Deconstruction of an opening scene: Now You See Me (2013)

'Now You See Me' is a thriller film that was released in 2013 and directed by Louis Leterrier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_diRgwPCS8
 

The opening scene starts with J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) performing a card trick to one specific person but with a large crowd around him. The next part of the scene goes to another magician called Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) performing a temporary sleep / paralysis trick to a married couple. The next short clip is Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) on a boat performing a trick to everyone there, asking people to guess how he does it. The last clip shows Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) in a tank of water, trying to escape before a case of piranhas falls in with her.
 

The beginning point of view shot at eye level sets the scene as if we are involved and makes it seem more intimate to the audience. This gives connotations of the genre already because the audience being involved means that we will be present throughout the film and feel the suspense. There is also the point of view of the magician with the woman in front of him and everyone around looking into the camera, so we also feel as though we know what will happen next as if we're the magician, or playing along with it.
When the trick is almost finished, he throws the cards in the air and the camera tilts up to watch them, revealing a large building in the background with the lights from the rooms arranged to become the card that we saw. This camera tilt is very effective because it follows the path of the cards floating around and establishes the finishing to the trick, giving us a sense of awe. There is then a shot that almost 'shows off' the trick, with a pan shot that tilts upwards. This reiterates the point of the trick being amazing to everyone, showing is in 'glory'. The next shot is looking down on everyone as they're clapping and looking up at the building with the cards still flying around, and it zooms into the magician with a smug look on his face to show that he is very powerful and proud. The colours are dark but vibrant so it doesn't look gloomy, as the audience are amazed by the trick.

 

The next scene shows the next magician performing a trick where he makes the wife temporarily fall asleep so when she wakes up she can't move or speak. He focuses on the man and 'reads his mind' while the woman watches. There are fast-paced over-the-shoulder shots to keep showing the reaction of the man to what he is saying. This adds drama and tension because it is happening quickly, highlighting that the magician is professional and that he can get anything out of anyone. There are quick close-up shots on different features of the man's face as each letter of the alphabet is said to show the man's reaction to what is happening and shows that he is fearful of what may be revealed about him, also creating tension as to what we'll find out.

 

Next there is an establishing shot of the boat that the next magician is performing on. He makes himself out to be a newly starting magician by performing in a public place where no one appears to be interested, however he times it so that the boat reaches the harbour by the time the trick is finished so he can make an escape after stealing a man's wallet and watch - he was acting the whole time. This adds a sense of comedy to the scene because we realise that he is very clever and is able to sneak easily without anyone noticing. The low angle shot of him going down the stairs of the boat still makes him appear powerful and more clever than everyone else because of what he's done.

 

 

 

The last clip is of the female magician performing indoors to a large crowd, established by high angle shots from the far-out parts of the arena they're in and the loud cheering. She pretends that she can't perform her trick because something has gone wrong, that she needs help but can't get out and is 'eaten' by the piranhas, generating a lot of fear in the audience because the large arena and glamorous outfit she's wearing show her to be a well-known professional and it is unexpected that something would go wrong. There is a low angle shot of the large timer on the wall, emphasising its 'power' over what she does.

All of these scenes are accompanied by non-diegetic soundtrack that sounds like it's composed of brass, string and percussion instruments that get quieter and play in the background while they are each performing, and become louder again as they finish the tricks to make it seem more epic to the audience and leave them with a sense of awe. This is effective because it conveys the genre of thriller, being a common convention, and makes it more showcase-like.