Film Opening Analysis

Film & Genre
Django Unchained (2012), Western

Where The Story Takes Place And Time Scale
The story takes place in a number of different locations following a slave march through deserts and forests. The time scale is unclear but the use of different times of the day and different locations can lead us to think that the march could have spanned anything from a few days to a few weeks.

What Happens
Not a lot of action happens as the opening scene is used to help us establish what life was like for Django before he was freed. All that happens is a variety of shots following the slave march through deserts and forests. It follows a chronological order however spanning from day to night and from location to location over a number of days. The opening credits are overlayed in front of the action in a bright red font which is very stylized and old fashioned.

Do Events Follow On From Each Other?
The events are completely related and follow on from each other in chronological order, I believe the opening scene is very much like a prequel to the rest of the film as it helps us to understand what happened before the main scene of events.

Which Characters Are Introduced And What Are Their Roles?
No characters are explicitly revealed during the opening scene, however, the camera does zoom in on Django's face multiple times suggesting that he is the main character. In addition to this, the music playing is about Django in a 'Folk Song Fashion' which presents Django as an old folk hero or something of the sort. It is assumed that the audience realises who the main character and they therefore realise that he is a slave, as he is in shackles and on a slave march, which raises questions as to how he can be a hero when he is a slave.

How Much Story Info is revealed and How?
Almost no story information is revealed, the only thing we find out is that Django is a slave and that he was on a slave march. Certain things are deliberately withheld e.g. the length of the slave march and the brutality that occurs, this is withheld as it leaves it to the audience's imagination which is a powerful movie technique.

What Do You Think The Audience Need To Know At The Start?
I believe the audience doesn't need to know anything in certain situations. There isn't a set list and this is very situational. In Django, the fact that Django is a slave is reavealed and not much else. I feel that this works well for this film as it leaves the audience anxious to see the next scene but still does it's job of telling the audience who Django once was and what his life has been like up to now.