Category two: Camera movement/ shots and angles.

Camera angles are very important to any scene. Letting the viewer know what's happening is vital to any successful movie, and the plot becomes very confusing if this is not done well.

Once the Warner bros logo has left the screen, the first thing the audience sees is a shot of London as the camera pans across dark and dreary buildings. This lets them know where the movie is set, and suggests at the time period it is set in because of the older looking buildings.

The camera then moves through Mr Todd's window, pulling focus to the pie machine inside his barbershop. The close up on this object is very important in introducing the idea that something as simple as a pie machine can become a threat.

The pie machine is a pivotal object in this movie, as it represents what Sweeney does to his victims, and how well the partnership between Mrs Lovitt works. This shot is used both to set up where the film mostly takes place, and to suggest the signifigance of the machine. The shot draws attention to it.

The remainder of the sequence is tracking the blood's journey through the pie machine. This is very important because is makes the audience almost sympathise with Mr Todd's victims, and what they go through once they're deceased. It almost warns them for what is about to happen in the film, because Sweeney Todd's subject matter is far from traditional.

The high shot of the spiral of blood on the floor (this can be seen in my previous post) is visually interesting, although it doesn't symbolise anything much. It keeps the audience member's attention, preventing them from getting bored and losing concentration.

Sweeney Todd's opening sequence is not dissimilar to that of Edward Scissorhand's. Edward Scissorhand's opening sequence starts outside, and slowly tracks into a lab where we see various pieces of machinery working by themselves. There are no people in it, just like in Sweeney Todd.

Burton likes to use opening sequences that introduce us to the character without us seeing them, There is no dialogue, and usually several close ups of objects significant to the protagonist.