The document provides an analysis of visual and technical codes in scenes from the James Bond film Skyfall. It summarizes key details about the setting, characters, and camera work in the opening scene. Specifically, it notes that the dark hallway signifies something bad has happened, Bond is shown with a gun for protection amid danger and violence, and a dead body is discovered, showing this will be an action film. The document also analyzes how the characters' appearances convey their roles, with the villain in a white blazer seeming confident and threatening compared to Bond.

1. ACTION
James Bond- Skyfall
Fatihah
&
Chloe

2. Appearance
Villian in white juxtaposes to what
we usually associate the colour
white as pure and innocent
• Suit
• Earpiece
• Earpiece
• Styled hair
• Cufflinks
• Watch
• Knows how to handle a gun
• Suit
• No tie
• Sunglasses (not formal)
• Man in white suit
• With black shirt
• Man with dark suit. White shirt
• Woman in blood red dress
• Blood on woman's lip, shows
violence
• Tied in rope

3. Props
• Smashed computer- shows that there was
something important on the computer that
needed to be damaged/ destroyed
• Alcohol- as the alcohol is expensive and the
villian is proud of it shows that he is powerful
and also juxtaposes to the scene
• Silver tray, flowers in a vase
• Guns- danger, protection, violence
• Ear piece- spy, secret, he is being controlled
shows that he is not doing it on his own
• Rope- kidnapping, forced
• Shot glass
• Record player- contrapuntal sound

4. Miscellaneous
• Blood – the blood in the opening scene suggest a
strong suggestion that there has been violence
occurring in this scene also reinforces that the
people are dead. We expect to see violence in
action movies and by showing this in the first scene
speaks directly to the audience that it is an action
movie
• Dead bodies – again showing violence and by
showing the bodies implies that they have been
left and are now irrelevant to the film
• Spotlight/White light backing – the bright natural
light that frames the one remaining person alive
could signify as going into the light and also creates
bond to look like a silhouette

5. Location
• Empty corridor- as it is empty and is
deserted except from bond creates
an eerie feeling
• Dark flat
• Deserted city/town- suggests war, or
something dangerous and
destructive happened here, it
creates questions in the audience,
why is it empty? What happened?
• Establishing shot of city surrounded
by water- shows isolation, and
answers some questions

6. Signs & Signifiers
Opening of skyfall:-
Location is a dark hallway signifies that something bad has happened,
there is no artificial lighting only natural. The main character is edging
with care bringing up a gun, which signifies to the audience that there is
a need to protect himself and violence will be occurring. We associate
guns with, death, violence, danger, protection and frightening.
Bond is seen wearing a suit, signifying to the audience that this
character is smart and professional, he is not unemployed, he has
reason to be there.
We do not fully see bonds face at first, but as he walks closer to the
camera, a stream of light highlights bonds face, by only showing this
part of bonds face creates mystery, we do not know if he is a villian at
first or a main character it is a secret to the audience until this stream of
light shines on bonds face.
As bond investigates the scene the audience is shown a dead man face
down to the floor, signifying that there has been a lot of violence
occurring, something unexplained.
The soundtrack to this scene is quiet, lingering in the background, a
group of strings creating tension and building the suspense in the scene

7. Technical codes, Symbolic codes, Written
codesTechnical codes
Technical codes are all the
ways in which equipment is
used to tell the story in a
media text, for example the
camera work in a film.
Symbolic/ visual codes
Symbolic/ visual codes are
all the ways in which
appearance is used to tell
the story in a media text, for
example the mise en scene
in a film
Written codes
Written codes are all the
ways in which text is
used to tell the story in a
media text, for example
the headlines in a film
For example in skyfall in the opening scene
we are shown an out of focus man moving
directly towards the camera, there is a bright
natural light streaming in, framing the man in
the shadows. As he moves forward the shot
changes from long shot to a medium shot
changing to an extreme close up and the
strangers face is revealed. The camera moves
with him for a moment and then moves
around the back of bond tracking him. The
camera then switches to a front view of the
character, the camera changes to be shot in
the point of view of the character., but as we
are shown the second dead body, bonds legs
come in to frame and the camera tracks bond
again.
For example in the second clip, we are shown
different personalities of the characters just by
their appearance and clothing, we are shown the
difference, one is a villain the other is the hero. I
watched one of the clips without sound or prior
knowledge to the films story line, only knowing
that bond was the main character. This was very
interesting as I was just judging the characters by
their appearance and body language, it was clear
to me that the other man with bond was a villain
instantly, with his white blazer and hidden red
shirt. He expressed an air of confidence, he was
not worried or frightened, his body language was
not comforting or directly kind towards bond in
the first few seconds, his body language was
threatening.