Eyeline Match

Eyeline Match

Eyeline match is a commonly used filming technique which is used to show us what the character is looking at which may be of some importance. This is primarily used in favour of the audience, as in this example shown below, we see a medium shot of a woman looking almost directly at the camera, the audience will be curious as to what she is looking at so the camera will cut to a shot of what the character is focusing on, we then see a close up of the characters face to indicate that she is focused on this image and it is perhaps of some importance, to which the camera then cuts to a close up on a certain part of the image. The footage has been edited in this scene as the shots of the paintings are taken after the medium and close up shot of the woman, the shots are then tied together through editing software like Adobe Premiere etc.

180 Degree Rule

The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 rule in filming tells us that the camera is not allowed to go past the 180 degree line or it may leave confusion in the audience. The image above is an example of where this rule is used (in a convocation), we can see a red and green section, the green section is where you can film and the red is where you cannot. The reason as to why the camera can only film on one side is because, in this case especially, it would switch the subjects/objects around which will lead to confusion.

Our Film Institute

Film Institutions

Film Institutions

Paramount

Paramount Pictures was founded in 1912 by the 'Famous Players Film Company' and it was only 2 years later in 1914 when it was opened by Jesse Lasky, Adolph Zukor and William Wadsworth Hodkinson. Paramound Pictures is known as one of the 'Big Six' film studios of Hollywood. Turning 100 in 2012 had made Paramound Pictures one of the five longest living film studios. Paramount Pictures is known to have some of the best films of all time and holds very popular films - e.g. Titanic, The Godfather, Wolf of Wall Street, Transformers and Iron Man. The main genre of films in Paramount Pictures is Action - Adventure.

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox was founded in 1935 by Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck. 20th Century Fox is one of the six major American film studios and is situated in Century City in Los Angeles. The two founders Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph M. Schenck left United Artists over a dispute and created the company Twentieth Century Pictures. They then soon went on to join/merge with FOX Films and went on to create 20th Century Fox. Films that 20th Century Fox make tend to be more family friendly, examples of these films are: Ice Age, The Simpsons Movie, Avatar, however they are also known for some classic films that are less family friendly like Alien and Independence Day.

LIONSGATE

Lions Gate Entertainment is an American/Canadian entertainment corporation, situated in Santa Monica in California. Lions Gate was founded in 1997 by Frank Giustra however, Avi Federgreen was also an important input to the company as he helped fund the start up of Lions Gate. Lions Gate Entertainment is famous mainly for their action, thriller and adventure film genres. Examples of these films would be Divergent, Day After Tomorrow and The Hunger Games.

WHITEHORN (Our Own Institute)

Whitehorn Productions is our own film institute that our group had decided on, we wanted our logo to look similar to Lions Gate and Paramount as our films will be focused around the same genre which they are most famously known for - e.g. Action, Thriller, Adventure.

Online Tutorials - Sony Vegas Pro 13

Camera Shots and Angles

Camera Shot Types

Extreme Close UpAn extreme close up is used particularly to focus on a certain part of a subject (e.g. eyes). This shot calls attention to the subjects which will make them more memorable. Extreme close ups are used mainly to express emotions (e.g. tears coming from an eye) or to show any characteristics.

Close Up

A close up shot is similar to the extreme close up when it comes to the effect it has and its job - a close up shot is used to capture a subjects emotions (normally by facial expression) Close ups tend to be of the full face and are used  primarily to emphasize a persons emotions.

Medium Shot

A medium shot shows a figure from the knees/waist up, these shots tend to be used for dialogue scenes or to show detail of the subject. There are various types of medium shot for example a Two Shot, is a medium shot of two people which again is normally used for any type of convocation.

Long Shot

A long shot is normally used to reveal more about a character (visually) and to show us the type of environment they are in. Long shots reveal a lot to the scene as they show a lot of a subjects surroundings as well as themselves. This shot is effective because it will make the audience feel like they are in the location in which the shot is seen.

Extreme Long Shot

An extreme long shot focuses more on the setting than the characters, it is shot from very far away and is used to capture something big happening in a scene (e.g. large explosions). Extreme long shots are commonly used for Establishing Shots which are shots used at the start of a film of sequence to show the audience the overall setting or location of where the film is set.

Birds Eye View

Birds eye view is a Camera Angle which is taken from directly above the subject/location of the scene, this shot is generally used to make the audience feel 'godlike' and to make the subjects look small and inferior.

High Angle Shot

High angle shots are very similar to Birds eye view shots however they are at more of an angle rather than being directly above. The effectiveness/purpose of these shots are very similar though as they are used to make the subjects look vulnerable or inferior.

Low Angle Shot

Low angle shots are the complete opposite to high angle shots as they are used to make the subject look powerful and have more authority, these shots tend to be used primarily on the antagonist of the film or anyone who is portrayed as powerful.

Canted Angle

A canted angle means a tilted angle. This shot type is commonly used in the horror genre as it is used to create an imbalance or instability within the scene. This shot type is usually used as an alternative to the POV (Point Of View) Shot and is usually used by a hand held camera.

 

Age Certificates

Age Ratings

    

"U" - Universal

This age ratings means that the film is suitable for all audiences, this means that children 4 years or older can watch these films, these films will not contain any strong language, sexual innuendo etc. Words like "damn" and "hell" will be used infrequently in some of the films but are very rare to find anything more than mild bad language. Illegal drugs would never be used in these films unless they are for education purposes.

"PG" - Parental Guidance

This age ratings means that the film is for general viewing and may have scenes that may not suitable for ages 8 or under, these films will contain mild bad language like "shit" or "son of a bitch" but are not very frequent and are only used when 'necessary'. Illegal drugs may be referenced or spoken about, but visual use is very rare - violence is very mild and not graphic for example, small fist fights or playing with electricity.

  

"12A" and "12"
The 12A age rating means that the film is not suitable for audiences under 12's unless they are accompanied by an adult. A 12A film will consist of 12 rating material but can be argued whether they are suitable for someone slightly younger that 12. If a film has a dark or disturbing tone to it, then the film would be classified as 12 instead because they believe that it is absolutely not suitable for anyone under 12. In a 12A film, the level of violence will be higher than PG but is still seen as 'mild', they tend to not show or use too much detail on injuries or any use of gore - this is very similar to actual 12 rated movies as the violence will only be heightened slightly. Strong language like "fuck" can be used in these films but only when they are absolutely 'necessary' and are very infrequent. Sexual innuendo or references are used fairly frequently in a 12A or 12 rated film but no graphic material will be shown. Horror films can be passed at these ratings but they must be mild and are not disturbing or have a dark tone throughout the movie.



"15"
Films rated 15 are suitable for people 15 or over - these rated films do not have any theme restrictions meaning all genres are available and are aloud to use more graphical material and dark tones. 15 rated films tend to have very frequent use of strong language and can use some of the strongest terms but only when in a suitable situation. Sexual references are very frequent and there is more graphic material used and any sexual scenes may continue for longer periods of times and are in more 'detail' that other films of a lower rating. Discrimination/offensive terms may be used frequently but cannot endorse this type of behavior.



"18"
Films that have been rated 18 are for adults only and a prohibited from anyone under 18, Films rated 18 have minimal restrictions as to what they can include, however the thing this shares with the lower age ratings is that the film cannot endorse any: antisocial behavior, discrimination or violence. Drug use will almost definitely be seen in an 18 rated movie, very graphic scenes will be shown whether it is sexual or gore, real sex may even be seen in 18 rated films (but only in some circumstances but usually infrequent). Any use of strong language is acceptable no matter the situation, and violence and injuries are emphasized and in almost real life detail.

Progress Targets

On return we begin the post production stage of our journey and editing begins from the onset - make sure you are video blogging and keeping your page relevant and up to date.  Make sure you have evidenced all the following areas of focus over the break to maximise your marks for research and planning.  The numbers reflect the amount of posts expected, at least.  You are capable of exceptional attainment here - grab it!

  Research

•Genre Research 10

•Soundtrack research (non copyright music) 1/2

•Costume and location research – google earth and pictures you’ve taken. 1/2

•Actors and props photos and interviews 3/5

•Audience Research and Profiling (typical audience member and similar films) 1

•Uploaded YouTube videos of openings – analysed 15/20

•Opening titles analysed in detail – font researched 1

•Analysed Film Openings from from your genre in particular 5/10

•Institution research (Paramount etc) 1

•Certificate research 1

  Planning

•Own film idea brainstorm 1

•Own film treatment 1

•Relevant Online Tutorials and Comment 4/5

•Documenting of influences on production 1

•Shot lists 1

•Consideration  of representation in your film and stereotyping – use theory from G322. 1

•Questionnaire (and feedback) Get some feedback on your initial ideas!

•Diary of filming/editing etc with photos and screen grabs

•Mood board 1

•Script 1

•Practice titles created and uploaded 1

•Storyboard – animatic.1

Initial Film Ideas

The image above shows our first brainstorm and our initial ideas for our film, we initially thought on creating a horror or an action film however we ended up agreeing on an Action/Thriller film.

Gladiator Analysis

Gladiator Opening Scene Analysis

In the opening scene of Gladiator, we learn that this film will be set in an ancient world.
The costumes and props used in this scene instantly tell the audience this information, by linking to the technical areas of sound and Mise En Scene, we can tell that these characters are soldiers from the past, more specifically, roman times, we can tell that this is set in roman times as the characters seem to be wearing silver and red armor which is known to be worn by roman soldiers. The non diegetic sound also resembles an ancient  themed tune which also sounds fairly patriotic which may indicate some sort of war is going on. There are many genre indicators in the opening 3 minutes - the audience will already know that this film will be some sort an action adventure film due to the technical areas used, especially Mise En Scene and the setting. The setting looks like somewhere in the country, in which is the aftermath of a battle, the audience will have this impression as we can see smoke blowing up into the air and the fact the director has used long high camera shots to show an army preparing for yet another battle.

We are introduced to our male protagonist almost immediately, as a close up shot is used on his face, the protagonist is played by popular actor Russell Crowe. We can tell from this scene alone that a battle is about to commence due to the fact he is wearing armor.
we see him walk between two lines of soldiers and as he goes by, the soldiers go down on one knee, this may suggest that he is of high authority in the army, maybe a general or leader of the force, also the costumes that is being worn is similar to the soldiers, but he is seen wearing fur over his shoulders, this is also commonly associated with high power/authority.

The music in the background starts to die down as the opening sequence progresses, only to be started up again when we hear a war cry from barbarians, this alone indicates that there is a war going on and that this may be the first of many battles between the two sides. The non diegetic sound builds up as the shouts of barbarians continues, the music becomes more tense and is a clear genre indicator showing that a battle is about to begin.



 

Actor Interviews

In this video, we interviewed one of our main protagonists and antagonists, in which we asked them what their role was in the film and who they were. We also asked the actors where their personas inspiration came from and the actors also revealed what they will be doing within the films opening. 

Our antagonist revealed that he was a mercenary and his character was inspired by the works of Alan Rickman and our protagonist also said that he took his characters inspiration from the main character of 'American Sniper' due to his determiation.

Research and Planning Feedback

You should be evidencing every stage of your planning and work towards production now - but for you to achieve more than your target grade (at least 14/20) for research and planning you need to use more key terminology to analyse a wider range of trailers.  What key shots stand out and how are they intended to make us think or feel about characters and settings?

Preliminary Task

Star Wars: A New Hope Opening Scene Analysis

Star Wars: A New Hope Opening Scene Analysis

The first scene we see is of the introduction of what the film is about - this will leave the audience understanding what is happening and why, we find out from this introduction that an evil galactic empire are trying to retrieve the stolen plans for an 'Ultimate Weapon'. The first shot of the movie is an extreme long shot in which we see a giant space ship hover over the top chasing a smaller ship. We hear the diegetic sound of laser shots which indicates the genre of the film (sci-fi action).

We are then taken to a medium shot inside of the smaller ship, were we are introduced to a few of the main characters in the film, one of these is C3PO, a gold 'droid' who is very pessimistic about situations that he is put through. We are also shown a smaller droid called R2D2, we cannot understand him, however C3PO can and with his answers, we can guess what R2D2 has said.

Soon after we are introduced to the antagonist of the film, Darth Vader. Vader is a typical villain who has a lot of power and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. As he is wearing a mask, the audience are left questioning who this man is, he wear black leather armor and a black helmet and mask - the colour black connotes darkness and death, which shows he is dangerous and also intimidating due to his height. Non diegetic music also comes on which shows his power in the film.

Divergent Analysis

Divergent Opening Scene Analysis

The first scene of Divergent, we are shown a long shot of some kind of wall, the camera then cuts to a close up of the wall and moves up and over it leading to an establishing shot of a city which looks torn apart and isolated. We are then flown through the city with a  bird eye view shot to which we find out what city this is, as at the bottom right area of the shot, there is white text telling the audience the name of the city - this is the city of Chicago in America. As the camera moves throughout the city, we can clearly see some sort of catastrophe has occurred, like a war or some sort of disaster. We are soon drawn to the ground of the city with a medium-long shot of many people walking past, we then however notice that people are wearing certain colours, this will leave the audience questioning why this is the case. Throughout this part of the opening sequence, we hear background music which is calm and slow which may indicate that although this city looks broken, it is still calm and there does not seem to be any problems. It's like a perfect civilization in a broken world.

When the background music fades out, we hear non diegetic sounds of a woman narrating the city, explaining why the people are in the certain colours, telling us that these are factions, who have different duties in the world they live in. We are given a lot of basic information as to why the world is as it is and why there is a giant wall surrounding the city. We are told that everyone knows their place in the city, however soon we are told that she (the narrator) does not know where she fits in society which means that in this 'perfect' world, there is some sort of imperfection which indicates that this small imperfection will cause some sort of outrage in the city which could have serious effects.

The Expendables 2 Analysis

The Expendables 2 Opening Scene Analysis

The very first shot we see is a medium shot of what looks like a hostage being slapped which then quickly cuts to an establishing shot of what looks like a broken town or a base of some sort, we soon see a long shot of multiple military vehicles driving down a hill to the location - due to the expectations of the film from the previous film, the audience assume that this is a mission that 'the expendables' are going on, to maybe save the hostage that we see in the first clip. Throughout the opening sequence, we are not given much information about the characters in the military vehicles, due to the fact the director will assume the audience have seen the first installment of The Expendables and so any large character traits will of been shown throughout the first film. However if a member of the audience has not seen the first film, they will have a rough idea of who the characters are - by using some of the most famous action movie actors and due to the amount of action movie clichés we see, the audience can clearly see that these characters are either mercenaries or part of a military force. The low angle shots that are used on the mercenaries shows that they are powerful and very important in the film. 

The glorious death of hundreds of terrorists being gunned down by heavy machinery just adds to the excitement and action clichés in the opening scene of the film. As the audience, we are quite literally thrown straight into the action, there is little build up as after only one minute there is a shoot out in the broken location. The Mise En Scene is what you would expect from an action film like The Expendables - it has a lot of explosions, fast vehicles, guns, death, soldiers, mercenaries, military related activity, it has it all. Like a lot of action films, they are fairly unrealistic, in the way that about eight mercenaries can take out hundreds of soldiers without really any struggle. This however does give the audience the impression that these characters are very well trained and professionals at what they do. The diegetic sounds take up most of the sounds used in the sequence, as we mainly hear the engines of the vehicles, gun shots and explosions for the most part - and maybe one of the mercenaries shouting at something, the non diegetic sounds like the background music play only a minor part in the scene as it is fairly quiet due to the loud diegetic sounds being used.

Romantic Movie Conventions and Cliches

Romantic Movie Conventions and Cliches

Romantic movies have countless cliches, every romance film is near on the same and we can always tell what's going to happen, these motives have been become very predictable plot line devices, story line twists or just any kiss scene in the rain. There is always that quirky 'BFF' who the audience love, no romantic movie would be complete without the main protagonists offbeat bestfriend, their always there to either sabotage or help the protagonist with the person they love, although as they aren't the central focus of the film, they are able to be as outrageous as possible.

The lonely montage - Those solitary walks and not having fun with friends, just to make sure the audience know the protagonist is alone, upset and torn up. This montage tells the audience that something life changing will happen - like the protagonist finally realises that they love this person. However, there's another thing, there's also 'the other one' - that other guy who also loves the girl and usually is a bit of a douche, he's cocky, thinks that the girl is going to go for them. They aren't always like this but it helps if the audience is supposed to be hoping for the two main protagonists pair up.

Mission Impossible 2 Opening Scene Analysis

Mission Impossible 2 Opening Scene Analysis

In the opening minutes of Mission Impossible 2, the first scene we have an establishing shot, this shows us where this scene is located, in this case it is in the Dead Horse Point in Utah, this particular location connotes lonesomeness of the character, of whom we soon see as the camera zooms through the setting to see a medium shot of Tom Cruise, free climbing up one of the giant rocks. The camera  then stays zoomed in on him for a while until it zooms back out to show the audience how high up he is, he sits back with his knees held in the rocks and the look on his face shows peacefulness but also shows that he is tired. He then proceeds to fall down until somehow, he latches onto one of the rocks below with his hand, this short part creates tension and the sense of danger - this is a obvious genre indicator indicating that a lot of death defying stunts will be included in the film. In this scene you can hear the diegetic sound combination of wind blowing and Tom Cruise heavily breathing. We also hear the non-diegetic sound of fast paced music building up (getting louder) which creates excitement for the audience leaving them on the edge of their seat waiting for something to happen.

Shortly after this, we see Tom Cruise make it to the top of the rock. The camera shot here is of a birds eye view - they have very cleverly done this, as we see a helicopter fly by Tom Cruise with a man in a suit holding what appears to be a rocket of some sort, this creates tension as the audience don't really know what to expect. As he shoots it we are not sure why this is happening or what is going to happen - the audience will assume this will detonate and cause destruction, although we soon find out that this is actually a package for Tom Cruise. The reason why the camera editing is clever in this scene is because they have effectively used the helicopter in the scene for the birds eye view shots as well as the clear input in the scene. As the rocket is shot, the music in the background soon stops indicating this is an important part of some sort - however different music begins to play after we see a close up of Tom Cruises face, this is the famous soundtrack of the Mission Impossible series, apart from this, this song is also a genre indicator as the music helps the audience realise this is going to be an action packed movie.

Action Movie Conventions and Cliches

Action Movie Conventions and Cliches

Cliches:

Every single action films will have explosions in - it's like a tradition, but what else does your typical action film consist of? Well you'll usually see fight sequences every 10 minutes of the film or the protagonist climbing a building in the big city or rocks in the deserts of Utah, like in mission impossible. Films like "The Expendables" and "Mission Impossible" seem to of crammed in almost every action movie cliche and convention possible. In your typical action movie, the protagonists are usually ex-military/mercenaries who assemble to pull of what seems to be a suicidal mission to hunt down and kill some crazed Russian or an eastern European in which they end up in an intense car chase in the big city and end up causing massive destruction, the police get involved, but are run down by the antagonists army, both sides have high tech gear but even each other out and it's normally down to who has the biggest guns will win the battle.

Other times in action movies it is in fact only one main protagonist and antagonist who normally has a sidekick who has no mercy and their duty is to basically kill the protagonist so they can rule whatever it is their trying to rule, and because their to lazy to do it themselves, it's usually a country or something they are trying to rule and in these films the police somehow have no power whatsoever. There always seems to be a motive as to killing the good guy or the bad guy in these films, whether it's because their a danger to society, which it usually is, or because ones crazed with power and need to take out anyone who stands in their way.

The background music is always fast and upbeat just to keep the feel of excitement, although, action films have become so repetitive that we can almost always tell what is going to happen next - when there is a quiet scene, a load of guys with sub machine guns blasts through the windows and another battle commences.

Conventions:

The action genre is a very popular genre which primarily appeals to the young male audience. In these action films we'd expect to see certain things - guns, violence, dangerous missions and of course, a lot of explosions. Like a lot of genres we will also expect the films to have a main protagonist(s) and Antagonist, whether it is a war or someone trying to take over the world we will always expect there to be a battle between good and evil. 

Fans of the genre often become very loyal to franchises like Iron Man and (Sci-Fi Action) Star Wars and the reason for this is because they will almost always leave a cliffhanger at the end or introduce us to a new threat which will leave viewers hooked and hyped for the next film to come out. These films also manage to keep the audience entertained throughout the films by making sure there are no 'dull' moments in the films and as the audience we will expect (especially from an action film) for there to be a lot of action, and never a dull moment, something always has to be happening, there is always a build up to something and that is what keeps us all entertained for hours.

Another way in which Action films are able to keep a strong following, is by using unique selling points like huge action films stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Liam Neeson, these actors are very popular in the Action/Thriller genres and would be a huge selling point for any hardcore action film fan.

In the opening two minutes of an action film you would expect to see the main protagonist and sometimes even the antagonist but that rarely happens, but you would expect to see the protagonist either on a solo mission or with other people, however this is depending on the time setting of the film, if it is set in past ages like Gladiator, you may expect to see warriors preparing for battle or being seen in the aftermath of a battle.

Horror Movie Conventions and Cliches

Horror Movie Conventions and Cliches

The location of a typical horror movie will usually be set in an isolated location or small communities. A lot of the time these settings consist of a dark past, like if the horror was set in a house - its previous owners may of been murdered or there was paranormal activity which may be the reason why the place is abandoned or they put the home up for sale. Cabins, alleyways, farms, anywhere dark and somewhere were stupid teenagers would think its a bright idea to go in will be the typical horror movie setting. Going on about the stupid teenagers, the typical horror movie characters are usually these types of people. If we're on about an abandoned location, there is almost always a group of teens thinking it would be fun to 'investigate' the area, only to find their 'tragic' fate - I say tragic, sometimes (a lot of the time) some of the characters are so stupid, they almost deserve to die. For example the group will usually consist of the big 'jock' who is usually so up himself he thinks he's invincible, the dumb blonde cheerleader who ends up getting someone killed or trapped because they didn't understand what they had to do or we're just being plain stupid. Then you have the 'normal' boy and girl who actually think pretty much for the whole group and try to keep everyone alive - these two are usually the ones who end up surviving, or at least one of them do.

In different horror styles there are different types of people, it's thankfully not always just teenagers, however the reason why having teenagers as the protagonists are so popular is because the majority of the audience for horror films usually are teenagers, in which case this makes the movies more relatable to them. Normal families who move into a new house which turns out to be haunted is again a popular character selection for horror movies.
Now we've spoken about the usual protagonists of horror films, lets go onto the usual 'villains' of this popular genre. A lot of the time the antagonist of the film is either a mutated freak or a evil entity (demons) that haunts the protagonist and will most of the time end in an exorcism. There are other antagonists such as zombies, creepy possessed children, dolls, psychopaths etc.

The themes of horror movies usually consist of Good versus Evil, Religion, Supernatural, Zombie apocalypses, Insanity and many others. Religion is one of the more popular themes as they include demons and exorcists, a very popular and successful movie that based around this film was "The Exorcist" which is known as one of the scariest films of all time.

What are you doing here?

Insidious Analysis

Insidious Opening Scene Analysis

The title sequence is in red with a black background, this is connotes blood and darkness which is a generic horror genre indicator. The first scene of the film is of a child sleeping in bed, we are drawn away by the camera as it moves around the house, mid way through we see a mysterious shadow in the window and as we get closer to the shadow it starts to move away from sight as the camera tries to follow it, the music we hear is violent and gradually gets faster and more aggressive as we go through the house creating serious suspense keeping the audience on edge as they can tell something is going to happen. Soon after we find out what the shadow really was as we see a medium shot ghostly woman holding a candle who soon after fades out of the shot. This will give the audience an idea of maybe this could be the antagonist of the film or at least she will show some importance in the film. For a second the entire film goes silent until all of a sudden the title of the film shows up, and the music goes straight back to it's violent rhythm. the title of the film is in a red, demonic styled font, this is also a genre indicator along with the shadows behind the writing which suggest this will be a supernatural/religious styled horror. Other films that follow the same type of horror are 'The Exorcist' and 'Paranormal Activity'.

After we see the title of the film cut out after a few seconds, we have an establishing shot of the house in which the main location of the movie will place. The non digetic sounds of the background music is now a lot more quiet but now a more deluded tone, which is a more unsettling, chilling and eerie than at the start where it was more violent and aggressive. As the scenes go on we are given a chilling tour around the house, this will help the audience get to know the location of the film. The names that are coming up are in the same red, devilish font as the title, keeping the haunting feel to the opening scenes. In some of these scenes of the house, we can see shadows on the floor and walls which give the audience an unnerving surprise, but they have tried to make it less of a jump scare, but more of a chilling feel to it. In another part we see a photo on a wall move on its own suggesting that this house is home to poltergeists or a supernatural force.

Children of Men Analysis

Children Of Men Opening Scene Analysis

The opening scene to this film is really engaging and dynamic. The start of the film consists of the title shots, however in the background we hear a news report about 'the youngest person on earth' being murdered, this makes us feel as if we were there in the film listening to the news report as if it had really happened. We then cut to the first shot of the film after the sound of a news report over few black title shots - this scene is of a shop full of people watching and listening to a news report together. This tells us that this news story has caught everyone's attention and is a serious matter.  Clive Owen's character comes into view from the back of the shop and he buys a coffee and seems different to the other people in shot because he doesn't seem too bothered about the situation in which everyone seems so broken about. It seems as if he knew this was coming and he was not surprised which much us wonder what is happening. By the news report saying 'The youngest person on Earth has died' this will leave the audience with some understanding of what the film will be about. 

When he leaves the shop we realise the film is set in a future Britain as we see a wide long shot of a London street with futuristic adverts on the buildings - we also see that this man will be the protagonist of the film as he is being focused on throughout the opening. They have chosen to keep London buses as we know them today, along with police officers' uniforms, because this is an iconic feature of London and is recognisable to an international audience. We also see that   We then see the character put alcohol in his coffee which makes us think he may be an alcoholic or he does this for another reason as he may have issues going on in his life.

As the camera drifts round to his left side, out of nowhere, we see the shop that our protagonist was just inside, explodes from the inside. Seconds before this explosion, we see what looks like a couple meeting up just next to the shop going in for a hug, this part just gives the real world simulation, as if it were real life where people go by there day to day lives and have stories behind them - the couple are thrown down by each other as the explosion happens for protection. After the explosion we here the digetic sound of people screaming and as the camera runs towards the scene of the explosion, we see a woman coming out with her own arm in her hand - however the majority of the audience will only realise this when the scene is actually over, as this part is roughly 2 seconds long. This audience will look at it wondering and only realise what that really was that the woman was carrying - but by the time the audience are able to process this, the scene will have cut to the title - "Children Of Men". This scene will leave the audience on edge and questioning the reason for this explosion, they may question whether this is an attack or not. 

Opening Two Minutes Analysis

Analyse opening two minutes by considering some of the following areas of focus: What do we find out about the characters? What do we find out about the story?  How are titles used?  How is music used to create mood? What camera shots or uses of camera stand out for you and why? Is the editing fast paced or slow paced and why? What can be said about location, props and costumes?  Make sure you use some key media terminology and show your enthusiasm for a range of genres in  your writing.

Nightmare On Elm Street Opening Scene Analysis

Nightmare On Elm Street Opening Scene Analysis
(Watch up to 1:20)

At the very start of this clip, we are shown the 'New Line Cinema' title, which is in black and red - this already indicates that this film will be along the lines of a horror movie as the colors connote blood, death and darkness. The title soon fades out into the first scene of the movie, here the use of  a close up and mise en scene is included as we hear heavy footsteps and see someone wearing boots and baggy jeans, the audience would make the assumption that this character is a male, as this is stereo-typically worn by men. However, we are unable to see their face at this moment in the film, we can also hear heavy breathing which can cause suspense making the audience feel on edge. We soon see another close up but of the mysterious persons dirty hands unloading tools from a small bag onto what looks like a tool box filled with sharp blades, he then soon picks a few of these blades out of the toolbox and has tested how sharp  each one is - this has created an unsettling and tense moment as this will make the audience question why these are being chosen and what they could be used for. Sharp objects are usually associated with horror characters which indicates that this character is in fact the antagonist in the film.

The room in which this scene is set is like an industrial location like inside a factory - the colors are red tinted and the room is very gloomy connoting the typical horror genre scene. the room is also filled with cluttered objects which leaves the room with little structure which is again has a horror feel to it, this will leave the audience unaware of what to expect as there are many things that could happen from here. We then see the antagonist sharpening the blades and creating a metal cover on the  top of the glove - soon after we see a close up of the antagonist putting their hand in the glove and attaching the blades on the end of it - the heavy breathing almost turns into growling which keeps the audience on the edge of their seat, but also making it incredibly unsettling for anyone watching this.

The next scene we are taken to the title of the film 'Nightmare On Elm Street' the title is mostly in red with a black background which again creates the generic convention of the horror genre, the non digetic sound is a loud eerie sound which will make the audience feel very uncomfortable, the title almost immediately changes to the claws of the antagonists gloves cutting through some material which indicates that this is definitely the antagonist of the film and how he is a serial killer/murderer of some sort. This leaves the audience with fewer questions as they now have an idea of what is going on in the film, however they still want to know who this man is.

The director - Wes Craven has used  mainly close ups on this part of the film to really focus on the antagonist without showing their face, this will mean that we still have many questions that will be answered later in the film leaving the audience unsure yet still uncomfortable.

Woman In Black Opening Scene Analysis

Woman In Black Opening Scene Analysis

The first scene of the film we are introduced to a close up of a teapot made of china pouring pretend tea into a cup, from this scene, we can almost immediately tell that there is a child/children playing with whats most likely dolls (having a pretend tea party). Over the what seems harmless scene, we hear some dark, mysterious sounds which shows us there is a dark side to this scene and could indicate something bad could happen and could make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable about what may happen soon, the music in the background is eerie and unsettling, it keeps the audience on edge ready for something to happen. Soon after, we see a doll drinking the pretend tea with lifeless jet black eyes - this also will make the audience feel uneasy and with an unsettling smile, this could show that there might be some other side to these children - a darker side... We then also another doll which looks a lot more human and realistic - this is a pot doll, these are notorious in horror films simply because, no one likes them and everyone thinks they are creepy. We are then shown a long shot of the three girls and where they are set. Turns out this scene is set in the attic of a house which adds to the typical horror setting and no one really likes attics either.

After this part, we are shown a medium shot of a third doll having it's hair brushed by one of the girls, this shows us that the girls are treating the dolls like humans, we also see this as the way they are caring about them as well. The next scene we go to a medium long shot of the girls all looking up at something, and changes the mood of the entire scene - it looks as if the girls are looking at what is most likely someone who maybe controlling them and telling them where to go as they are looking to the right which we soon find out is the window. This part of the extract takes a turn for the worse. The girls stand up and uncontrollably start walking to the window - we see one of the girls step on one of the pot dolls, smashing it, and another girl drop her teapot. As the camera turns to the window and slowly starts zooming back, we see the girls moving slowly towards the window as if something was pushing them towards it. In this scene we cannot see the girls faces which may indicate that they know what is happening and they have been commanded to do it.

We then see the three girls in a long shot slowly stepping onto the window ledge. This indicates that something bad is going to happen which will make the audience feel a lot of tension - especially after we see a close up of the girls hand opening the window and as the next shot shows all three girls have opened the window. At this point of the scene everyone in the audience knows what is going to happen but don't know why, nor do they want to know because of how uneasy this scene will make some of the audience feel - and then all of a sudden, they all jump in sync from the window and the music gets louder making it more unnerving for the audience. What makes it more unsettling is when the camera slowly zooms out and just before the very end of the scene, a mysterious figure in black appears in the far right side of the screen - this will make the audience believe that this is the 'thing' that controlled these girls and made the girls jump out of the window. The camera then fades out which notifies us that this scene is over.

Analysis Guidance

Consider the following key questions about mise-en-scene and camera composition to analyse film openings:

What costume do characters wear and what are the key connotations?
What body language is used by characters and to what effect?
What are we shown by proxemics (how far apart characters are) and what is communicated to the audience?
How is lighting used and what effect does it have?
What settings are there and how are they established?
What is said and how does it make the audience think or feel?
What key shots are used and to what effect?

Aim to analyse three film openings using key terms and concepts learned in your G321 and G322 studies.

What is your favorite film and why?
I don't really have a favorite film, but my favorite film series has to be the Star Wars saga, because it has a bit of everything in it, from action to comedy, Star Wars has it all and I can't find a flaw in any of the 6 films - and i can't wait for the seventh installment!
Who is your favorite director and why?

Do you have a favorite genre? 
Horror has definitely got to be my favorite genre of film, I love the suspense and adrenaline rush you get from watching horror movies, i prefer the supernatural type of horror as it is more mysterious and tense - but I do love a good chase scene here and there. 
What film are you anticipating? 
Most definitely the next installment of the Star Wars saga, although I was a bit skeptical about Disney leading the film, after seeing the trailers I am very excited for this film to come out!
What was the last film you watched and what did you think?