Hello, reader. Welcome to my blog. In this post, we will deconstruct the opening scene of Parasite (2019). We will also analyze why it classifies as an "Establish Relationships" type of opening.
Type of Opening: ‘Establish Relationships’
This type of opening establishes the relationship between the characters and people, places, things… basically any noun. It is characterized by introducing the characters, places, or events.
In Parasite, what relationship is established?
The opening scene of Parasite establishes the relationship between the Kim family and their house, the representation of their socioeconomic environment. From the first few minutes of the film, we can see that the Kim family is poor; this is revealed through the mise-en-scène. We can see how the characters interact with each other. Furthermore, the first few minutes also reveal that they were already trying to get the pizza delivery boy fired to steal his job.
How is this relationship established?
In this scene, the cinematography plays a fundamental role in developing this style of opening. I will divide these elements into three simple sections.
Lighting:
As I mentioned earlier (see Thriller (Research)), the Kim family lives in a basement apartment. This means that the main source of light in the place is the window (with a view of the street), and a small lamp at the entrance. The lack and origin of the light emphasizes that the space they have to live in is confined and limited (just like the poor, in every sense). The light highlights the family's vulnerability.
Framing and camera angles:
The Kim family is very close and understands each other very well. Framing and camera angles are used here to keep them… together, very close to each other. In my opinion, this can mean two things. One, they are a very close family. Two, the idea of confinement is repeated again, so cramped together that it's suffocating. Undoubtedly, this family is very close-knit, so that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.
Space:
The basement apartment is small and compact. This reflects the family's economic situation and also their limitations.
Takeaways for our film opening:
We can use space and setting to establish relationships (family, friends, social status…among others).
As a cinematographer, I can implement tight framing and close ups to emphasize intimacy or confinement.
Introduce the environment early gives context without heavy explanations.
Show interactions or habits reveal character dynamics in a natural way.
That's all for now, reader. Thank you for reading this archive of thoughts.
-Dragorite
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