Genre specific film opening analysis- Focus

The film Focus is considered  thriller with its low level lighting and sense of misdirection. The music develops the image of the character at the beginning, a man who is smooth and very secretive. It intrigues the audience to want to know more. 
The film begins showing New York city, an aerial shot. It provides a sense of wealth and implies that the main character is wealthy. The shot is then followed by a pan up to the main character. The film begins showing

New York city, an aerial shot. It provides a sense of wealth and implies that the main character is wealthy. The shot is then followed by a pan up to the main character. A man with obviously a lot of wealth as he is seen on a balcony of a high star hotel. The setting simply emphasizes the wealth of the character. The character cannot be seen clearly and almost looks like a shadow, this provokes though onto what he looks like. He is obviously very masculine and strong, the fact we can't see him gives a sense of mystery and slightly creepy. he audience cannot clearly see him, there is an element of fear as a result of this.

As the camera follow the character into the hotel suite he is never in the centre of the camera, this shows his surroundings and perhaps infers that this man is very successful. The low level lighting creates a mysterious mood yet the non-diegetic music creates a romantic vibe. This perhaps foreshadows that this film will have some romance and maybe it will interfere with the main plot.

The shot cuts to a low angled shot of the character lightly to the right, it makes the character appear to be very dominant and powerful. This further emphasizes his hierarchy in this society and how he is a very successful person. One side of his face has light where as the other side is in the shadow implying he has two sides to him or he perhaps has something to hide. Moreover, it may mean that he is very secretive and people do not know who he really is. There is still an element f not knowing his true identity which provides a sense of fear because we don't know what he is capable of. It leaves the audience in suspense , waiting to see what is going to happen next. Due to the fact it is appears to be smooth and simple, the audience expect something that will surprise them.
The next shot is a track across the restaurant area, the lighting is still at a low level but is more mood lighting.  As it continues to pan across the room, we see a number of people. They are all smartly dressed and appear very business like. This sets the scene, showing it is a classy place. It allows the audience to make more assumptions on the type of character he is.

The wide shot of the character is obstructed slightly, this makes the audience feel as if they are actually there and it develops the rapport. The lighting is still very low with only a lamp to light up the characters face. The light is created under the characters face, it can appear quite sinister and creepy. In addition, the fact he is sat on his own is unusual but the audience develop a sense of sadness for the character because the people in the background are at with people.

The medium shot of the man and women is out of focus and instead focuses on the male character  the background. Perhaps implying the female character is going to be significant and will have something to do with the male character. The shot with the man standing above her makes her appear vulnerable, he has a dominance. The low level lighting emphasizes the power he has over her and provides fear and danger. She appears uncomfortable needing help from a strong man, a damsel in distress. The man is always above her, showing he wants to hold his dominance. This further Implies that there is a male dominance in the film.

There is little dialogue at this stage, thrillers often have little dialogue to allow the tension and suspense to build. It allows the audience time to anticipate what is going to happen next.
In relation to mise en scene, the female character is wearing a black dress. The colour black connotes mystery and secrecy. It also has connotations of elegance and formality, suggesting that this character is similar to the male character. She may have wealth and be very high up in society having achieved a lot. However, once again it is hard to truly understand her because the colour black has many associations.  

The male character is in a grey suit, the top shirt button is undone showing he is relaxing and is not really bothered about his appearance. Moreover, the colour grey has connotations of sophistication and formality. The darker the grey the more masculine it feels. In comparison, the two characters are very formal considering they are both alone. The y are sophisticated however, the female appears more guarded or false. The way in which she sits, shows how she is private. Her body language is very reserved at the beginning. His body language is very open and relaxed. However, as the scene continues her body language shows that there is an attraction toward one another. She leans in whilst he sits back appearing quite secretive. The male looks as If he is trying to read her before e allows himself to be vulnerable. They both appear to hold things back from one another, its intense atmosphere is amplified through the low level lighting. It also is slightly romantic but still there is a sense of not knowing what is going to come next. Once again due to the lack of light, the characters face cannot be seen clearly further emphasizing the secrets they hold.

In our film, the idea of love is the main reason for this murder. The love becomes too powerful and takes over, resulting in a death. In addition, the love Tim has for Ben is kept secret so we will definitely consider the components that have been used in this film.