There Will Be Blood - Max

This is the first shot of the film, it is an establishing shot, used to show the location of the film. In this shot we can see that the film is set in a harsh, rugged terrain, its not very hospitable; suggesting that the types of characters in this film may possibly be quite 'hard' characters due to the difficult surroundings.

Also in this shot the Non- Diegetic sound (soundtrack) escalates in volume when the shot fades from blackness into the image we can see right now, this gives the feeling of menace, or that this is important.

This shot has extremely low-key lighting, which makes the tunnel very dark, but casts long shadows over the mans face and upper body, this creates an effect of anonymity which makes the audience ask who this man is? The darkness also enhances the brightness of the sparks. The lighting illuminates the mans arms, showing that he is quite muscular which suggests he has been mining for a long time, or has been doing manual labour for a long time. There is also a good use of diegetic sound of the pickaxe hitting the wall, which is most likely a foley sound and has had the volume increased to add to the effect of the sparks flying off, which suggests that this man is hitting the wall very hard; which could mean that he is very intent on finding whatever he is mining for.

In this close up of the mans face, this is the first good look of what the man looks like. It seems to be lighter which suggests that time has passed on from what i assume to have been night time; which implies that he has been working for a very long time, this could mean that he is in a rush to find what he is searching for.

The make up (beard and dirt) suggest that he has been working for a very long time (he has not had a chance to wash his face) and that also this may not be a short job due to the fact that he has not shaved.

His facial expression makes him look as if he is running out of hope for whatever he is looking for, although he is still looking intently for this elusive thing.

There are only two sounds in this part, both of which are diegetic, which are the man breathing (which has probably had the volume increased) to imply that the man is very tired due to his heavy breathing, and you can hear the wind very loudly which gives the impression of emptiness, either in the tunnel or the outside of the tunnel e.g. the harsh, barren landscape we saw in the establishing shot.

In this shot, the gun on his back is illuminated by the lighting, to bring focus to it. This gives the impression that the man is either dangerous, or the world he lives in is dangerous enough for him to feel the need to carry a weapon. The gleam on the metal also adds slight menace to the weapon.

In this shot, you can again see the location of the film, and that it again looks very desolate and lifeless, which makes the man look quite weak and small in such a huge place.

Its very low-key lighting, to suggest that it is late. The fact that there isn't even a glow on his face from the fire, implies that the fire is not very strong, which helps to give this idea of weakness or frailness.

The mans costume has changed in this shot, he is now wearing what appears to be a jacket or some other  overcoat to protect him from the wind and keep him warm, which suggests that it is cold, but that he cannot return home to warmth, this could be because either he doesnt have a home to return to, or that he needs to stay at the mine.

There is good use of diegetic sound, which is the thunder, this implies that there is a storm on the way, and judging by the characters facial expression, he is aware of the impending storm. Also there is again loud wind noises which reinforce the idea of emptiness in this desert.

In this shot there is a close up of some dynamite or other explosive, there were often used in mines to quickly expand the mine, or to collapse the mine for safety reasons; at this moment in the film we are not sure if his search has been successful as of yet, so we are not sure whether he is going to expand or collapse the mine. But the CU draws focus to the dynamite and implies that it is going to be used shortly and could hold importance to the narrative.

The lighting also acts to draw focus to the dynamite as it is lit up do draw it out of the darkness of the background.

Again there is not use of non-diegetic sound, as all you can hear is dust falling as the man works, which again reinforces the feeling of loneliness.

There is a use of depth of focus in this shot, as you can see that the dynamite is in the focus, the action going on in the background is out of focus, drawing even more attention to the dynamite.

Overall i think that the opening hugely focuses on diegetic sound to make the man seem lonely and that his work is very important, possibly to the extent that it has taken over his life, due to the fact that it seems that he has been living next to the mine for a long time, due to the Mise en Scene of the character. The lighting used makes the atmosphere very dark and unhappy, this could be reflecting the characters feelings in this part of the film.