'Maid in Manhattan'- PG- Opening Sequence.

‘Maid in Manhattan’is a romantic comedy film directed by Wayne Wang about a hotel maid and a high profile politician who fall in love starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes.

Opening Sequence:

Upbeat music begins to play as the camera is tracking over the statue of liberty and New York, setting the scene and identifying where the film is set. Camera cuts after 18 seconds, and pans over some buildings in New York slowly. Another cut is then made focusing in on different areas, each one getting lower and more detail.  The cuts gradually move onto rougher areas, a train passes by but camera doesn’t track. Simply watches it for 4 seconds. Suggesting no change in characters life? The next clip is shown of a graffiti wall, still no camera movement just simple cuts.  A man is shown taking out rubbish, normal chore. Still has up-beat music. A low medium shot is shown of several pairs of trainers hanging from a washing line, then an extreme close up of same thing. Hint: not being able to afford much?

 Then as music is beginning to reach end of song, the camera is panning slowly up a dingy building (flats/small apartments) and then we are introduced to two main characters. Hint: can’t afford anything better? Could this change?

‘Grab your coat Ty, you’re going to be late for school!’ we are brought into the small apartment, nothing special and are messy.  Son replies, ‘it’s not my fault Mum’. The mood is portrayed as rushed, and wound up/sad.

Sad because of poor lifestyle? Possibly wound up through mistakes made? Hints to what is relevant later in film. Son is very interested in asking about famous people and their relationships as he reads the paper a lot... hinting that they could have their lives turned around, also going to involve someone from a better class.

 Track the two characters leaving their home and travelling to school/work. Their transport is combined of walking and bus.  An everyday thing for them. Can’t afford a car? Within the bus journey they talk about the dad who now has little contact with them. Extreme close-ups of facial expressions to show how disappointing the subject is for the boy. This is a hint as to what could later happen in the film and that maybe a new father figure will appear.

Characters: Mother, son, and hints at a new man from opening sequence.

Mood: The mood is ‘fed up’ but trying to hide it from her son, she dreams of a different lifestyle. The mood is established by her lack of enthusiasm towards anything.

Sound: Diegetic sound as been used, for example a train running over tracks as we watch the 4 second shot, but also non- diegetic sound has been added over the top such as the beginning track.

Camera work: There is a lot of shot types and angles used, such as; extreme close –up, medium low angled shot, long shot, wide shot, panning, tracking. These all have been used to create the effect that she and the son lead a busy lifestyle, e.g. catching transport, but also a fairly dull, lifeless life. This has been established by the long shot lengths, and no zooming in. Only tracking and panning.