Opening Sequence Analysis

Baby driver opening sequence  analysis 

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Budget: 34 million USD

Production company: Working Title Films, Media Rights Capital. 

Baby driver is the film directed by Edgar Wright ,released in 2017. The movies can be classified as action, drama and crime film. The movie made around 226.9 million USD according to box office. The cast is Lily James, Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Eisa Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Flea, Sky Ferreira, CJ Jones etc.

Summary of an opening sequence.

The movie is about a Baby, a music-loving orphan also happens to be the prodigiously talented go-to getaway driver for heist mastermind Doc. With the perfect soundtrack picked out for each and every job, Baby ensures Doc's violent, bank-robbing cronies - including Buddy, Bats and Darling - get in and out of Dodge before it's too late. He's not in it for the long haul though, hoping to nail one last job before riding off into the sunset with beautiful diner waitress Debora. Easier said than done. The opening sequence only shows the robbery and the chase scene, and creates the enigma for the audience of what is going to happen next and why were they robbing a bank at the first place. A variety of conventions is also used, such as introducing the protagonist and the other main characters, the location , title of film on a bright colorful background to represent the mood of the film (dynamic, energetic). The star billing and titles of the cast and crew members, the genre of the movie is also revealed (action, drama, crime film). Both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are used and the main thing is that the opening sequence has a hook and creates enigma for the audience.  

Cinematography 

The opening scene is 5:56 minutes long in total, which consists of two parts: the build-up and the actual chase scene.

The build-up is 2:06 minutes long, and includes 44 shots. Here the characters are introduced and we as the audience get a taste of the style that dominates the entire film, namely how action is synchronized with the music. All establishing shots of the four characters sitting in the red Subaru match the drumbeats. After the other three characters enter the bank, we have a 17-shot sequence where Baby dances to the music in his seat. It feels very dynamic and lively because the camera is constantly moving. Even with wide shots, there’s still a little bit of movement involved.

The sequence starts with four panning shots, with the first two pans from right to left and the last two in the opposite direction. 

Then we have the shot of Jon Hamm’s character Buddy lamming the door before the music takes a sudden stop. It serves as a visual cue for the transition to the second part, which has around 179 shots in about three minutes and a half. But like what I’ve mentioned previously, it is definitely more than a series of quick cuts.

Before the start of the chase scene, we know that Baby works with a group of criminals and loves his music, but as a getaway driver, can he drive? Of course, the sequence relied on stunts and CG to a certain extent, but the camera movement also played a role in showing how good Baby is behind the wheel.

Shots of the moving car have some over-the-top camera movement, and it’s justified by offering the audience a viceral viewing experience. But it is always rock solid every time when it cuts to Baby. Halfway through the chase scene, a bunch of police cars are chasing Baby’s Subaru, and here we get a very shaky shot of the two passengers sitting at the back with the lights in the background. These decisions help establishing Baby as a character is in total control of such situation and stay composed because he is good at what he does.

This sequence has nine shots, and it shows Baby drives into an allay way, slows down to avoid a police car before taking a left turn toward the parking lot. It could just be a mundane scene that shows Baby is not only a good driver but also bey resourceful.

Instead, two shots of Jon Bernthal’s character Griff were edited into the sequence and established the conflict between him and Bashot of him staring at Baby before the police car drives away. Although it is not the first time in the scene that we see Griff shows that he is suspicious toward Baby, the first one was tossed into the midst of action shots without much context . The shot here is almost like him questioning Baby’s ability: Can you get us out of this or not? By in less than two seconds. First, we have a quick panning 

Next we have a very subtle shot with Griff and Baby in the same frame, turning their heads in the opposite direction, away from each other. It only lasts for 15 frames and involves simple action, but the seed for the confrontation between the two later on was planted.

Editing 

The editing in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver is closer to the editing made in modern music videos than a film, the movie is heavily influenced by the soundtrack, every piece of action is built around the chosen song. The editor, edited the movie whilst on set which is different from the common practice of editing a movie in a studio with a full editing deck. Furthermore, Edgar Wright had the vision to make Baby Driver seem like a music video, yet not feel like one. 

Throughout Baby Driver, Wright and Machliss delight in cutting from one scene to the next on the beat of the music. It cuts from a gun deal planning meeting to the group driving in a car on the beat of the music. The music used in this quick-cut creates a feeling of anticipation and adventure, telling the audience that they are going on a journey of discovery and the cut is used to quickly jump to the next action in the story. Edgar Wright has unique editing style and technique where he does close-up quick-cuts of action moments. The match on action technique is used quite often, as well as the 180 degree rule. Although the rule was technically broken a few times, it still looks professionally edited and filmed, and does not look like a jump cut because of the same direction of movement. Wright is known for quick cuts, so the editing here should not be a surprise considering it is a chase scene.

    Mise-en scene 

Mise-en scene plays a huge part in creating the meaning for the audience. The big variety of costumes and props is used. Throughout the opening scene, all the robbers were wearing the same white shirts, ties and black coats on top, which represents the teamwork. The fact that they were wearing mostly black suggests crime and robbery. Also, all the robbers had the same black bandanas, covering their faces and sunglasses which make us think as they want to hide their identities, therefore suggesting something illegal might happen.The presence of  big black bags also makes us realize that they are planning to rob a bank. However the Baby was wearing everyday clothes, as if he was not being a part of the robbery, which represents his innocence and guiltlessness. The lighting, throughout the whole opening scene was mostly soft . The locations were mainly the crowded street and the car, however some of the shots were filmed in the bank too, suggesting that the action was happening during a day in front of all the people. 

Sound 

There are two main types of sounds used during an opening sequence diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is a noise which has a source on-screen. They are noises which have not been edited in, for example dialogue between characters or  footsteps. Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound, the sound that the protagonist could hear.  Non-diegetic sound is a noise which does not have a source on-screen, they have been added in, such as music or foley sound. 

From the very beginning we can hear diegetic sounds such as footsteps, the sound of doors opening and closing, the sound of cars and crowded street, and music. Very often the music is used as a non-diegetic sound, the sound that has been edited on top of the action, however here, the music is something the character could hear. The whole opening sequence, every piece of action is built around the soundtrack of the chosen song, because the idea was to make the movie seem as a music video. The action was synchronized with  music. The music was very energetic and lively, especially when the Baby was dancing alone in the car. The drumbeats of ‘Bellbottoms’ matched some of the shots