Blue Velvet
Blue Velvet directed by David Lynch is a film that is set in a 60’s stereotypical perfect American town. David Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana, United States, this may be where he got the inspiration from for the film. He is known for his crazy ideas and manages to do the same in this film.
The start of Blue Velvet has the song blue velvet playing, this is because it is a mellow song and this feeling of the song is passed onto the town making it seem like a mellow place also. Firstly there is a tracking shot from a bright blue sky to a white picket fence. The blue sky is used to show what a happy environment it is, this is because everybody is happy when there is nice sky so it is a good representation. As the shot shows the white picket fence, red roses are shown. The white picket fence is a stereotypical thing in America and represents the 60’s stereotypical perfect home. This is used to show that the town that this is set in is a ‘perfect’ environment and is an early indicator that it is set in America. The roses are a sign of love and romance. This means that there will be romance in the film and foreshadows that someone will be in love. All together the colours in the shot are red, white and blue, these are also the colours of the American flag and Is another way of showing here it is set.
The next shot is a long shot of a fire truck driving down the road with a fireman and a dog waving. This is used to show that it is a safe place to be in as the fire truck shows safety within the town. The man waving at the people in their houses shows that it is a friendly town as everyone knows each other. The dog is also another way of showing that it is a stereotypical place as dogs are often with firemen. The next shot is a close up of some yellow flowers. This is shortly followed by a long shot of children crossing the road via a lollipop lady. This is used as it Lynch wants to show that everyone is safe including the children. This carries on the sense of safety in the town. A white house with a red car is then shown to show what the houses are like within the town. This is what the typical house was mean to look like in the 60’s and continues to show how much of a typical town it is. The red car is also what most people want as it is a Cadillac and is seen as an American thing to have.
The man watering his garden shows that the environment is civilised.
Then this is followed by a woman watching the television. What is on the television could foreshadow something that is going to happen this is because there is a man holding a gun and this could be something that may happen later on in the film. The man watering the garden then comes up again straight after which could also be an indicator of something happening. A close up of the tap leaking is then shown and there is diegetic noise of the watering spraying out. The shot then moves down to the hose being knotted. Fast cuts from the tap to the knotted hose to the man falling on the ground suddenly happen. This is because Lynch wanted to show a build-up tension that happens while the man die. Then there is a long shot of the dog drinking water from the hose. Also there is a baby walking to the dead man, this would have been to show that the town was still an innocent place. Then it cuts to something being in the grass, this is because Lynch wants to keep a build of tension towards the end of the opening scene so the viewer is intrigued to see what happens next.
