Analysis of Film Openings In Class

It is useful to analyse film opening because it can give me ideas on what to look into and consider for my film opening. It also can show me techniques that are used that i may want to consider when creating my piece, i analysed the genre. narrative, characters, atmospher, themes, settings, sound and titles in each opening to judge whether it is a good or a bad film opening and also what the directer is trying to connote. These are the film openings we looked at in class and what we spoke about them.

Lord of War

This is the opening sequence to lord of war featuring Nicholas cage. The narrative of this piece may not seem as clear to a passive viewing audience because it requires the audience to be able to engage and think about the film throughout, so if we look into this the opening sequence is following the life of a bullet this may give connotations of following the life of an arms dealer as we follow the bullet, bullet meaning arms and the fact we see its life shows us this, also the narrative may be quite political as all the people we see at the start here are quite powerful people like an officer giving connotations of the government and power. We can tell the setting we can tell this may be set in various different locations because we see the bullet travel to different places. Themes this piece may contain is war because of the opening sequence being set in a war zone, also there may be upset as the death of the man at the end gives connotations of sadness.

We know the genre of this piece is an action because the fighting and war gives the audience expectations of an action. Characters in this piece we know will be high ranking people because the officer at the start gives connotations of authority also this opening sequence using all men this gives connotations of a masculine feel to the extract. the atmosphere for this piece is peculiar because it seems very relaxed and this is juxtaposing what is actually happening connoting war to be calm and then the bullet hits the man and it pulls you back to reality. Sound in this opening sequence is up beat but the lyrics of the song contrast to the music, the song was written about the Vietnam war and its telling us how war is bad and we should have a look around and see whats happening. The titles are centralised in this piece to make sure the audience can see the names and focus on them because the song is telling them to look around and see what's happening.

My Best Friend's Wedding

The genre for this is clear that it's a romantic comedy because of the cheesy music used to make the comedic element of it and also how its all about wedding and love connoting romance. Again the narrative for this film opening is very clear we know that there will be some form of marriage due to all the wedding dresses and love everywhere but with the bouquet throw this may connote how something goes wrong but then it is resolved because she caught it again. Characters in this piece again very clear we know there will be a bride and groom due to the bride at the start and also bridesmaids due to all the bridesmaids but at the beginning we see them wear traditional clothes this man give connotations of a traditional wedding so we may assume to see the normal people you would see at a wedding such as friends and family.

The atmosphere to this piece is very happy so this connotes the women feelings towards getting married, its also quite funny because the song was very cheesy, although it seems borderline unto a obsession for a wedding and love. Themes that will be used will be a wedding, love, comedy and possibly a happy ending we know this because of the all the happiness at the beginning that is connoted so this is trying to appeal to an audience that enjoys a simple happy ending movie.

The setting for this piece is a wedding, also it seems kind of retro so there may be some historical context behind this that the audience might need to decode although we know this is most likely aimed at a passive audience just looking to be cheered up. The music used in this piece is very catchy this is a good thing because it stays in the audiences' head so its most likely they will remember this after they leave the cinema, of course its also very up beat and cheesy connoting a love and wedding feel. The text used in this piece is interesting because its calligraphy style connotes the wedding invitations, also how the titles are worked around them dancing so the audience is fully concentrated on the women dancing.

Catch Me if You Can

The genre of this piece will be a thriller because of the fast paced editing used for the opening sequence. The narrative to this piece will be some chase around the world we know this as the opening sequence literally tells the story in a short cartoon version. Although most characters of this piece are unknown because of the cartoon we still know there shall be some form of chase connoting a and the detective gear on the cartoon means that there will be a detective and some fugitive also the women in the pool connote there shall be a female in this maybe a partner because the swim suit implies lust.

The atmosphere for this piece is quite mysterious and exciting because the music is fast paced and building up tension.Themes of this movie may include some form of identity and disguise. Setting for this is clearly New York because the yellow taxi used in the extract connotes the film will be set in New York mostly but it will go to other places around the world because of the colour changes connotes the different locations. The non diegetic sound used in this extract is a retro feel connoting how it is set in the past giving it a retro feel, it is also quite upbeat and fast in tempo connoting how the film will be fast paced and exciting. The way in which the titles are integrated is quite unique because it is integrated within the piece and works with and around what is going on in the scene.

Panic Room

The genre of this piece is a thriller, we know it is a thriller because it is placing questions in the audiences mind from the start because how the text is in the city and why it is set in a city but also the non diegetic sound used enquires that mystery. The narrative of this extract isn't as clear and it requires a more active audience to look into it from the opening sequence, so for example looking at the text it is metal and may connote an enclosed space and the fact the film is called Panic Room connotes some sort of small room. We know there will be a female character because the first diegetic sound we hear is the voice of a female so this connotes the protagonist to be female because it introduces her to us.

The atmosphere is very eerie in this piece because of the non diegetic music and tension connoting this may be a fast paced. Themes of this may possible be some kind of business involved, in the city, possible some enclosed space. We know it is set in New York city because of the sites it shows us to make it clear to the audience where it is set. The non diegetic sound in this opening is very epic connoting how the movie shall be fast paced and contain a lot of action, also a clock starts ticking  connoting how time is running out and something must be done before a certain time. The titles in this piece are all done in bold text and in CAPITALS to connote the importance of the text and possibly a hidden meaning behind them such as a metal enclosed space.

The Differences and Similarities of Film Opening and Trailer

Before I begin on post production of my film opening, I must first understand the differences between a trailer and a film opening for my creation of a film opening, to give me an understanding of the elements I must avoid and what I must include, also. I have learnt that although a film trailer and film opening a very similar in ways such as:

• Both contain text of the director, production company, main actors and film name
• Introduces the main character/s
• Gives an understanding of the narrative
• Both try to entice the audience
• Signature theme tune

But both are very different in many ways aswell. Trailers differ in:

• Gives information of the film
• Fade to black
• Shows a montage
• Clips of the film
• Title of the film at the end of the trailer
• Tag Line
• Institutions logo

Film Openings have:

• Information for that section
• Title of the film is not at the end but in the middle usually
• Details of cast and crew
• Information of the setting
• Information of historical period
• Information of mood and tone
• Information of the genre/audience expectations

This is an example of a good film opening. Although it is a weird film opening it explains what is going to happen in the storyline, we can tell from this clip that there will be a male and female main charcters, we also see a type writer in the piece connoting there shall be some kind of journalism or research. The fact there is fire and a man tired up connotes there may be some form of death or destruction. We can tell it's an opening and not a trailer from the way the titles are set, firstly there is no format for the text which differs from a trailer trying to make it stand out, secondly the title of the film is near the start of the clip and not at the end of the clip. The genre of this clip is clear and undwerstandable as a thriller because of the weird opening scene effects and eerie atmospher it is creating.



This clip differs from the first in many ways for us to understand this is a trailer. Firstly it fades to black after every clip, this transition makes it exciting and dramatic to the audience to help appeal to them. Secondly we know it's a trailer because of the montage of clips, trying to attract audience attention. Thirdly the film title is at the end of the clip which is something nearly every trailer does.

Preliminary Task: Evaluation

I believe my piece has demonstrated continuity well because it is clear to the audience and flows nicely from the first scene; we make it flow by cutting straight away to the next shot shown at the start with the conversation between Connor and Dan, although we did have some issues with continuity at the end of our piece where we made a shot break the 180 degree rule, we worked around this by cutting a bit of footage from the last scene but it does look out of place, this is something I shall keep in mind for my main film task.

I have demonstrated these techniques, I believe that my match on action is better and clearer than shot reverse shot and 180 degree rule but all techniques are in my piece, these techniques are helpful as it helps the audience understand what is going on; the 180 degree rule makes the audience not be confused on what side the characters are, as they will always stay on a certain side unless moved somewhere else. Match on action helps the audience transition through places, mostly doors so they are able to follow the characters on screen. Shot reverse shot can be used for many things but mainly for conversations and allows the audience to see the characters talking. I believe that the majority of my group didn’t do much work and left it to me and another person to do; which made it more difficult to complete to a high quality and we were rushed for time making it quite stressful.

If I were to film this piece again I would be a lot more aware of where the camera is and what is shown in the shot as there were a few errors in the piece, breaking the media illusion to the audience. Also I would always keep in mind the 180 degree rule as we had problems with this making it tough to work around when editing. I believe that we could improve on our planning as we had a few problems with actors not being able to do days, making it difficult to work around. In addition making sure we have a clear idea of what we will film, so we don’t have to be changing anything when filming.

I did use transitions in my piece, I used a transition between the scene when Dan and Damian are interrogating Connor and when Matt is sitting down, I used a transition here to make a clear understanding to the audience this is a different location and a small bit of time has passed, I wanted to show this so it made it more dramatic to the audience, making them question what had just happened to Connor.

I have a learnt a lot about the editing software, such as importing the video, splitting the clips, changing the contrast, brightness, I also learnt how to import sound and make sound loud or quiet, and all of these techniques have been very useful to making my piece look like I wanted it to and sound like I did as well.

I have learnt many techniques about technologies and media, I have learnt about camera skills and that there is a huge difference from what you see and what the camera picks up, so you must be aware at all times to create a good piece of media. I’ve also learnt many editing techniques and its best to over film than under film, shooting a scene a few times is a good thing to do so you have no trouble when editing, also using things such as sound to highlight things and give things significance. Creating this film has helped me a lot and given me many ideas for my main film task.

Preliminary Task: Storyboard

This is the front and back of my storyboard, it shows all my scenes from my prelimary task, although some scenes were altered when filming began but only slightly because we thought it would be more appealing to use either a different camera angle or shot.

Front                                                                                   Back             

Preliminary Task: Video

This is my preliminary task video final cut. It is a continuously edited piece that we created to help us understand certain elements of media such as the 180 degree rule, match on action and a shot-reverse-shot, it was useful to understand these because it proved to be a lot harder to remember when on the production of the piece, which is why we encountered issues when editing the piece.

The genre was a comedy/action and the storyline was about how a mafia mob squad was after a certain man to be avenged over a game of table tennis. The characters in piece are Dan and Damian the two body guards for the antagonist mob leader Amy, Matt was the protagonist table tennis player and Connor was a friend of Matt who was interrogated at the beginning of the extract.



Our 180 degree rule was used throughout our extract as it was something we had to consider all the time. Our match on action is used between the door when Matt enters the mafia's lair. Finally our shot-reverse-shot was used at the end of our extract between Amy and Matt. So as well as containing all our essential elements, we also used a mid shot of Matt in the middle of the extract and again with Amy at the end, also 3-shot between Dan, Connor and Damian and again at the end between Dan, Matt and Damian.

This gave us many ideas for our main task that we will be doing in January and also how it can help us if we ever film again and how to create a good shot to suit the extract.

Preliminary Task: Filming of The Piece

I found the filming of the task to be a fun and stressful experience. Although I loved filming this task and working along side my good friends it was not a benefit when it came to the actual shooting because when the camera started rolling the actors became camera shy and started laughing, myself included, making my directing of the piece to be quite stressful. This was not the only problem we encountered, while trying to film the piece we had problems setting up equipment as this was new to us and we weren't to sure at first and didn't want to damage anything but once we figured out how it was all good, even if we did waste a bit of time.

One of the main annoyances of the shooting would be how we forgot something so crucial and that would be the 180 degree rule, we broke this rule and because of this it broke the film to the audience, so we had to get rid of one of our best scenes when editing. Overall I found the experience great because it has taught me alot about the production of the film and things I shall keep in mind for my main film opening.