The opening sequence for Rush Hour 3 begins with a total shot of tall, stand out buildings in Los Angeles, indicating that the latter is one of
Shot of protagonists Inspector Lee & Detective Carter in the foreground with Eiffel Tower in background
Carter on the phone to Lee
the primary locations of the film or at least where one of the first scenarios in the film. The camera later pans to a bird’s eye view shot of one of the two main protagonists of the film which is Detective James Carter, who is doing his job in a joyous, elated fashion, patrolling traffic in the streets of Los Angeles before annoyance from Carter is expressed as an incident with two cars, losing full concentration, more incidents occur around him, much to Carter’s increasing annoyance. Scenes of the other protagonist, Inspector Lee in a limousine with a Chinese Ambassador on the way to a conference with other world leaders, Carter set to arrest two women & interrupts Lee’s conversation with the Ambassador in the process with a phone call regarding ‘dates’ for the night & references to the events of the previous Rush Hour film, a mysterious assassin (the main antagonist) appearing at the top of a building as the Ambassador discusses the vitality of the battle with the Triads, a cutaway of the mysterious assassin readying his sniper rifle amidst the discussion in the press-conference, with Lee expressing a tactful & searching demeanour, possibly foreseeing the danger or having some sort of concern for potential danger. The codes & conventions displayed in the opening sequence are expected from an Action-Comedy film, particularly on the action genre of the film with black limousines & authority bikes as Lee & the Ambassador make their way to the conference illustrating the seriousness of the scenario as we; as the importance the event holds and if anything, the importance it holds for Lee’s occupation as well, which is likely from the audience’s perspective, to escort or protect the Ambassador. Weapons are another primary code & convention when the cutaway to the assassin equipping the sniper rifle & the clicks of the rifle, it warns the audience to prepare for an upcoming danger & the cutaway serves as a statement of superiority to how well equipped the people are in the conference, including Lee, is to prevent the upcoming danger. Additionally, the mobile phone itself when Lee is talking to Carter in the limousine would perhaps suggest that information communication technology (I.C.T) would become of some significance when the danger is ultimately inflicted. For Rush Hour 3, it can be viewed that the purpose of the opening sequence is to introduce the themes & genres of the film, the latter being both action & comedy. Some of the ideas implemented in the opening sequence are very conveying, particularly the use of various music & sounds throughout the film, firstly is diagetic & parallel to introduce Carter’s world & persona, which consists of strong vibrancy, amusement & interaction as well as reflecting the visible existence of Carter’s world when fulfilling his duties, all in the midst of on-screen music as well in the form of cars in the traffic blowing their horns, also the different soundtracks to represent the different themes, primary example being the diagetic & parallel music to express Carter’s lively persona & the more sincere soundtrack to express Lee’s world, that is different to Carter’s & the importance of his job when in the limousine with the Ambassador. The tone of the soundtracks seem quite influential, especially in the 2nd soundtrack when the assassin is in position & the conference is going on, there’s a slight increase in tone that makes the theme more sinister & foresees danger, the tone suddenly decreases considerably after the cutaway of the assassin readying his rifle to perhaps illustrate the calm before the storm, which is the danger ahead. Other ideas that conveys is the total shot from the authority figures to the assassin reaching his position, here from a pedestrian’s perspective in the crowd as well as authority figures, a clear contrast of recognition in the authority figures & the anonymous in the form of the assassin is displayed, the other being manipulation involving the two-shot of Lee & the Ambassador in the limousine, when guarding or securing someone’s safety it is considered widely vital to cover their perimeters, Lee is not doing that but the black limousine when on the way to the conference is doing partly the job, so that enables Lee to temporarily shift to a secondary source of security, subsequently resulting in Lee & the Ambassador deceptively having equal status in regards to foreground & background. Furthermore, the costumes & body language aid alongside the use of music & sounds in the representation of particular individuals, mostly notable with the two protagonists Lee & Carter, the latter visibly in police uniform although his persona perplexes with his job, which should be taken seriously or likely is taken seriously given that he had control of the traffic prior to the incident, maybe his persona formed some sort of a syndication with his job, injecting the vibrancy & joy into it while still doing his job, one thing supporting this is the element of seriousness notable in him when the incidents occur. Lee in a black suit in the limousine however, presents more of a straight-forward & well done representation in that he’s aware of his responsibilities of being associated with an authority figure & the apprehension & annoyance becoming apparent when Carter phones Lee demonstrates his need for no distractions or ridiculousness for him to carry out his responsibilities. The production companies behind Rush Hour 3 are Roger Birnbaum Productions, Arthur Sarkissian Productions & Unlike Film Productions, it is quite relevant to note those behind the film due to the statuses & budget the companies have determine whether they are in it for complacency & enjoyment gained out of making the film or are they interesting in making profit & not take onboard the values & views of their target audience.
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