The opening shot of SAFE HOUSE employs the technical code of an establishing shot. From this the audience get a full view of the mise-en-scene which depicts a small city filled with high rise and confined buildings. It turn this illustrates that film itself in very modern, based in a modern society & time but also covering modern and contemporary issues. The setting suggests the target audience of the movie will lean towards the male demographic, covering both young and old. As this is an action-thriller the film is filled with explosions, money, violence and foul language. The contrast in colours in the background creates a calm atmosphere, leading up to the high-octane action.

The audio code integrated with this frame allows the audience to grasp the narrative instantaneously. The dialogue automatically informs the audience that the character holding the weapon is a rouge character and also a central focus point in the film. The audience are now intravenously given snippets of action depicting his movement, action and his personality. It also reinforces the genre, of action which or normally contain illegal activity, rouge agents turning against their former employers, fast paced action, explosions, violence etc. The mise-en-scene in this shot is very pin pointed at the characters hands. This is all that needs to be seen as at this point the identity of the character does not need to be revealed constantly. Looking at the finger of the male, a small ring is apparent which can be interpreted as a valuable asset the character holds & the grey, dull jacket connotes a sense of mystery, bewilderment and elements of confusion amongst the audience. These elements that are merged into this one scene work to entice the audience to watch with great attention & awareness.

An extreme close-up of this mobile phone/technical device is one of numerous rapid and immediate cuts creating a montage. The small printed information on-screen is what alerts the audience, what is it the character is doing? Initial interpretations will read a sense of confusion but at the same time a sense of excitement, as the mystery is what creates the drama leading up to the climatic scenes. Nevertheless, the bright lighting is a feature seen amongst action films whereby it is used to display the information as clearly as possible but also integrating a dark shadow effect contrast in the corners. Also, we are made aware that the same character that was holding the gun in previous scenes is the same person using the technological decrypting device. This builds up a sense of interest in this main character.

This medium shot is introduced with dramatic change in the pace of the action; we are now approaching the climax of the trailer. The use of various special effects and incorporated sounds is what makes this scene evermore powerful. This illustrates that the male in the main image is wanted by special-forces, that he is both dangerous and perilous. Looking at the lighting in this scene, it is very dark and low-key lighting is used to focus attention on one person, one piece of action and understand one piece of vital information, that things are bound to become chaotic, acrimonious and greatly frantic. The fact that he is strapped to a chair yet calm and collected reinforces the sense of him being a brutal man and his almost cheeky smile further illustrates this. Moreover, he is also dressed in black, which connotes mystery, darkness representing the unknown and the audience are unaware of how much this character is capable of. Additionally, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington – main character) speaks with a sense of unquestionable knowledge, he knows what & when people will come for him and most importantly how to eliminate them. This is a feature films such as Safe House, Mission Impossible etc. use in there productions and this is because it creates a controversial mood when events take a turn for the worst and matters are out of the protagonists hands.

In this scene a wide close up is used to give a full scale representation of the carnage unfolding right before our eyes. A common feature of action films is the integration of colossal explosions. This film uses this feature to great effect, as an isolated location is blown to pieces and the force of the explosion throws a man through a wooden gate. This also illustrates that the target audience for this film would consist of young and older males within the demographic of the working and middle class.  The most dangerous renegade, Frost, can be seen as the reason behind this explosion, attracting trouble anywhere he goes which the audience can see within this film. However, the sheer amount of mercenaries that emerge from the Safe House in the following scene in broad daylight highlights the scale of the operation and arising problem that faces ex-intelligence agent Tobin Frost.