Analysis Of The Film 'Se7en' Opening Sequence.
In the short essay i will be analysing the opening scene from the thriller film 'Se7en'. I will use the four micro areas and other conventions used for thrillers to analyse this scene.
In the first part of the clip, it shows what seems to be one of the main characters getting dressed and ready to go somewhere. it uses a lot of close ups on his face, eyeline shots, match on action etc. This short clip of the man getting dressed shows us he is important and very organised. It shows this by the clothes he is wearing: they are very formal and neat.
the setting also shows us that he is neat and likes things to be perfect, by his house being immaculately clean, his bed made to perfection and everything is in an organised position, for example the knife, keys and watch clock.
The shots that are being used a long duration shots which show that at the moment nothing tense is happening and everything is all laid back and normal.
It then jump cuts from the man getting a phone call to the man at the scene of a crime. It starts off with a panning shot of a dead body with blood all over the floor around the body, with diegetic sounds of police over the radios. Still the durations of the shot are very long and still very laid back.
The setting for the scene of the crime is a very typical thriller setting. An apartment with low lighting and visibility, which looks very dirty and unhygienic. In the back ground of the shot you can see there is blood splattered up the wall, giving that thriller feel to the surroundings.
When the scene goes to the detective lying in the bed, there is all the diegetic sounds coming from outside, there is the sound of dogs barking, people shouting, and police sirens going off. This gives the viewer an impression that it is not a very nice area to live in.
The opening sequence then ends by very short shot duration clips of a man or a woman (identity is hidden), doing weird things with objects for example cutting their own finger with a small blade, colouring in peoples faces and underlining words with black pen, cutting out the word god from a one dollar bill etc. the duration of the shots are short and the music is quite upbeat, but brings a feel of tension into it.
Henry Kidman.
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Analysis of ‘Inception’ Opening Scene.
Analysis
of ‘Inception’ Opening Scene.
I will be analysing the opening scene of the
thriller ‘Inception’ using the four micro areas and also conventions that are
used in thrillers. The movie was released on 16th July 2010 in the
UK.
The scene opens with a distinct establishing shot
of the sea, and the waves whirling and crashing around. The editing is slow
paced and the shot duration is rather long. It then cuts and changes to a close up shot of a man who has his head in
the sand and water, before the non-diegetic sound of music appears there is a
cut and a two shot of two young children. One being a young boy and the other a
young girl playing in the sand, there is then a POV shot to show exactly what
the man is looking at as he raises his head off the wet sand followed by an eye
line match. A Chinese looking man then approaches him with a long gun (it could
be a rifle) and prods him in the back, as the man is not moving he calls for
someone to assist him. The man in the sand is wearing black clothing as is the Chinese
man that approaches him; they both have guns so therefore may both be linked to
the police.
It then cuts again to inside in a building
where two men are stood and one man is sat down in a chair, one of the two men
begin to explain what has happened and show him the gun and another object that
was found on the man as he was laying down on the sand. They seem to have
captured him, he sits down at the table where the old man in the seat says “are
you hear to kill me, I’ve seen one of these before” he then picks up the object
that was found in the man’s pocket. There is then the sound of non-diegetic
music which builds suspense and creates an ominous atmosphere in the room.
During this conversation the shot transition is extremely slow, and the shot
duration is long, this is so the audience can indulge in the conversation
between the two men. During the conversation shot reverse shot is used, even
though the man who’s head was in the sand does not reply, close ups are
frequently used on him to gauge a reaction from him to what is being said to
him.
There is then another cut, the man who was
captured originally from the sand is now dressed in a suit with a shirt and tie
and is discussing his ideas with people at the table. This is a huge jump and
contrast from the opening of this scene as before it seemed as though he was
going to either kill them or be killed by them. In a conversation he says “I am
the most skilled extractor, I know how to search your mind and find your
secrets” straight away from the dialogue you are able to understand what he
does and what he is capable of doing, he wants to be let into his mind. The Chinese
man then replies “Enjoy your evening gentlemen I will consider your proposal”
and exits the room. There is then a sudden diegetic sound of glasses clinking
together, the lights shaking and the table beginning to move. As the main
character looks at his watch there is a POV shot, as the watch begins to tick
tock faster and faster there is a big explosion outside, there is then the
sound of non-diegetic music to build tension and suspense after the explosion
occurs and then a long shot of people running and screaming down the road
because of the fire explosion. The scene then ends with a man looking at the
main characters watch as it continues to tick tock. The ending was extremely
confusing as there is no clear indication to what is happening but it leaves
the audience wondering what is going to happen next and makes them want to
watch on after the scene has finished.
Calvin Morgan
Calvin Morgan
Pitch Presentation Feedback
Feedback
1. Our opening scene must keep within the 2 minute time frame and not go over.
2. In order to ensure this happens we may need to narrow the narrative in our opening scene.
3. The presentation was extremely well presented and all areas where covered and explained.
1. Our opening scene must keep within the 2 minute time frame and not go over.
2. In order to ensure this happens we may need to narrow the narrative in our opening scene.
3. The presentation was extremely well presented and all areas where covered and explained.
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Pink Team
We are extremely proud to announce that we have receieved the prestigious title of 'Blog Of The Month'.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Analysis of Woman in Black opening scene
My analysis of a horror opening scene is of the Woman in Black. This film has just recently come out in the UK this year 2012. In the opening scene the start is of 3 young girls having a tea party. The first angle is of one of the girls pouring in the imaginable tea. The shot is of just the cup, the jug and also you can see a bit of her hand. The light is coming from behind her as the shadows show. It is a close up of the pouring as it is being done. As she finishes pouring one she moves onto the other, as this happens suddenly creepy music comes in silently. When the jug touches the cup there is a slight dinging noise to show that they want to be creepy. This shows that you’re not supposed to think it’s a happy, cheerful party.
The shot moves and suddenly there is a doll on the screen. This is not an edit or a cut, the shot just moves to another place in the room. It is not a cute doll; it’s more of a dark, dirty looking doll. She feeds the doll and moves on to the next. The next doll is a china Asian doll, all the dolls shown are not normal. They are all types of creepy dolls. The shot edits and you can see all of the 3 girls playing with their dolls on the floor. Suddenly this shows you that they are in the Victorian ages as they are wearing Victorian style clothes and also that they are playing with dolls instead of games and electronics. This is a medium shot as you can see their bodies as they are sitting down. The light is coming from the window outside behind them to show you its a dark room and that the window has something to do with the scene. The creepy music is still playing throughout. The instrument is an organ playing the music and the tempo of it is slow to show the creepiness. An organ is used in churches and weird places to represent and show the viewer that the music is scary.
The 3 girls are all smiling at each other; it’s all in slow motion. They are all playing with their dolls, brushing the dolls hair, feeding them and dressing them. They all see something and suddenly get up and walk towards the door. It looks like all 3 of them are in a trance. The camera shows shots of their feet, hands and heads to show the audience what’s happening. This whole scene is supposed to lure you into the film and want to watch it all the way through. The 3 girls walk towards the window. As they do this they drop all their toys and tread on their toys; breaking them. Once again this is all the slow motion so you get to see what’s happening. They get to the window and as they step up to it there is a shot of their hands on the lever opening the window. They open it and suddenly just jump out. This leaves suspense and makes the viewer want to watch more and makes the viewer wonder why they jumped out.
Peter Eyre
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Thriller Opening Comparisons
Thriller Opening Comparisons
Silence
of the lambs
The two thriller film openings I
will be the comparing will be ‘Silence of the lambs’ and ‘The Bourne
Ultimatum’. I will compare all the elements, which make a thriller film
successful and also explain why they are good or how they can be improved.
The Bourne Ultimatum
In the opening scene there
is non-diegetic music that is used to build up tension, you can also hear the
diegetic sound of sirens, and the character heavily breathing which shows that
this is a chase scene and this character is on the run. The editing is
extremely fast paced, as it is an action/thriller scene many cuts are used, and
this enables the audience to be thrilled by the scene. The editing being fast
paced means that the shot duration is fairly short which means that the shot
transitions are extremely fast.
There is a lot of match on
action in the beginning scene where he turns on the tap and puts the gun in the
basin. This indicates that he may have used the gun in a previous encounter and
wants to get rid of it as flashbacks are used. Low key lighting which is a key convention in
thriller openings is used, this creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere and the
non-diegetic music also helps to do this. There are many POV shots used when
‘Jason Bourne’ the main character is looking through the window at the police
officers he is trying to evade. He is dressed in all black which may mean he is
trying to blend in with the darkness outside and not be seen. He is also
carrying a gun to show that he is armed and therefore in a position to kill
someone. The opening scene is fairly short but effective as it engages
audience.
Silence
of the lambs
In
the opening scene there is non-diegetic music playing whilst a young girl is
running into the woods. Her clothing is fairly plain she has a grey jumper on,
which has a large sweat patch on the back due to her running, and she is
wearing tracksuit bottoms her hair is tied back as she approaches large ropes
she climbs over fairly easily and continues to run. Already a counter
stereotype has been made as you wouldn’t usually associate a woman wearing a
jumper with tracksuit bottoms running through a field and climbing ropes. She
is then chased by a man wearing an ‘FBI’ hat which may mean he has something to
do with the police. He said “he wants to see you in his office” to which the
girl replied “thank you sir”. There is then an extreme close up on the man’s
face looking rather serious suggesting the girl may be in trouble. The young
girl then continues to run into a building where the non-diegetic music begins
to slow down and creates a peaceful mood. As the girl runs into the building,
there are many other people boys and girls in the building all wearing the same
clothing which suggests this may be a school or a hospital. The shot duration
at first is very short and the cuts are fast paced, they then begin to slow
down as the clip progresses. She then gets into a lift full of men and the
scene closes. From the opening scene there isn’t a lot of action, but as the
movie develops it is a real thriller.
Comparisons/Differences
between opening scenes.
The
clips are both extremely contrasting; ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ dives straight
into the action and entices the audience instantly by the use fast paced
editing and action. Whereas ‘Silence of the lambs’ takes a lot longer to get
into the action. Character building takes place which is a good technique to
use as it gives the audience a chance to find out more about the main
characters in the film. Both movies are extremely successful thrillers but the
opening scenes are different. As well as differences there are also comparisons
in both of the opening scenes. For example each opening scene for both movies
begin with the non-diegetic sound of music, this technique is often used as it
keeps audiences entertained and also music can set the scene well depending on
its genre.
Conclusion
To
conclude although there are many differences and comparisons between the two
opening scenes, they are still both extremely effective in creating a thriller
movie. I personally prefer the opening scene of ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ as it
engages me straight away and makes me want to watch on to the next scene.
Thriller Movie Opening Conventions
Thriller Definition - Something that is "thrilling" or may "thrill" an audience viewing movie.
Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time inadvertently by London-based reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar--an upgrade to Project Treadstone--in a series of newspaper columns. Bourne sets up a meeting with Ross and realizes instantly they're being scanned. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally, ultimately, uncover his dark past whilst dodging The Company's best efforts in trying to eradicate him.
Released 17th August 2007 Gross: $227,225,045 (USA) (18 November 2007)
Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator have the answers to their questions to help locate the killer. Clarice must first try and gain Lecter's confidence before he is to give away any information.
Release Date 31st May 1991 Gross:$272,742,922 (Worldwide)
Their are many conventions of a thriller movie opening that you must consider in order for it to be successful.
Enigma - providing a mystery at the start of the movie
Characters Identity - Amnesia, Mistaken Identiy & Doubling.
All of which are common in thriller openings. Together, these help build the suspense and tension within the movie. This is all held together by the combination of all 4 micro elements that we have been studying behind the films production - CAMERA, SOUND, EDITING & MISE-EN SCENE.
Key Conventions
Actors positioning and movement in opening scenes is character(s) normally tend to be in the middle of the frame. Camera techniques such as canted angles and hand-held shots add un-ease to the movie.
Sound most films use non diegetic music playing in the background creating a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere.
Editing jump cuts become a commonality during thriller films.
Mise en scene the general location used in the thriller movies I've studied depends on the story of the movie themselves and because of that there’s a lot of difference in location. Lighting is a key aspect used in most of the films. Many thriller movies today usually use low key lighting for a majority of the movie. This provides the movie with the dark, depressing atmosphere.
Camera angles things that seem to be quite common are the low levels of framing and the high angles at certain points, the high angle is used mainly to show those in a powerful position.
Framing of shot the most typical shot used in thriller films seems to be the close up, which are used in both 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and 'Silence of the lambs'.
Camera movement tracking and pan shots is what’s commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience.
Key Conventions
Actors positioning and movement in opening scenes is character(s) normally tend to be in the middle of the frame. Camera techniques such as canted angles and hand-held shots add un-ease to the movie.
Sound most films use non diegetic music playing in the background creating a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere.
Editing jump cuts become a commonality during thriller films.
Mise en scene the general location used in the thriller movies I've studied depends on the story of the movie themselves and because of that there’s a lot of difference in location. Lighting is a key aspect used in most of the films. Many thriller movies today usually use low key lighting for a majority of the movie. This provides the movie with the dark, depressing atmosphere.
Camera angles things that seem to be quite common are the low levels of framing and the high angles at certain points, the high angle is used mainly to show those in a powerful position.
Framing of shot the most typical shot used in thriller films seems to be the close up, which are used in both 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and 'Silence of the lambs'.
Camera movement tracking and pan shots is what’s commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience.
Pitch Presentation
- In this presentation we will be delivering our initial idea. In order to start planning for our psychological thriller opening sequence as a group we have planned a short pitch to present to you.
Our pitch is based around the ideas for our opening sequence.
- This is our initial idea for our opening horror/thriller scene, we have decided to do a short psychological thriller opening rather than focusing solely on horror because we want to be unique and stand out from the crowd. We will add elements of horror for example blood and gore on the scene. We want our clip to have a subconscious affect on each individual in the audience's mind.We feel this will engage the audience so that they would like to watch on after the scene has finished.
- Narrative Description know your whole story however, only produce the opening
- Our opening sequence is going to start with a teenage boy having a very normal day, he then goes to bed and falls asleep. it then fades into a dream and weird, scary stuff starts happening around him. Things that he is unaware of at first, but then gradually becomes more aware as we go along. He will be stalked by a creature/man/woman/thing. at the beginning of the dream, he will be in a house wondering where everybody is, he walks down the stairs and the stalkers face will be in the window, the audience can see but the main character is unaware. the boy will start to get scared and he'll open the door to go outside to look for the the parents which then lets the stalker in. the stalker will torment the boy throughout the story, at the end of the dream he will come face to face with the stalker, the stalker will go to attack the boy and when he goes to do it, the boy will wake from his dream. when he wakes up he thinks its just a dream, looks out the window, walks downstairs thinking everything normal, he will then close the door but to our surprise the stalker is there in real life hidden behind the door then revealed as the door closes behind the boy. The house will be empty in the dream, but the boy will find his dad and his mum dead (horror).
- Protagonist (main character, good guy): teenage boy.
- Antagonist (evil): evil stalker there to inflict pain upon the protagonist. Antagonist traps the protagonist in our scene.
- Our sub genre is psychological thriller with elements of horror within the scene. We were brainstorming our ideas and came across the opening scene for the new film ‘Woman in Black’.
- Key Conventions
- Listed below are the key conventions that we will look to utilise in the production of our opening scene.
Actors positioning and movement in opening scenes is character(s) normally tend to be in the middle of the frame. Camera techniques such as canted angles and hand-held shots add un-ease to the movie.
Sound most films use non diegetic music playing in the background creating a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere.
Editing jump cuts become a commonality during thriller films.
Lighting is a key aspect used in most of the films. Many thriller movies today usually use low key lighting for a majority of the movie. This provides the movie with the dark, depressing atmosphere.
Camera angles things that seem to be quite common are the low levels of framing and the high angles at certain points, the high angle is used mainly to show those in a powerful position.
Camera movement tracking and pan shots is what’s commonly used in the beginning of thriller films, particularly a certain group of people who we should be interested in as the audience.
Examples of Thriller/Horror
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Woman in Black (2012)
- Who is our target audience?
- We have decided amongst the group that the most suitable target audience would be 15+ this is because we as a group are at this age and we know what would appeal to this age range. This means producing our opening scene will be easier and we will also be able to relate to it on the same level. We hope our scene will reach out to young teens like ourselves.
-
- Strong sound effects, contains sex but no nudity. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 rated film in a cinema and no one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.
The roles will be split between the 4 of us in the group. One of us will be the protagonist, one of us will be the antagonist and the other two will be the dad and his son who will have short shots of them throughout the scene.
The teenage boy (protagonist) ‘Peter Eyre’
The stalker (antagonist) ‘Henry Kidman’
Father ‘Calvin Morgan’
Brother‘Reece Smith’
These roles are chosen mainly because of our preliminary task, some people didn’t get a big enough role in the play so we will give them a bigger part now.
General Locations
- The general location used in the thriller movies depends on the story where it is set.
- The story will be located in a house.
- the bigger the house the better it will be.
- we will also use a front or back garden, for when the main character (Peter Eyre) goes looking for his parents and lets the stalker into the house.
- We will use various rooms of the house: Mainly the bedroom and the closet. We will also use the rest of the house just to film the characters walking round.
Friday 10 February 2012
BBFC Research
British board of film classification
BBFC - is an independent non governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up up in 1912 and videos since the passing of the video recordings 1984.
Every film in the UK is classified.
Different types of classification
U PG 12 12a 15 18 Rated 18
Guidelines also take into account the various UK laws which the BBFC must consider and apply when making classification decisions.
Guidelines are updated every 4 years. Current revision published in June 2009.
Guidelines for a 12A and 15:
Example of classified 15 films
Die Hard 4.0
Every film in the UK is classified.
Different types of classification
U PG 12 12a 15 18 Rated 18
Guidelines also take into account the various UK laws which the BBFC must consider and apply when making classification decisions.
Guidelines are updated every 4 years. Current revision published in June 2009.
Guidelines for a 12A and 15:
- Discrimination
- Drugs
- Horror
- Imitable behaviour
- Language
- Nudity
- Sex
- Theme
- Violence
Example of classified 15 films
Die Hard 4.0
The Last King in Scotland
15 - Violence, Strong sound effects, contains sex but no nudity. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema and no one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.
18 - Strong Language, Strong Violence - Gore, Sexual scenes, contains nudity. No one younger than 18 may see a 18 film in a cinema and no one younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18 rated video.
15 - Violence, Strong sound effects, contains sex but no nudity. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema and no one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.
18 - Strong Language, Strong Violence - Gore, Sexual scenes, contains nudity. No one younger than 18 may see a 18 film in a cinema and no one younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18 rated video.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Analysis of 3 film openings
The first film opening i will be analysing is 'Never Back Down'. At the start, straight away the clip opens with tense non-diegetic music, this sets the mood of the clip for the audience and helps the audience get immersed into the scene. There is an establishing shot of the football pitch to show the players in the background and the people watching the match in the foreground. It then cuts to a close-up of the main character (Jake). Throughout the scene there are tracking shots which are following the players as they run around the pitch and tackle each other. Two of the players are seen to have some sort of disagreement, however Jake walks away from the confrontation. One of the two players (Jake) keeps tackling the other which causes the player that keeps being tackled to make a remark about his dad which had passed away fairly recently. This causes Jake to get into a fight with the guy that made the remark, which then consequently causes every player from both scenes to have a brawl.
The second film opening i will be analysing is 'Casino Royale'. The scene opens with an establishing shot of the building where the scene will take place. There is diegetic sound of the car approaching the building driving through the snow, and there is underlying non-diegetic tense and sinister music which is used to set the general mood of the scene, an indicator to the viewers watching it. As the man gets out of the car a low angle shot is used, this clearly shows that the man is in a position of power and is someone fairly important. When the man enters the office, the main character, James Bond (Daniel Craig) begins to talk. The scene then cuts to a flashback of Bond having a fight with the powerful man's informant. It then cuts back to the office where the powerful man pulls out his gun and tries to shoot Bond, however Bond had removed the bullets from the gun. It then flashes back again to Bond murdering the informant. Once again the scene cuts back to the office, where Bond shoots the powerful man.
The third film opening i will be analysing is 'Enemy of the State'. The scene opens with tense sad music, this automatically sets the mood to the audience. The scene shows a man driving by the river and parking to play with his dog. However a man in a car calls him over. The man with the dog is not happy with this, which shows to the viewers automatically that this is probably something he will not want to hear. The men are talking and the one who called the meeting is trying to convince the other man (who is the Chairman) to approve of something. When the Chairman gets up to leave the other man grabs him and stops him, the Chairman obviously knows at this point that he is in danger, this is shown through the close up of his face which clearly shows his expression. The Chairman is eventually allowed to leave and begins to walk off. As the Chairman gets to his car and goes to open the door, one of the men that is working for the man who called the meeting injects a needle into the Chairman's neck, which instantly kills him. This is made to look like the Chairman took an overdose and committed suicide.
Reece Smith
The second film opening i will be analysing is 'Casino Royale'. The scene opens with an establishing shot of the building where the scene will take place. There is diegetic sound of the car approaching the building driving through the snow, and there is underlying non-diegetic tense and sinister music which is used to set the general mood of the scene, an indicator to the viewers watching it. As the man gets out of the car a low angle shot is used, this clearly shows that the man is in a position of power and is someone fairly important. When the man enters the office, the main character, James Bond (Daniel Craig) begins to talk. The scene then cuts to a flashback of Bond having a fight with the powerful man's informant. It then cuts back to the office where the powerful man pulls out his gun and tries to shoot Bond, however Bond had removed the bullets from the gun. It then flashes back again to Bond murdering the informant. Once again the scene cuts back to the office, where Bond shoots the powerful man.
The third film opening i will be analysing is 'Enemy of the State'. The scene opens with tense sad music, this automatically sets the mood to the audience. The scene shows a man driving by the river and parking to play with his dog. However a man in a car calls him over. The man with the dog is not happy with this, which shows to the viewers automatically that this is probably something he will not want to hear. The men are talking and the one who called the meeting is trying to convince the other man (who is the Chairman) to approve of something. When the Chairman gets up to leave the other man grabs him and stops him, the Chairman obviously knows at this point that he is in danger, this is shown through the close up of his face which clearly shows his expression. The Chairman is eventually allowed to leave and begins to walk off. As the Chairman gets to his car and goes to open the door, one of the men that is working for the man who called the meeting injects a needle into the Chairman's neck, which instantly kills him. This is made to look like the Chairman took an overdose and committed suicide.
Reece Smith
Analysis of 3 film openings.
The first film opening I will be analysing is 'Rush Hour 3' straight away at the beginning there is non diegetic music, and a establishing shot of a traffic jam where loads of cars are behind eachother on the motorway. The camera goes from a normal shot to a zooming in shot to show how many cars are on the motorway. You can hear the diegtic sound of car horns, the opening few shots straight away set the scene. It then cuts to a blackman (Chris Tucker) who is one of the main actors of the film dancing in the middle of the road. He is wearing police uniform which straight away suggest that he may work for the police in some way. There is the diegetic sound of music coming from his headphones he is also singing along to the song aswell. When the camera zooms into his face you can see he is directing the traffic but is seemingly distracted by the music he is listening to, he begins to sing even louder untill the inevitable crash of two cars and then the scene ends. This is a very funny opening scence and it sets the tone for the rest of the film.
The second film opening I will be analysing is 'Transformers 3' the opening shot jumps straight into the action as a woman is shown to be walking towards a beg and the non diegetic sound of a piano plays. It gives an impression of intimacy as the piano is still playing when the woman goes up to the bed and shows a bunny to a man who seems to be her boyfriend. Straight away as a viewer you are shown two main characters in the film, and that the women has just a shirt on and doesn't have her legs covered shows that the woman and man could be in a relationship together, she then joins him on the bed and sits on his lap and lays her head on his chest, the camera shot shown is a two shot and this is a very intimate shot of the two characters he begins to rub her back and gives her a kiss. There is then a big cut to the woman walking downstairs and the man getting out of bed he says "you love it don't you I'm just your American boy toy" she replies "a lover boy toy" just from this scence you can feel sexual tension between the two and this is a re-occuring theme throughout the film.
The third film opening I will be analysing is 'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows' at the beginning of the opening scene it jumps straight into the action. There is an extreme close up on a man, the camera is just focused solely on his eyes and what he is saying, creating a dark and ominous atmosphere, the sudden strike of thunder and lighting at the end of his speech is a clever diegetic sound to end the scary nature of the opening scene. There is then a cut to one of the main characters in the film (Hermoine Granger) in her bedroom. Looking at her room is looks fairly old fashioned which suggests that the character herself may be old fashioned there is also a book case full of books which again suggests that she likes to read. When she is called downstairs by her mother non diegetic music of string instruments begins to play this creates a sad atmosphere and you can see this by the emotion shown on her face that something has happened and she must go.
Calvin Morgan
The second film opening I will be analysing is 'Transformers 3' the opening shot jumps straight into the action as a woman is shown to be walking towards a beg and the non diegetic sound of a piano plays. It gives an impression of intimacy as the piano is still playing when the woman goes up to the bed and shows a bunny to a man who seems to be her boyfriend. Straight away as a viewer you are shown two main characters in the film, and that the women has just a shirt on and doesn't have her legs covered shows that the woman and man could be in a relationship together, she then joins him on the bed and sits on his lap and lays her head on his chest, the camera shot shown is a two shot and this is a very intimate shot of the two characters he begins to rub her back and gives her a kiss. There is then a big cut to the woman walking downstairs and the man getting out of bed he says "you love it don't you I'm just your American boy toy" she replies "a lover boy toy" just from this scence you can feel sexual tension between the two and this is a re-occuring theme throughout the film.
The third film opening I will be analysing is 'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows' at the beginning of the opening scene it jumps straight into the action. There is an extreme close up on a man, the camera is just focused solely on his eyes and what he is saying, creating a dark and ominous atmosphere, the sudden strike of thunder and lighting at the end of his speech is a clever diegetic sound to end the scary nature of the opening scene. There is then a cut to one of the main characters in the film (Hermoine Granger) in her bedroom. Looking at her room is looks fairly old fashioned which suggests that the character herself may be old fashioned there is also a book case full of books which again suggests that she likes to read. When she is called downstairs by her mother non diegetic music of string instruments begins to play this creates a sad atmosphere and you can see this by the emotion shown on her face that something has happened and she must go.
Calvin Morgan
Analysis of 3 Film Openings
The first film I will analysis will be Forrest Gump. The opening is all about a feather, the feather floats down from the sky and the camera follows it all the way. The camera pans around the area so you can see what kind of place he lives in. As the opening flows through you see Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump (the main character) in the left hand bottom corner of the screen. The music is a good vibe and makes the viewer feel good as its calming. The feather eventually lands on a mans shoulder but suddenly flies off and rolls over a car. It then floats over slowly, under a car, and then lands straight on to his right foot. Forrest bends down and picks up the feather and stares at it likes its something he's never seen before. Forrest then lifts open his case, pulls out a book and places the feather softly down into the book. There are close ups in the first 2 minutes of Forrest.
The second film I'm analysing is Step Brothers. This is one of my favourite films, it made me laugh 24/7. At the beginning there is a quote from George W. Bush. It says 'Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream'. This is what basically the whole film is about. There is a black screen and all you can hear is the song. It makes you figure out what the actor is doing (Will Ferrell). This makes you lean in more to try and figure it out. It then shows he's putting cheese on top of his chips.It shows that he doesn't care as he just piles on the cheese and doesn't mind where it all goes. So it shows you what his attitude is like. He then places them into the microwave and presses the time he wants. Then the music kicks in. It goes straight away with what its all about. It then changes character and shows you also what he's like. He picks up a pair of pants and smells them. This shows he also doesn't care and is dirty. Will Ferrell then picks up his food and walks into the lounge and eats. All the food he has shows us that he is unhealthy and that he acts like a child. The parents both say bye to both of the two people and it shows us that they are old and are still living at home which tells us that they are childish. In this opening there are a variety a different shots. Close ups, eye line shots, and more.
The last film opening I will be analysing will be Finding Nemo. The opening first gives you a pan of the whole seen of where they are and what their coral village looks like. The two fish are then staring at their view they have in their sea enemies. The lighting is good as it shows the whole reflection that the water is doing. They then are talking as parents and the camera then shows their neighbourhood. It is shown as a happy and loving place as their is laughter and playing in the background. Then they go down and see their children in their eggs waiting to hatch. The lighting is good here as it is more darker in there as it is a little cave with no light. They then swim up to their emenie and start to have a mess around. The music starts to lighten up as its supposed to be funny. The womon fish suddenly gets pushed out and then the music just cuts and there is no one in the neighbourhood around them. They look out to sea and there is a huge baracuda out there. They pause and think as they think he's doing to eat their eggs. At this moment there is a screaching sound to show that its a tense moment in the film. All you can hear is the music and the ocean swaying. She then tries to fight off the fish but gets beaten and the male fish passes out. He wakes up slowly and his vision is blury. He swims down to look at his eggs and there is only one there. This film opening is very tense. It lines up the whole film and shows you how the male fish ended up with nemo.
Peter Eyre
The second film I'm analysing is Step Brothers. This is one of my favourite films, it made me laugh 24/7. At the beginning there is a quote from George W. Bush. It says 'Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream'. This is what basically the whole film is about. There is a black screen and all you can hear is the song. It makes you figure out what the actor is doing (Will Ferrell). This makes you lean in more to try and figure it out. It then shows he's putting cheese on top of his chips.It shows that he doesn't care as he just piles on the cheese and doesn't mind where it all goes. So it shows you what his attitude is like. He then places them into the microwave and presses the time he wants. Then the music kicks in. It goes straight away with what its all about. It then changes character and shows you also what he's like. He picks up a pair of pants and smells them. This shows he also doesn't care and is dirty. Will Ferrell then picks up his food and walks into the lounge and eats. All the food he has shows us that he is unhealthy and that he acts like a child. The parents both say bye to both of the two people and it shows us that they are old and are still living at home which tells us that they are childish. In this opening there are a variety a different shots. Close ups, eye line shots, and more.
The last film opening I will be analysing will be Finding Nemo. The opening first gives you a pan of the whole seen of where they are and what their coral village looks like. The two fish are then staring at their view they have in their sea enemies. The lighting is good as it shows the whole reflection that the water is doing. They then are talking as parents and the camera then shows their neighbourhood. It is shown as a happy and loving place as their is laughter and playing in the background. Then they go down and see their children in their eggs waiting to hatch. The lighting is good here as it is more darker in there as it is a little cave with no light. They then swim up to their emenie and start to have a mess around. The music starts to lighten up as its supposed to be funny. The womon fish suddenly gets pushed out and then the music just cuts and there is no one in the neighbourhood around them. They look out to sea and there is a huge baracuda out there. They pause and think as they think he's doing to eat their eggs. At this moment there is a screaching sound to show that its a tense moment in the film. All you can hear is the music and the ocean swaying. She then tries to fight off the fish but gets beaten and the male fish passes out. He wakes up slowly and his vision is blury. He swims down to look at his eggs and there is only one there. This film opening is very tense. It lines up the whole film and shows you how the male fish ended up with nemo.
Peter Eyre
Analysis Of 3 Film Openings.
First film opening i will be analysing will be 'Harry Brown'. The opening of this film is shot very cleverly, it shows a group of rough youths (shown by the clothes they are wearing, hoods are up and faces covered - Mise-en-scene) that are pressuring another youth into joining their gang. they get him to smoke drugs and they give him a gun. the newest member then shoots a vulnerable woman with a child dead. this is very realistic and believable as this does happen in this day and age in some London estates. The reason it is cleverly shot is because it looks like it is filmed on a phone camera as there is bad quality, its shaking everywhere and the sound is very distorted and low quality also. this also makes it very realistic and believable. there is a few close ups, match on action and eye line shots in the first couple of minutes of this film. the main reason for this opening clip is, when the clip ends it then leads into the main story line of the film introducing the main character (Michael Cain). The lighting is good but as it is supposed to look like a phone camera it is slightly pixelated and low quality.
The second film opening i will be analysing will be 'Saving Private Ryan'. The opening scene in this film jumps straight into action. You witness a lot of deaths, people being blown up, people on fire, blood everywhere, it is a very effective opening. It's world war 2, you can tell by the setting, the guns and the uniform (Mise-en-scene). The main character (Tom Hanks) is the obvious captain of his squad, as you can tell by the dialogue that he has obvious power as he orders everything that is going to happen. it is filmed cleverly with sound, as when they get into the water you cant hear much as its all muffled, and when the camera goes back to the surface it goes back to normal sound, this is cleverly done. The lighting is very good, you can clearly see the characters and everything that is going on. the editing was very good, there was a slow motion shot which caught my eye when Tom Hanks was looking around in shock at everything that was happening for example the man searching for his lost arm. it was high quality and led you straight into the story line.
The third film opening i will be analysing will be '8 Mile'. The opening scene introduces us to the main character and what the whole film will be about. It shows Eminem at a rap battle, but he doesn't say anything and gets booed off stage, he then walks out and his mates say that he will win next time. therefore telling us there will be a next time and he will be battling. The lighting is good, clearly showing everything we need to see as a viewer, the camera angles are good, showing us exactly what we need to see. There is a few close ups, eye line shots, match on action shots, wide shots to show the crowd, medium shots to show body language, two shots etc.. the mise-en-scene shows that he isn't rich, he's quite poor with his shabby, ripped clothes that he carries in a bin bag. The sound is clear and easy to hear what is going on and what is being shouted etc. it is also a cliff hanger as it leaves the viewers thinking what is going to happen next.
In conclusion these three opening scenes from these films are very good, they are good for camera, sound, editing, lighting and mise-en-scene. They have given me a few ideas for my film opening i will be doing at school.
Henry Kidman.
First film opening i will be analysing will be 'Harry Brown'. The opening of this film is shot very cleverly, it shows a group of rough youths (shown by the clothes they are wearing, hoods are up and faces covered - Mise-en-scene) that are pressuring another youth into joining their gang. they get him to smoke drugs and they give him a gun. the newest member then shoots a vulnerable woman with a child dead. this is very realistic and believable as this does happen in this day and age in some London estates. The reason it is cleverly shot is because it looks like it is filmed on a phone camera as there is bad quality, its shaking everywhere and the sound is very distorted and low quality also. this also makes it very realistic and believable. there is a few close ups, match on action and eye line shots in the first couple of minutes of this film. the main reason for this opening clip is, when the clip ends it then leads into the main story line of the film introducing the main character (Michael Cain). The lighting is good but as it is supposed to look like a phone camera it is slightly pixelated and low quality.
The second film opening i will be analysing will be 'Saving Private Ryan'. The opening scene in this film jumps straight into action. You witness a lot of deaths, people being blown up, people on fire, blood everywhere, it is a very effective opening. It's world war 2, you can tell by the setting, the guns and the uniform (Mise-en-scene). The main character (Tom Hanks) is the obvious captain of his squad, as you can tell by the dialogue that he has obvious power as he orders everything that is going to happen. it is filmed cleverly with sound, as when they get into the water you cant hear much as its all muffled, and when the camera goes back to the surface it goes back to normal sound, this is cleverly done. The lighting is very good, you can clearly see the characters and everything that is going on. the editing was very good, there was a slow motion shot which caught my eye when Tom Hanks was looking around in shock at everything that was happening for example the man searching for his lost arm. it was high quality and led you straight into the story line.
The third film opening i will be analysing will be '8 Mile'. The opening scene introduces us to the main character and what the whole film will be about. It shows Eminem at a rap battle, but he doesn't say anything and gets booed off stage, he then walks out and his mates say that he will win next time. therefore telling us there will be a next time and he will be battling. The lighting is good, clearly showing everything we need to see as a viewer, the camera angles are good, showing us exactly what we need to see. There is a few close ups, eye line shots, match on action shots, wide shots to show the crowd, medium shots to show body language, two shots etc.. the mise-en-scene shows that he isn't rich, he's quite poor with his shabby, ripped clothes that he carries in a bin bag. The sound is clear and easy to hear what is going on and what is being shouted etc. it is also a cliff hanger as it leaves the viewers thinking what is going to happen next.
In conclusion these three opening scenes from these films are very good, they are good for camera, sound, editing, lighting and mise-en-scene. They have given me a few ideas for my film opening i will be doing at school.
Henry Kidman.
Key and conventions of opening title sequence
Their are many conventions that a typical movie sequence must have in order for it to be successful..
Here are a few:
Name of production
Director
Producer
Executive Producer
Top Billing Actors
The Movie Title
Distribution Company
Further opening sequences are:
Details of cast and crew
The films movie
Introduction to character or character type
Indication of place
Indication of period
Information regarding mood and tone
Introduction to theme tune
Information on genre
Questions that viewer will find intruiging
Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film
Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later on in the film.
Their are many different credits shown throughout most movies introductions, allowing the viewers to appreciate everyone who worked behind the scenes of the movie.
Preliminary Exercise Review
About Our Task.. (Review)
After finishing our preliminary task we are all extremely happy and proud of the clip that we have produced. It was the first time a few of us had used a camera, acted and then edited on final cut pro so it was a new experience that we all looked forward to doing and now we have finished are all relieved and pleased with the outcome. 'The Estate' which was the title for our movie clip was a simple story about a young boy who was leaving his house and was on his way to school, unfortunately two youths from his school who were both heading in the wrong direction pushed him against the wall and began to chase after the boy before physically attacking him and taking his personal belonging(mobile phone). The boy is in alot of pain but manages to get himself up off the ground and holds himself up via a pole behind him. Another young boy who goes to his school asks if he is okay and asks what exactly had happened to him. They engage in a short conversation before then putting there hoods up and walking off in the direction the two youths had gone.
The main morale of our short preliminary clip was that life is more imporant than any possession you may have, mobile phones, mp3 players etc can all be replaced but once your life has gone that is it. As a group we could relate to this clip because a few of us had been put in a similiar situation before, and so therefore felt passionate towards this topic.
After finishing our preliminary task we are all extremely happy and proud of the clip that we have produced. It was the first time a few of us had used a camera, acted and then edited on final cut pro so it was a new experience that we all looked forward to doing and now we have finished are all relieved and pleased with the outcome. 'The Estate' which was the title for our movie clip was a simple story about a young boy who was leaving his house and was on his way to school, unfortunately two youths from his school who were both heading in the wrong direction pushed him against the wall and began to chase after the boy before physically attacking him and taking his personal belonging(mobile phone). The boy is in alot of pain but manages to get himself up off the ground and holds himself up via a pole behind him. Another young boy who goes to his school asks if he is okay and asks what exactly had happened to him. They engage in a short conversation before then putting there hoods up and walking off in the direction the two youths had gone.
The main morale of our short preliminary clip was that life is more imporant than any possession you may have, mobile phones, mp3 players etc can all be replaced but once your life has gone that is it. As a group we could relate to this clip because a few of us had been put in a similiar situation before, and so therefore felt passionate towards this topic.
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