Bad Boys II is an action-comedy, however throughout the opening sequence I was picking up elements of a sci-fi sub-genre as the titles that outline the location and the situation give off an investigation-science element and also because the opening sequence starts of in an ecstasy lab, allowing the audience to identify the setting...
The use of the typed titles allowing the audience to relate to the setting in which it is describing, getting them ready for what's in store.
A sense of suspense is built up as the setting it showed through glass first of all covered with something, as the experimenter scrapes it back...
All throughout the opening sequence the titles of names and producers etc come up as the story is being mapped out...
As the audience begin to realise that they're witnessing the mass-production of ecstasy they begin to feel on edge, however as the actors/actresses names keep appearing, they know that something will be done to solve this problem, signifying hope for the audience.
The opening is following the drugs being shipped around and many different camera angles are used to create suspense. Many pans and tilts are used to introduce a new setting, giving off a sense of mystery as the audience want to know what'll happen next. A lot of crane shots are also used to get closer to the action of the shipping of drugs and show the invasion of privacy as the audience sense that someone is after the "bad guys"...
As the audience is witnessing the drug shipping, they feel part of the action, allowing them to indulge in a sense of escapism as they forget about their problems and they become engrossed in what's happening on screen. Also, the use of the titles reinforce that is more action to come.
The location then changes to the water, showing the audience that the drugs are being shipped by boat to Miami...
Due to the moving image as it gives off the feel of sailing into Miami, the audience are wondering what will happen next, again building up the suspense. The opening sequence is constantly updating the audience on the location and that's what I did in my video Solitude, when I introduced the investigation suite etc.
As the cargo is dropped into the gulf of Mexico, the distributors come to collect it and as the packages are dropped into the sea, more titles are shown...
Throughout the process, the 'run arounds' are on the phone to the boss, updating them on their progress with the collection of the cargo. The secret mission is building up more and more suspense as the audience wonder whether they'll get caught. This shows that the audience are showing a sense of care for the villans as they witness their work in progress, signifying their worry for their welfare, however on the other hand, they know what they're doing is wrong so they're wanting them to get caught at some point, highlights a sense of mixed emotions.
As the 'run arounds' are on the phone to the boss, their are girls shown to be in his room, suggesting that they could be prostitutes highlighting the stereotypical view that villans and people with lots of money from illegal work are able to get away with having prostitutes of their own. The boss is in shallow focus, highlighting his importance, however when the girls discover his gun, they shoot it accidentally and the focus changes so that the girls are in focus, showing their emotions, switching back to the boss, calling them "fucking bitches". This highlights how prostitutes are treated, suggesting that they're seen to be 'scum' and they aren't respected, bringing about the stereotypical view.
As the investigation gets underway, the whole police force is involved as it is such a big issue and crime.
The CU of the investigation, locating the boat, also links in with the sub-genre of sci-fi technology as they're using that to track down the villans. The coast guard is trying to get in contact with the boat so that they can track down the guys, however there is no response. As the radio signal is being sent, it acts as a voice over as it cuts to the guys on the boat...
As the villans aren't replying, the coast-guards then send out their helicopter to try and track them down...
As the voice-over continues from the coast-guard, the villans boat turns around and as the splash of the water lifts, there are more titles shown...
The drug exchange then takes place and the villans get away, allowing the audience to feel a sense of anger that they got away with any punishment.
A sign of Miami is shown and then a police helicopter enters the shot...
This is when the locations change again to the investigation suite, much like I wanted mine to be set out in Solitude.
There are different shots and movements used to show the investigation taking place. There are many MS/CU's of the chief mapping out the plans to catch the villans, and as they're shown, OTS shots are shown of the backs of the police to reinforce where they are and what's happening. The camera pans around the backs of the police force as they're being briefed, and the use of lots of pans outlines their location.
The opening sequence would probably end there, however the next bit is extremely interesting and also rather comical!
Here the police investigation is taking place as they believe that the people they're watching are the distributors of the drugs. The police are emerging from everywhere and the minimal light allows the audience to remember that they're undercover and unable to be seen from anywhere. The use of the unsteady camera movements in places, allows the audience to sense the adrenalin building up within the officers, also linking to the Hunger Games as they're used throughout the first part of the film.
There are also POV shots through the lenses of their binoculars, giving the audience a sense of what it would be like to be there at the time.
Also, the titles are still showing up, creating suspense as the audience wonder what the outcome of the investigation will be.
As the drugs have been dropped at the KKK meeting, their are uncover police officers within the meeting and when they show their identity, they're two black men, totally going against the views of the rest of the group. When the emerge from their costumes, one says, "Oh damn, it's the nigras", which made me laugh, ALOT!
The comedy of the action arises when both police officers are totally contradicting each other whilst in a serious situation One officer: "He came here expecting to die" the other: "Hell no!".
This is particularly similar to my Solitude video as they're both investigation something, which is good for me to look back at what i've done and compare.
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