Misery - Opening Sequence

Here is the opening sequence for the movie Misery. The reason I chose this film is because I believe it makes good use of Mise-En-Scene. I thought Myself and Vicki could use these good examples of Mise-En-Scene as possible ideas for our coursework.

The first shot is a close-up shot of a cigarette and a match, followed by a close-up shot of an empty champagne glass, finally followed by a close-up shot of a bottle of champagne in ice. These few shots indicate that something is due to be celebrated; and with the sound of a typewriter in the background, the audience is able to put the two things together.

There is a final close-up shot of the typewriter. The sound effect of the typewriter ceases as the author types one sentence and then stops. The author pulls up the sheet of paper eagerly, or even impatiently, as if he just wants the process to be over as soon as possible. The character is now introduced through a medium shot. This shot show the audience the character sat at a desk, in front of the typewriter, showing that this is an important role of this character.

The scene is then quiet, with a slow musical score with a mournful quality to it. The character sighs and a point-of-view shot is used as he writes "THE END" on the sheet of paper. This shows the audience what the character is mournful of.

The way the character brings together the sheets of paper is used to symbolise the rounding up of the something and/or the putting together of something.

There is now a close-up shot of the novel, The novel is labelled "UNTITLED", this gives the audience no way of relating to the story yet. What it does give the audience however, is the author's name. Allowing the audience to further relate to the main character.

The character is then seen placing the sheets of paper into a brown satchel in a close-up shot of the satchel. The satchel has further meaning in the sequence, which I will go onto explaining a little further on.

There is then several close-up shots of the cigarette, the champagne glass, and the champagne being used. This indicates the there is a celebration is going on, but a close-up shot of the character indicates that he is in fact the opposite of celebratory; he appears fed up. The mournful score is continued throughout the scene.

The character places the brown satchel in the car which is covered in snow. He then takes some snow of the car, creating a snowball and throws it at a tree, hitting the tree precisely in the middle. The character then speaks dialogue for the first time in the movies and says "Still got it.". The throwing of the snowball is thought of as childish and silly, having the effect of lightening the mood, and showing that the character isn't just miserable. The mournful score is now lost, and is replaced with a lighthearted and upbeat song.

There is then a panning shot following the car, making it the audience's focus. The car is then in an extreme long shot, introducing the audience to the setting. This is when the title "Misery" appears. It is almost comical that that audience is made to cheerful because of the music they are listening to, when the setting they can see is the opposite of cheerful; the setting is actually looks dreary, isolated and miserable looking. It gives the audience a sense of false security. Even the character is shown tapping along to the music seeming cheerful, which is a big change from his previously mournful demeanor.

There is a extreme long shot at 2:46 which shows the car hidden behind many large trees, it is barely visible in the snow. It shows the audience how isolated this character really is; and how vulnerable the character is as a result of that.

There is a close-up shot of the moving car tyre which is used to show the audience that it may have some importance to the scene, and that something wrong is likely to happen with it. The audience is then immediately brought back into a false sense of security when they see the main character seeming cheerful.

A point-of-view shot is then used showing the main character, then the snowy road on a cliff edge. When the snowy road is shown, the camera appears to wobble. Showing that the character is in danger on this road. It then begins to pour down in snow, making the character barely visible. Making the audience aware again of the vulnerable position the character is in. The weather makes a road warning sign barely visible, which leads to the car accident.

During the car accident, you can hear the loud noises from the car as the character tries to gain control. The camera also follows the car as it spins around, out of control, showing how serious the crash is. Throughout this scene, the character tries to hold onto the satchel, reminding the audience that it is of great importance to the character and the story. At 4:36 of the clip, you can see the car is blended into the setting, again, showing the character's vulnerability in this situation. The cheerful song has now stopped and led to complete silence, removing the audience's false sense of security, and the silence really emphasises the isolation.

The next part of the scene is a flashback. It starts with an extreme close-up. It is again, next to the main character showing it has importance to him. The dialogue in the scene then goes on to explain how the satchel reminds him of when he first started writing, he explains how he felt he was a "writer then". This shows that the character relates that satchel to having freedom in this writing, rather than the Misery book series. This is why he clings to this object. His clinginess to the object is shown several times throughout the seen as he wraps his hand around it, keeping it secure next to him. It is also seen beside to him as he is dragged out of the car.