The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond (code designation "007"), who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. The gun barrel sequence is the signature device featured in nearly every film of the series. Shot from the point-of-view of a presumed assassin, it features British MI6 agent James Bond walking, turning and then shooting directly at camera, causing blood to run down the screen. The visuals are accompanied by the James Bond Theme, composed by Monty Norman.
Originally designed by Maurice Binder, the sequence has featured in every James Bond film produced by Eon Productions and, although retaining the same basic elements, it has evolved noticeably throughout the series. It is one of the most immediately recognizable elements of the franchise and has featured heavily in marketing material for the films and their spin-offs.
British media historian James Chapman suggests that the sequence is a significant part of the James Bond mythos because it "foregrounds the motif of looking, which is central to the spy genre."
The sequence begins with a white dot blinking across the screen, from left to right. Upon reaching the right edge of the frame, the dot opens up to reveal a gun barrel's interior. From the point of view of an off-screen assassin, the camera follows James Bond as he walks from right to left against a white background. Suddenly aware of being observed, he stops at the centre of the screen, quickly turns to the camera and shoots his gun towards it. A blood-red wash, representing the gunman bleeding, runs down the screen. The gun barrel dissolves to a white dot which moves from side-to-side across the screen and settles in the corner. With a few exceptions, the circle then either shrinks and disappears, or fades from white to a circular cutout of the first scene, expanding to reveal the full view of the scene shortly thereafter.
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