Institutional Information:
Based off the book by Veronica Roth, Divergent is a 139 minute long film is in a dystopian future where society has been split into five factions, each representing a different personality type. Teenagers are forced to make the choice of which faction they belong in at the age of sixteen. The movie was released in America on the 21st of March 2014 with an estimated budget of around $85,000,000. Overall the movie grossed $150,832,203 with $54,607,747 of this on the opening weekend (USA). The film was directed by Neil Burger and written by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. The movie also stars popular actors such as Shailene Woodley for the lead role Beatrice Prior, Theo James as Four and Kate Winslet as the antagonist Jeanine. The director Neil Burger is most famous for his films Illusionist (2006) and Limitless (2011). Divergent was nominated for awards such as 'Best Actress in an Action Movie' at the Critics Choice Awards, as well as a nomination for a HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Awards) for its 'Soundtrack Album' by Randall Poster.
Target Audience:
Divergent is aimed towards 12 year olds (the films official certificate) to young adults. The protagonists in the film represent hope and bravery which are popular themes within the young adult genre. Although they would be aiming at a wide range of people; their primary target audience were fans of the book. Readers had very high expectations which the people involved in the movie wanted to meet.
Opening Credits:
The credits are placed on top of an establishing shot showing a city skyline. The colour they have used for the text is yellow, this blends into the background and doesn't stand out much. Perhaps the editor chose to do this so that the focus remains on the city in the background, this is important as this is where the movie is set. As the shot moves up towards to sky, the credits move down as if the camera is moving away from the credits. This again helps the credits blend into the background. The yellow also blends well with the tone of the shot, the sun shining on the city, even with glints of light on some letters, this gives the affect of the sun reflecting.
Mise En Scene and Shots Used:
The tone of the opening is very colourful and bright. This creates a tone of peace, this could be used to try to reflect how the government system of factions was used in this story to create order in a functioning society. The time of day the shot is set is morning, this is again peaceful as the day has only just started. It could be adding to the perfect view of the system the government wanted everyone to believe. The shots are set up to being a vast distance from the city in the beginning and shot by shot they get closer to the city, eventually getting into the streets. In these shots we see crumbling run down modern buildings. These are very common in dystopian movies as it tells us a drastically damaging event has occurred between modern day and the time in which this movie is set, however we don't know what the event was which intrigues the audience.
At 0:36 we get our first glimpse at the type of people who live there. We can see that they are wearing one colour, this gives us a clue into the time period this film is set- in the future. Perhaps people being dressed in one colour adds to the theme of governmental control which is common within the dystopian genre. All the shots used for the opening of Divergent are very smooth and graceful, it is very unlikely that the camera would have been handheld. This could relate to the peace from within the city before the action begins.
We are introduced into the different factions by a series of smooth long or medium shots. These long shots show several people however never focus on their faces or their expressions or what an individual is doing. This could link to the idea that everyone belongs somewhere, the people in the factions are part of a group, they aren't individuals.
This low angle shot is used to show the immense size of the building and emphasise the dangerous position that the 'Dauntless' climbers are in. These sequences are only short, therefore they have chosen short actions that sum up the characteristics well. Just from this shot we can infer that the dauntless live fearlessly and with risk. This adds a layer of danger to movie which keeps the audience interested.
Editing:
The editor uses the same shots for long periods of time. This creates a peaceful mood, like everything is in order. This fits well with the storyline, it acts as a sort of 'calm before the storm'. Although they stick with the same shot, the camera movements are quick, this gives us the impression that this is a fast paced movie, this is common in action movies.
Sound:
The music used whilst we are introduced into the city is slow placed, this again adds to the peaceful feeling. However this juxtaposes against the destroyed city in the shot, creating a false sense of security which creates an eery tone. You are introduced to the factions within the society by non-digetic sound, a voiceover from the protagonist Tris. This voiceover tells the audience what role each faction has, this gives us knowledge of where the story takes place before even meeting the protagonist. Voice overs are very common among the young adult genre with other films such as 'Twilight' use similar techniques. It also tells the audience that the protagonist is a young female. This would also appeal to readers of the book as its written in first person. Ambient sound is also used as we hear trains going past during shots which provide continuity between shots.
Acting and Movement:
Throughout the opening, they present the factions very stereotypically. For example, Erudite, a faction based around knowledge is shown by people in smart clothing using equipment such as microscopes. Amity; a faction based around happiness is represented by people smiling, also in one shot we can see a little girl running through the field. Candor, a faction for truth, is shown as political, with people debating. Dauntless, people who live fearless are shown climbing a tall building. And abnegation are shown helping people. The creator of the film has used stereotypes to introduce key groups within the films world in a short period of time. This immediately allows the audience to understand the different personalities for the different factions, this plays a large part in the movies storyline.
Conclusion:
Overall this opening is very effective. It establishes the setting of the film well, giving a visual of the city and an actual location (Chicago). It sets a peaceful mood exceptionally well which is unusual for an action/dystopian film. However this makes the audience question the film and keep them intrigued. At the same time shots of broken damaged buildings represent an untold past which adds depth to the city and keeps the audience interested. It successfully introduces the personalities from different factions, therefore giving us an idea of the personality and life the main character leads, even though we haven't met her yet, as she identifies with the faction 'abnegation'.
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