Panic Room analysis

The opening of Panic Room starts with a medium, long shot showing an outwards view of the city skyline and river. This sets the scene for the viewer that the film is taking place in a city. The Mise En Scene of this first shot allows the viewer to believe that the action of the movie will take place outdoors which is juxstaposition of what the title of the movie reflects "room". The way the credits have been designed also reflect and coincide with the urban and industrial landscape. The weather in each shot is sunny so this is also juxstapostion to the title "panic"which would reflect a more rainy weather landscape. This shows that there is no pathetic fallacy between the weather and scene.
The second shot is a medium, slight low angle shot focusing more on the industrial buildings and blue sky. The way each building is set casting shadows over each other show the intimidation or undertone feelings the viewer may experience. The contrast between the tallest buildings and the fact they are in the foreground would lead the viewer to assume that there is importance to them. It may also suggest that the Mise En Scene is being used to direct the viewers attention to them, in this sense we can recognise that the background objects have less importance because they do not stand out at much.
As the buildings are all set on the right side of the shot it gives an unbalanced feel to the shot because that side is heavier. This could be seen to make the viewer seem a little unsettled because the other side of the shot looks slightly isolated. Also a large shadow is cast over the right side of the shot giving an intimidating, powerful feel to the shot, as if the buildings are cowering from something. The harsh lines of the tall buildings compared to the low background lines can also make the fewer feel uncomfortable or unsettled.
The next shot is a medium, close up shot of a building the shot focuses on the amount of windows which could indicate numerous amounts of rooms or space. This can make the viewer seem unsettled because it can suggest there is no escape or a feeling of isolation. This shot could also concentrate on the shadow which is covering most of the building, which could be seen to give a sinsiter feeling of something following since the shadow flollows each shot with the camera.
The next shot is a medium, close up of a smaller building this could emphasise the weakness in it because of it's size. This shot does not seem signifcant compared to the others in the opening.
The shot of the side of the building which is slightly high angle shows the first trace of humanity. This could be significant because all of the previous shots have only been of buildings. The low angle shot makes the human aspects seem inferior or weak because they are so small. The next shot has the title of the movie spread across the enitre shot with the urban background, this is also a medium, long shot so it continues to set the scene. The next shot confirms to the viewer that the setting is new york city as familiar buildings (times square) and such are placed withing the scene. This is significant because the viewer can identify or relate to the setting in different ways.
The last two shots could be seen to focus on the inferior feeling of humanity because the cars and pedestrians and portrayed as small. In the last shot particularly even though it is slightly a high angle shot it portrays the people which are sitting on the grass as vulnerable because they are so much smaller than the buildings which are in the background. The contrast in sizes draw the viewers eyes to both the urban background and the humans making the viewer feel unsettled. The pace of the beginning of the film, in terms of shots, could be considered slow because some of the shots hold similar things such as buildings. This can be off-putting for the viewer if it takes a long time to get into the action.