Alfonso Cuarón's film “Children of Men” inherently shows the true importance of starting a film with a memorable introduction. Through the use of certain cinematographic and staging techniques, it opens the audience to the impact of violence on the utopian world and on the characters who compose it. It transports the audience to a dystopian society through the lens of a handheld camera/steadicam, which transforms scenes into a stylistic POV fashion. It also engages the audience through various forms of staging such as sound, color, and placement to show the effects of certain characters' violence. The use of angles also allows the audience to understand the overwhelming force that challenges the protagonist's view of the society around him. The first 5 minutes of the film are essential in establishing a solid foundation for the plot and engaging the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The opening scene sequence is a great example of using both the cinematic shot and choice of placement in the scene to establish the foundation of the lesson. of the film. The scene opens with the sound of a newscast which transitions into a bustling cafe filled with citizens watching television. With all eyes glued to the screen, we meet our protagonist Theo as he walks through the crowd to order a coffee. This medium shot is the first glimpse of how Theo experiences the violence around him compared to how others do. The death of baby Diego shocks the crowd and leaves them immobile, while Theo feels no compassion towards him and continues with his day. Theo’s placement in the crowd immediately marks him as an outsider. This technique draws attention to Theo and allows the audience to understand his emotion, or rather lack of it, in the face of this tragedy. The notion of isolation and numbness to tragedy displayed by Theo, which separates him from the rest of society, is a constant theme throughout the film. As the scene continues, the camera cuts from a high angle in the cafe to a steadicam camera walking behind Theo. . This is crucial because it defines the type of shooting that Cuarón uses throughout the rest of the sequence. As the camera trails behind Theo, she looks up again at the screen displaying Diego's death. This movement and angle of view reflect the fact that the camera is something of a character in the film, having its own vision of what is important and placing the viewers within the film. It is important to abruptly unravel the protagonist to ensure that the film is shot from a realistic rather than synthetic point of view. Through the use of the camera as a separate character in the film, viewers are able to see Theo's experiences from a different perspective. For example, when a bomb attack occurs at a nearby store, as Theo takes cover and runs away, seemingly unphased, the camera shifts its attention away from the protagonist and focuses on the disastrous scene of the blast. The camera, acting as an independent entity separate from Theo, emphasizes the excessive violence within the dystopian society, thereby creating a sense of numbness in Theo's character and defining him as an outsider. Implementing this type of filming technique allows the audience to discover a deeper connection to the experiences in the scenes. Cuarón uses this technique to emphasize the importance of the location of the sets in the film. Alongside the character and the filming, Cuarón uses the aspect of sound to createinexplicit connections to various forms of violence throughout the following scenes. Returning to the opening sequence, the sound is very subtle throughout. Within the café, the diegetic sounds that are heard are Théo's voice and mainly the television show. Theo being the only person speaking in this scene reinforces the connection between Theo and the events happening around him. Next comes the bombing scene which contains a profound example of the use of sound and its interconnection with a form of violence that is prevalent throughout the film. A bomb explosion of this magnitude in a busy area such as the one shown would likely cause many injuries and panic citizens, but not in this scene. The only voices we hear following this bombing are the screams of a woman. Retreating from the use of any other cry allows the woman's cry to be prominent and enduring. This can arguably be linked to the violence that is portrayed against women, particularly the emphasis on fertility, fertility tests and how strict the government is towards women who perform them. Since there is a great need for a fertile mother, it is implied that any woman who fails to meet testing standards would be prosecuted to the fullest extent. The immigrants in the film can also be linked to the use of sound to display discrimination. , physical and mental cruelty against them. This concept is demonstrated metaphorically in the train scene. As the camera pans away from Theo getting off the train, again acting like a character from the film, it looks at an elderly woman in a crowded cage, speaking a foreign language to the guard. In connection with the extremely long shot of Theo and Jasper walking past the dead cows, there is a connection with immigrants and cows that is suggested. Humans and livestock are put in cages for the benefit of the people, which in turn gives them a certain sense of worth. That being said, immigrants and animals are limited by their language, which allows them to be censored. Finally, the viewer sees the cows on fire, which could foreshadow the dismissal of the immigrants. Sound is important in this sequence, although it may seem subtle, it has the opportunity to reveal deeper messages relating to the rest of the film. While establishing multiple visions of violence in this film, Cuarón uses the element of color and shadows to complement them. other. Throughout, the film establishes this feeling of a war-torn dystopia from the start, which is borne out by the lack of color in several scenes. In the opening shot of London, even when colors are present, such as those of buses or cars, they are dominated by the layer of gray which is vivid throughout the shot. This emphasizes the slow deterioration of the country from the beginning, which gets worse as the film progresses. Not only is color used to show the effects of violence on the city, but Cuarón also uses the help of shadows to further produce this feeling of weariness and doubt. One particular scene that uses shadows to emphasize this concept is the office scene. The low-key lighting of the office accentuates the shadows surrounding the desk, almost as if Theo's environment is closing in on him. These shadows are then visible when Théo approaches his boss at his office. The over-the-shoulder shot shows Theo's back completely filled with a dark shadow enclosing something unknown behind him, as if he himself was hiding in the darkness. That being said, the notion of Théo and the unknown can be translated by the fact that Théo is not voluntarily open to.