Django Unchained

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEfbTUAP0E

The very first shot in Django Unchained is an establishing shot of a hot and rocky desert which could suggest that the film is like a western film with a lot of adventure. After around 10 seconds of showing the establishing shot, the camera slowly pans to the right as the camera pedestals downwards until it displays several African Americans chained together, wearing minimal clothing and walking in a line – suggesting that slavery is a key part of this film. The panning and pedestal of the camera then slowly come to a stop to focus on the scars on the slaves backs. The scars on their backs connote violence, fighting and tragedy. 

This scene is set in a bright environment to make it look sunny and hot. During the start, the non-diegetic music playing in the background kept repeating the name ‘Django’ indication to the audience that Django is the main character. 

The next shot shows close up shots of the entire slaved people as they walk past the camera. The camera focuses on each man for less that a second but the camera stays focused at one particular person – Django. This first shot we see of him shows the audience what he looks like and the tough situation he is in. In this close-up we can see that Django is tired and worn out - making the audience feel sorry for him. The very next shot is a close up shot of the side of Djangos face as he’s walking along. This short scene had been edited so that Djangos face is blurred when the credits are onscreen and not blurred when the credits are off screen. This is effective as subconsciously shows us where to look because we would naturally look at areas that are the least blurry.

The next shot is of an extreme long shot of the desert. The camera slowly pans to the right followed by a sudden zoom to a long shot of group of slaves and their two owners. The lighting in this scene is considerably less brighter than the scenes before, suggesting that they have been walking to a long period of time. Then in the next scene it is evident it is during the night as the background is pitch black and the slaves are shivering in the cold.