Pacific Rim
From the start of the clip, there is an unnerving orchestra playing. Once this music is playing there are company logo's such as 'LEGENDARY.' Once these have passed the music in the background becomes more of a chanting beat, and the translation of the words 'KAIJU' and 'JAEGER' are given from Japanese and German.
The text in which these are typed is stereo-typically seen as 'military' or 'hacker' style as it is bright green set on a black background. The font itself looks like it has been typed on an old computer screen, thus giving a time period from when the film is set. As the text appears there is an electrical, non-diegetic sound effect as each individual character is typed onto the screen.
Once the text has faded to black, a non-diegetic voice over commences, telling the story of how the 'aliens' came to be on Earth. As the voice over talks, the shots match what he is saying. For example, once the tectonic plates beneath the Pacific Ocean have been mentioned, the video cuts to a clip of the plates being ripped apart by blue electricity. During his clip there is a diegetic static as the electricity is spilling over the edge of the crack as it is being ripped apart open further. Once the portal is mentioned, a red band of fire is seen appearing over the electricity. The red and the images of fire in the clip give very strong evidence that danger is imminent.
The music in the background also gives evidence for the fact that the safety of Earth is now in danger, as the pitch deepens and the pace of the song picks up, making the audience uneasy as it resembles the rise of the heart rate we feel when in danger.. The voice over also reveals how old the main character was when the first Kaiju attacked, therefore the audience can infer the time period in which the film is set. The volume of the music increases once the alien, a 'Kaiju.' is revealed to be destroying the Golden Gate Bridge. Thus, making the audience feel more panicked as the close up pan of the destruction is shown
The face of the creature is also revealed during this sequence, and is instantly seen as horrific, as it is shown with glowing orange eyes and mouth. The diegetic screech of the creature also adds to the panic of the situation. The noise is extremely loud and menacing which only adds to the scale of the monster, but also suggests it will very hard to defeat.
The low angle shot that proceeds allows the audience to see the destruction that the Kaiju is causing. The low angle also depicts the creature as being extremely large and powerful, heightening the severity of the situation. The camera cuts to a different angle once an SUV is shown to fall 'into' the camera, a good example of continuity editing. The next shot is a wide angle, showing rubble to be falling from a different angle, further showing the destruction being caused, and once again the camera cuts to a different angle after a part of the bridge collapses causing a wave to cover the camera lens.
The next shot is military jets attacking the Kaiju. The way in which the camera is moving is very similar to the way the jets are flying and therefore give the audience the perspective of the pilots, making them feel immersed in the action. The depth of the field is constantly changing through-out this sequence, giving the feeling that the camera is like the human eye. Once a jet had been destroyed by the Kaiju, the screen cuts to black and the sound suddenly cuts. The audience is left in darkness and silence for a few seconds, allowing the gravity and severity of the situation to sink in.
After being silent for a few seconds, the voice over commences. The voice goes onto explain the sheer amount of destruction the Kaiju has managed to compete over six days. It also explains that the military is now involved, making the situation appear more serious that originally interpreted. A montage of POV shots follows as the video shows the cities destroyed by the monster. All of the clips in the sequence show mass panic and people running away from the danger. The fast paced duration of the shots makes the audience feel the panic, visually showing the severity and danger.
The shot that follows uses an extreme wide shot to show that the Kaiju has been killed. However, it is surrounded by rubble and destruction, clearly showing how much damage it was able to do. The music in the reveal of the death of the Kaiju is also slightly quieter and of a slower pace in comparison to the montage of destruction in the sequence prior to its death. This allows the audience to feel a sense of security, as all of the panic has been resolved. News Reports also help ease the tension with various headlines such as; 'its all gone,' lulling the audience into a false sense of security. The voice over also highlights that the threat is gone when he says, '...mourned over the dead, memorialized the attack, and moved on.'
However, the shot that follows another attack, this time in Manila, Philippines, showing the threat is on a global scale. There is a similar montage of panic as the Kaiju rampages through the Philippines, once again making the audience feel the sense of panic due to the attack in progress. The voice over goes on to explain the fact that two more attacks occur before the world realizes that the attacks are not going to stop until they act against them.
There are various tracking shots from a mid distance that show the corpses of the Kaiju's, suggesting that although the threat of the monster is extreme, the world is able to defeat them for now. Once the voice over mentions that the attacks were not going to stop unless the world acted, there is a pan to reveal a line of people holding hands, showing they are united against the threat. In contrast, a montage shows that there is extreme public outrage towards their governments due to the attacks and the destruction, during which there is diegetic yelling of various crowds as the voice over explains that governments around the world have come together and, in order to fight the monsters, they need to create their own monsters. Then showing the construction of large robots clearly designed to fight the Kaiju's more effectively than they have been before.
Between shots of the construction there is a pan across a plot of propaganda billboards stating they can win the fight using these robots. Once the name of the project is revealed, the Jaeger program, a mid shot shows the prototype for the mechanisms within the arm of one of the robots, giving the audience an insight into the positive progress they have made on the program. However, the voice over states that there were set backs to the program as the human brain cannot handle the neurological strain. A POV shot shows that a man is on the brink of dying due to said strain. A close up of the mans face shows his nose is bleeding, suggesting he is suffering from a bleed in the brain. The clip is shot in black and white, allowing the audience to infer that this is a memory. This shot is the only bit of non-linear narrative in the opening scene. It also allows the audience to see how technology has developed, a huge convention in Science Fiction.
The camera cuts to a close up of an MRI scan, showing that there are two pilots controlling either side of the robot. As the voice over goes onto explain that the left and right hemisphere of the pilots' brain control the corresponding side of the robot. It visually shows the iconography by the amount of electronic equipment that is ahead of the real world.
The music changes once the camera cuts to reveal a working robot walking down the street with a large marching band and celebration surrounding it. During this scene, the robot is depicted as being extremely powerful as a low angled wide shot is used. The voice over also states the humanity is now winning due to the Jaeger project. To prove this, there is a POV shot of the Jaegers fighting and defeating a Kaiju. The music is perfect for this scene due to the fact it is fast-paced, highlighting the fight audibly.
It is explained by the narrator that the danger of the Kaiju was then turned into propaganda, giving the example of a model of the Kaiju being burnt; showing that the danger is no longer present. To further highlight this, children were playing with toys made to look like the Kaiju and the Jaeger's.
A montage of shots of life returning to normal around the world then follows, further providing that the threat from the Kaiju's is now gone. At the end of the opening sequences a model of a Kaiju is seen to be attacking someone on TV, this is seen to be foreshadowing the events later in the film due to the fact that the narrator states that 'everything changed,' giving the impression that the Kaiju's may start winning again.
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