Understanding camera shots/angles/movement in general - The Talented Mr Ripley Opening Sequence

A close up is used at the beginning of the opening sequence featuring a man on a beach putting on his shoes. This tells the viewer that they will be shown all of the minor details of the storyline throughout the film.

The camera then pans up to show the rest of the man’s body, revealing that he is only wearing swimwear. This confuses the viewers as shows are not normally worn at the beach, this works well with the confusion of a psychological thriller film. The camera cuts to a very long shot, showing the man in his entirety and not cutting any part of him out. This also sets a busy scene of all the people around him. The camera pans round to follow him down to the sea. This gives the idea that he is being watched. The camera then continues to follow the man but as he starts to run the camera also starts to move faster but weaving in-between deck chairs on the beach. This adds to the idea that he is being watched but also increases the pace of the sequence.

As the man stops in the water holding his shoes, the camera also stops behind a deck chair. We see that the man feature in the scene is then shown in amongst a large number of other people. This symbolises how normal the situation is and allows the audience to relate to the situation.

The shot the cuts to a medium close up to show the people behind him before he runs back up the beach to the people that are featured behind him. The camera zooms in slightly as he walks back up the beach but is not as fast as the man walking so it shows the full length of his body again.

The scene then switches between close ups and two shots between himself and the 2 people he is talking to. This includes more characters that are going to be followed in the storyline. The use of intimate shots of the characters faces tells the audience that they will create a close connection with them.

Added to this, is the repeated use of a long shot which features all 3 characters. This suggests that their relationships with each other will become stronger as the storyline progresses.