"The Hunger Games" is a movie inspired by the novel by Suzanne Collins, it was released in 2012 and was produced by Nina Jacobson and directed by Gary Ross. The film presents a dystopia and takes place in the future in Panem (Formerly North-America). Not only the opening sequence of 'The Hunger Games" shows the differences between the Capitol (actual government of Panem) and District 12 ( Inhabitants are separated into Districts From 1 (Richest) to 13 (Poorest), District 13 was obliterated after a riot of the population so there are 12 Districts left) but it also shows to what extent the film takes place in a dystopian world.
At first we see two men. We can assume that they are part of the Capitol due to their outfit, indeed they are wearing beautiful costumes and they are looking good and seem to be self-confident. They are talking about the Hunger Games (1 Boy and 1 Girl are chosen in each district to fight to death. Only 1 will remain at the end.), during their speech, the audience applauds them. They are in a beautiful place, thanks to the moving lights behind them we can see their wealth and the good technology they have.
On this shot we can see district 12 which is presented as poor, dilapidated and not a good place to live. Indeed District 12 is the poorest of all, the inhabitants of the district are all coal miners (all districts have an activity and can't do anything else). We can't see anyone outside, and looking at the aspect of the district we understand why, itis as if the houses were going to fall, some carts already are knocked down. Not only can we see a poor landscape but we can also hear a scream.
In the next scene we understand that the scream came from a crying little girl which had just had a nightmare, her elder sister is hugging her to reassure her. (In fact, the little girl is Primrose, Katniss, her elder sister is the heroine of the film.) This scene is recorded with the camera near the actors, making us feel near the actors, also the scene is very touching,espacially when Katniss sings for her sister. Not only does this scene allow the spectator to feel sympathy and empathy for the two characters but it also shows the differences between the Capitol and District 12, actually we can see that the population is suffering not only due to their conditions of life but also knowing that Primrose makes nightmares due to the incoming Hunger Games we understand how oppresive and how frightening the governement is.
These two scenes show the differences between the Capitol and District 12. Here the characters are sad and living in terrible conditions. These scenes come just after the one of the two capitol guys which can be shocking to the spectator, indeed showing two confident men well dressed which are part of the governement and two girls, from the population of district 12, and looking at the hard situation of the population show the gap between this population and the Capitol. Not only are the two girls in pyjamas when the two men are in costume but the two girls are in the shadows when the two men are in the lights, which strenghtens the gap between the Capitol and District 12.
In the following scene, Katniss is on her way out of her home, and so we can see a succession of shots which reveal more about the bad situation of District 12.
First, before she goes outside we can see the aggresivity of the animals with this angry cat. Usually cats aren't that aggressive, we might think that it shows the dangers of nature (forests, animals, ...), reminding us that the film takes place in a dystopian world since the dangerous nature is an attribut of dystopia. However Katniss is not afraid of the hostility of animals and doesn't seem to care about the hostility of the animal which shows how courageous she is.
Second, when Katniss is outside we can see an old looking person holding two buckets surely full, maybe of water but this person walks slowly due to the weight of these buckets which shows how hard living in District 12 is.
Third, on this shot, we see a woman picking up the laundry which is in a bad state, showing again how poor District 12 is.
Fourth, on this shot, we are able to see coal miners, they seem unhealthy and don't seem to be happy.
Finally with this old man we can see the lack of food of the inhabitants, which shows that the work life balance is not great in disctrict 12.
To conclude with these shots, they amplify the poverty and the gap between the Capitol and the population of District 12.
There is a sad mood in this passage of the opening sequence. Indeed everyone is unhappy, sad, and in a bad shape. Moreover the land seems devasted and dangerous, not only the houses but also the ground, which amplify more the gap since the two capitol guys at the beginning were in such a beautiful and securised place when the inhabitants are in a dilapidated and unsecure place. Furthermore during all these shots we can see the camera is trembling whereas it isn't for the capitol members.
With this sign and this fence we can see how oppressive the Capitol is towards the inhabitants of Panem since they are forced to stay in their districts, first to keep them locked up to ensure they won't try another rebellion but also to prevent them from hunting to keep them submissed to the Capitol. They say that they do this to protect them from savage beasts in the woods, but it's only a pretext which refers to the attribut of dystopia: Nature is dangerous. We also see that the fence should be electrified but it isn't, it still shows how oppressive the governement is, if someone is caught out of the district limits he might be killed by the Capitol. But Katniss gets over the fence anyway and goes into the woods, which shows how courageous she is.
To put it in a nutshell, we can say that the Capitol is an oppresive governement which is rich and doesn't have any trouble or empathy when Disctrict 12 is badly damaged with a poor, sad population in bad shape. Finally, not only does this opening brillantly show the gap between District 12 and the Capitol but it also shows to what extent "The Hunger Games" is a dystopia. After the first minute we understand what is going on but during the two others, the opening reinforces the gap and the dystopian world, but it also reflects the bravoury of the heroine.