My own film opening (X3)

My own three movie openings

I will be analyzing the film openings that i watched in class in: Genre, Narrative, Character, Atmosphere, Themes, Settings, Sound, and titles

Django Unchained
The genre of Django (Django Unchained) is that of a "western", this is connoted through firstly the scenery of the desert / barren which is usually found in the western terrains of America hence "Western" also hence this location is a signifier to the genre. Another signifier of it being a western movie is the song featured in it. the song is "Country", a type of music heavily associated with western films.
The narrative to the piece is a slave march/exhibition, (as connoted by the black walking shirtless on foot whilst the white man is on a horse cloves with guns) this is the the taking of slaves from one location to another, not much is given away including the emotions of the slaves, which connotes that they are exhausted and have given up.
The Characters have not been established in the trailer, this is probably to connote the view of black people at this time period as just a number or item/possession. this is backed up by the only differed character is the slave master as he stands out on his horse. The main protagonist is hinted though as he is highlighted slightly more then the other slaves

The expressions of this character however is very limited as mentioned above, when highlighted his facial expressions remain the same emotionless stares, which is to connote how hopeless the character is and how dire his situation is at this period of time.
The atmosphere of this opening seems to be very low spirited and negative as connoted by the vacant stares of the slaves, and the multiple shots regarding similar circumstances, the atmosphere is also very intense as  connoted by the magnitude of scaring on the slaves backs.
The themes of the opening are very potent and stand out obvious throughout:, firstly the theme of Slavery as connoted by the slaves and and slave-master and items associated with slavery such as chains. Secondly the theme of love or lost love as connoted only by the lyrics of the song "now you've lost her, whoa oh-oh-oh... But you've lost her for-ever, Django".
The setting apart from being a key signifier of genre is a very poetic connotation regarding the emotions of the slaves around them, empty and Barron. As slavery themed we can expect the movie to be taking place in the early 1900s.
The sound is vital as it introduces a whole new theme into the piece as stated previously it tells us a story of how Django lost someone he loves, as also stated previously it being country music was a signifier for it being a "western" genre.
The titles are important as they are bold and red, connoting the foreshadowing of future blood to be spilled within the later film, also highlighting the genre through signifier of death.

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction's opening sequence dosent give away allot, but it is presumed from the peripheral of the opening to be a crime film with the representational  gun's which are being manipulated by two aggressive antagonistic looking people at the start.
Their is no real give-away with location other then the first initial picture which denotes a building in the daylight, which allows us to predict its featured in a normal civilised location which juxtaposes their aggressive behaviour, as of time period due to the cloving and song's it is expected to be in the late 2000s. The fact they are holding guns in a building connotes that they may be taking part in a robbery.
As already said the only narrative that is visual is the hold up with guns, which connotes a story about crime and robbery.
As the film opening is so basic, in regards to character all us viewers can tell is that their are two predatory antagonists featured in the story, the fact that one is a male and one is a female perhaps connotes the two are in a relationship with each other, except from that no more is given away.
The atmosphere connoted by the upbeat tempo of the opening is energetic and fun juxtaposing the crime seen at the start, this perhaps connotes possibility of humour within the peace.
The only theme i can take from the opening of pulp fiction is crime, as connoted by the gun ect and a comical theme as shown by the bold a bright colours of the titles.
The only sound within the opening is music as shown through two different songs the music connotes the time period of around late 2000s perhaps 70s to 90s, they are upbeat and "funky" connoting a juxtaposition of light heartedness.
The titles are the most significant part to the opening. They come in all different font's colours and sizes however all stand out bold against the black background, they all seem to be coloured and styled in a "pop art" theme that is used by comic books and novel art this perhaps connotes the style of the piece will be in the style of a comic book.

Superbad

The genre of Superbad is that of a comedy. i have concluded this through the use of signifier's the piece includes, for instance the extremely vibrant colours that connote a lack of seriousness to the clip and also, the dancing being on purposeless awkward, a direct representation of "cringe comedy".
The Narrative to the Superbad opening seems to be a bunch of good friends or acquaintances dancing, it is connoted they are good friends by how close they dance together at times touching each other which connotes trust and comfort with each-other. The dancing part of the piece is self explanatory as their movements denotes a dance.
The characters developed are shown in a very general light as we don't have any dialogue or see any detail but which is gathered is as already said they are friend's as connoted by the closeness, and also they are awkward or nerdy as connoted by the odd way in which they are dancing.
The atmosphere seems to be light hearted and spontaneous as connoted by all friends dancing together.
Some themes to the piece are obvious and other subtle, their is a theme of friendship connoted by the dancing friends, their is a theme of partying as connoted to how they boogie to the music, and their is a theme of social awkwardness as connoted by the way in which the characters dance and interact with each other.
The location is presumed to be at a party as connoted by the dancing music and bright colours, the time period is presumed to be in the 21st century as their is a 70s-80s themed music playing in the background, however is used in a humorous light almost making fun of it, thus is presumed 21st century based.
The Music is the only noise in the intro that is significant the music almost sums up the characters portrayed as it is a "groovy", outdated song that they all seem to enjoy, this is part of the joke as it helps connote their "uncoolness" .
The titles to the piece are very basic but life-full and vibrant as of the 70s-80s feel music as it changes colour  with the background, the colours are connotations of the characters quirkiness.

Analyses of film openings we did in class (Children of Men and Lord of War)

Analyses of film openings we did in class (Children of Men and Lord of War)

I will be analyzing the film openings that i watched in class in: Genre, Narrative, Character, Atmosphere, Themes, Settings, Sound, and titles

Children of men

In order of Genre i believe this piece to by a hybrid genre (the mix of two genres) as i believe the fact its based on the future makes it a science fiction, whereas its stylistic jumpiness makes it very shocking, it could possibly be have a sub genre from thriller of psychological as I believe the whole plot of even the opening was very thought provoking with a drastic twist towards the end that makes the viewer think on their toes.
The narrative of the piece is explained very effectively through the black screen as we hear the vocals of a news report, the narrative is that their hasn't been any children born in over years and the whole of Britain has been consumed in a war, we discover during this that the youngest man alive has died.
As of Character the main protagonist is portrayed to be mysterious: however with the possibility of depression that's indicated through his reluctance to talk to anyone in the opening scene other then for his coffee and also the fact that he is seen poring alcohol into it, in broad daylight making him to be a vulnerable unsociable character.
The atmosphere of the piece is thrown at the viewer from the start, with the first thing we hear being news reports of war and no fertilisation and related pessimistic troubles it connoted that the atmosphere is depressive. This is then reflected by when the main protagonist goes outside, we see dirty streets with bin bags left out, and unclean buses et, to connote that no one really cares about anything anymore in this new hopeless society.
themes of the plat include Depression: as stated above this is connoted through the dirtiness of the city, and the reluctance of any conversation between characters. it also includes War: as said in the news report and presumably connoted by the explosion at the end. And lastly and most vitally the children-less society, as the news states representatively that the "youngest" man alive has died at 16, it is also connoted as the news refers to him as "baby Diego" (as he is 16).
The setting is very effective in this opening as the grim city really assists the theme of depression With bins just left around and the whole city just swimming in a mist of fumes and dust Connoting the reluctance to clean as it shows that no one cares as theirs to big tramours in their life's. Their is police warding the street to connote a sense of fear and law braking, and the street is compact with people connoting that they are possibly trying to stay busy to avoid thinking about the tragedies of their time.
The sounds is also very important as the first thing we hear is the voice of new reporters connoting that their is a tragedy instantly making the opening serious. Even the small dialect as the main protagonist is making his way through saying "excuse me" is extremely effective, no body replies however dose move connoting the real awkwardness between interaction at this point. The street however is vitally important as the honks, engines, squeaks of rusty cars and even the shuffle of passing podestrions connotes a very despite what's happening a working city, showing perhaps people are trying to work to forget about their problems. It also made for a huge build up in noise leading to the crescendoed climax of the explosion, which connotes fear, and war.
The titles are very minimalistic just Bold and white on a black background. I believe the minimalistic titles apart from showing respect to those who contributed helped connote the theme of depression, just plain uncoloured words that reflects the scenery later to be found around the protagonist.

Lord of War

In genre i would say this film is a war film, as the whole opening is based on the POV (point of view) of a bullet, as bullets connote war and weaponry. this is also connoted as their is an actual war at the end of the opening where the bullet is fired into someone head. the fact that this whole war process and ammunition stock looks very unprofessional and UN-organised with squabbling and such, it could be signifier of the representation of a "crime" sub genre.
The narrative to the openings is showing the lifestyle of a bullet from being created to transported to loaded to shot out of a gun this is all perfect connotations for war.
As the main protagonist isnt much seen all that can be gathered from his character is that he is professional as connoted by the suit, differing from every other person seen, and that his intents are good as he is not involved within the crime scene be-four.
The atmosphere of the bullets life is a very slow paced one  it connotes a disturbingly juxtaposing relaxing side of war for the bullet, just surviving and travelling, until in the very end where it gets fired into someone skull.
Themes of the piece consist of War as connoted through the bullet and the fight scene. Crime as shown by solider supplying this ammunition to said mercenary's. And death as connoted by the man that was shot at the end.
The setting changed through the life of the bullet as he was transported but the setting change showed the descent from regular war to the crime world, originally being shown in manufacture by professionals then used by the army to trade to the mercenary's then shot into someone head. this diversity connotes the complete process of war for the bullet. The fact that the bullet is one of many and is often just shuffled around or picked up and thrown is used to connote weakness juxtaposing the actual damage it could do until is is then shot to kill a man. This is an analogy on war and how it is brushed aside and disregarded and is used to connote the magnitude of the danger to the audience.
Sound is important as it helps set pace to the peice, as the whole thing was edited around the song "Buffalo Springfield - For What It´s Worth", this song is very effective due to how anti-war it is. It represents the meaning of the film and connotes Nicholas Cages thoughts: "there's battle lines being drawn, Nobody right if everybody wrong".
The Titles to the peice are very simplistic, just plain and white, however they flow within the peace very graciously fading in and out, assists the juxtaposing smooth pace of the bullets life.

Analyses of film openings that we did in class (My best friends wedding Catch me if you can

Analyses of film openings that we did in class

I will be analyzing the film openings that i watched in class in: Genre, Narrative, Character, Atmosphere, Themes, Settings, Sound, and titlesMy best friends wedding
In order of genre i would say that "My best friends wedding" is a hybrid of the two genres romance and comedy (rom-com). I figured this through the signifers such as the pink background, the pink connotes warmth and love. the main protagonist/ character was in a wedding dress which connotes a wedding being present and their was use of flowers which connotes beauty and denotes a gift, which her husband could have given her. However in turn of comedy, the whole opening is very over the top and almost slapstick, which is playing and perhaps poking fun at other over the top romantic films, example their is a scene where she throws flowers back into the brides maids and then emerges from them wielding the flowers herself (this very practical humor such as slapstick).
The character is portrayed as a stereotypical feminine girl as whilst singing she often turns to her friends and sings to them as if gossiping which is classic representation of this kind of girl. scenes such as the throwing flowers scene shows representation of a needy ecstatic bride.
In relation to narrative the film opening shows a very simplistic styled piece showing no real anomalies or tragedy's, just a bride about to get married.
The atmosphere as of the film showed it to be extremely happy as the pitch was slightly high (high pitch) which illuminated her dress with a very clear filter connoting the pieces innocents, as it was performed like a group of girls gosippings it showed a very feminine vibe. at one point however she puts her hand to her head as if about to feign but then grasps consciousness again shortly after being caught, this connotes that their will be stress later on in the film.
The themes of the opening is fairly basic: a wedding theme as shown by the dress and bridesmaid's and flowers, a love theme as connoted by the pink and the dancing.
The setting of the peice is hard to gather as its so minimalistic. What is shown is that despite the trailer being set in a pink room, the film could be set in or around a wedding, it is set present day. The sound is one of the most significant elements to this piece as the whole openings based around the theme song, the lyrics say "If your looking for love all you can share: all you've got to do is hold him, and kiss him", this instantly informed the audience of the genre: romance (as its cringey its probebly a comedy also)  and set the pace of the opening, in order to entertain the audience. The titles are styled in an old englished style which is representational of a fairy tale, conoting the play is very happy with not much anomalies. The colour of the titles are Bold and yellow, yellow is used as it conotes happyness and sunshine, bright an optimistic atitudes which is representation of a rom con/ "chick flick". As titles are used to give gratitude to those who helped produce the film yellow is also very effective at grabbing attention.

Catch me if you can
The genre of this movie seems to be a Drama, with a sub genre of Crime (Crime Drama) this is as the film seems to highlight many drama signifier such as a continues sense of seriousness (used to connote realism), and a constant calm pace that disregards unrealistic action scenes that one may find in a thriller or a action film (also to connote a realistic vibe to the peice, another signifier is the in depth analysis of the characters: only through watching the trailer the viewer can pick up the characters role within the film and traits, for instance the two main characters are a policeman/detective and a Criminal/mastermind evasive artist: we can tell the criminal is calm and relaxed in the trailer to connote he is a good liar and incredibly smooth, and the police/detective is inpatient and fast to connote he takes the "catching" more seriously connoting he is more emotionally involved.
To expand on characters, the emotional involvement met by the police officer defies stereotypes of a police or detective "just doing their job", the criminal also defies stereotype of a dumb crook as he is portrayed very calmly intellectual and swarve/sophisticated: these unsterotypical characters where created to give the play a more realistic theme and to make the charactors more unique and "3D"


The narrative of the piece a chase between a detective/cop and a criminal which highlights the strengths of both showing almost a "Vs" feel to the film (Vs: a challenge between both the main characters).
The atmosphere to the film shows it to be very realistic, calm- yet competitive and almost slow paced: all to connote the realism within the film you can tell this through the whole opening, the chase on-going chase with no climax. the seriousness shown within the film can  be seen as introducing tom hanks: signifiers such as suits and newspapers.
The themes consist of: the chase; will the criminal ever be caught connoted by scenes such as the lift scene. Their is a Game theme: as connoted by the title "catch me if you can" it's made to feel like hide and seek. Their is a theme of identity theft as shown in the elevator scene and the airport scene.
The setting shows possibility's of many locations, however suggests that they are all within new York, as shown by the representation of the yellow cab, it has a retro feel to the time period as connoted by the recreationally worn suits and styles such as the type writers and "pin up" girls at the pool party.

The sound plays an important role when describing the time period to the audience as it is based on classical music and jazz: which leads the audience to conclude its around 1950s-60s. The peices theme music is also very effective when building suspence as its pitch keeps getting higher and higher, enevidebly hitting a crushendo just to be juxtaposed by an anti climax. this conotes the chase, and the evasiveness of the criminal.
The titles are very simplistic and basic as shown in two of the pictures above, however have lines extending vertically to them, this is to add style to the peice highlighting its very simplistic animation.

Differences between a trailer and film openings

 

 

Differences between a trailer and film openingsFilm opening and trailers heavily differ through intent: as they are both created to achieve different criteria's, and due the intentions of the clips differing the styles in which they are created therefore contrast to.

Film trailers
Trailers to films are created to "Hook" an audience's attention trailers therefore can be distinguished by heavy editing to excite the audience, the clip is usually edited to fit a sequence of music to aid a more intense climax, the editing will usually conclude of the movies most significant scenes in order to satisfy the viewer (Gratifications theory) this is done through a montage . As the trailer is intending to represent the film to the market it will show a basic outline of the plot, simply to allow the viewer to conclude if the film will be their "taste" or not. The most iconic give away of a trailer is the abundant use of "Fade to black's".

Film openings
On the other hand and Film openings are created to: Give an induction of where the film is set (location), show gratitude to those who contributed to the more significant roles of the films through the use of titles, to introduce the main character, give an indication of the historical period, to give information regarding the films mood a tone , and usually to introduce a theme tune. In doing this their is usually a great use of establishing shots. Due to the opening only having to indicate these themes chronological order can be used but is not necessary, the film opening doesn't even need to be part of the films storyline so long as it achieves the themes listed above.

                                                                      Film Trailer

Film Opening

Perliminary Task evaluation

Are piece was standard however could had been better, I will bullet point good and bad points

Good points
-Continuity: the piece ran in logical order.
-Involved The criteria we was assigned to involve.
-Piece ran smoothly. no unneeded quick cuts
-Steady camera. camera was effective and professionally used.

Bad Points
-Bad story, made sense but was poorly thought through
-Underacting, lack of realistic nature within the actos.
-Was unprofessional, some actors nearly laughed at points which took away all effect
-Mis-en-scene wasn't considered no lighting, prop or costume consideration.

With this said I now know what to do better for my final piece as I have learned from my mistakes, I will organise my final opening better and consider the piece a professional clip of media.

Preliminary Task video

Preliminary task Storyboard