Saving Private Ryan Opening Analysis

Camera
The first shot shows the soldiers in their boats heading towards land to fight. The camera moves up and down when showing the outside of the boat as if you was looking across from another boat. The camera moves along with the waves to make you feel as if your in the boat opposite. The camera then starts at the back of the boat and zooms out to the front showing all of the characters on board. This close up shot shows the expressions on the faces of the soldiers and how they are reacting to the situation. For example two people throw up and the shot zooms out. When the leaders start talking you see that as if you are stood next to the speaker. When the boats hit land, the camera moves up to behind a German turret. From this shot you can see the amount of boats coming in and the size of the beach and how very little spaces there are for the troops to hide from gun fire.

Mise En Scene
From the first shot we can tell that this film is about war. When the boats are sailing towards the beach you can see the traditional green camouflage and army helmets. You can also see a few weapons. The scared expression of some of the soldiers faces also help you to understand the situation. The colours are dark, the dark green colour of the uniform and the shadowy boats block out most of the light in the boat. This gives a nervous and sad feeling to the viewer. As the film starts the date is shown, this is to show the audience when and where the film is set. This date was a significant date to World War 2 as it was D-Day. The props used were mainly guns but before the soldiers hit land you see a few of the soldiers pull out crosses and pray.

Sound
As the film starts all you can hear is the sea and the waves crashing on the beach. This makes you feel alone as there is no one on the screen and you seem to be on a deserted beach. Like with the camera shots, we have the sound of what the soldiers can hear on the boat. This is called diegetic sound. This carry's on through the whole of the opening with the sergeant shouting and the gun fire.

Editing
The film switches from shot to shot with a straight cut. There are no fancy transitions which shows this film is serious and to the point. The shots change quickly as in war, anything can happen that can change the outcome of who wins.