Research and Planning Provisional Mark

Well done Danny. A fantastic account of your research and planning so far. Revisit your posts and see where else you can comment on footage and pictures you've included. Aim to be as analytical as possible. Revisit your research posts and comment on as much as you can about camera composition, editing, mise en scene, genre indicators, narrative, representations, music, titles, sound and key moments. A really good blog so far - very pleasing, well done. 15/20

Tutorial - Lighting

This tutorial was very useful in helping us to ensure we were using light effectively in our film. During filming, we were originally unsure how best to set up the lighting in the kitchen for our main scenes, but with this video, the whole process was much simpler - which allowed us to spend more time on the actual filming.

The tutorial also helped us to make the best use of the lighting materials we had available.

Tutorial - Making Fake Blood

This tutorial was very useful for the special effects of our film, and helped to make the film more appropriate for our theme, genre, and audience.

The main benefit of using a tutorial for making the fake blood was that it meant that less time was wasted on filming day, enabling us to spend more time filming, and allowed us to get the shots which we needed.

Using the tutorial also allowed us to make the fake blood much more realistic than if we were to do it without any help. This has the obvious benefit of making our film more realistic - which will increase its suitability towards our target audience.

Video Diary of Storyboarding

This video diary shows the production of our storyboard taking place. Spending time on making the storyboard for our film was extremely important as it formed the basis of the plan for our day of filming.

Having the storyboard available on the day of filming put us in a much better position than we would have been without it due to us knowing exactly what we needed to get done. A main benefit for spending time when making the storyboard was that only small changes needed to be made to fit with the filming, which is much better than turning up to film and discovering that the storyboard was completely unsuitable.

Video Diary of Production

This video diary shows the us preparing for the production of our film, with one of the most integral extras - the fake blood.

We spent slightly longer than anticipated when making the fake blood, but this was because we wanted it to look as realistic as possible to increase the realism of the film, and possibly make it easier for the audience to form connections, sympathise, and possible relate with the characters - if the film didn't look realistic, this wouldn't be very likely to happen.

Opening Title Analysis - Girl Interrupted

I think it is important to analyse the tile shot of Girl Interrupted due to the instances of similarity in genres of our film, and Girl Interrupted.

The idea of the title being inserted between the torn picture suggests a break in relationships, which could be something to consider when designing our titles, but this does slightly differ to our current plan of placing the titles on the door of the final match on action shot.

There is also not too much going on in the picture, which doesn't detract the viewers attention away from the metaphor of the 'torn' relationship.

Story Board Evaluation

I am very pleased with our storyboard. It is helpful to see our ideas all planned out visually and has helped to make our ideas come to life.

The storyboard is very easy to follow along, and gives a clear example of what we are aiming for with our film. It will be very useful to use as a close reference during filming, and would also give somebody not aware of our film idea, a good idea to what it is about.

The anamatic of our storyboard also works very well, it adds depth to the static storyboard, and makes it much easier to visualise what our final film will look like. Having the animatic will be very useful when it comes to filming, as it shows what each shot should look like, and will also give a rough idea of the length needed for each shot.

Sound Research

We spent a while researching copyright free music available online to use, however, none of it seemed to fit with the theme of our film. To overcome this we have decided to use a piece of music composed by our friend Rebecca Swanson. We feel that the mood of this piece really fits with our film due to its slow tempo. However, the tempo also begins to speed up, which again, fits really well with the footage, and the mood of the film.

Here is the composition we will be using:

Title Analysis - UP

Although UP is in a different genre to our film, I still really like the title. It incorporates the plot of the film while also including the title of the film. The colours used in the title also indicate and reinforce the genre of the film - family.

The addition of the house with balloons attached really helps engage the audience with the title, it also enables it to be universally used across any promotional materials which are needed due to it being self explanatory.

In our title it will be important to consider our use of colour, and use of mise-en-scene to ensure that the title is appropriate for the audience and genre.

Title Analysis - Skyfall

The opening titles for Skyfall conforms to the conventions to action, adventure and thriller films as it included an exoic location in the background of the shot. The title of the film is very fitting for the scene as the style matches, it is also almost embedded into the background, which makes it look very realistic.

The colour scheme which has been used is very appropriate for its genre as quite calm and subtle colours have been used - appropriate for a serious action/adventure/thriller film.

Due to the seriousness of this title, I think this kind of design should definately be something which we consider to include in out titles.

Film Institution Research

20TH CENTURY FOX
20th Century Fox is one of the most well known film istituitions, and is responsible for many of the most popular and well acclaimed films, such as: Avatar, The A Team, Life of Pi and Titanic. The company was founded by Joseph M. Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck in 1935. Fox are also repsonible for a large amount of popular TV series, including: The Simpsons, Family Guy, Glee, Modern Family and Bones.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES



Paramount is another one of the major six film institutions. It was founded in 1912 as Famous Players Film Company, but was then later founded as Paramount Pictures in 1916. Paramount is resposnible for films such as: Transformers, Thor, Paranormal Activity, The Dictator and GI Joe.




UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Universal Studios was founded in 1912 by: Carl Laemmle, Pat Powers, Mark Dintenfass, William Swanson, David Horsley, Charles Baumann, Adam Kessel and Jules Brulatour. Universal is responsible for films such as Mr Bean's Holiday, The Worlds End, Despicable Me, The Bourne Legacy and The Purge.





DISNEY

Walt Disney Pictures was founded in 1950 by Walt Disney and is respnsible for mainly children films, but it also does cover other genres. Some examples are: Toy Story, The Jungle Book, Lion King, Alice in Wonderland and UP.







WB PICTURES

Warner Brothers was founded by the four Warner brothers: Albert, Harry, Sam and Jack in 1923. WB are responsible for films such as: The Hangover, Gravity, Argo and Sherlock Holmes.






COLUMBIA PICTURES

 

Columbia Pictures was founded in 1918 by Harry Cohn, Jack Cohn and Joe Brandt and is responsible for films such as: Captain Phillips, Skyfall, The Social Network, Salt and Superbad.

Filming Schedule

SUNDAY 24TH NOVEMBER (ALL DAY)

• All main scenes (Couple scenes)
• Party Scene
• Poster

MONDAY 25TH NOVEMBER (AFTERNOON)

• Meeting Scene

Audience Questionnaire Results

Planning Targets

Revisit some of your posts and add some of your own comments and analysis to them - set yourself some targets based on your preliminary task and evaluate your storyboard! You need to show a schedule for filming - done before the end of term - and begin video-blogging as you go. Evidence some music research -based on your genre - and also design the tile font you'll use for your titles. Explain the reasons for all of your choices as you go along! A very neat and tidy documentation of your progress!

Shot List

We are planning to use a variety of different shot types in our opening two minutes. The shot types we will be using are:

• Long Shot
• Close Up
• Extreme Close Up
• Over the Shoulder Shot
• Two Shot
• Mid Shot
• High Angle Shot

Storyboard Animatic

See Storyboard Evaluation post for the evaluation of our storyboard.

Static Storyboard (Inlcuding Shot Information)

 



See Storyboard Evaluation post for the evaluation of our storyboard.

Mood Board

1. The central object our project is the knife. Knives often come to represent violence and the fact it is several shots throughout the course of the piece creates a ominous feeling.
2. Our project juxtaposes shots creating a happy feel and shots creating a sad or angry feel which represents the highs and lows of the relationship.
3.The handheld camera represents the home footage elements of our project.
4. This represents the core relationship at the heart of our film. Our film looks at the collapse of this central relationship and starts at the end.
5. The central female character has similar personality traits to Winona Ryder's character in Girl, Interrupted.
6. This represents the overall tone of the piece, it is quite subdued.
7. We're looking to use fake blood effectively in our piece.
8. The candle represents the way most of the scenes will have fairly low lighting to capture the mood.
9. We're planning on making oru film a 15 so that we can include enough of the raw subject matter needed to tell the story properly.

Audience Questionnaire

 

This questionnaire will be distributed to 10 people at random.

Audience Profile Research

Girl Interrupted, a drama, is similar to our film idea, so out target audience would be very similar to that of Girl Interrupted.

 

The screenshot of the audience analysis conducted on the audience of Girl Interrupted is shown above. The research shows that the majority of viewers for Girl Interrupted were aged 15-24. Also shown is that females made up nearly three quarters of the audience and that almost half of the audience were Upper Middle Class and Middle Class. People in the Lower Middle Class social group also made up quarter of the audience - showing that the drama genre will also be popular with them.

Film Classification

UNIVERSAL
All ages are allowed to purchase and view a film. The content is suitable for all ages.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE
People of all ages can watch films classified as PG. Certain scenes included in the film may be unsuitable for children. The film may contain mild language, sex/drugs references and moderate violence if it is justifiable by the context.

12A
Films rated 12A are unsuitable for young people and may only be watched by somebody under 12 with an adult. Films rated 12A can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity.

12
Films rated 12 have the same guidelines as 12A films, but is only applicable to films purchased on DVD.

15
Films rated 15 may only be viewed/purchased by people aged 15 or over. 15 rated films can include adult themes, hard drugs, frequent strong language and restricted use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail.

18
Only people aged 18 or over can purchase or view an 18 rated film. 18 rated films can include any of the themes previously mentioned in the other classifications, but they can be slightly stronger. Any extremes of each theme however, may not be allowed in this classification.

Source: Wikipedia

Location Research

This road would be an ideal location to stage the poster for our film as it is fairly quiet - but would still complement the film's plot.

This kitchen would be the ideal style of kitchen to shoot the main shots of the scene as it is well framed which allows for neater shots.

 

 

This field would be ideal to film some of the flashbacks in as it is a very large space, easy for all of the actors to get to, and is also fairly quiet - which means there would be little disturbance from the the public, and also no noise pollution.

 

These locations are convenient for everybody involved and in general suit the theme of our film and genre, and are appropriate for out target audience.

Jeepers Creepers - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The opening two minutes of Jeepers Creepers are quite conservative - this could be seen as a positive as it does not cram as many clichés as it can into a short space of time!

The titles of the film are the standard style for horror film - white text set on a black background, so this is the first indicator for the horror genre.

Once the titles have finished, a long shot is shown of an empty road leading into the distance. A few seconds later a car is shown speeding along it with the camera panning to track it. The rest of the opening two minutes is silent. Although this is an unusual approach, I feel it is still effective as it makes the viewer question what could happen. The fact that they are also the only car visible on the road suggests they are isolated - one of the common key points for a horror film.

Dawn of The Dead - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The first thing we see in the opening two minutes to Dawn of The Dead is an image of a skull from the titles morphing into an x-ray image of a skull. This is the first hint of the horror genre.

In one of the first shots we see a doctor and a nurse having a conversation. The nurse begins to hint to the doctor that she started her shift at 6am that morning, and she is still there. The doctor ignores these hints, this shows that the doctor sees himself as more important than the nurse, this could be a clue to the audience that there may be conflict between them later on in the film.

The last shot in the opening two minutes is the nurse leaving the hospital, she suddenly stops and the shot changes to one of on ambulance with a pair of legs dangling over the edge, creating the impression that there is a dead body inside. This creates an enigma as to what has happened in there. This is a very effective method at drawing the viewer in to the rest of the film.

Jaws - Opening Scene Analysis

The first thing the viewer sees in the opening scene to Jaws is a long shot of a character swimming in the ocean. Using the long shot here emphasizes the size of the ocean and informs the audience that the character is probably a long way away from shore and shows how vulnerable the character is at this point.

Soon after this, a sound motif begins the play in the background. And the camera shot switches to one under the water - looking up at the character. This again shows the vulnerability of the character and also gives the impression that something is watching her.

The underwater shot suddenly begins the get closer, and the shot changes back to over the water. The character the begins to be pulled underwater, and starts to panic and scream - attempting to swim away from whatever is attacking her. This has set an enigma as the viewer will want to find out what is attacking the character, and also why the character has been attacked.

Horror Target Audience Profile

AGE
15 - 25
GENDER
Mostly Male
FILM INTERESTS

'Jumpy' Moments

Supernatural characters

Death

Enigmas

Horror Genre Conventions

Pearl Harbour - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

At first, the opening scene to Pearl Harbour conforms to the standard genre conventions of a romance film by including a slow moving orchestral non-diegetic soundtrack, a slow pace of editing, and includes a sunset in the background of the shot.

These standard conventions are quickly subverted to however. For example - a shot showing two children in a plane pretending they are flying at, and shouting commands at each other, would be something you might expect from an action film.

The soundtrack then begins to turn into a more epic sounding sound, and the viewer is shown the children entering the plane, this would suggest to the viewer that they were about to undertake some kind of mission - something which would not be expected from a romance film.

One reason for the opening two minutes subverting some of the conventions could be because the film may have multiple genres, and that romance may not be the most prominent genre.

Titanic - Opening Scene Analysis

The opening scene of Titanic has a very slow pace of editing. Also, the cross fade transition between each shot is very long, this helps to set the pace and mood of the film, and indicates that the film is not going to contain a huge amount of action. The slow pace of editing is a connotation of romance films.

Also, playing in the background, is a slow, classical non-diegetic soundtrack. This also contributes to the genre indicator of a romance film.

Shown in the opening scene is shots of people standing on a dock waving off their family and friends on the boat, next shown, is shots of the boat's passengers waving goodbye to the people on land. This shot then cross fades to one of the ocean, maybe symbolising what will later happen to the ship.

The slow pace of the opening scene is very effective at setting the scene for the romance genre, and is used in the majority of films in the romance genre.

The mise en scene which is used in the opening scene instantly sets the scene about where and what period of time the event was set in. The addition of sepia during the editing phase also really helps to identify the time period in which the film is set to the viewer.

The Notebook - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The opening two minutes of The Notebook are very calm, this tells the viewer that this is not going t be an action movie. The non-diegetic soundtrack also matches the pace of editing, which strengthens the continuity of the scene. Al of the shots in the opening two minutes are set against a sunset, this is a cliché and stereotype of romance films, and tells the viewer that they are probably about to watch a romance film.

There is a rower in one of the shots who is slowly rowing across the lake, this again matches the pace of editing, and the non-diegetic sound track - increasing the continuity, and telling the viewer that they are going to watch a calm film which is free of action.

Next, shown flying through the air, are a group of doves - a common symbol for love. This is a strong genre indicator indicating that the film is going to include romance, this helps to draw the viewer into the film if these are the kind of films that they like.

Romance Target Audience Profile

AGE
Young Teens to Young Adults
GENDER
Mostly Female
FILM INTERESTS
Simple stories with minimal amount of characters

Films involving character competition

Glamorous female characters
Glamorous male charcaters
May have an interest in these films so they can experience life from somebody else's point of view

Romance Genre Conventions

Sherlock Holmes - Opening Scene Analysis

The opening scene starts off with a horse driven carriage racing down a street, with a fast paced non-diegetic soundtrack in the background. This immediately tells the viewer that they are watching an action film. An enigma is also straight away created, as the viewer wants to find out if the carriage is chasing something, and if they are, what?

The shot then changes to follow a character running, this implies that the is being chased by the carriage, and could also tell the viewer that he is likely to be an important character in the film.

We also see the characters inside the carriage holding weapons, this suggests that their main interest is in killing the character they are chasing. This creates the enigma of why they possibly want to kill the man.

I really like this opening two scene as lots of enigmas are created, it also makes me want to watch on as I know really want to know why they were chasing the character.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Opening Scene Analysis

At the beginning of the scene, a panning establishing shot is shown of the futuristic setting. There is also a dramatic sounding narration, being played over the top of an epic style non-diegetic soundtrack. This instantly signifies that the film is going to feature a lot of action.

Narrations are commonly used in action films as they tell the reader some basic pieces on information about the setting of the film, this is useful in action films because they often have slightly complicated plots, so the narration helps to break it down.

Also shown in the opening scene are elements of a science fiction film. For example, the location based on metal appears very futuristic - later confirmed by the flying vehicles being driven by metal robots. Including two genres in a film helps to make the film appear to a wider audience, and can also help stop the film from becoming two focused on a certain objective in the film.

I don't feel that this is a very strong opening scene, as there aren't any major enigmas created, so I don't feel encouraged to watch on.

Jurassic Park - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The opening titles of Jurassic Park move very slowly, and transition in time with the non-diegetic backing track. This creates a sense of suspense, as the viewer is waiting to find out what is going to happen.

The first shot shows the camera aimed at rustling leaves, in what would appear to be a jungle. This immediately creates an enigma as to what is rustling the leaves, as well as creating the enigma, tension is also built at this moment.

The shot briefly changes to a close up shot of a construction worker, looking at something with amazement, the shot then changes back to the rustling leaves. One of the next shot shows a character wearing explorer style clothes holding a weapon, this prominence of the character suggests that he is going to be a main character. The fact that he is also holding a gun suggests that the thing which they are staring it is very big and strong, it is also an indicator that the film is an action film, and suggests that this character could be a hero, as it would appear that he is about to fight something off.

The object causing the rustling is next revealed - a crate being moved around on a fork lift truck. However, the enigma has not been answered yet as we can still see the all of the construction workers are pointing guns at the crate - suggesting that it could be containing something deadly.

I feel that the opening two minutes of this film are very effective, as they entice the viewer into the film by creating one main enigma. The viewer is also not overloaded with lots of background plot information at the beginning, which will help to make the film more comprehensible for some.

Action Target Audience Profile

AGE
Young Teens to Young Adults
GENDER
Mostly Male
FILM INTERESTS
Big story lines
Lots of action
Glamorous female characters

Action Genre Conventions

Actor Interviews

SAM

What are your interests?

I really enjoy drama and playing the piano.

What is your favourite film and why?

Die Hard, because, well have you seen it?

What is your favourite genre and why?

It's probably got to be sci fi and fantasy, but that also creeps on to action.

KATY

What are your interests?

I really enjoy acting, reading and watching TV!

What is your favourite film and why?

It's probably got to be Scott Pilgrim vs The World because I love the effects and characters.

What is your favourite genre and why?
Sci-fi because you can get so many different portrayals of the future and who knows maybe one of them will be right after all! The original series of Star Trek accidentally predicted the mobile phone decades ahead of its invention!

Initial Film Ideas - Update

GENRE - THRILLER/DRAMA
Beginning

• Introduction to main characters
• Establishing shots of settings
• Background information on storyline

Middle

• Home-videos recorded by characters played
• Arguments

End

• Character death
• Titles Shown

Preliminary Film

I think that this film was good for the short amount of time available to film it. We included shot techniques to increase the continuity, and post-production editing techniques to ensure that each shot change was as seamless ass possible.

One thing which we would remove from the film if we were to improve it would be to remove the fourth shot, as this did not work out as expected, and almost looked like a jump cut, which can make the audience feel a little confused as to how the shots are 'laid' out.

Research and Planning Targets

Well done Danny - a very nice start to your research and planning. For your analysis of opening two minutes make sure you comment on the following things to show a broad understanding and appreciation: target audience, narrative, characters, use of titles, pace of editing, Mise en Scene, camera composition, use of sound and genre conventions. A really good start - you now need to begin to evidence detailed planning for your production, which needs to be detailed and thorough.

Initial Film Ideas

Continuity in Filming

Continuity is very important in filming as it helps to make the film look as realistic as possible. If there are any breaks in continuity it can remind the viewer that what they are watching is not real.

There are several rules regarding continuity:

180 ^o Rule

The 180 degree rule means that the camera must not cross the imaginary line in the shot. The diagram shows the line which the camera cannot cross as the line between the two people.

The different locations where the camera can film while still keeping the continuity is shown along the dashed line.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is a filming method which increases the realism of the scene, and also helps the viewer to engage with what they are watching. The 180 degree rule applies to shot reverse shot to help make the scene look much more realistic and to ensure that it flows correctly. A shot reverse shot is produced by switching which character is on screen depending on who is talking at that time.

Match Cutting

Match cutting is when you cut from one scene, to a completely different one - but objects on each scene match.

What are you doing here? - Camera and Editing Testing

Evaluation

I am pleased with our first attempt at filming and using the editing software, although the content of the test clip may not be brilliant, all of the editing and shots worked really well. We had to film this without a tripod, which instantly made this a challenging task, however, we did our best to stabilise the camera ourselves, and the end result was almost shake free.

Next time we use the cameras again we would make sure that we would be using a tripod, as this helps to ensure that the shots look professional, we would also spend more time in the editing phase, making sure all of the transitions are as smooth as possible.

Children of Men - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The first thing the audience hears in the opening scene of Children of Men is a news report against a black background. This instantly creates an enigma and makes the viewer want to know why nothing is being shown, and what the news report is about.

About a minute into the scene and the shot changes and shows a group of people all watching the news report on TV all looking saddened by what they are being shown.

We then see a man push his way through the crowd of people and order a coffee. This tells us that he is likely to be an important character later on in the film. He also contrasts greatly to the other characters in the same shot as the sad news story does not seem to affect him at all.

The next shot is an establishing shot, and sets the scene for the viewer. Along with the London subtitle at the bottom, there are also many object stereotyped with London included in the shot. This helps to make the film accessible for people worldwide.

The character stops on the street for a second when suddenly there is an explosion. This is a genre indicator that the film is going to be an action film. We also see a character standing screaming holding a limb. This creates yet another enigma and will entice the viewer to watch the rest of the film.

The plain background being used at the beginning during the news broadcast is very effective at drawing people into the film as they are almost forced to pay full attention to what is being said.

The camerawork used follows a point of view style, this makes the viewer feel like they are playing one of the characters and will draw them in to watching the rest of the film.

Skyfall - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene we can hear a sound motif. This lets the viewer know that the film will follow the same pattern as the rest of the films on the James Bond franchise. Seeing the silhouette of the character in the distance of the shot creates a sense of mysteriousness, as the viewer begins t wonder if the character will turn out to be James Bond. As soon as the character is close to the camera, he stops, and his face is illuminated. He then draws his gun up quickly and aims it around, suggesting that there are going to be people trying to stop him.

James walks past two bodies on the ground, and then sees a colleague bleeding out on the chair right in fron of him. The person James is speaking to does not seem to care about the man's injuries, and asks James to look for the hard drive. This shows the audience that the person speaking to James is very ruthless, and heartless.

James briefly searches for the hard drive, but cannot find it. He then goes to help his injured colleague, this would make the audience empathise with him as he is doing the right thing. James helps to stop the bleeding, but then carries on his mission, this could indicate the seriousness of the mission he is on to the audience.

James stops to look at his injured friend and thinks for a minute, obviously not sure if he is doing the right thing, and then rushes off, maybe deciding that it was for the best. This shot of James looking back at his injured friend really helps the audience to form a connection with him - as it shows he is human.

Background music then begins to play and James steps out onto a busy street. This is a huge contrast to the quiet scene we have just been shown. James' expression as he leaves the building almost makes it appear that he does not feel phased by the things he has just seen, and that he is used to it.

Dredd - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

Firstly in the opening scene of Dredd, we are shown an establishing shot of the setting for the film, with the voice-over saying "America is an irradiated wasteland.". This instantly signals to the viewer that they could be watching some form of an action film.

Next the camera begins to pan on the empty, deserted dessert. Next follow some more establishing shots, these are setting the scene for the viewer and are instantly creating enigmas. For example, the viewer is going to want to find out why the area looks broken down.

Now a fairly slow backing track is played, while we are shown shots of futuristic looking towers, with planes weaving in and out. This one shot has a huge effect on the reader, as it is one of the biggest genre indicators shown in the opening scene. Seeing the planes set against the background of towers will instantly tell the viewer that they are watching a sci-fi film. The viewer is next shown a clip being shot from a plane, with futuristic looking displays on the sides, this is yet another sci-fi indicator, telling the audience that sci-fi is going to be a huge part of this film.

The futuristic scenery included in the opening two minutes highlights how important mise-en-scene is at indicating the films genre to the viewer, and also gives an idea of what the effect might be on the audience if they were to be misinformed of the genre.

The background music begins to speed up, and we are shown a close up shot of a character wrapping a bandage around his hand. This shot tells the audience that he is likely to be a heavily featured character in the film.

We then see a group of people throwing things, quickly followed by another shot of the character this time placing on a leather jacket. This could suggest to the audience that he is against the people who were throwing things.

One of the shots seen next shows a group of people wearing hoodies all walking down the street together, with a cloud of dust following them. This could suggest that trouble and chaos is following them wherever they go. This shot could also be creating a false representation of people who wear hoodies - suggesting that they are all out to cause trouble.

The same character as before is now seen picking up a weapon, this would further suggest that he is out to fight against the hooded people, and also the people throwing things.

Towards the very end of the opening scene the background music instantly become much faster, and we see a motorbike speed across a road. This would suggest that there will also be elements of action embedded throughout the film.

Hot Fuzz - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene for Hot Fuzz the audience is shown a a long shot with a person walking towards the camera at a fast pace, this would suggest to the audience that he has something important to do.

As the man gets to the camera, the audience is shown a very fast paced insight to the characters life, with bits of humour added.

This is a very unusual opening for a film, as hardly ever do they give such a detailed insight into a character. It is a very effective opening however as the quick changes between shots gets the viewer excited for the film. The bits of humour that have been inserted also alert the viewer that the film is likely to be a comedy.

Using such an opening has been very effective in this instance, however, there would be certain types of genre/films it would not work with - for example, it would not be appropriate for an action or a drama because the speed of this intro adds a certain sense of slapstick to it, this would damage most other genres and could become slightly confusing the the viewer.

Kick Ass - Opening Scene Analysis

The first thing we hear is a dramatic sound track in the background, this immediately tells the audience that the film is extremely likely to include a superhero.

The effects on the title of flying through the clouds is a really strong genre indicator of action and also helps to set the scene. As the camera eventually leaves the clouds, the camera pans down on what appears to be New York City - a popular location for many action/adventure films.

The viewer is immediately presented with an enigma - who is the man?

Showing the man looking down on the city with a birds eye view shot makes the scene look very dramatic, and the character brave. There is also a genre indicator here - the big city. This establishing shot of the big city tells the audience what the film will be about and where it is set, it may also make them begin to wonder why that location was chosen.

The audience then gets a feeling of suspense, as the character jumps down from the building and begins to dive directly down to the ground. This creates a very short lived enigma, and encourages the viewer to watch on to find out what happens. The character then crashes into the car, and the music comes to an abrupt stop. Stopping the music so quickly adds a sense of humour to the film, and also indicates to the viewer that everything which this character will try to do may backfire at him.

Next, the camera begins to pan to the rear end of the car which the character just crashed into. It then zooms in to show the license plate of the car, which reads "KICK ASS", incorporating the title into a prop of the film is very effective and makes the film seem much more realistic.

I really like this opening scene because I feel that it gives a rough idea of the plot, without digging to deep. It also creates several enigmas which make you want to watch to find out the answer and watch on.

The Dark Knight Poster Analysis

I feel that The Dark Knight advertising poster is very effective.

The poster denotes a low angle shot of Batman standing in front of a crumbling building, with a fire the shape of the Bat symbol. Batman's stance would connote that he is powerful as he has his fists clenched. The low angle shot also makes Batman look in control, it also connotes that he is not going to back down in any battles he may encounter.

Also denoted in the background of the poster is a city line. This would connote that some form of evil is causing havoc in the city, as you would not normally expect to see skyscrapers on fire and pieces of debris floating around.

Although there is not much going on in the poster, it still gives the audience an idea of the role Batman will play in the film, and gives a small insight to what might happen in the film.

You can also tell from the poster that the film will be an action film from the stance of Batman, and the skyscraper which is on fire. These features will excite any action film fan, and will make them want to goa nd see the film immediately.

Scream - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The first thing we see in the opening scene is a close up shot of a telephone ringing. The character answers the phone and decides that the caller has the wrong number and then puts the phone down. She begins to walk away from the phone, but she hasn't even left the room by the time it rings. She instantly has a very worried look on her face. This allows the audience to share the characters fear and makes them begin to wonder if it is the same person calling.

When she answers the phone she discovers that it is the same caller. He says to her that he wants to talk to her, but she declines and puts the phone down once again.

We then see a mid shot of a tree in the characters garden panning down to a view of the house. The most significant thing in this shot is the squeaky swing in the foreground of the clip slowly swinging, this is one of the first main genre indicators in the opening scene. As it is night out and the trees are not moving, you would assume that it was a still night - but with the swinging swing, it might suggest to the viewer that there is somebody out there. This then creates the enigma of whether the person who keep calling is in her garden.

The caller then rings again, determined to talk to her. They enter into a brief conversation about movies, and are discussing their favourite films. The caller asks what her favourite scary film is, and as she answers with the film "Halloween" she picks up a knife from the knife block, and then places it back in. This is another subtle genre indicator that this is a horror film, and could even indicate that the knife could maybe be used as a weapon later on in the film.

The mise en scene in this film is very successful in reinforcing the films genre. For example, one of the most apparent features of mise en scene present which has been used very effectively is the use of lighting. The general lighting is fairly low, with small lamps being the main sources of light, this conforms to the conventions of a horror film (by using dim lighting), and also makes the film appear much more realistic as no harsh lighting which you would not usually find inside a home is being used. This low level of lighting also helps the viewer to feel sorry for the main character, as it makes her appear vulnerable, especially with the character who keeps ringing her.

I like this opening scene as it really entice the reader to the film - it makes you want to find out who the caller is, and this is one of the main reasons why it is so effective. Another reason the opening scene is effective is the mise-en-scene, for example, the squeaky swing and the picking up of the knife all give the viewer a hint of what is to come - without spoiling the whole plot.

Warm Bodies - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The first thing we see in the opening scene of Warm Bodies is an extreme close up of the main character sharing his thoughts with the viewer. Going straight into this shot creates a huge enigma as the viewer begins to wonder why he and a large group of others seem to be living in an abandoned airport. This enigma is soon answered in the main characters narration.

Also in this first clip a lot of humour has been used. For example R, the main character, states that they are all dead. R then begins to insult the other characters by saying they are dead and that they look awful. Using humour this early on in the film allows the viewer connect with the character, which may also help them empathise with him later on in the film.

In R's monologue we hear about what he spends his time doing, for example, he explains that he likes to guess what the other characters jobs where.

The shots being used are generally mid shots with a slow pan and zoom edit. This complements the slow moving background music well and shows that the film isn't going to be a full on action film. From the mise en scene we can see that the film if going to be a zombie film.

The opening 2 minutes provide the viewer with a huge bit of background knowledge about R. I feel that it is a strong opening scene as it explains some of the bits of the film which are not self-explanatory.

Mise en scene is cleverly used in this clip to reinforce the genre of the film. The clothes which are being worn by the characters suggest that they have not changed their clothes since they were humans - which tells the audience that judging by the state of the clothes, was a long time ago. This makes the opening 2 minutes much more effective as it conveys much more information about the film to the viewer than what would be conveyed without a lot of attention being paid on mise en scene.

The editing of the opening 2 minutes leads to R becoming the most prominent character, this leads to a more successful film as it allows the viewer to connect with the character, and possibly side with them in any conflict which might be present throughout the film.

The Dark Knight - Opening Scene Analysis

The opening scene of The Dark Knight goes straight into action and shows a skyscraper window being smashed by two characters wearing clown masks covering their faces. This immediately creates an enigma and captures the audiences full attention, making them want to find out what the need for the masks are, and why they just smashed a skyscraper window.

In the next shot we see a man with his back facing the camera carrying a holdall over his shoulder, and carrying the same clown mask seen earlier. His pose looks very threatening as he stands still in a busy junction, while the camera pans and zooms in on clown mask being carried.

Suddenly, the background music begins to speed up and the character walks up to a vehicle passing him while placing on his mask. Just as the character enters the vehicle we go back the skyscraper shot, and now see the two characters glide across a zip wire, over a busy road, and onto the roof of a building.

Just from these shots so far, it is obvious that the genre for this film would be action. This can be inferred by the many genre indicators already seen. For example, the fast background music, the variation of long and close up shots, and also by the things that the characters are doing, for example, breaking through a window.

The next shot we now move to shows the van which we earlier saw one of the characters enter. Inside of the van the characters are discussing how many shares each person will get. This answers the first enigma, as it indicates to the viewer that the reason they may be wearing the masks is they are about to break into somewhere, this can be inferred from the characters discussing their shares. Another enigma is immediately created as to what they will be breaking in to, and what they will be sharing between each other.

The viewer isn't left in the dark for long however, as we now see the characters from the van entering a bank and threatening the staff and customers, which now makes it obvious that the characters were discussing what share they would each get from money they are about to steal.

We next see two of the characters on the roof of the bank disabling the banks alarm system. One of the men says "That's funny it didn't dial out to 911, it was trying to reach a private number.", the other man asks if that's a problem to which the response is "No". The man who asked if it was a problem then immediately shoots his accomplice, this shows that he cared more about what was in the robbery for him, than the other characters and was even willing to use his accomplice for his skill, and then kill him to make sure that he wouldn't be able to take a cut of the profits.

We can also tell from the opening that the characters are not new to crime, as even when faced with one of the bank's employees with a shot gun, they still retaliate and don't forget why they're there.

Overall I feel that this is a very effective opening scene as it is full of action and enigmas. This helps to keep the viewer interested in the film and not lose interest due to a boring plot. There are also elements of humour in the scene, for example, one of the gunmen says to a teller at the bank "Let's go pal, I'm making a withdrawal here." as he drags him over the counter. Including small jokes like this in the opening scene has helped to make it a very strong scene which completely entices and immerses the viewer into the rest of the film.