What is effective about the opening to Utopia? Series 2, Episode 6

In 'Utopia' there are a wide range of camera shot used to create dramatic effect throughout the opening scene. A close-up shot is used on the assassin when he speaks of killing the young boy, this shows the blank expression on his face which allows the audience to see his evil personality. It also makes you focus on the words he is saying closely, as everything around him is blurred out, this shows specific detail of mise-en-scene. A reverse shot is then used to show the conversation between the assassin and the mother, this shows the character's expression towards the conversation they are having. For example, the mother looked very shocked and taken back by what was being said to her about her son, whereas the assassin looked very calm yet serious about the conversation he was having. A low shot was used when the young boy was looking up at the assassin and as the assassin stood up to leave, this was used to make the male character look very dangerous and powerful.

The representation of gender is very important in identifying what type of programme 'Utopia' is. The assassin is portrayed as a very intelligent man, who dresses in all black to make his character seem more dangerous. However, the mother is portrayed as very innocent and naive, who cares greatly about the environment and her son as opposed to the male character in this scene. The representation of gender in this opening scene is very stereotypical of how males and females are presented in society. Women are viewed as a lot more insignificant to men, this is shown throughout the scene as the assassin continuously speaks over the mother but he does it in a passive aggressive way, emphasising the idea that we live in a patriarchal society.

The zeitgeist is very effective in an opening to a scene as it reflects what is problem/what is happening in the real world, at the time Utopia was aired on TV. In the scene they talk about how people are expected to look after the world by recycling to reduce the carbon foot-print, this shows how the issue of re-using products is ongoing in our own society. The idea of killing a child and speaking of it in such a way shows that it can be very brutal for the audience to hear. However, this unfortunately has become a norm in society and it is not unusual for many viewers to be shocked when talking about the death of a child.

It is an effective opening to a TV series as it uses non-diegetic music to create suspense and tension in the scene, this will entice the audience and make them want to watch more, which boosts ratings and makes the series more successful.