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The Opening Sequence of the Opening Film
Retief Williams
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Contents Setting ............................................................ 4
Costume .......................................................... 6
Sound............................................................. 7
Movement ....................................................... 7
Music ............................................................. 8
Conclusion ....................................................... 9
Bibliography .................................................... 10
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Introduction Possibly one of the most famous opening scenes in movie history, the first 7 minutes of George Lucas’
space epic is all about creating and introducing the audience to a new world…and to awaken in them
a new hope of things to come. The opening scene of A New Hope manages to create something that,
for its time, was quite unprecedented to its audience…to be transported to a whole other universe.
Mise-en-scene
Setting Right from the beginning of Star Wars, one realizes that Setting is very, very important. Those iconic
words at the beginning of every film, “A long time ago in a galaxy far away….” creates an expectation
of wonder.
Although the open scroll and lines tells the audience of the setting, it’s the next scene, the one that
shows, that does the magic. This visual is an extreme (very extreme) long shot of space, placing the
audience in this large fantastical environment or universe where the whole saga takes place. This shot
is very important visually because in the 1970’s these effects shots were difficult to produce and
extremely rare. This one probably blew audiences away.
Notice the how the composition creates scale with the three planets’ various sizes (distances).
Later When the droids escape we get another
beautiful shot of Tatooine. The audience can see
already that it is (a) a desert planet and (b) not
earth, but an alien planet. The painstaking detail
put into creating the mattes for such a shot is
rewarded by the audience being suspended in
disbelief.
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The next setting we get is the clinically
white corridors of a spaceship. The
audience have to know that it is a space
ship, and this is accomplished by the shapes
and color. Star Wars is full of decals,
buttons, and mechanically intriguing objects
that have no purpose in the story but look
like they have a purpose the Star Wars
universe, and this stirs the viewers interest
and imagination. It puts the “science” in Science fiction.
Notice how the white corridors fit the armor of the Storm-troopers, whereas 3CPO is strangely out of
place in the bright yellow gold. Just think how bleak the shot would look if C3PO was also silver.
Gold and Blue. Orange and
Teal…get it? Look at how nice
it looks in the bleak milieu.
Notice the Contrast in black and white both in the Stormtrooper
armour and in the setting. This also balances the shot composition
wise.
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Notice how this shot is dark, misty and eerily lit in red as to provoke a sense of mystery. What is the
message she gives the droid? Who is this princess? Why is she in trouble? All these unknowns are
amplified by the lighting.
The stark, cold white light illuminating the hallways are used to strengthen the idea of artificiality.
Since everything is in a spacecraft there is very little natural light. It creates a futuristic effect. It also
hints at the lifelessness of space. (White light is used in clinically sterile environments.)
Costume The audience learns a lot about the characters in a very short time. And this has a lot to do with
costume.
The Rebel Troopers have their faces exposed. Thus
they become human in a sense that we feel for them
when they die. The Storm-troopers are just
enemies…they get killed but there are many more
just like them. They look exactly the same.
Darth Vader’s costume is made to stand out
instantly. Although his face is also covered, we know
he is important because of the opposite color
scheme. His mask, a combination of Nazi and
Samurai elements, is also more menacing.
Leia is royalty. And the simple but elegant dress she
wears hearkens back to antiquity. Her hair and dress
remind one of something from ancient Greece or Rome. Again, this provokes a sense of place, time
and mystery. We want to know more about her and her story, in a part, because she looks strangely
out of place in the cold metallic environment of armor and (wink) plastic.
The Rebel Troopers wear a strangely ordinary
type of clothes with very little armor. Maybe it’s
to make the audience sympathize with them, or
maybe Lucas didn’t have the budget to fit them
with strange gear. Whatever the case, there is a
clear, well defined difference between the
costumes of the two sides. And that, for one
thing, is done for a reason.
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Sound One thing that stands out from the opening sequence, especially in a theater, is the otherworldly
sounds of the Star Wars universe. The blasters, the ship’s weapons firing, and Leia’s ship being
captured all add to the immersion, and more importantly, the creation of a unique and wonderful
world. The sound team on Star Wars wen to great heights to mix sounds that sounded strange and
new to the audience.
Another important aspect of sound design in Star Wars is character. Darth Vader’s famously hard
breathing makes him seem more intimidating. R2D2’s beeps make him more cute and fascinating. The
Storm-troopers’ mechanical voices make them less personal, since everyone sounds the same.
Subconsciously the audience gets to infer all that by just listening closely during the 7-minute
opening.
Movement Although there are very little camera movement in Star Wars, there are a lot of character movement
in the opening sequence of this one. A lot of the movement is characters coming towards the camera.
This creates a sense of menace, in cases with Storm-troopers and Vader, but is also used to highlight
the space and depth of the corridor…The real reason is likely because the camera wouldn't fit very
nicely alongside the actors in such a small space.
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Then there is individual character movement style. Storm-troopers are clumsy and
fearless…disposable. Vader moves with gravity and authority, Leia with confidence and care. C3PO
does the stereotypical robot walk to comic effect. When the Rebels run away we know they are
running way not just by direction but by the style of their movement.
Right at the beginning we also see the movement of the ships (again something that required a fair
amount of genius to achieve those days) as the Destroyer targets the rebel ship. It is quite clear in the
direction of the movement that the bigger ship is targeting the small one. The big ship (destroyer)
then captures (or docks with) the rebel ship in action resembling a monster eating its prey. This helps
us identify with princess Leia and her crew, since we know they are quite helpless.
The blaster sequence in the beginning also creates a sense of movement, with lots of flash effects
illuminating the screen. This is done to heighten the sense of pace and action.
Music John Williams is probably the most famous film composer (Hans Zimmer in contest), and Star Wars is
his most famous soundtrack.
The rousing opening score is very epic in tone. This sets the character for the whole film. Then there is
the music used for the attack, chaotic action music designed to make the audience breathless.
Although Vader’s theme is not yet played when he enters, the music changes in tone to signify his
entrance as something of importance.
Leia’s theme is played when we meet her. This is the first time you hear her theme, and it is played
throughout the film when a scene involves her character. This type of theme-based-composing (also
used extensively by Howard Shore on Lord of the Rings) is very important in creating an emotional
connection between character (ideas) and the audience. This is especially noticeable when
re-watching the film. Music works well in this scene to create excitement and establish characters.
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Conclusion Stars Wars started off with a brilliant film that many consider the best of the series. The reason for
this could be that it has an opening sequence to beat. The sequence gives the audience a wealth of
information in an intuitive and entertaining way. It introduces four very important characters and sets
up the plot, all well under 10 minutes. This is why Star Wars is a classic.
“Do, or do not. There is no try.”
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Bibliography Star Wars: A New Hope. 1977. [Film] Directed by George Lucas. USA: Lucas Films.