PRODUCTION LOG | RESEARCH: FILM OPENING ANALYSIS

Today we looked at and analysed the TV drama Zen that aired on BBC 1. We saw the ways in which the genre (Thriller) was shown:

·         Pictures of guns to signify crime

·         Pictures of keys to signify prisons (as in ‘Lock ‘im up and throw away the key (THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW))

·         The protagonist (Zen) is in a dark suit with sun glasses, looking in charge and formal

·         Buildings that relate to the Italian buildings, particularly the police station with ‘The Questera’ clearly inscribed on the front of the vuilding.

This crime and detective series features the main character Aurelio Zen. It is based in Rome and the storyline is based on the books by Michael Dibdin. I saw how the opening had many clues that showed the Italian nature of the drama, such as:

·         Constant use of green, white and red to signify the Italian flag

·         Silhouettes of famous buildings in Rome and Italy such as St Peter’s dome as well as birds eye shots of St Peter’s square which are iconic emblems of Rome which are well known throughout the world.

·         Lots of pictures of Fiat Cinquento, a classic Italian car which appears frequently in Italian movies and TV shows