Research into opening sequence of a war film

 War opening scene 

Directed by Christopher Nolan, "Dunkirk" was released by Warner Brothers in 2017. Its main cast include Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard and Lee Armstrong. 

The narrative presented to us is one whereby French and British armies have been driven to the sea by the enemy and are trapped at Dunkirk. The soldiers wander around looking for water and cigarettes when suddenly a shot is fired and they are sent running. All but one of the soldiers is shot dead, and the survivor runs for safety, eventually finding protection with a group of French soldiers behind sand bags. However, he is only here briefly before he leaves and runs to the beach to join large crowds of soldiers there.  From this, we might expect the film to follow the journey of this British and French troops fighting at Dunkirk. Since the opening focusses particularly on one young, British soldier, the audience might expect the opening to focus on his story and whether he is able to survive in the end. 

From the opening, the target audience could be for anyone interested in this battle. However, the subject matter is very dark, meaning that this film is most likely meant for a mature audience, and not for children. The diegetic sound effect of guns and the non-diegetic parallel soundtrack help to create the harrowing tone of the opening. From the very first shot, it is clear that the film can be categorised as a war film. This is made clear by the army uniform costumes worn armed with guns as their props which establishes these characters as soldiers. Throughout the opening, the film follows many of the conventions of a war film. As well as the text that appears on the screen mentioning the British and French armies awaiting their fate, conventions of war films are used in other ways to show that this is a war film. Firstly, multiple gun shots can be seen and heard which cause lots of destruction as we see the soldiers shot dead and the a gate battered from the impact of the shots. It is also very clear that the soldiers are fearful as they can be seen running for safety as gun shots are fired. Furthermore, the young man whose story we follow can be seen panting with worried expressions on his face which shows that the characters are experiencing fear. The audience also witnesses camaraderie when the French soldiers take in the young British soldier, which is another key convention of the war genre

 Although multiple characters are introduced, many of them are killed within the first minute and we mainly follow one character, the young British soldier that finds safety with the French troops. The opening scene establishes this character as someone who is fearful and lacks experience as a soldier. We can see this when he struggles to handle his gun and breathes heavily indicating panic. Additionally, the character displays worried facial expressions throughout, emphasising his fear which suggests he is inexperienced. We are briefly introduced to French soldiers who allow the young British soldier to find safety behind the sand bags. However, their body language and facial expressions appear quite hostile which communicates the level of distrust and suspicion that occurs during a war. 

The first scene focusses on indicating the desperateness of the soldiers. The use of props is important in emphasising that the Germans are currently in the lead. German propaganda showers down from the sky which is followed by a close-up shot of one of the posters which is held in the hands of a soldier and states: "we surround you", suggesting that the soldiers are close to a defeat. The sky appears almost colourless perhaps which connotes dreariness and a lack of joy, perhaps emphasising the mood that the war has brought upon the soldiers. There is then a close up shot of one of the soldiers attempting to drink water from a hose-pipe outside a house in the street. This close-up shot shows that in this moment, the soldiers are so worn-down and desperate that they are struggling even to find the necessity of water. This is emphasised by the use of a close-up shot in which a soldier attempts to use a burnt out cigarette found in ash try by a window. This shows his hopeless state as he is attempting to make use of things that are clearly already used. The hand-held shot used suggests that the state of the war is unsteady just as the movement of the camera is. 

Another key moment is when the young British soldier is granted refuge with a group of French soldiers. Diegetic dialogue is used in which the soldier states: "I'm English, Anglais". This is the only point in which dialogue is used. This emphasises that the atmosphere is very tense and so there is almost no time for conversation. The soldiers must be careful with what they say. Furthermore, the action of him running towards the sand bags shows how there is not a moment to spare or any time to experience relief as he must carry on in his journey for survival.

After briefly finding protection with the French soldiers, they begin firing shots and the young soldier runs at speed and arrives at a beach where large crowds of troops have amassed. A long shot is used to emphasise the dramatic scale, highlighting the quantity of troops needed. A close up. A mid shot is used to focus back again on the young soldier. This is a very dramatic moment as we have just witnessed a snap shot into his tumultuous experience, and we are shown that this is the experience of just one of the masses of soldiers who are sure to have experienced the same fear that he has.

I believe that this is a successful opening as it clearly establishes the genre of the film as a war film. Though just three minutes long, the opening captures the audience interest as to where the soldier's journey will take him, and how the rest of this moment of the war will unfold. It also gives a clear insight into the miserable atmosphere of the war which is sure to have a very moving effect on the audience.