In the opening sequence of the film Heat, very slow paced music is played throughout. The music is in the foreground of all noise in the opening sequence except for at one point when a train passes through and it breaks up all noise that can be heard. The score that is playing is very gentle and soothing for the audience, whereas the train disrupts this calmness with a very high volume, and unpleasant sound. The sudden break in the music is very negative and may represent how something may gay wrong in the future, as the train may represent a problem and how it disrupts there way of life. This can also show the audience that there is going to be some unpleasant scenes in film as the sound of the train wasn't nice to listen too.
Another effective use of sound int he film is the man's footsteps. They are slightly exaggerated and they are the only person's footsteps who the audience can hear despite the fact that there are a lot of people around. This may show the audience that this man is much more important than all of the other people walking around as only he can be heard despite other people being near him.
Cinematography
In the opening sequence of the film cinematography is used very effectively. For example a large amount of high angle shots are used on the man walking around, such as when he walking down the stairs, and when he is crossing the road a birds eye view is used on him. This shows him as not having very much power and not being very important. This would make the audience believe that this character is just like everyone else at this point and doesn't have very much power.
Another example of cinematography used in the use of loose frame when showing the character. This is used in the same examples as when a high angle shot is used, such as when he is travelling down the stairs or crossing the road. The use of a loose frame in this instance may have been used to show how alone he is, as he just got off of the train and he may be in a completely new town or city all on his own. This makes the audience believe that this character is very isolated because of this.
Editing
In the opening sequence of the film, Heat very slow paced editing is used. For example the shot of the train drawing closer towards the camera lasts for around 32 seconds. The slow pace of the editing in this film helps to relax the audience and allows them to relate to the monotony of the situation as the man appears bored and all he is doing is getting off of the train. This shows the audience that the equilibrium is in tact and life is still "normal" for now.
Mise en Scene
In the opening sequence the character's facial expressions show him to be very stern and miserable. This gives the audience the impression that this man is going to be aggressive later on in the film, as his facial expression is quite intimidating. This allows the audience to see that he isn't a very nice person and it also allows them to prepare for any form of violence later on in the film.
Another effective use of mise en scene is the setting. The scene is set in a dirty city at night time, which comes across as a very unappealing place to live in. This is shown when he is travelling down the escalator and the floor is very dirty with litter on it. This makes the audience think that the setting of the film is going to be in a bad area and such the characters in the film are going to be up to no good. Also the fact that it is set at night time adds to the negativity that surrounds the city as at night it is very dark and is often viewed as being more dangerous. It also makes the city appear to be more scary as the audience can't get a good look at their surroundings.
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