Bullet Boy Opening Sequence Analysis

TITLES: The titles are simple, with white lettering on a black background. The black background then changes to a dark shot of boy (we later found out that the boy is in the back of a car). The sequence then fades to white, with 'BULLET BOY' in capitals in black. This sudden change, along with the title being slightly offset, makes the audience begin to subconsciously think the film's general theme will be slightly unbalanced, maybe with a struggle or a contrast.

INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION: Included in the titles are the logos 'BBC Films' and UK Film Council. The text 'A Shine Production' is also intermingled with the title sequence.

LOCATION: The first location seen is in a prison. This location, coupled with the title and the film poster (of the character with a gun) makes the audience think that the main character has commited a crime, possibly gun-related. The other location seen is someone in a car, possibly driving to collect the main character.

CHARACTERS: The original feeling that the audience gets from the main character is that he has committed a crime, shown from the prison, the movie title and the movie poster. The character seems laid back, lying down and seeming to be relaxing. The shot then shows a female police officer. The character seems to be on good terms with the officer, as she speaks colloquially to him, "Come on sleepy head, time to go 'ome". This shows that he may actually be friendly or familiar with the officer, maybe insinuating that he has been there before.

GENRE AND THEMES: The main theme shown in the opening two minutes is crime. This is represented by the prison. However, digging deeper into this, taking into account that he is a young black male in tracksuit, combined with his dialect and the film poster, the opening two minutes also represents to audiences and foreshadows the theme of gangs and gang violence, typical in a youth culture film.

OTHER EXPECTATIONS: The non-diagetic sound has an ominous feel to it, foreshadowing events in the film and creating tension.