About a teenage girl around the age of 17, who has a psychotic disorder characterised by emotional responsiveness and disintegration of thought process (schizophrenia).
She is unaware that she has this psychotic disorder and thinks everyone around her is able to see and hear what she experiences, and no one seems to believe her when she explains what she sees and hears. This psychotic disorder results in her becoming crazy and being kicked out of multiple schools due to her uncontrollable behaviour. She eventually looses all her friends as she is classified as 'crazy' and 'weird' and no one wants to be around her, this results in her having an insane amount of anger flooding her body and wants to get revenge on the people who do not believe her. As her psychotic disorder develops and becomes progressively worse, this results in her making decisions and mistakes that will mark her life forever and her going down a bad path.
The clip begins with a perspective from the teenage girls point of view of what she can see (psychotic images) on a field with her friends. This clip cuts from black screen to what she can see multiple times, and her having a scared reaction each time as she is terrified of the images she sees and as they come closer and closer.
She is sitting on a field with a few of her friends (use fields behind school). An establishing shot is used as we introduce this clip to show the viewer they are sitting on a field all together.
When she has her episodes, she convey's her emotions and comes across as on edge and begins to panic and then continues to ask her friends who she is with, if they saw what she saw.
They then question her and ask if she is joking around, they would then presume to continue their conversation and laugh at her and mock her. This then follows on to another psychotic episode and this results in her having some sort of attack and attempting to get up and run away from who she sees is coming towards her (hand held camera movements) but then trips and bangs her head on the floor and blacks out. A point of view camera shot is then portrayed from the girls friends point of view and them looking down at the girl as we are able to see what they can see - the girl laying on the grass blacked out.
This would conclude the opening sequence and cut straight to a black screen as the title appears - 'UNAWARE'.
Props
- Mask, scary costume, possibly an ax or knife or gun
Titles are to portray the institutional and creative names involved in the funding, making and producing from the production, which consist of the writer, editor, director, studio, producers, company and top cast.
As they are incorporated as credits at the end of the film, the key information is often shown before the film begins, it's referred to as a title sequence, as it is the first thing the viewer will see, therefore the audience are more aware of what's on the screen, and due to their excitement of watching the film, they are concentrated and focused.
The roles which are always found in an opening credit sequence appear in a specific order. There are usually 21 titles that are in opening credit sequences:
Money
Production
Directors name film
Main star
Film title
Actor 1 (end of main section)
Actor 2
Actor 3
Actor 4
Actor 5
Casting
Costume designer
Music
Edited
Production designer
Director of photography
Executive producer
Produced by
Based upon
Screen play (writer)
Director
The director is always the last title to appear on the screen or the first, this shows their importance and also give them the most credit as it is either the first thing the audience see or the last thing.
In the title credits of Wonder Woman, the title 'directed by' is presented through a gold ring, which draws attention and grabs your eye and makes this title the main focal point.
The font, colours, framing/screen placement and pace of credits, transitions and edit all applies to the creative aspect of a title sequence. Why? Because these are all factors that influence how the viewer may perceive what type of genre it is, what the narrative may be, the tone of the film and the time / setting the film may be set in.
The use of these title credits provide a narrative that this production may be about the internet and online use, due to the font and ways they have used their imagination to portray the credits in different ways (using the sound-cloud logo to place a credit). The use of this title sequence being portrayed this way provides information that this is a movie is a more updated film and possibly set in the 2015/2016.
In this opening title sequence the audience are able to identify the genre for this film, which would be horror, due to the colours used and the font. Black signifies the unknown, mysterious, horror, dark and gothic which all influence the idea why this is a horror movie, and the lack of life and colour within this sequence. The style of the writing is bold and creates a sense of eeriness. Throughout this title sequence it also provides information of the setting/time this may be in, which is around the time of the war, due to soldiers presented on the screen.
I am going to be looking a two different opening title sequences for the movies of Grease and American Horror Story. Grease is a 1978 American musical romance comedy. Written by Bronte Woodward and directed by Randal Kleiser, this film was produced by Paramount Pictures and RSO Records. American Horror Story is an American horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and brad Falchuk. This film was produced by FX network, Brad Falchuk -Vision, Ryan Murphy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. Both these films are very different genres, and I am going to be comparing both of them.
Grease
The opening title sequence of Grease, begins with diegetic sound saying "Get out of bed its the first day of school", then continues with the soundtrack of a musical sang by a famous/well know USA singer. The genre of this film is emphasised by the font and colours used in opening, the bright and vibrant colours show that it's a happy and fun movie and the use of the big bold titles that are animated with the actions. This shows the viewer that is a comedy/romance/musical genre.
As this title scene continues we are provided with the time period and setting that this film was filmed in, and the audience is able to gather information that it is set in the 1950s due to the style and how it is portrayed as an old school advertisement and being filmed in a town.
We are then introduced to characters, we are shown the character name and the actor together which provides character information. As we are introduced to these character we also provided with long shots which are able to show us character detail.
As these characters are introduced using drawings, they are presented as playing into stereotypes, as the group of boys are portrayed as the bad boy group and 'Sandy' is represented as the typical princess type, getting dressed, waking up in her big elegant bed and her blonde long hair.
The tone of this film is then displayed through the school year-book type of feel it is giving off due to the theatre/musical style intro, and the way each title is portrayed which is as if they are names to shops and on posters around the city/town.
The editing used in the title sequence provides iconic USA 1950s, and very much informs the viewer that this is in the 1950s, so the audience are able to gather a brief narrative and understand the time period and the transitions between each clip are very smooth and they flow into one another.
The long screen time on the last title of 'directed by' is portrayed as the soundtrack is lowering down and coming to an end, which informs the audience that the film is about to begin.
American Horror Story
This opening title sequence automatically tell the viewer what type of genre this is, which is horror. Due to the thick and bold titles which come across as very in your face, and have a gothic style to them. The soundtrack which is used to portray this title sequence is parallel sound and specifically synchronous and is uncomfortable to watch and very unpredictable, these are hints of the genre of this film (horror) and hint at the narrative of this production.
In the whole clip, there are close ups on certain objects and details throughout. There is no iconic or detailed imagery of where and when it is set or the location of the film, or any characters. We are provided with no character information or details therefore it is difficult for the viewer to think of what the narrative could be.
We are exposed to iconic horror imagery throughout the opening title sequence with white clothing, skulls/skeletons, smashed glass, blood, fire and photographs. These are all key factors of a horror genre, and something scary, which further influences the genre of the film.
The use of the short and snappy clips and transitions and very fast action when showing the titles and imagery emphasise on the intimacy and urgency within the film, and set the atmosphere of how the movie will be and to hint to the audience what it will be like, and that it will be a very quick and jumpy film.
Comparing both title credits
Both these title credits introduced a narrative of what the movie may be about and what it could consist of. They both set the scene, atmosphere and tone of the film. Both opening title sequences made the genre clear for both movies and provided solid evidence for both movies of the genre. It was made clear that Grease was a comedy/romance/musical genre and that American Horror Story was a horror genre, which is very important and a key factor for opening credits/scenes, that the genre is portrayed, so it is able to inform the viewer before they watch it. American Horror Story did not provide any character information whatsoever and limited the amount of hints/evidence of the narrative. In comparison to Grease where they provided a varse amount of character information and revealed hints and ideas of what the narrative may consist of.
Overall, all of these opening scenes have something in common, that is that they all introduce a main character and do not give away too much of the narrative, which is very important and a key factor of introducing a film. All of these opening scenes also use a variety of sound in the opening sequences which set the atmosphere and scenery. The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas and Iron Man, begin there opening sequence with non-diegetic sound of a song/soundtrack playing. Both of these songs and non-diegetic sound are very different and juxtapose between each other hugely. The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas begins with a light and soft soundtrack of a piano and then Iron Man begins with an upbeat and high pitch song playing. Both of these are parallel sounds to their own film and the film genre and what the narrative may be.
In conclusion my favourite and the one I think was the most successful genre to analysis the opening scene of was the movie Shutter Island, which was thriller. In my opinion I think it was the most successful opening scene and was the clearest that it was a thriller genre. It was the most mysterious and was able to grab the viewers eye the most and makes the viewer want to watch more.
My second favourite sequence to analyse the opening scene of was Divergent, which was a Sci-Fi genre. This opening scene does not make it clear and specific of what type of genre it is, which allows the viewer to think for themselves and find out. This opening scene sets a possibility for the narrative and grabs the viewers attention.
My least favourite and the one I think was least successful opening scene to analyse the genre of was drama and romance, which was The Notebook. Due to the lack of narrative that was portrayed throughout the clip and the long duration of the clips, dragged this opening scene on and allowed to viewer to loose focus/interest and get distracted.
The Conjuring is a 2013 American supernatural horror film, directed by James Wan and written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. The Conjuring was released in the United states on July 19, 2013, by the Warner Brothers. Pictures and New Line Cinema. It grosses over $319 million worldwide against its $20 million budget creating a tent pole film.
The main cast in this move are Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Ron Livingston. This narrative through this clip is introduced through an interview that people are having and from this interview we learn that the doll is possessed and contains spirits. This automatically sets the atmosphere and provides a brief understanding of what this film is about. The target audience from this film is around the age group of 15-17 year old teenage males, we are aware of this due to the intensity and levels of horror. The genre of the of the film is set up in the opening scene through the use of soundtrack and from what is being shown the minute the clip begins, and from his we have evidence that it is a horror film.
We are introduced to 3 characters, 2 girls and a male, the 2 young girls are nurses and they live with the possessed doll, and the male who is not introduced remains silent throughout the whole interview. The extract begins with a black screen with non-diegetic soundtrack then cuts straight to the dolls eye with an extreme close up then slowly zooms out and captures half of the dolls face taking up a third of the frame. In this clip the dolls face is in focus and the background is out of focus, creating a deep depth of field. The editing techniques that have been used match the genre by using short and snappy clips to show action and to keep the audience engaged instead of long clips that drag and allow to viewer to loose focus. In the scene where the 2 women arrive home, and see the doll sitting against a wall directly in front of them, ominous music begins and conveys the idea that something bad is going to happen, it support the mood and atmosphere.
This clip is shown through a Point of View angle so the audience are able to see the two girls perspective of what they are seeing. As they walk into the house, the hallway is pitch black except from from the specs of light that are shown on the doll, this emphasises the idea of foreboding and that something is going on.
In the last scene when one of the women are throwing away the doll, this scene is portrayed from a high angle, this connotes the idea that she is powerless and vulnerable compared to Annabel, and that something is going to happen and this influences the audience and makes them curious and intrigued to what is going to happen, so allows them to want to keep watching.
Overall this is a very strong and powerful introduction scene to a movie due to the sound track, camera angles, lighting and editing. After watching this scene it makes me want to watch this movie as it has grabbed my attention and I am curious as to what happens next.
The Notebook is 2004 American drama and romance film. This production begins when the young couple fall in love in the 1940s. The director of this film is Nick Cassavetes and it is written by Jeremy Leven (screenplay), Jan Sardi (adaption) and Nicholas Sparks (novel). The notebook was released in the UK on the 25th June 2004. The production company was The New Line Cinema and Gran Via. The budget for this production was $29,000,000 and the grossing was $81,001,787. This film won multiple awards such as; eight Teen Choice Awards, A Satellite Award and an MTV Movie Award
The main cast in this movie is Gena Rowlands, James Garner and Rachel McAdams. We are introduced to Gena Rowlands at the end of this opening scene but throughout the opening scene we are not introduced to any other characters, and are given no character information. The opening clip consists of a large landscape image capturing a sunset and in the depth of the image you are able to see a subject on a rowing boat going across the calm sees.
The use of the colours portrays a beautiful image, the main colour in this image is red and red signifies love and passion and this is able to tell the viewer that this is a movie about love and romance, the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack playing through this scene also informs the viewer that this is a film about love and romance due to the high and low pitches of the piano and the harp and this is able to set the scene and atmosphere of the genre of this film. Due to the lack of story telling in this opening scene we are not given a brief understanding of what this film is about, therefore leaves the audiences thoughts to wonder and discover for themselves. The target audience for this film is for individuals who are young adults, adults or even elderly people because it includes all three of these age generations and it is also mainly aimed at individuals who love romantic movies.
In the last section of this opening scene we are shown with a point of view angle, which is able to show the viewer what this character is looking at, which in this example is the beautiful view with a rayleigh scattering of the skies. From this clip we are shown that this subject/character is an important character as the final section of this clip is a close up of this character.
The use of the rule of thirds in this clip allow the viewer to focus their attention on the character who is towards the right side of the frame and also by the use of having a short depth of field and the editors making sure that only her face was in focus, to bring more attention to her and show that she is important and that possibly this movie is about her and her story, but the audience are also left with the idea of who is this woman?
