"The opening shot of Robert Altman’s ‘The Player’ establishes the film as a self-reflexive deconstruction of the Hollywood system and those who run it. With its prolonged shot length, the take is also designed as a means to introduce the bevy of players who work on the lot and to setup the film’s general plot—or at least its tone—as a thriller/murder mystery."

So begins my essay on the opening shot of Robert Altman’s The Player, just published over at Jim Emerson’s Scanners blog on RogerEbert.com as part of his ongoing "Opening Shot Project."

Head on over to Scanners to read the full piece and to join the conversation.

You can view the opening shot itself below: