Task 2:1 Research into existing products-Blue velvet analysis

Blue velvet

In the opening sequence of blue velvet we can hear very intense music, this foreshadows the extract to be quite intense and dark. We then see a tracking shot of the camera, the camera travels down a bright blue sky to a bed of roses and a white picket fence and this represents the American dream, as the American dream was a suburban house with a white picket fence is a sunny state. There is also a use of the colours red white and blue, this shows that the film is very patriotic. In the background we can hear very calm and slow music, this contrasts to the music we heard at the start of the extract. The camera then fades into black.

The scene opens to a red fire truck driving down a street, the fire truck has a dog sitting on it, and this signifies that there is no emergency and that the neighbourhood is safe as they are being watched over. The calm music continues in the background to represent a calm and perfect America. The camera then fades back onto a white picket fence with tulips swaying in the wind. The camera then faded onto a long shot of school children walking across, the children are in a lot of red, the colour red connotes danger, this foreshadows that something bad will happen to this almost perfect American neighbourhood. The camera then fades to an establishing shot of a typical American home.

The shot then fades into a long shot of an elderly man watering grass, he is wearing light colours to signify his innocence. The calm music continues in the background as to this man today is a normal day. This fades to an elderly woman sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea. The camera focuses on a TV, in which a gun is being pointed to someone, the camera immediately cuts to the elderly man signifying that someone is about to happen to the man to do with murder. The camera switches between the man and a hose plugged into the wall to foreshadow an event that will happen to the elderly man. The camera then tracks into the old man falling to the floor. The calm music still continues to play in the background to contrast with the actual event taking place.

The camera then fades into a long shot of the man is a fenced off part of the floor next to a confused child, who doesn’t know what to do, there is also a dog playing with the hose still in the man’s hand as he struggles on the floor, this signifies that the neighbourhood is not perfect, people just ignore any unfortunate events and put a blanket over anything. The camera finally tracks in on the grass, the calm music stops and becomes very intense. The camera tracks deeper and deeper into the grass and a lot of dark colours are used to signify that there is mystery and danger surrounding the event.