 shots)

• 00:09 - 0:11: A straight cut is used to transition into a scene that depicts a man with a gun running onto the scene and shooting an oblivious man. A sound bridge is used to carry the calming music throughout the scene. The music juxtaposes with what is happening in the scene as the music presents calm and happy connotations whereas the scene depicts brutal and negative actions of killing innocent people. In the top right corner the words 'PURGE FEED' are shown as well as the place of the happenings and the date. The same text is used for each scene highlighting the fact that it is the purge that is occurring. (1 shot)

• 00:11 - 0:25: A straight cut is used again to transition to more brutal scenes of murder. Two of the scenes present a group of people beating up one person illustrating the discrimination that can happen on the purge. All of the scenes are filmed through CCTV cameras at night demonstrating that at night is the most dangerous time as there is a visible reoccurrence when these brutal happenings occur. (4 shots)

• 00:25 - 0:31: A straight cute then transitions to a long shot of a man beating up a person with a baseball bat in a corner of the street that is hidden away from passer-byers. There is low-key lighting that is supplied from a lamppost that is off-screen. (1 shot)

• 00:31 - 0:34: A straight cut then transitions to a mid-shot of a woman crouched on the floor covered in bruises with her clothes in rags and barefoot. Lowkey-lighting is used but is brighter over her as if there was a spot light on her to further isolate her and make her stand out. She then slowly stands up whilst staring at something off-screen. (1 shot)

• 00:34 - 0:51: Straight cuts are then used to transition between each scene of brutal murder. There are some beating ups, shootings and fires with people screaming and running around. However there is no ambient sound heard because of the calm music placed on top. (7 shots)

• 00:51 - 0:59: A straight cut transitions into a scene of four people lying on the ground next to each other. Lowkey-lighting is used to present how it is night-time and the greyish colour of the setting gives negative and dark connotations. The music changes slightly and becomes higher-pitched as if becoming more tense when showing the dead bodies and how horrifying the 'purge' is. (1 shot)

• 00:59 - 1:21: Straight cuts are used to transition between several more brutal scenes of murder. One scene shows a man we saw earlier getting beaten up attempting to get up from the ground but it being too painful for him to do so. This creates a feeling of sympathy for him. (6 shots)

• 1:21 - 1:26: A straight cut transitions to the last scene which depicts people walking around shocked after what has happened, with small fires on the road to show the disasters affect everyone. The music then fades out in one long high note to end calmly. A voice then talks over the ending note with the text on the screen saying 'Mr Foch. Met James Sandin.' (1 shot)

Mise en scene

Setting

• In the film opening, we see all the different shots taken outside. The crimes shown take place at night which is typically the darkest and scariest point of the day. As the crimes committed are taken on CCTV cameras from a high angle, this adds to the tension as it shows how nobody else is around .

Lighting

• The majority of the shots in this film opening have low-key lighting to emphasise the shadows and darkness, creating a sense of fear. The only lighting provided is from a distant light, showing that as they are hidden away, it is not meant to be happening and this adds to the tension. The hidden light could be interpreted as a metaphor for how there is little positivity and the identity of everyone shown is hidden.

• As these crimes occur at night, some shots are in black and white adding to the tension as it is harder to see what is happening. The light provided is from gun shots and fires, showing that crime is a major theme and adds to the sense of fear.

Costume and Makeup

• As there are no other close up shots used we cannot tell what the others are wearing but the majority of the people are men. In this shot we can see a woman dressed in a vest top and shorts with no shoes on. She is covered in bruises and dirt, showing that as a woman, she was abused but not killed.

Key Shots, Camera Movements, and Edits

00:31 - 00:33

• This shot is a medium close up of a girl crouched on the floor and looking around her before slowly standing up. Her body language reflects that she is scared and aware of her surroundings as she is huddled together and she cautiously looks around her before slowly getting up. Her hair is messy and unwashed, and her clothes are ragged and dirty, giving us an idea that she has been there a while. We cannot see any facial features, hiding her identity.

00:35 - 00:38

• This shot depicts a long shot of a fire happening in the middle of the frame with people running frantically. The fire is the main thing seen in this shot due to being large and taking up most of the frame. We cannot see any features of the people as they are simply silhouettes in front of the fire briefly on the screen. As the fire is large and occurring behind a gate this could be seen for how danger is growing and people cannot control it anymore. The fire casts shadows which is where people are running from, creating a sense of fear. The catastrophe shown in this shot is juxtaposed with the music which is calm and peaceful orchestra music.

00:51 - 00:55

• This shot depicts of three men abusing another man who is on the floor unable to help himself. This occurs on the far right of the screen, highlighting the shadows taking up the majority of the screen. The large shadows create a sense of fear and dark connotations. The shot is also displayed in lowkey-lighting, representing the darkness of the event.

1:05 - 1:09

• This mid shot depicts of a man wearing a white shirt covered in blood attempting to get up after being abused and left on the streets to die. However this shot doesn't focus on him as he is quite blurry in the background of stumps. This should show how the people with sudden power are not focusing on the people but rather on hurting them. The light used in this shot is quite hazy and seemingly from a streetlamp, which also creates shadows with a sense of fear and tension. The music notes are high and closer together, highlighting the tension.

1:14 - 1:18

• This shot is a high angle displaying a victim attempting to get away but being pulled down by two aggressive and strong men. This happens in the left corner of the screen, highlighting that it is hidden away from other people to see. The lighting is low-key but bright enough to see what is happening. The music carries on high pitched and lots of notes before a lower note sounds through connoting peace.

1:21 - 1:26

• The last shot shown is a high angle, presenting the destruction that is caused after the crimes of 'the purge' happened. There are very few people walking in different directions, and there is a fire in the middle of the road that is just ignored by everyone walking past. The shot is all in green perhaps a metaphor for how it will turn out well in the end and the people walking around survived. The music extends from the scene before in a high note and fades out.

Overall, this movie opening is unlike the others I have deconstructed due to the juxtaposition of music and what is shown. I do not think it is as effective in building up tension as using low fast pace music is. However, the movie opening is shot using long shots which is effective as most of the frame is left in shadows, which creates a sense of fear. The more room around the protagonists mean there is more chance something will happen to them, therefore as this is our plot, we may consider using more long shots in our film opening.