Opening Sequences And Setting - 'Passengers'

The First Sequence For Setting I'm Looking At Is From 'Passengers', Which Is A Sci-Fi Film.

Here is the opening sequence:

In the opening of 'Passengers', the setting is shown as deep, empty space, with the starship Avalon drifting through the darkness. The ship looks futuristic and high-tech, standing out against the cold, endless void around it. The silence and stillness of space makes everything feel isolated and lonely.

1. Isolation & emptiness: 

• The spaceship is shown as vast, quiet, and completely empty, immediately creating a sense of loneliness and isolation.
• Long, empty corridors emphasise that there are no other people awake.

 

2. Mise-en-scène:

• The clean, polished design, advanced technology, and modern interiors present the setting as a luxurious, high-tech space environment.
• This establishes the genre (sci-fi) and suggests wealth and comfort.

 

3. Establishing shots:

• The sequence uses wide shots of the spaceship interior to immediately introduce the setting as a large, futuristic environment.
• These shots help orient the audience and show the scale of the location.

  

4. Camera movement:

• Slow tracking shots through corridors allow the audience to explore the space gradually, reinforcing its size and emptiness.
• This builds a sense of isolation and detachment.

 

5. Absence of people:

• The setting is introduced as unusually empty, which contrasts with the idea of a populated spaceship.
• This immediately raises questions for the audience and creates intrigue.