Task 2.1 - Mission Impossible 2 Analysis

In the opening scene of Mission Impossible 2, it starts in a desert/canyon with a man hanging off the edge of a cliff, the director has chosen this location to show that this man is a dangerous man and that he's fearless. The scene starts off with a fast tracking towards the man climbing the cliff, this is using the term of iconography because it is symbolising the fact that the tracking is like an eagle flying through the sky. The director also uses diegetic eagle sounds throughout the opening scene, he does this to show that this man is a bald man and has a lot of freedom, just like an eagle.

This camera shot is a close up on the mans hand, this builds up tension and makes the audience feel scared for the man, because they feel like he is going to fall. When the man's hand is on the ledge, the director uses the sound effects of the man breathing deeply to show that his life is near death.

When the man is climbing, he jumps from one rock to another. The director has chosen to edit that jump and make it so its in slow motion. He has done this to create tension and to make the audience feel exited to see what happens next. When the man is jumping in slow motion the director has chosen to stop the music so the focus is all on the jump, this also brings tension towards the opening of the film.

When the man lands the jump, he then falls and is hanging on the edge of the cliff. The music continues when he gets back up and climbs to the top of the mountain to show that everything is fine and he is alive. The music being played is very happy, cheerful music so when the man reaches the top, it shows that he is happy to be alive.


The titles are being played gradually throughout the opening scene, there is about a five second gap between each of the titles to space them out. This means at the end of the opening scene, all the titles have been shown. The titles are in the colour orange, this is to show that the man is in a desert or canyon.