Opening Sequence Analysis 3 (LORD of WAR)

"Lord of War" uses a very effective opening sequence that draws its audience in becuase of its uniquess and originality. The opening consists of a 1st person narrative of a bullet. We see how the bullet is manufactured, checked over, packaged, shipped, loaded and used to kill. The first scene starts with a crane shot coming down overlooking a factory. The factories lighting is very dark. This could possibly be to show how sinister the birth place of a bullet is. This factory creates weapons of death and the dim lighting used corrosponds this. It could also be dark to show how the bullet is still in the womb of its process as it gradully gets lighter as it is shipped about until finaly the bullet is taken out of its box and spilled onto the floor. Here bright colours are used to show its final birth before it is loaded into the gun. A fantastic view down the barrell of the gun is then used while the gun is aimed about and finaly shot. As the bullet leaves the barrell we follow its path until slow motion is used to allow us to look into the face of its victim. Quiet shockingly the victim is a young boy which makes it all the worse when the bullet penertrates his head. The lighting also shows us how far around the world this bullet has travelled. From a dark factory to a pale shipping dock to a sunny (supposedly) Africa.
Amazing camera shots are used when the bullet is dropped and begins to roll. The camera remains in a 1st person shot spinning around and around until it is picked up just before falling over the edge of a dock. When it is picked up a finger and thumb appear each side of the camera making it very realistic as if the camera is really a bullet being picked up.
The song choice (Buffalo Springfield "Stop Children Whats That Sound")is also an excellent one as it is calm and relaxed and not at all the sort of song you would expect to be played when corrosponded with images of bullets, guns and death. However the pace of the song matches the flow of the course the bullet is taking well and also lyrically matches the theme of guns and resistance. "Step out of line the man come and take you away"
This film opening successfully captures my attention with its camera effects, sound, lighting and origionality. I would defiantly watch the rest of this film.