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.
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