There is little narrative given to us in this opening clip
us it just makes us aware of the surrounds the filmed is being shot in. The
surroundings are very vast, and it is clear to see there is very little civilization for miles. However, at the very end of the clip, there is a horse
and cart that goes past the screen, and that is where the film ends. Therefore,
we can assume that the narrative for the rest of the film will be based on who
or what in the cart and where it is headed.
I would say the target audience for
this film may be for older people, because of the eerie and unsettling
soundtrack played throughout the sequence. Also, the unpleasant wooden carving
of Jesus Christ creates an unsettling image of suffering and can further the
idea of it being a movie with dark themes.
To link in with the theme of
darkness, I believe the genre of this film could be a thriller, or even a
western. I believe it could be a western because of the vast scenery, the fact
that it is a horse and cart which were popular in western culture, and also
because of the titles. They were out in a warm yellow and orange font, and the
font was quite western looking. It reminds me of the font used in poster at the
time or the font used in western film posters. Also, at the very end, the
person who is driving the horse and cart is wearing a cowboy hat. During the
opening sequence we aren’t introduced to any characters, which makes us unsure
about the rest of the narrative as we don’t have any first impressions of them.
One scene that was interesting was the very opening, when it
slowly fades from black, and the music is not negative, nor positive. The scene
is predominantly dark, and when the birds fly away, the mood changes quickly
along with the music, which is now eerie and in a minor key.
Each shot is an
establishing shot, until it cuts to black on the title screen ‘the hateful
eight.’ Because each shot has quite a long shot duration, the editing has made the
piece suspenseful, and the music helps build the atmosphere. It is as if we are
waiting for something to happen. The use of the diegetic ambient sound of the
wind and the birds flying away make it feels as if we were actually there and
makes us feel immersed in the film.
The second scene used in this film starts with a statue of
Jesus on the cross. It starts with a close-up shallow focus of him and a slow
zoom out as the music increases in volume and becomes more sinister.
Snow has
more or less completely covered the wooden statue, implying that where the film
is set, is quite inhabited as people would try to make sure the statue of their
Lord would be kept in good shape and would be high maintenance. As the camera
zooms out even further, the focus is now on the whole scene, and you can see a
horse and cart crossing the frame and it shortly cuts to black. This sudden cut
is quite effective as it is sudden, and we are curious to find out where the
cart is headed. Also, it makes us even more curios because this horse and cart
is in the middle of no where and far from any people and towns.
In conclusion, I think this opening scene was okay, however
I think it could be better by introducing come of the characters beforehand, so
the audience can get more of a grasp of the genre. However, the establishing
shots at the beginning are really effective as they hardly give anything away,
and yet it makes you want to watch the film because of how breath-taking the
scenery is and why a horse and cart is so far out ni the wilderness, far away
from any civilization.
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