Opening Sequence Analysis - Pirates of The Caribbean 1

1. Opens with the title of the film with a sound effect with what also looks like embers from a fire floating around the black screen. (You can't see this part in the clip I've chosen.)
2. Cuts to a shot of water and mist which a ship emerges from. You can hear ambient music in the background (Non- Diegetic) You can also hear the sounds for the water lapping and the creaking sounds of the wood of the ship. (Diegetic)
3. As the ship draws closer you can hear a little girl singing. (Diegetic)
4. The camera then tilts and moves towards the little girl until it stops looking up at the girl and stops at a medium long shot of her. 
5. Cuts to a long shot from behind the girl and the camera moves towards her.
6. A hand reaches over the screen to touch the girl's shoulder. 
7. Cuts to and over the shoulder shot to see the man's face as he speaks. 
8. Cuts to an over the shoulder shot to see the girl's reaction. (The conversation they were having follows the 180 degree rule.)
9. Another mans voice is heard (Diegetic) coming from behind the two characters on screen they turn towards the sound of his voice. 
10. Cuts to the man who was speaking. (Medium shot) 
11. Cuts back to the previous characters. (Medium long shot) ..................................
12. Cuts to a close up of the girl's face as she looks down into the water below the ship. 
13. Cuts to a shot of the water as you see something floating in the water. As you change    to this shot the music changes and becomes more mysterious (Non Diegetic).  
14. Cuts back to a medium shot of the girl as she paces while looking down into the water.
15. Cuts to a medium shot of the object bobbing on the water so the audience can see what it is. (A parasol) 
16. Cuts back to a shot looking up at the girl as she's leaning over the edge of the ship looking down into the water.  
17. Cuts to a shot from the girls perspective, looking down on the parasol which drifts out of shot. 
18. Cuts back to the girls as she moves her head to look somewhere else. 
19. Cuts to a shot showing a boy drifting in the water. (This shot is again from the girl's point of view.) 
20. The cuts then begin to quicken as the characters on board the ship react to the girl seeing the boy in the water. This creates a feel of urgency. 
21. Then, when they see the burning ship the music changes which creates the feel of danger. 
22. The shots of the ship are over the shoulder shots and long shots. This gives the audience the illusion that they're standing on the ship and witnessing this scene with the characters. 
23. The music changes depending what's happening to on screen to create a mood for the audience. 

• The style of clothing, weapons, hair, language and location show that this film is obviously not set in the present.
• The lighting is slightly low key and gloomy to create an atmosphere of unhappiness and darkness.