Analysis of "London to Brighton" Opening and Title Sequences

Analysis of London to Brighton Opening and Title Sequences

The film London to Brighton begins with multiple production idents. The first one is “Vertigo Films”, it is then followed by an advertisement for “The National Lottery”, and it tells the audience that the making of this film must have been funded by the national lottery and that it is an English film. “UK film council” then appears, all of these production idents so far have entered or exited the screen in an interesting way with animation. There is no sound at all present in these titles and they are “over black” and so this makes them more noticeable and prominent to the audience. The titles are very slow paced and the audience are apprehensive for when the story line begins. A tableau fades into the screen saying “London 3:07 am”. The audience can now become settled and prepare to pay attention on what is going to happen next; they now know that it is set in the morning and that the location the characters are in is London. This gives them some comfort because the film is called “London to Brighton” and so everything so far makes sense. However the precise nature of the time "3:07" is very detailed and so it lets the audience know that it is to be remembered or that timing is significant in the scene. These titles overall have been stand alone, they have not been part of the film, they are not part of the narrative structure or been used as a narrative technique. 

There is a long pause with complete silence before the film starts and so it is a shock when it does. There is no transitional effect, just a fast, abrupt cut and it takes the audience aback. There is no musical score in the background of the scene and in fact all of the sound heard is diegetic. The door being burst open is synchronised and so is the tap water running although it is asynchronous. We can hear both characters heaving and it makes the audience feel uncomfortable because there is a sense of urgency to the scene already, it has only been a few seconds. The lighting is hard high key which makes the scene seem very bleak and it also adds to the grunginess. The scene is filmed using many medium close ups but the audience still to manage to see glimpses of the environment the characters are in. The tap is running, the woman is looking in a mirror and the girl is also pushed in to a cubicle and so the audience know they are in a toilet and we get the impression they are public toilets. This is because of the graffiti on the walls and doors, it doesn't look like a nice place to be and so this is what gives it the grungy impression. 

The medium close ups make the environment seem a lot more claustrophobic, the audience sense that the characters don’t have a lot of room and it suffocates them just watching. The medium close ups also mean that the audience have a chance to look at the characters, although it is difficult because there is a lot of fast editing. The girl seems very young and is in fact a child, she has her hair tied back in a ponytail and is wearing a very simple, long sleeved top that is purple, it is a stereotypical look for a young girl. However we start to worry for this child because she is seen to be wearing make-up, the bright red lipstick is smudged all over her lips and black mascara is running down her face from her tears. A girl of this age should not be wearing make-up at all and even so why does is it such a mess? Also why is she up at 3:07 in the morning? Enigmas enter the story line form the very beginning of this scene and this is one of them.  The older woman, in the scene doesn't look good either. She has blonde, greasy, straggly hair and her eye is swollen up, the audience assume she must have been punched in the face but why? The woman is also wearing a big black, coat which doesn't flatter her any further. These characters are in such a state, it worries the audience. The kinetic camera movement also adds to the sense of confusion and all the enigmas because it is disorientating. The film has begun in the middle of the plot and so there is restricted narrative because the audience are having to work out for themselves what is going on, the narrative is non-linear. 

Both of the characters aren't in good condition and we wonder what happened to them but we also wonder what their connection with each other is. The audience ask themselves this because the older woman has a very strong, cockney accent whereas the girl has a northern one, they also don’t look the same and so they may not be related, especially as this woman doesn’t seem responsible enough to be looking after a young girl. She seems to have been in a fight, put make-up on this girl and later on she sells herself to get money. The young girl also doesn’t trust her and we know this because she asks “promise you will come back?” The amount of questions that the audience have already about this film is very unsettling and we are worrying for the characters as well. We do not like whatever situation the characters are in and we are judging them. Tension is built however when the woman leaves the girl behind. 

There are still no transitions between the scenes and this quickens the pace, it enhances the sense of desperation the characters have and keeps the amount of pressure high. The establishing shot is used to indicate where the woman has gone but also to reiterate what time of day it is. It is very dark and so obviously still very early; the audience feel empathy as they must be feeling tired and especially stressed. However, this sympathy from the audience doesn’t last for very long because of the language used. The woman’s accent is colloquial but she also swears and she comes across as very aggressive. The hard high key lighting emphasis the roughness and so does the background noise of traffic, she is not doing herself any favours and the audience soon find themselves disliking her, whatever her situation is. 

By eating chips in a toilet cubicle brings disgust to the audience, it is adding to their already awful hygiene, especially as chips are the healthiest of foods. However the dialogue in this scene gives the audience a bit of understanding and we find out that they are trying to run away from someone (a man) and that they have a plan to get out of London and make their way to Brighton. We now know the main plot of this film as we have related what we have found out to the title.  

A low angle is used to highlight the fact that the woman in this scene is in control and that the man is inferior. This seems odd as so far the woman has been one of the most vulnerable characters with the condition she is in. The low key lighting accentuates some mystery and an element of danger, especially as there is no shot reverse shot of the conversation and so the audience cannot see but only hear the person she is making a deal with. The audience are shocked to find out that she is selling herself in order to get money and we are outraged, we know this because it was insinuated within the dialogue and a long shot shows her getting into the car. The audience think back to the child who is on her own at this point and they are scared for her. An eye line match shot shows the door of the cubicle, in which the girl is hiding, being forced open. It makes the audience feel vulnerable now because they are viewing it from the girl’s point of view and so it highlights just how small she is. The diegetic, asynchronous shouting outside the door is very threatening and very loud also, suspense is created because the girl is on her own and she doesn’t want to be discovered. The actress’s body language is tense as she cradles into a tight ball, the audience know just how scared she is, and they feel frightened as well with the extreme close up of the lock, it doesn’t seem like a very stable barrier between temporary safety and potential danger, especially as it is shaking violently. 

Another establishing shot is used to show the train station, it looks empty and is very quiet. This creates an eerie atmosphere because usually train stations are the scene of rush hour and busy people but this one isn’t. The audience can also hear, in the distance, sirens and so once again all of this reminds the audience that this is an unnatural time to be awake. The majority of everyone is asleep and the only people that appear to be up are the emergency services or people causing trouble and are in need of the emergency services. An extreme long shot shows the two characters running to the platform after successfully buying tickets and this is the first time the audience physically see how urgent and how much of a rush they are in to get away. Previously tension was created from all the hiding and waiting, whilst now it is been created by the characters running away from the problems they have faced. The long shot that is used emphasises their vulnerability also because they appear to be small.

Shot reverse shot is used to show the audience the conversation that is taking place but also to emphasis the fact that it is only those two in their carriage; otherwise they might have whispered. Another piece of information is found out by the audience, the name of the man, “Derek”. The audience can begin to connect the story together but there are still many enigmas and questions to be solved and so this is how the tension throughout the whole film is maintained, by keeping the audience at an arm’s length and continuing the mystery. As the girl falls asleep the camera focuses on a medium shot of the woman and this draws the audience’s attention to the expression on her face, we try to read it and guess what she is thinking. The diegetic sound of the train tracks become louder and louder and soon we hear a baby crying. We are full of fear once again.