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.