Snatch Introduction

The introduction for Guy Ritchie's Snatch sets the scene and feel of the movie straight away. You immediatly get an idea what the movie is about (the stolen diamond) and who some of the main characters are.

  The opening scene in it's self is like a mini movie with lots of speaking and also alot of action. It is very good at getting you immediately hooked and intrigued to find out what is going to happen next. Not only is the general idea really good, the way it is filmed is also extremely inventive.
  The robbers, all disguised as Rabbi's, are makeing their way into an office building with unusually high security. They manage to pass through a metal detector without being searched, despite setting the alarm off. This whole sequence, right up until they are in the room with the diamonds, is filmed through the tv on which the CCTV is shown. This gives you a sense of how tight the security is and that where they are going is probably going to have something worth protecting in.
  This scene is also really quiet peaceful. The use of the (non-diagetic) Kosha Nostra theme in the background, along with the robbers banter about the Virgin Mary not being a Virgin, gives them a feel of being genuine rabbi's that aren't doing anything unusual. Then, as soon as they reach their destination the costumes come off, their accents change and the music becomes much faster and heavier. The camera shots also change from being one fluid motion (from one CCTV screen to the next) to alot of sharp, jerky shots that add to the energy being shown in this part. All of this fits perfectly with the high octane, adrenaline fueled action that is being shown on screen. If they had allowed the same music to play, with the same kinds of shots it wouldn't have anywhere near the same kind of feel or dramatic effect.

City of God Introduction

For me, the introduction for Fernando Meirelles' City of God is a perfect example of how the beginning of a film should start. It is intriguing and very fun to watch, but at the same time is using the camera in a very clever way. The shots he uses are short and cut quickly to each other, this means straight away it has an energetic feel that gives you a sense of how the rest of the movie is going to be. Then, at the end it leaves you with a question, how did the boy with the camera get into the situation that he is in?       When makeing our own final piece, I think these are some very important things the remember. We need to make to beginning quiet exciting, but still retain some mystery. Then at the end, leave the viewer with a question that would be answered later on in the film.