Analysis of the opening sequence of

Pulp Fiction (1994) directed by Quentin Tarantino

Narrative structure:
The opening sequence of Pulp fiction begins with a man and a women sitting
in a dinner in the middle of conversation which topic is unknown to the
audience. It then becomes clear the audience that they are talking about
robbing banks. The couple then kiss each other after getting slightly aroused
at the thought of robbing the dinner. A few seconds later the man jumps up on
the chair and waves the gun around, then the women gets up and warns the
customers that she is not afraid to kill them all.
Mise en scene:
The opening scene is set inside a dinner, at a booth where the man and
woman are sitting. The woman is dressed in a loose purple dress, she has
short hair and is wearing little make up. The man is dressed in a Hawaiian
shirt and has slicked back hair. Throughout this scene the director has
position the characters in the centre of the frame.
The props used in this scene are; tables ware such as plates and coffee cups,
a cigarette and a gun.
Camera work:
The scene begins with an eye level shot of the couple talking positioned
central in the frame. The camera the zooms in on the waitress face as see
asks the couple if they want coffee. The director the uses a shot reverse shot
of the couple having a conversation. The camera then zooms in slowly to the
man talking, then shows a close up of the gun on the table. Then as the man
stands on the chair the camera tilts up to show him doing this action.
Sound:
In this scene the director mainly uses diegetic sounds such as the sound of
traffic in the background, dialogue and the sound of people talking in the
background. The director also uses the non-diegetic sound of background
music.