Analysis of Opening an Sequence (Office Space)

Above is the opening sequence for the 1999 comedy Office Space. It is an American comedy film which comes quite apparent in this opening sequence. When the scene begins there is a sound of car horns beeping when the credits are shown initiating that there is going to be a traffic scene. We then see an Ariel shot then a long shot of the traffic establishing where the character is going to be introduced to the audience. Playing over these shots is jazzy Spanish music illustrating to the audience that the film is a light-hearted comedy. Also the use of bubbly, blue font in the opening credits insinuates the films comedic attributes.
We then see a business man in his car clearly frustrated by the traffic and there are a lot of close ups on his face showing this. He tries to avade the traffic by switching lanes as he see the other lanes is moving quite quickly but when he does, the lane he was in before starts to move and he is stuck in the traffic. We then see an over-the-shoulder shot of an old man walking on the pavement overtaking him which makes him even more frustrated which is quite humerous for the audience to watch.

We are then introduced to another character also stuck in the traffic. He is a white male with glasses playing gangster rap music in his car which is quite comical because it is peculiar to see a character like him singing along to rap. It is made even more droll when a point of view shot shows a black man approaching him and he locks his doors and turns down the volume of the music then turns it back up again when the man walks past the car.

Again we are introduced to another chracter stuck in the traffic and it shows he is extremely frustrasted with the traffic as he fights the steering wheel and starts screaming which adds another funny element to the scene.

This scene introduces the characters showing their personalities so the audience get a concise insight on the nature of the film. Also music and sound effects are illustrated throughout the opening scene stating there maybe many comical moments in the film.

Looking at this opening sequence has made me realise i need to establish what genre my film is, it is also key to introduce the main characters and give the audience an insight into their personalities, also use appropriate music and sound effects to add an atmosphere.