Group Analysis of The Da Vinci Code

How are the conventions of the thriller genre and the conventions of the film opening used in the Da Vinci Code?

The Da Vinci Code is a fast paced thriller where the main characters have to decipher clues in artwork, architecture and riddles to get to the bottom of a murder and save themselves. It is originally a novel written by Dan Brown but in 2006 was produced into a film. The film is directed by Ron Howard and the screenplay is written by Akiva Goldsman. The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen.

Camera by Whole Group
The use of camera in the opening scene creates a truly tense and mysterious opening scene for the Da Vinci Code. The use of camera was used to create a close up, this was of the paintings in Le Louvre; it was a close up of the peoples eyes that are present in the paintings.This is a traditional feature in a Thriller and it is used to create a sense of voyeurism like the characters are being watched which makes the audience tense that someone is around. Another way the camera creates tension and a sense of danger is using a hand held camera. This is used when the male staff is running through the gallery, this is used to represent his panic and makes the audience feel as if they may be running with him and part of this scene, this is also a way to make the scene more disrupted and uncomfortable. Following a character running through the scene can also show the setting, which gives the audience a greater understanding of where they are. Another thriller convention that was used in this opening scene was an extraordinary event in an ordinary setting. This is shown by an aerial view down onto the gallery roof as you see the male staff and the antagonist inside; the ordinary setting is also supported by the sound used. The sound used is diagetic of cars and general traffic in Paris. This creates a sense of mystery also as the conversation taking place in the gallery is not heard but the diagetic sound of traffic is in its place, the dialogue between the two characters is also an important piece of information which makes the audience want to watch on to know what was said and why it creates mystery and was not heard.
Mise-en-Scene by Aimée

The Mise-en-scene used in the first 5 minutes of The Da Vinci Code introduces us to characters, but not until the end of opening 5 minutes do we meet the Main Character. In the opening scene we see the antagonist chasing a museum manager. From costume we can tell that he is the antagonist as he is in a black cloak,which is a contrast to a normal suit as we see the manager in. We can also see he is the antagonist as of the props we see him using, a gun, which you usually link to death.The black cloak may be religion based which can also be linked to the props as what we see on the paintings around are ones of God and Jesus. The make up of the antagonist also makes it clear that he is bad as he is very pale with darkened eyes, compared to the manager.The location of the opening scene is at night in Le Louvre  Paris. This atmosphere of Le Louvre at night is eerie as it is a big empty place and they are alone, this is shown by the sound also as at the start we can hear the sound of the running footsteps linking this to the conventions of Thriller we can see that it is an extraordinary situation in an ordinary location, we can also tell that they are alone as the camera switches to an aerial shot of them in the building which also emphasises how big the place is an how alone they are.The props used in the scene are fitting to the location as it is Le Louvre but with a close up of the camera onto the eyes and faces of these paintings give a sense of voyeurism. The lighting of the scene also creates an eerie situation as it is dark and it makes you tense not knowing what is hidden and what may happen, but the lighting is to dark to know what is there. After the jump cut we can see that the contrast of lighting from the museum scene and how much lighter in the lecture hall it is which creates a very different scene but also drawing attention to the fact that the lighting is now focusing on another character, indicating his importance to the storyline. We are introduced to the Main Character by the props, the screen used behind the main character shows his name and also introduces us to the presentation he will be giving. The amount of people who came to his  lecture also makes us believe that he a very well known man in his profession.

Editing by Anna
Editing is used in the first 5 minutes of The Da Vinci Code to emphasise the important scenes to the audience. A fast cutting rate is frequently occurring at the beginning to show the shots of voyeurism from the paintings and the man running away from the antagonist. The fast cutting rate builds up the suspense as the camera also shows a variety of different shots of the protagonist which establishes the speed and the urgency within the scene. Voyeurism is shown through editing to indicate to the audience that the paintings in Le Louvre are perhaps watching them. This is shown through the cuts between the man running and the camera switching to show the eyes in the portraits. Throughout the beginning, the cutting rhythm is slightly in sync with the non diegetic sound. As the music changes pitch, a different perspective or view is shown. This creates a dramatic effect which links to how a thriller film is presented to the audience.
Themes of identity are shown through editing as reaction shots take place of the protagonist. The different cuts bounce around the protagonist running away from the antagonist which presents the protagonist's facial expressions through close ups of the camera. The reaction shots emphasise the urgency and energy needed to keep running at a fast pace which leads to an excited audience with the use of motivated cuts. The motivated cuts creates an intense atmosphere as the audience are eager to see what the antagonist looks like and who he is.
Cross cutting is used after the protagonist is shot to introduce another character to the audience and to create the sense that two scenes are happening at the same time which are somehow linked to one another. After the shooting, a cut is made to establish another scene. It shows a lecture happening and  the projector behind the speaker reveals the main character of the film, Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks). The scenes then cross cut between each other telling the audience that these scenes are an important aspect of the film.

Sound by Danny

Sound is used to portray a thriller at the very start of the film in the opening credits when the musical score is playing. The musical score builds in volume and pitch through out the opening credits and then both reach their peak when the title of the film is fully revealed. this portrays a thriller because as the volume and pitch are building so does the intensity making the movie have a tense feel from the start. This is then followed by a diagetic sound bridge from the credits to the opening scenes. This portrays a thriller because the footsteps that the audience hear are running, and without a picture on the screen, this then leads the audience to start to ask themselves questions. For example who is running? why are they being chased? who is chasing him? This all portrays a thriller because during a thriller questions are always running through an audiences head.