Utopia Series 2 Episode 6 Opening

The opening scene to Utopia is effective because it immediately sets the scene for what the rest of the episode is going to be like. It creates a shock to the reader by making the assassin discuss cutting a child’s throat to a random stranger he has just encountered. This makes the audience feel shocked by the content of the programme, but also sets up the episode for what is probably about to come, without actually using any violence what-so-ever. The use of the zoom on the assassin’s face makes the scene even more un-nerving, as it enables the audience to see the serious and fixed expression on the assassin’s face. This adds to the shock value of the opening, as it creates quite a hostile feeling to the character, and makes the audience feel uneasy. The fact that he is speaking in a public place also adds to the atmosphere, as he doesn’t care that there might be witnesses to what he is saying.

The fact that the character brushes off talking about slicing a child’s throat open as ‘chatting’ suggest to the audience that this man probably isn’t a nice person. This makes the opening sequence an effective one, because if somebody thinks that this is equivalent to a random chat, then he is pretty twisted, and will probably play a key part later in the episode. The audience can then see what the character’s personality is like, and make assumptions about him based off of this.

The music in the background is possibly the most important aspect to the atmosphere of the opening sequence. The music creates tension during the assassin’s monologue, which then makes the audience wonder what is going to happen to the woman and child, as ‘Utopia’ is a programme which features an excess of violent content. The music then abruptly stops when he pulls out his bus ticket and leaves, which immediately eases all tension. This is effective as it creates a dark and sinister atmosphere, which is what the writers were aiming for. As the music is progressing throughout it creates an uneasy feeling for the audience and adds suspense as the character progresses through his monologue.

The use of colour is also interesting in this scene, as the colours behind the defenceless woman are very bright and vivid, and the colours behind the assassin are very dark and dull. This is used to influence the audience about the feeling of the characters. The dark colours are used for the assassin as it makes him look dangerous and threatening. This adds to the emphasis of the feeling towards the character. Subtle things like this often go unnoticed and are key in creating a successful atmosphere and feeling towards characters, which may often be subconscious. They also put bright, vivid colours behind the female character to show that she doesn’t pose any threat, and is a harmful character.

The low angled shot used when he walks away makes the assassin seem threatening. This is very important, as it quickly establishes that this character is evil, and doesn’t have the best intentions at heart. This is needed quickly so that the audience are aware of the threat and danger that he possesses, so that not a lot of build-up is involved to add unnecessary length to the episode.

There is also a quite big reference to the zeitgeist in the opening sequence, as the main reason the assassin tells the woman that she should kill her child is because he will use up a lot of Carbon, which is a resource that we are using too much of. He explains this to her in the programme, and then says to kill the child so we have more Carbon. The fact that the man is relating a child’s life to a resource will make the audience feel like he has no emotions or feeling, and is an evil character. The fact that they refer to Carbon use, which is something that in the real world we are constantly reminded in the real world, gives the programme a more “real” feeling to it, so would possibly make it strike a few nerves with particular watchers, as the reference to the real world makes it more believable. This makes the opening sequence really effective, as it helps the audience to relate, and adds a touch of reality.