Children of Men - opening sequence analysis

The opening of Children of Men begins with diegetic sound but with black filling the screen. This could confuse the audience to begin with as all they can hear is sound but not where it is coming from. As the film actually begins the sound fits into the image and although we cannot see the source of the sound we can see a group of people in a confined space looking up at where it is coming from. From the expressions on their faces you can instantly tell that something bad has happened, as well as the fact that the words being said coming from the source which we cannot see are explaining a terrible event. The room is quite low lit and it is not very bright. It seems the saturation in the picture is also quite low creating a dreary worn out look at times which helps to connote the sad aurora. As a character enters in too what seems to be a coffee shop he is the first person to talk and is in the centre of the frame which suggests he is an important character amongst the crowd. We are then shown a low angle shot of what seems to be what the crowd of people in the shop were so intrigued with; what looks like a tv or screen showing a news channel. Information is shown on the screen which helps to set the scene and time period of the film and also that there is a world crisis going on. From the news channel we have been shown information from a source within the film world. As the news channel carries on playing the non-diegetic sound begins as a song plays with a sad tone to it to accompany the atmosphere in the room. The character we were introduced to then walks out of the coffee shop and the camera follows him out but it seems as if it could be a point of view shot the whole time he is being followed giving the suggestion that he is actually being followed which creates more questions for the audience and suspicion. as the camera follows the man outside the coffee shop, the audience are first introduced to the outside and the surroundings as a date appears which sets the time period very specifically for the audience and also the location which can also be seen by the stereotypical red bus that goes past. By this point the  music has stopped and only diegetic sound can be heard such as people talking, traffic and general city noises. As the man stops and pours something into his coffee, the camera moves around him to the other side and moves away slightly. as the focus is still on him it creates tension as it moves away. Then suddenly as the explosion occurs and he runs back from shock, the camera also does slightly still following him like a shadow. The explosion creates a loud sound and then other noises unheard before such as screaming and an alarm start as the camera then moves away from the man and toward the explosion, slightly shakily, so again looks like a point of view shot. The frame fills with white smoke from the explosion and you see a silhouette of what looks like a woman carrying her own leg walk out of the building. You can also hear ringing and as the scene sharply changes to a black screen with the title 'children of men' in bold capital letters, the ringing can still be heard. The title is bold and clear making a statement and the colours contrast which is different from the colouring of the film which is dull and spooky and almost dirty which cold represent what the country had turned into. The opening sequence connotes action and tension with the sad news and the big explosions and the way that London is portrayed is very different to how it is which also may interest people as it is something new and very abnormal to them.