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Falling Down Sequence

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The opening sequence in the film “Falling Down” portrays how everyday activities can take a turn for the worst. It begins with the main character William Foster stuck in a traffic jam on the highway caused by construction. The first shot that opens the scene is an extreme close up of Foster’s face, which allows the audience to see him in great detail. We see by his heavy breathing and sweat dripping down his face that he is in a hot environment. The camera starts to zoom out and go into a tracking shot, which allows us to see the environment that surrounds him. This is also an establishing shot. The car directly in front of Foster has a young girl starring out the back window towards him. There is a school bus two lanes over to his right that …show more content…

As the scene progresses, you see how each event is causing Foster’s temper to rise and his patience to grow thinner. Foster constantly plays with his AC unit, which is broken, reinforcing that the temperature outside is hot. Another factor adding to his frustration is the fly stuck in his car. It is buzzing around him and repeatedly landing on his neck causing him to keep swatting at it. The usage of quick cuts gives the impression of tension building up for the character throughout the scene. This gives off the impression that something worse is constantly happening to Foster and he is unable to escape his uncomfortable reality. The AC breaking, window roller broken, kids screaming, cars honking and the heat wave itself are all shown so quickly so that the viewer is seeing that everything is being thrown at Foster at once and that he is starting to feel very claustrophobic and cannot seem to escape it. When everything hits its peak he decides to quickly get out of his vehicle, which serves as his escape as the music and sounds subside to a normal level and he is now calmer and decides to just walk home

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