Opening to Skyfall
Skyfall is a thriller film that continues the James Bond series, so employs the tropes of a Bond film, such as danger, women, and violence.
It starts dramatically with a shot of a figure's silhouette stepping into a darkened passageway. The shot is un-focused and dark, placing a lot of emphasis on the figure as he is the only clear shape in the shot. Tension is created by the use of quiet distant chords which create an ominous atmosphere for the scene. And built up slowly as the figure nears the camera, blocking the light from the window.
An element of mystery is also introduced in the delay of revealing the figures's identity, which is done by having a slither of light hit his face, revealing the man to be Bond. And then immediately racking the tension back up with Bond pulling out a gun.
Once Bond's identity is confirmed, the pacing becomes much quicker. There is a slow pan that follows Bond and his gun into the room and reveals two dead bodies, and a third soon to be the same.
The angles then start to change rapidly to display different parts of the scene, such as long shots of Bond and the scene, and close ups of the man in the chair bleeding out, and the broken computer. The music changes to a quick tempo beat and diegetic sound is introduced for the first time, in the form of Bond announcing this man has not got long to live. Bond is also shown from multiple angles as he moves around the room, to demonstrate his inner struggle between obeying orders and trying to save the man's life.
When Bond enters the corridor, he once again becomes a silhouette with the same foreboding chords but now at a much higher volume, to create a sense of danger to his movements and exit from the building.
Once outside a wide shot is used to establish the bustling city scene. And music is used to create a sense of the culture, and establish the setting in a foreign country. A mid shot of Bond getting into a moving car, creates a sense of action and continues the fast pacing, letting the audience know the excitement is far from over.