'How does the director use media language to communicate messages and engage the audience'
The director uses camera work to emphasise the vulnerability of the people on the ship. They also allude to the wire at the end of the clip. The opening scene starts with a high angle establishing shot. This is zoomed out, and makes the boat look small in comparison to the vast sea that surrounds it. The camera cranes up and towards the boat, this is a smooth motion and it is as if the camera is floating. This sets a peaceful tone from the start, and is more obvious than the isolated themes underneath. Throughout the clip, lots of deep focus and medium shots are used. The deep focus on the crowd on deck makes it clear to the audience how large the crowd is. The medium shots make faces the focus of the audience's view. This is quite personal, as we see many of the crowd in detail, which is reflected in the last shots when they die. This makes the ending more hard hitting, as we have seen the people dancing and enjoying themselves minutes before. On several occasions. the camera tracks and pans through the crowd. The smooth and steady nature of this movement creates a sense of security and gracefulness, which is like the music and dancing. This is also is a hint at the ending as the camera often cuts right through the crowd.
The use of colour, iconography and repetition in the opening scene connotes bad themes. This sends a subtle message to the audience, forewarning that all is not as it seems. In the establishing shot, we see the whole boat; a large lit up cruise ship that looks like the Titanic (a boat with an unfortunate end). This hints that something is going to go wrong, as we associate the Titanic with death. Also in the establishing shot the audience can see the strings of lights on the deck. They are obvious and light up the boat. The lights appear in the background of many other scenes. The are often at weird angles: they appear to 'cut up' a scene, as do the spotlights in the ballroom. This leads the audience to be aware of the lights so sends a message that the lights could be a danger. A similar effect is created with wires in many scenes. The singer whose song provides the sound for most of the opening wears a red dress. The colour red has connotations of danger and stands out among the guests, who are wearing more muted colours or suits. This lady is part of the group behind the attack, so her boldness and recurrence in most shots makes her stand out to the audience. Another of the men behind the attack appears in many scenes as well. He is dressed like an officer in uniform, which a greyish green colour. All the other staff servers are dressed in white, so he looks different. The actor playing this character has deep set eyes and pale skin, and this with his different uniform makes the audience suspicious of him. Both the singer and officer are followed in many shots, or appear in the background like the lights. This repetition implants them into the audiences mind and makes them very aware of them. Flowers also appear many times, especially with the young girl. Flowers, like the girl, have connotations of innocence and purity, and later on these flowers are the first thing we get to see chopped in half. This is symbolic of the attack, as the guests on the ship we unknowing of their fate.
The use of a constant diegetic sound, and sound effects near the end, help build up tension and communicate to the audience that something is wrong. The clip opens with a backing track of a lady signing, which is then revealed to be a performer on the ship. She is singing the entire time, as the events of the opening scene all happen within one song. Part way through the scene, when the setting switches from the ballroom to elsewhere on the ship. The music now comes from a speaker, so the quality is audibly different. The song is now tinnier and less organic, which is off putting and adds to the message that something is wrong. The illusion of safety on the boat is disappearing. Near the end of the scene we get visual conformation of the attack preparation. Diegetic background noise starts to build- cogs whirring and wires being pulled. This slowly builds up in volume and intensity, and non-diegetic sound effects like those from horror films are added in. The lady singing becomes distorted and eventually the other sounds are louder than it. When the wire finally comes onto screen the music almost stops and the screeching sound effects are overwhelmingly loud. All messages that the boat is peaceful and safe are now gone. The audience is fully aware of the situation the boat guests are in.
At the start of the scene, a the title is superimposed on the opening shot. It is in pink loopy writing that looks like a Disney movie. This gives an opening impression of friendliness and safety to the audience, as Disney films are aimed at children. The first shot is also really long. It sweeps over the whole boat, and the movement makes it feel as if we are floating over the boat. It makes the audience feel calm and relaxed. The initial shot dissolves into one of the boat ballroom. this is a cut used commonly in the 80s, and especially for a modern audience, it is seen and cheesy and magical. This masks the dangers on the boat to the audience as they are swept up in the relaxing nature of the boat. When we see the lady singing, there is a shot/reverse shot between her and the man in the army uniform. This establishes a connection between them, and although we don't see them in shot together, we know they are looking at each other. This doesn't immediately raise any red flags for the audience, but it might make them wonder what their connection is, and help them join the dots later on. The shots then follow both of these characters. The lady staying on the stage, and the man moving throughout the boat. This cross cutting helps establish links between the two characters. Before everyone dies, at the highest point of tension, the footage of what is happening on deck is in slow motion and the cuts between shots are fast and short. This gives an impression of chaos and builds up the anticipation for the audience. They would also be feeling confused this point due to the lack of cohesiveness in the pacing.
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