Lesson - Monday 27th Sepetember - Research On Film Openings

Here is an article written by Anne Billson discussing "the fascinating history of cinema's opening credits".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/sep/23/bass-opening-credits

In this article, Billson highlights how the opening credits of films have changed drastically through time. They start as "names and titles on cards, or against an unmoving backdrop" and later developing to "Robert De Niro blasted by a car bomb through a raging inferno of Las Vegas neon".
She demonstrates what credits "trend" and were successfully however she is is quick to point out those that "never caught on in the mainstream" - like the opening credits of Le Mépris.
The article is useful in helping us to create our own credits for the opening of our film as it keeps them current and we can decide which ones are effective.


Genre

In this lesson we came up with some possible genres for films that we could use for our own opening scenes and they are as follows:

Comedy (parodies): Hot Fuzz, White Chicks, Shaun of the Dead

Indie/Alternative: Juno, 500 days of summer

Horrow/Thriller: Se7en, Devil, The Hole

Chick Flick: Sex & The City, Clueless, 27 Dresses

Brit Film: This Is England, Kidulthood, Shank

Period Drama: Pride and Predjudice, Jane Eyre

Action: The Matrix, Borne Identity, James Bond

Bromance: Superbad, The Hangover, Get Him to the Greek

Documentary: Supersize Me

Hand-held (shaky camera): Harry Brown, Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity


- My initial idea was to do an Alternative/Indie film similar to that of Juno. However, after thinking of 'Brit Films' I would like to do a film that prehaps involves that element of "sex, drugs and rock and roll".

Shot By Shot Analysis of Jaws

Jaws Shot By Shot - Part 1

View more presentations from Rob McMinn.

I found this video very useful when analysising Harry Brown.

Shot By Shot Analysis of Harry Brown

Here is the opening of the film Harry Brown.
It can be argued that there are not many camera shots in this opening as the effect used is that the boys in the film are videoing it themselves.

Firstly we see a gang of boys pressuring one of the peers into doing drugs.
The first shot is a medium close up as it is half way bewtween a mid shot and a close up.
It is also an over the shoulder shot as we look over the shoulder of prehaps the "leader" of the gang. I believe this makes you understand the intimidation of the gang.
These shots are maintained through the first part of the opening as they hand the gun over to the boy.
The screen goes blank and then turns to a close up of the young boy on a motorbike. There are then wide shots of their surroundings, i.e. flats, the park. It is a point of view shot as we are seeing everything through the perspective of the gang member.
It then zooms out to a very wide shot of the park on the estate (still p.o.v shot) and we see a mother pushing a pram infront us.
Keeping a wide shot, they begin to circle the mother and fire shots at her. They are simply trying to scare her but end up actually shooting her. As this occurs a very wide shot is used and the picture is still.
As the boys drive off (p.o.v) there is an extreme close up of the ground as the shot zooms out and tilts up, there is an extreme close up of an on coming van.
The boys are hit and the shot zooms out and finishes with a wide shot and cutaway shot. The camera is at ground level and the scene ends.

I used this video to help with my own analysis of the opening of the film Harry Brown.

Remember Me

I could not find the opening scene for the film "Remember Me" on youtube as it is a newly released film, however it's one of the best openings of a film I have seen. The film starts with a mother and daughter on a platform and two men suspiciously looking at them. The train pulls up and the men walk towards the mother and daughter demanding their bags, and from the sight of a gun, they immediately hand them over. The men get on the train and the doors close. However, due to problems with the train the doors re-open and the mugger's immediate reaction is to shoot the mother. The train pulls away and the young girl is left screaming on the platform with her dead mother.


This opening is very shocking and therefore has big impact on the audience. There are no credits in this opening and I believe this is so the audience are fully focused on the events.
There is a general "green" tinge to the opening which gives and eerie atmosphere and you almost expect something bad to happen.



This is the soundtrack played during this scene which adds to the dramatic effect of the opening.



Here is the trailer.

Opening Credits

Here is the opening credits for the thriller movie, Se7en.



The genre of this film is a thriller and this is evident by looking at a few things. The music in the opening credits is very eerie, aswell as the actual writing of the credits. The writing of the names of the production team flicker which grabs your attention. Also, from looking at the credits only, none of storyline is given away. This leaves you in suspense which again makes you recognise that Se7en is a thriller.
The images shown in the credits are quite harsh and to those that have not seen the film, very random.

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