Analyse opening sequence of a film

A Field in England
The opening of the sequence starts with diegetic drums, which
indicates we are in the midst of an ongoing battle, as drum
players in battles were a key part. The sound of them used to
rally the troops together and keep the soldiers to the rhythm
of the marching. However, the constant banging of the drums in
the sequence adds a level of tension to the film as it is a
fast paced opening. This correlates with the first shot of the
film, which is a shaky cam shot through some bushes. However,
we learn that it is a P.O.V shot of someone running, which
tells us that the character is in some sort of panic or rush.
Linking back to the battle, it could mean that the character
is running away from the battle which could imply he is some
sort of deserter.
When we finally see the protagonist, we as the audience
realise that the cinematography of the film is black and
white. This could have been done to fit the time period of the
film (we know its around the 17th century because of his
clothing and the language used later), or maybe it was done to
remove all sense of joy and colour from the colour, thus
making it a much darker and bleaker film. The first close up
of the protagonist tells us that he has gone through some sort
of struggle, as there are cuts, blood smears and mud all over
his face. The close up is done to dramatize what he has been
through so we the audience can sympathize with him more. His
heavy breathing is also executed in the same way, it is
amplified in post production to again, create tension. This
part of the opening sequence sets the tone for the rest of
film.
When we first hear him speak, we realise that he is a very
religious man as he is praying, (which is diegetic dialogue),
Please God dont let him find me, along with him quoting
bible scripture as well. However, the phrase Please God dont
let him find me is repeated multiple times in the opening
sequence, at least three times to show that he is in a great
amount of danger.
Then the sequence cuts to another man who is in some sort of
distress, probably from the battle as well as he is lying
down. However, we do not cut to a tight shot of his face like
we did with the protagonist. This couldve been done to add a
sense of mysteriousness to the character, or maybe imply that
we are not supposed to feel sympathetic towards him. The mise
en scene in the frame shows smoke, tress, plants and big open
fields, which couldve been done to show that character is
just a small figure compared to the big gloomy, black and

white environment. The wide shot gives us a sense of how grand

the scale of the battle and the environment, that they are
fighting in, is. The same distressed (now calmed down) man in
the next shot (he is in) is walking towards a dead body.
However, we do not see his face again or in fact the clothes
he is wearing, as he is in silhouette. This shot has been
implemented to foreshadow that the character might have a dark
personality, or in fact that he is some sort of villain. Both
of these shots link together in the same way, as they both
symbolise that the character is mysterious.