Dredd - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

Firstly in the opening scene of Dredd, we are shown an establishing shot of the setting for the film, with the voice-over saying "America is an irradiated wasteland.". This instantly signals to the viewer that they could be watching some form of an action film.

Next the camera begins to pan on the empty, deserted dessert. Next follow some more establishing shots, these are setting the scene for the viewer and are instantly creating enigmas. For example, the viewer is going to want to find out why the area looks broken down.

Now a fairly slow backing track is played, while we are shown shots of futuristic looking towers, with planes weaving in and out. This one shot has a huge effect on the reader, as it is one of the biggest genre indicators shown in the opening scene. Seeing the planes set against the background of towers will instantly tell the viewer that they are watching a sci-fi film. The viewer is next shown a clip being shot from a plane, with futuristic looking displays on the sides, this is yet another sci-fi indicator, telling the audience that sci-fi is going to be a huge part of this film.

The futuristic scenery included in the opening two minutes highlights how important mise-en-scene is at indicating the films genre to the viewer, and also gives an idea of what the effect might be on the audience if they were to be misinformed of the genre.

The background music begins to speed up, and we are shown a close up shot of a character wrapping a bandage around his hand. This shot tells the audience that he is likely to be a heavily featured character in the film.

We then see a group of people throwing things, quickly followed by another shot of the character this time placing on a leather jacket. This could suggest to the audience that he is against the people who were throwing things.

One of the shots seen next shows a group of people wearing hoodies all walking down the street together, with a cloud of dust following them. This could suggest that trouble and chaos is following them wherever they go. This shot could also be creating a false representation of people who wear hoodies - suggesting that they are all out to cause trouble.

The same character as before is now seen picking up a weapon, this would further suggest that he is out to fight against the hooded people, and also the people throwing things.

Towards the very end of the opening scene the background music instantly become much faster, and we see a motorbike speed across a road. This would suggest that there will also be elements of action embedded throughout the film.