I Am Legend film opening

The opening






Shot list
1) Establishing shot of New York City (panning downwards)
2) wide angle shot of overgrown street.
3) Extreme long shot of skyscraper (panning downwards)
4) Wide angle shot looking down street.
5) Low angle shot of street.
6) Medium wide angle shot of subway station.
7)  Birds eye view shot moving upwards following moving car.
8) close up of actors hand on gun.
9) pans up to eye level shot. Shaky camera
10) cuts to eye level shot of dog.
11) cuts back to eye level shot of actor.
12) wide angle shot of street with the car in the right corner.
13) wide angle moving shot of car in the middle of the street.
14) cuts to eye level shot of actor.
15) wide angle shot from inside car.
16) match on action as car turns round corner, camera pans to follow car.
17) Panning shot up building.
18) moves to close up of poster.
19) panning shot of car moving towards camera.
20) cuts to over shoulder shot from inside the car.
21) moving low angle shot following car.
22) cuts to eye level shot of dog- then the actor to suggest they are looking for something.
23) cuts to over shoulder shot from inside car.
24) cuts to wide angle shot of street corner with car in the centre of the frame.
25) quick low angle shot of wheel looking up the side of the car.
26) cuts to over shoulder shot from inside car.
27) panning shot of car sliding on the street.
28) cuts to inside car again.
29) cuts to low angle wheel shot.
30) cuts to eye level shot of will smith.
31) wide angle shot of car moving.
32) low angle shot of characters face.
33) close up of the bottom of the back of the car.
34) pans up to wide angle shot with car centre of frame.
35) wide angle shot of deer in central park.
36) low angle moving shot of the park following the deer feet.
37) cuts to outside shot of actors face looking through the windshield, close up.
38) cuts to over shoulder inside car.
39) match on action as the car turns around the corner.
40) cuts to eye level shot in front of the actor from inside the car.
41) low angle wide shot of car and deer moving up the street.
42) low angle shot looking through the window of the car.
43) over the shoulder from inside the car.
44) wide angle shot of deer running.
45) cuts back to low angle outside the window.
46) low angle panning shot following car driving across junction.
47) closes with upwards panning shot down a long street to give a prolonged perspective.


This opening features many panning shots that follow the moving items (which is a lot) going on in this opening scene. no titles are used to give the feeling that the main protagonist and his dog are alone. the camera is also perceived to be part of the scene for example as the fast paced deer jump off of many different objects it looks as if they kick the camera sometimes, this gives a jolty effect to make it look as if the camera is really there. it starts off slow to show the desolation of a once great city and then slowly builds up pace, this could represent how the outbreak occurred, or also how the protagonist is beginning to struggle more as supplies are getting more obsolete.