In this essay I am going to analyse the ways in which directors use cinematic techniques to build tension for the audience in the opening of The Bourne Ultimatum and Casino Royale. Both films are of the action/adventure genre and both were extremely successful.
In Casino Royale the opening is set in the Czech Republic. We are told told this in the first scene and it helps create the 'cold' imagery used, along with the snow and the use of black & white. In the office building it is dark which adds to the mystery of the first charater and makes us think that he shouldn't be there. In Bourne again the setting is in Eastern Europe again, this time in Russia. It is set in a much more busy area in the centre of Moscow and this makes it more action packed compared to Casino Royale. The lighing in Casino Royale is very dark apart from the toilet fighting scene. There is a big contrast between the conversation scene in which Bond is very much in shadow which makes him seem almost like the bad guy and the other character is not in shadow. In between the conversation there is a flashback which is the toilet fighting scene. In Bourne the lighting is quite similar all the way through which the main character is generally in part shadow, eg, in the street, train station and in the medical centre. Bond in Casino Royale seems very cool, calm and confident because hes in the dominant position but in the fight scene this is quite the opposite, he struggles with the enemy and after he kills him he seems quite emotional. This creates tension because there is such a contrast and the audience are not use to seeing Bond like that. In Bourne he seems agitated and is in obvious pain but doesn't let it affect him while he is chased, only when hes alone. This creates tension because were not quite sure why he is in pain and because of his limp, he is more likely to get caught.
In Casino Royale thereis an establishing shot which tells the audience the setting and location. As the man gets out of the car the low camera angle looks up on him, which makes him look important and emphasises his actions, him looking around to see if anyone else is around. As he walks into the office the camera is at a slight angle and pans. This makes the audience feel that everything is not as it seems and that someone is watching him which ends up being the case. During the conversation they use close ups mainly aswell as over the shoulder and wide shots. Also Bond is positioned in the frames at the left, while the other guy is on the right. During the fighting scene the camera is handheld and there is a birds eye viewpoint. It being handheld adds to the tension and the sense of struggle. In Bourne most of the camerawork is handheld which adds to the action and the sense that Bourne is in a hurry- he is on the run. When in the medical centre there are uses of midshots and close ups, a zoom into the face and a medium shot when hes holding the gun. They use these to show the emotion and reaction to Bourne because hes in a lot of pain.
In Casino Royale the editing is conventional. They use a lot of straight cuts throughout especially during conversation. At the cross cuts between the conversation and the fighting and during the fighting the ending is very fast paced. This creates a lot of tension. In Bourne there are a lot more jump cuts than in Casino Royale and has more pace. This keeps the audience interested, on edge and makes them want to see more.
In Casino Royale there is a soundtrack which is non - diegetic and has echoes eg footsteps which creates mystery and tension. Bourne uses a sound bridge which gets louder and louder and more dramatic as it goes on. It also has diegetic sound eg police sirens. Many of the sounds are enhanced to create more effect.
In conclusion I think Casino Royale is the most effective in creating tension but Bourne entices the audience more because it hasd a more action packed opening.
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