ANALYSIS OF OPENING SEQUENCES
JUNO
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/04/15/juno/
This opening sequence starts off in real and transforms into an rotoscoped color-pencil animated scene. we see the protagonist who we think is Juno at this point; her slouch jeans, converses and hoody suggest she is a very laid back, normal teenanger which alot of girls could relate to making them the target audience.
The animation in this scene reflect on the character, we can tell she is not a serious character and she is light hearted which also helps us establish the genre is most likely to be a modern comedy or maybe a rom-com. Also, the animation effect helps keep a young atomosphere intact engaging the target audience.
She is drinking right out of the Sunny D bottle, she is represented almost as if she doesnt care about much or what people think resulting in a 'badass' look. Also, the way she is walking connotes this, she looks careless and as if she has no worries what so ever which could be contrasted in the plot of the movie. The sunny D bottle almost becomes an icon connoting a young and happy mood that you see transorm from real to animation as well as Juno which could be relating to some of her characteristics.we dont see much scenery buh can just about establish where this movie take place.
The different backgrounds are sketched on showing ordinary high streets, this movie is set in an everyday atmosphere and surroundings. So we are expecting to step into Juno's life and see what obsticles she undergoes on a day to day basis and as she looks quite young, we could possibly see her in school.
The music playing is a cool, country like song setting a laid back, funny atmosphere which also connotes to a light hearted comedy.
Alot of editing is used in this scene, creating the animation, indication of titles and character names etc. ovcourse it looks very proffessional but still has a young feel to it for the target audience to enjoy. The titles and names look hand written and appear on the screen in various ways showing off editing techniques and still engaging the audience. Such an amusing opening sequence will make the audience expect alot from the movie and to enjoy it if satisfied.
Several camera angels and movements were used illustrating an upbeat, hectic film with an interesting storyline and plot. One close-up shot of Juno's feet suggest we are going to walk in her shoes and see what goes on in her life, making her the protagonist.she walks past a guitar shop and a guitar and tv which imply these are the things she loves.
She is just wondering through animated streets, she looks lost and confused something may happen to her later where she feels like this. We do not see any other characters in this opening sequence suggesting she is really the main character and we should focus on her thoroughly.
I enjoyed this interesting opening sequence and liked the effect however, this would not work for my film opening as it would not reflect my genre and atmosphere of a Thriller.
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY AND NOTTING HILL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcGyU7MumTw
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/_27ug8_vTcc/
Both Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill are very well known romantic-comedies. We can establish the genre from the opening of both movies as they both begin with romantic, soft music and the voice over’s at the start describe their lonely lives and attempts to find love.
In Bridget Jones’s Diary the scene opens with a mid-shot of Bridget walking alone in the snow to her mother’s house for New Years while the voice over is going on in the background. The voice over acts like a narrator explaining a bit about her mother, what she thinks about Mark and the things she would only say in her head.
The audience can establish that Bridget is a lonely woman looking for love. In this first scene we can see Bridget dressed in many layers, not very stylish suggesting she does not care how she looks because she has no-one to impress which creates a depressing feeling.
The cold, snowy weather plays pathetic fallacy here because it is adds to the depressing, low atmosphere as well as the low key lighting at the start suggesting a sad and gloomy mood, which is a contrast to Notting Hill’s atmosphere.
In the opening scene of Notting hill we hear flashes and cheering with no image as the title is up. As the continuous images start, they fade onto the screen and soft, romantic music is playing in the background helping the audience establish the genre. The pictures of Anna Scott, a beautiful, famous actress portray her as an elegant, glamorous, lovable woman within the first 30seconds as a light-hearted and calm feeling is present. Low-key lighting is used in this first scene at the background and Anna Scott is seen in high-key lighting charging the focus on her suggesting she is an important character. We see a bit of her Hollywood life which then fades out into William’s diverse, ordinary lifestyle and the voice over begins.
The audience can already tell these are the two protagonists and there may be a connection between them.
In the voiceover William goes on to talking a bit about Anna Scott as if he could only dream about her as he gets back to reality he depicts his ordinary lifestyle in London’s Notting Hill.
Bridget seems to spend every New Year at her mother’s ‘turkey curry buffet’, who is trying to set Bridget up every year illustrating that she is desperate to find her daughter a man she can be happy with since she is getting older. This year she meets Mark Darcy, who she thinks may be alright until he turns around in slow-mo with twinkly music playing in the background suggesting he might just be something special, she sees his reindeer jumper, the music stops and she changes her mind. A close up emerges of his face as he rolls his eyes wishing he was not in the position he was when Bridget is talking nonsense to him, drink and cigarette in hand, the audience can tell a bit more about her character; she seems slightly ditsy, funny and typical, however the target audience of young to middle aged women could maybe relate to her.
She then overhears Mark slating her off and there is a close-up shot of her ‘life changing moment’ as she realized she really didn’t want to be alone this time next year.
William also seems to have a life changing moment when Anna Scott enters his book shop the audience can sense a connection as they seal eye contact and the way he tracks her as she is walking round he shop, the camera moves elegantly reflecting Anna’s grace and beauty.
It looks as if she just wants to fit in with the ‘normal world’ and not have the press around her 24/7.
We are also introduced to William’s lodger Spike, he is illustrated as immature and quite vulgar seeing his t-shirts and as he walks around in his pants. His long hair and unshaven beard suggest he does not take duty of him-self which looks like a big contrast to William.
We see Bridget at home alone after the Mark incident; A close up of the T.V show ‘Frasier’ demonstrates a sad, day-time T.V show which would get her depressed as well as having no messages on her answering machine connotes her loneliness.
Finally she breaks out in to an overdue, well needed emotional fit, singing to ‘all by myself’ which is a reflection of exactly how she feels and is almost angry that she is alone. The long shot lets us see that she is alone in a messy room, sitting in her pyjamas, drinking wine and she looks miserable with her head hanging.
These two movies are typical rom-coms and follow Todorov’s theory of narrative structure including an; equilibrium, a disruption, recognition of disruption, attempt to repair the disruption and a new equilibrium is accomplished.
In both movies, Bridget and William seem abandoned from love and long-term relationships, they both go through a journey where they find someone who they love which then is disturbed but at the end a new equilibrium is achieved and they both live happily with their partner.
These movies are both rom-coms so we would not use any aspects from them as our movie is a thriller and we are trying to get a different reaction and atmospheres across. However, i looked at them to contrast to our movie as they use different lighting, shots, camera angles and music to set the appropriate mood they would need but we both are trying to engage a set audience.
BATMAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6prDFbjn_Q
The opening sequence of Batman Begins sets a sinister tone with the shot of the swarm of bats flying in the dark sky making up the renowned Batman sign thrilling the audience right from the start. The bats are contrasted against the dark, cloudy sky so we can see the batman symbol of power connoting Batman is powerful and he can battle against evil even through darkness.
We then are introduced two children playing and running around with a blurred camera shot panning them running through the gardens which brings the audience into action and feel as if they are running with characters and waiting for something on the other side, we assume the two children are the protagonists. We see them fighting over the spear head which represents fighting, setting a key theme for the film so we are expecting to see alot of fighting. The children are dressed in contemporary clothes helping the audience identify and possibly relate to the characters.
When Bruce falls into a well where he finds a swarm of bats the camera moves towards the dark hole to put us in Bruce’s position and fear what we are about to see, from this his fear developed. A high angle shot from the top of the well represents how far he has fallen and the long journey he is about to embark upon.
The long shot after that incident displays a mansion which is significant to show where Bruce lives and it tells us he comes from a wealthy background. Several close ups are used to illustrate the characters emotions and reactions, such as when Bruce fell into the well, this was also shown from various angles to set a fast-pace mysterious atmosphere.
In the later shots we see Bruce as a man and an aggressive one too as he begins a fight with many people in his prison. As one obvious theme is fighting in this movie, we can establish that fear is also a theme as his fear of bats presents the movie to be a journey of him overcoming his fear or in this case to be it.
Music throughout this opening is quiet but there is a beat that gets louder as Bruce falls into the well; back to quiet when he looks into the darkness then suddenly goes loud when the bats fly at him, setting suspense and making the audience concentrate so much they connect with the characters feelings of fear. Also the screeching and flapping of the bats sets a tone of panic and fear.
This movie opening sequence was successful and effective in engaging the audience leaving them to wonder how he overcomes his fear and how he becomes batman.
We want this effect in our opening sequence but we don’t want so many long shots as we want to uphold a sense of mystery and lack of identity. Our sound could be similar as we want to create suspense and vagueness which hopefully keeps the audience engaged. However, our genre is a thriller and not action-horror but there are some aspects we could use as inspiration.
JUNO
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/04/15/juno/
This opening sequence starts off in real and transforms into an rotoscoped color-pencil animated scene. we see the protagonist who we think is Juno at this point; her slouch jeans, converses and hoody suggest she is a very laid back, normal teenanger which alot of girls could relate to making them the target audience.
The animation in this scene reflect on the character, we can tell she is not a serious character and she is light hearted which also helps us establish the genre is most likely to be a modern comedy or maybe a rom-com. Also, the animation effect helps keep a young atomosphere intact engaging the target audience.
She is drinking right out of the Sunny D bottle, she is represented almost as if she doesnt care about much or what people think resulting in a 'badass' look. Also, the way she is walking connotes this, she looks careless and as if she has no worries what so ever which could be contrasted in the plot of the movie. The sunny D bottle almost becomes an icon connoting a young and happy mood that you see transorm from real to animation as well as Juno which could be relating to some of her characteristics.we dont see much scenery buh can just about establish where this movie take place.
The different backgrounds are sketched on showing ordinary high streets, this movie is set in an everyday atmosphere and surroundings. So we are expecting to step into Juno's life and see what obsticles she undergoes on a day to day basis and as she looks quite young, we could possibly see her in school.
The music playing is a cool, country like song setting a laid back, funny atmosphere which also connotes to a light hearted comedy.
Alot of editing is used in this scene, creating the animation, indication of titles and character names etc. ovcourse it looks very proffessional but still has a young feel to it for the target audience to enjoy. The titles and names look hand written and appear on the screen in various ways showing off editing techniques and still engaging the audience. Such an amusing opening sequence will make the audience expect alot from the movie and to enjoy it if satisfied.
Several camera angels and movements were used illustrating an upbeat, hectic film with an interesting storyline and plot. One close-up shot of Juno's feet suggest we are going to walk in her shoes and see what goes on in her life, making her the protagonist.she walks past a guitar shop and a guitar and tv which imply these are the things she loves.
She is just wondering through animated streets, she looks lost and confused something may happen to her later where she feels like this. We do not see any other characters in this opening sequence suggesting she is really the main character and we should focus on her thoroughly.
I enjoyed this interesting opening sequence and liked the effect however, this would not work for my film opening as it would not reflect my genre and atmosphere of a Thriller.
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY AND NOTTING HILL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcGyU7MumTw
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/_27ug8_vTcc/
Both Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill are very well known romantic-comedies. We can establish the genre from the opening of both movies as they both begin with romantic, soft music and the voice over’s at the start describe their lonely lives and attempts to find love.
In Bridget Jones’s Diary the scene opens with a mid-shot of Bridget walking alone in the snow to her mother’s house for New Years while the voice over is going on in the background. The voice over acts like a narrator explaining a bit about her mother, what she thinks about Mark and the things she would only say in her head.
The audience can establish that Bridget is a lonely woman looking for love. In this first scene we can see Bridget dressed in many layers, not very stylish suggesting she does not care how she looks because she has no-one to impress which creates a depressing feeling.
The cold, snowy weather plays pathetic fallacy here because it is adds to the depressing, low atmosphere as well as the low key lighting at the start suggesting a sad and gloomy mood, which is a contrast to Notting Hill’s atmosphere.
In the opening scene of Notting hill we hear flashes and cheering with no image as the title is up. As the continuous images start, they fade onto the screen and soft, romantic music is playing in the background helping the audience establish the genre. The pictures of Anna Scott, a beautiful, famous actress portray her as an elegant, glamorous, lovable woman within the first 30seconds as a light-hearted and calm feeling is present. Low-key lighting is used in this first scene at the background and Anna Scott is seen in high-key lighting charging the focus on her suggesting she is an important character. We see a bit of her Hollywood life which then fades out into William’s diverse, ordinary lifestyle and the voice over begins.
The audience can already tell these are the two protagonists and there may be a connection between them.
In the voiceover William goes on to talking a bit about Anna Scott as if he could only dream about her as he gets back to reality he depicts his ordinary lifestyle in London’s Notting Hill.
Bridget seems to spend every New Year at her mother’s ‘turkey curry buffet’, who is trying to set Bridget up every year illustrating that she is desperate to find her daughter a man she can be happy with since she is getting older. This year she meets Mark Darcy, who she thinks may be alright until he turns around in slow-mo with twinkly music playing in the background suggesting he might just be something special, she sees his reindeer jumper, the music stops and she changes her mind. A close up emerges of his face as he rolls his eyes wishing he was not in the position he was when Bridget is talking nonsense to him, drink and cigarette in hand, the audience can tell a bit more about her character; she seems slightly ditsy, funny and typical, however the target audience of young to middle aged women could maybe relate to her.
She then overhears Mark slating her off and there is a close-up shot of her ‘life changing moment’ as she realized she really didn’t want to be alone this time next year.
William also seems to have a life changing moment when Anna Scott enters his book shop the audience can sense a connection as they seal eye contact and the way he tracks her as she is walking round he shop, the camera moves elegantly reflecting Anna’s grace and beauty.
It looks as if she just wants to fit in with the ‘normal world’ and not have the press around her 24/7.
We are also introduced to William’s lodger Spike, he is illustrated as immature and quite vulgar seeing his t-shirts and as he walks around in his pants. His long hair and unshaven beard suggest he does not take duty of him-self which looks like a big contrast to William.
We see Bridget at home alone after the Mark incident; A close up of the T.V show ‘Frasier’ demonstrates a sad, day-time T.V show which would get her depressed as well as having no messages on her answering machine connotes her loneliness.
Finally she breaks out in to an overdue, well needed emotional fit, singing to ‘all by myself’ which is a reflection of exactly how she feels and is almost angry that she is alone. The long shot lets us see that she is alone in a messy room, sitting in her pyjamas, drinking wine and she looks miserable with her head hanging.
These two movies are typical rom-coms and follow Todorov’s theory of narrative structure including an; equilibrium, a disruption, recognition of disruption, attempt to repair the disruption and a new equilibrium is accomplished.
In both movies, Bridget and William seem abandoned from love and long-term relationships, they both go through a journey where they find someone who they love which then is disturbed but at the end a new equilibrium is achieved and they both live happily with their partner.
These movies are both rom-coms so we would not use any aspects from them as our movie is a thriller and we are trying to get a different reaction and atmospheres across. However, i looked at them to contrast to our movie as they use different lighting, shots, camera angles and music to set the appropriate mood they would need but we both are trying to engage a set audience.
BATMAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6prDFbjn_Q
The opening sequence of Batman Begins sets a sinister tone with the shot of the swarm of bats flying in the dark sky making up the renowned Batman sign thrilling the audience right from the start. The bats are contrasted against the dark, cloudy sky so we can see the batman symbol of power connoting Batman is powerful and he can battle against evil even through darkness.
We then are introduced two children playing and running around with a blurred camera shot panning them running through the gardens which brings the audience into action and feel as if they are running with characters and waiting for something on the other side, we assume the two children are the protagonists. We see them fighting over the spear head which represents fighting, setting a key theme for the film so we are expecting to see alot of fighting. The children are dressed in contemporary clothes helping the audience identify and possibly relate to the characters.
When Bruce falls into a well where he finds a swarm of bats the camera moves towards the dark hole to put us in Bruce’s position and fear what we are about to see, from this his fear developed. A high angle shot from the top of the well represents how far he has fallen and the long journey he is about to embark upon.
The long shot after that incident displays a mansion which is significant to show where Bruce lives and it tells us he comes from a wealthy background. Several close ups are used to illustrate the characters emotions and reactions, such as when Bruce fell into the well, this was also shown from various angles to set a fast-pace mysterious atmosphere.
In the later shots we see Bruce as a man and an aggressive one too as he begins a fight with many people in his prison. As one obvious theme is fighting in this movie, we can establish that fear is also a theme as his fear of bats presents the movie to be a journey of him overcoming his fear or in this case to be it.
Music throughout this opening is quiet but there is a beat that gets louder as Bruce falls into the well; back to quiet when he looks into the darkness then suddenly goes loud when the bats fly at him, setting suspense and making the audience concentrate so much they connect with the characters feelings of fear. Also the screeching and flapping of the bats sets a tone of panic and fear.
This movie opening sequence was successful and effective in engaging the audience leaving them to wonder how he overcomes his fear and how he becomes batman.
We want this effect in our opening sequence but we don’t want so many long shots as we want to uphold a sense of mystery and lack of identity. Our sound could be similar as we want to create suspense and vagueness which hopefully keeps the audience engaged. However, our genre is a thriller and not action-horror but there are some aspects we could use as inspiration.
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