We can infer that Divergent is a science-fiction film and is almost certainly set in the future. It tells us that the city is Chicago, yet is completely different to what it is now, with a fence around its edges. As we pan down into the city, we hear a narrative - from what we can only assume is the main character - about the city itself and the people in it. We hear about the factions which is also something that doesn't happen in our time now, indicating that it may be set in the future. This causes us to question what the city is actually like and if it is indeed what the future could have in store for us.
We find out that the public have been split based on who they are and their characteristics as a person. We understand that the factions all mean different things yet we have an inkling that something horrible is going to happen to the almost too harmonious city. We see that everyone has a place and must follow the rules to keep the harmony so as not to create another 'war'. People seem afraid of the incident that wiped the rest of the planet away years before and this seems to keep everyone in line in their respective factions.
At the beginning, we hear very dramatic music used as they pan over the city with a bird's eye view. This creates an ominous and curious mood as we don't know if this place is good or bad. When we pan down towards the people, the music suddenly stops and changes to softer music as we watch the people wander around the town and the main character starts to narrate and tell us of her life.
There are many uses of establishing shots of the city. These are effective as it gives us a sense of location and what the overall city looks like. It makes us question why it looks like that and why there is a fence etc. We also get a few medium shots which show the different factions. These are also effective as it shows us how different they all look from each other and how their clothes reflect the jobs and factions they have been placed into. This helps us to differentiate the people and see where they maybe wouldn't fit in.
