Two sequences that are intergal to an apppreciation of Scott Hick's Oscar nominated film 'Shine', are the opeining scences and the sequence of scenes, which gives the audience insight into the events of that led to the protagonist's mental breakdown. In both scenes the director has used compelling sound and visual techniques to tell the narrative, that unfolds the concept of the father-son conflict.
             The film can be seen as falling into distinct sectoins. It is not always easy to say where one ends and the other begins, but division is subtly marked by visual and sound techniques which recurr, this linking to the narrative. The opening scene is marked by a visual image of the rain, alternated by a close up, profile shot of the main character. He is David Helfott, an Australian painist. He is unaware of the rain, as he peers through Moby's restruant window. The shot is accompined by the sound of the rain, the darkness of the frame and the music are powerfully suggestive of David's sad past life. Yet at this stage the effectivness of the visual and sound techniques lie more in the question it raises from the audience.
             The narrative is clarified when we realize the extreme cu shot is of an older Dadid, looking the the window, lost in thought, recalling past momories of his life. The frame then fades, and the sky turns blue, and sound of the rain is gentle, suggesting a better memory for david. This is when he meets Sylvia, who provides him with his first public break into playing the paino.
             The opening scene is important not only because it introduces the character, but it also creates suspense. David raivng about him being "a lost soul", that it is "important to live, to survive", that we must realise that "if you do something wrong, you pay with your life". It is only after the story progresses we realise the importance of the internal digetic sound - Davind rambling statements that relate to his past life, that he wa
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