White Chicks Film Opening Essay

White Chicks is a 2004 American film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written and produced by Keenen Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. The film begins in a convenience store where two FBI agents and brothers try to arrest drug dealers. In the opening part of White Chicks we witness a Company ident that shows who is responsible for the making of the film. It then quickly changes to an establishing shot of New York City to show where the scene is set. What follows this is that there are few other establishing shots to show the audience where the action will take place and it also enables an understanding of spatial relationships. After, there is then a crane shot from high to low that signifies the location of where the scene is going to take place. There is then a long shot, which is when the camera is some distance away from what is being shot to show a relatively large area and the surroundings. The long shot focuses on the ice-cream delivery truck and the men which perhaps signifies that they are about to play a significant role in the opening sequence. After, there is a medium shot on the delivery men as they enter the shop which shows their waist and their head.

 The sound of the opening sequence to this film consists of non-diegetic gangster rap music which perhaps suggests who the film is aimed at and what generation they are in. The dialogue of the opening sequence shows the FBI agents putting on accents to hide their true identity. They represent old stereotypical Latino men working in an old grocery store. Also, the fact that the ice-cream are foreign show that they are very stereotypical of other delivery men. The way that the mise en scene contributes to opening of this film is that both the FBI agents have guns, which is a significant prop which suggests that they have a dangerous job.  Also as the FBI agents play their part as old Latino citizens they have cigars and maracas’ which again connotes that they are old stereotypical Latino men working in a shop however they are both imposters, just doing their job as FBI agents.