Horror:
IT
Main Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Martell
made in: 2017
What narrative is given to us, and from this what do we expect the rest of the film's narrative will be from the little information we have seen?
As an audience, we are shown that it is a dark and gloomy day and that it is raining show by diegetic sound of rain and a grey filter over the clip, as well as visual rain. The narrative given to us is a horror this is due to the fact that their is a young boy running in the streets alone with his brother speaking down a walkie talkie telling him to be safe which foreshadows the following events, later on in the scene the young boy, Georgie is faced with a clown, this tells the audience that the narrative is about a boy who incounters a killer clown. Andres Muschietti has used interesting mise on scene that would sudjest the clown is a killer this is because Goergie encounters the clown in a sewage drain with an over the shoulder shot, of two eyes emerging from darkness followings a diegetic sound of a deep growel ,
echoing dialogue is heard between the two characters and within the dialogue The clown randomly freezes with shot reverse shot of the two ,
the random freezes are done to build tension as well as tell the audience that something bad is waiting to happen.
Using shot-reverse-shot in this scene allows the audience to see Georgie's fear in the situation as well as non-diegetic high pitch creepy music allows the audience to anticipate something bad happening to him. Throughout these scenes quick cuts are used.
Who is the target audience for this film, how do we know from the opening scene?
This film you can tell was directed towards teenagers, this is made clear through the opening sequence as it uses childlike fears as its premessis such as clowns. We can also tell this was directed towards teenagers as it uses at the beginning gentle music that created a juxtaposition as it did not go along with the clip (contrapuntal sound), this eases the fear and makes the scene a little more comforting which shows it is suited more for a younger audience such as teenagers.
How is the genre of the film set up in the opening scene? What key conventions have been used?
The genre is clearly set up from the first scene as we see a mid shot of the diegetic dialogue of the brother telling georgie to be careful foreshadowing a bad event that is going to occur, the darkness of the clip adds to the genre that is set as the only main element of colour that is used is Georgies yellow coat , Andres Muschietti does this for multiple reasons including the audience to have some sort of attachment to Georgie as yellow expresses happiness and joy which younger kids express greatly and therefore we sympathies with the fact that Georgie is a child, Andres Muschietti however has mainly done this to create a main focus point being on Georgie.Having a dark opening scene tells the audience that the film is more likely to be a horror or thriller. We also meet Pennywise in the middle part of the opening sequence this tells the audience that the genre of the film is horror as clowns are a very common fear within children and Pennywise is a clown that follows the criterias of that common fear. Pennywise also emerges from the darkness which is as well as clowns a very common fear.
How many characters are introduced and what do we know about them? How do we know this about them from the use of technical aspects?
Throughout the opening scene, we are introduced to three characters including Georgie who is a young inoccent boy with childlike curiosity, as an audience member we know this due to the fact he is communicating on walkie talkies which is a childlike communication device, and by the fact that he has gone outside in the rain to watch his paper boat float down the rain made rivers. Georgie also has that childlike sense of focus where he can only focus on what he wants and not what is around him Andres Muschietti has shown this by the fact that Georgie has run into a roadblock while following his paper boat. Georgie also lacks in usual fear as he is not scared to talk to Pennywise this shows Georgie's childlike curiosity, which Andres Muschietti does to make the audience feel sympathy for the boy. We are introduced at the very beginning to what can be assumed to be the brother with a mid shot of the brother watching him as he leaves and telling him through the Walkie talkie to be safe, this shows brotherly love for Georgie.Andres Muschietti probably does this to show a connection between the two characters we can also later on in the opening sequence hear Georgie refer to him as his best friend with a mid low shot of George looking in the direction of his house when Pennywise asks Georgie about friends this clever shot indicates to the audience that the boy in the room is his brother who made the boat for him. Andres Muschietti has done this to express that the brother is caring.
In the opening scene finally, we are introduced to Pennyise who emerges with an over the shoulder shot of him coming through the darkness of the draine to speak to Georgie, creepy non-diegetic music starts to play indicating that this character is going to be a main focus of evil throughout the play. strong facial expressions are used from Pennywise to express the creepiness of the character we hear his voice echoing as he speaks to Georgie Andres Muschietti has properly done this to express an isolation from where Georgie is and people around him it is done so that the tension of the audience increases. Shot reverse shot is predominatley used throughout the two characters to show the fear that Pennywise produces slowly with Georgie. Pennywise's face is painted white with red stripes down each eye leading to the mouth, we can tell by this that pennywise is a clown, the character freezes randomly throughout the scene with deliver dripping down from the mouth to express the character is not normal according to social norms, showing Pennywise emerging from darkness expresses to the viewer that this character is the 'badie' in the film.
What camera work has been used, and why?
The clip starts with an establishing crane shot of the house this is done to show where the characters live and tells us that no one is outside due to the rain, this is important as it tells us that Georgie will be isolated outside.We are then shown a mid shot of the brother talking on a walkie talkie to Georgie this is done to present the brother and the fact that he is watching him leave the house. After this we are shown a long shot of Georgie running down the street in the rain the shot transitions with a quick cut to show a tracking shot of Georgie running down the street in the rain, another quick cut is shown, a birds eye view of Georgie running this is done to show there is no one around Georgie from any angle. The camera then abruptly with a quick cut show Georgie running into a caution sign this is done to foreshadow the events that are about to accure as well as show Georgy's focus on the boat and not what is going on around him. Stephan king then uses an establishing shot to show how far away the boat has traveled away from Georgie. As Georgie approaches the sewage drain we are shown an over the shoulder shot of Pennywise emerging this is done to make the audience jump along with Georgie. The dialogue between Pennywise and Georgie is done using shot reverse shots this is because it shows the reactions to each other from each side it also demonstrates that they are having a conversation as an eyeline is maintained between the two characters and the 180-degree rule is used. Shot reverse shot also works to demonstrate Georgie reaching into the draine to receive the boat.
What sound is there? What effect does it have on the narrative and characters?
Multiple sounds are used throughout each scene in the first scene you can hear the rain which is diegetic as well as Georgie's wellies running outside, both sounds are diegetic.As we cut into inside the diegetic sound of the rain is reduced to show we are inside, dieagetic dialogue is then heard from the brother through the walkie talkie to Georgie saying ' be careful' Diegetic static from the walkie talkie is heard.
What editing techniques have been used and why?
Shot reverse shot is predominantly used as it expressed the emotions from each character during the dialogue between Pennywise and Georgie, using this technique we could see that Georgie was clearly uncomfortable and scared whereas Pennywise was menassing. Quick cuts were also prodiminatley used to make the clip flow nicely together.
Do you think this is a successful opening scene? Discuss
Yes, this is a successful opening scene as it is made clear what genre it is through the fact that we meet the main fear point of the film, this opening sequence is also successful due to the fact it is fast pace and keeps the audience engaged throughout. We feel a connection with the characters in the beginning and feel sympathy for the boy from the techniques Andres Muschietti has used this has made an impact on the audience and makes you want to continue watching the film to see what has happened.
War :
American sniper
What narrative is given to us, and from this what do we expect the rest of the film's narrative will be from the little information we have seen?
The opening sequence shows us that it is set in some sort of war, based in possibly Isreal this is because the language used in the opening scene is also Arabic and Isreal is commonly known to be in war. We are met with multiple different characters, two main. At the very beginning of the opening sequence, we are shown a collage of establishing shots and a low mid shot of a tank rolling over a brick, this is done to set the scene. From the opening sequence we can tell that the characters are on a stakeout to prevent a bomb from being released we are shown this with a POV shot through the sniper at a man on a call then two characters coming out of the building. From this I expect the rest of the film to follow this war/stake out narrative following a man who's main skill is with a sniper. I expect the film to follow the man with the sniper as he goes through this war knowing he has shot a child.
Who is the target audience for this film, how do we know from the opening scene?
The target audience is directed towards teenagers 16+ as they have the time to watch these films in cinema as well as from the opening scene the language used is to appeal to a younger audience and keep them intised. Using tanks and snipers in the opening sequence will most likely intise younger males as there is sure to be violence.
How is the genre of the film set up in the opening scene? What key conventions have been used?
A collage of army shots are used such as the tank and the guy above the tank this is followed by a mid shot of men in military uniform carrying guns in a bombed town.We are also given an establishing shot of all the military men moving in closer to a building which is assumed to be the target for the men. Having a bombed town with tanks and military going through it sets the scene for a war film as the men are shown to be ready for action. The diesgetic enhanced sound of the tank also sets up the genre of the film as other than that their is blaintent silence. A friendship has also been established with a joke between two men whose names have not been given as of now.
How many characters are introduced and what do we know about them? How do we know this about them from the use of technical aspects?
Multiple background characters have been shown however , only five characters have been introduced. We are introduced to a man on a phone call with a Pov shot through the sniper talking on the phone however no dialogue is heard about what he is saying however it is assumed that the man has called the woman and child who have exited the building, this is due to the fact that he runs away and they emerge straight after. A woman and child is introduced no dialogue is heard from them however through the sniper we can see that the woman was carrying something due to the fact her arms where not swaying with her movement this object then is past to her child who is seen to start walking forward with this object. Two men who are part of the army have also been introduced they are seen to be spying on the actions of these three people who seem to be from there seen as they are wearing culturally appropriate attire for the area.It is shown that the men have a good relationship between each other as their first piece of dialogue is a joke shown with an over the shoulder mid shot.Clint eastwood probably did this to brighten the mood of the story as before this all that could be heard was the sound of the tank. The main character, the man with the sniper is shown to be in charge in some form as he is elected by his partner/friend to make the important calls such as whether to kill the man who was on the phone or to not as well as whether or not to kill the child holding what he assumes to be a bomb, in the opening sequence he is shown to of shot the child this tells the audience that he is a confident man in his decisions which I'm sure is what Clint Eastwood wanted the audience to understand. Not much is said about the friend it is only shown that they have a relationship between each other. No respect is shown towards the area from the American troops.
What camera work has been used, and why?
A collage of shots of the area have been used including mid shots, this has been done to set the scene of war and destruction. An establishing shot is shown after this to establish location, being quite isolated, and destroyed, this shot also showed the positions of all teh men and where they are aiming to get to. A pan from left to right of the two men was used to establish where they are and what they are holding being sniper rifels. Pov shots are used to show what/who they are spying on being the man on the call and the woman and child who walk out of the building after this more mid shots are used to show more of the destruction of this place. Handheld shot is predominantly used to show the audience these different mid shots this adds more of a real feel to the shots, as the men kick down the door an over the shoulder shot is used this is to show the door opening and men running in.
What sound is there? What effect does it have on the narrative and characters?
As the opening credits are shown Arabic dialogue is heard with an effect used to make it sound as if it is coming through a speaker with bad feedback this tells the audience that the sound was done post-production. This is followed by the sound of a tank rolling across the ground, with 'clanking' noises this is diegetic sound.There is a sound bridge used to take us to the following scene where we can hear quiet audio from inside the tank these noises are parallel and diegetic.Another sound bridge is used to show us what the other military men are doing around the tank. The sound of the tank is carried through the shots including the establishing shot where the noises are slightly faded this builds up tension as we don't know what the tank is going to do as well as we don't know why there is a dead silence from all the other characters.We continue to hear a very faded audio of the arabic coming through the speakers however it is the same continues frase meaning 'God is the greatest'(aluwakbar) this makes the audience feel the tension as they do not know what is about to happen this is also diegetic sound. Dialogue is heard between the two men this is parallel diegetic sound.Following this we can hear more vehicle starting to pull up as well as men's boots running towards a door in unison these sounds are all diegetic along with the smash of a door being openned agressively.Men shouting commands can be faintly heard in the background.As the sniper watches the woman and child come out of the building non-diegetic music starts to kick in. Heavy breathing can be heard from the man holding the sniper these sounds are all added to build tension. A diegetic gunshot is heard.
What editing techniques have been used and why?
Quick cuts have predominately been used throughout this opening scene as they allow a lot of information to be shown quickly. Panning from left to right has also been used often throughout this opening scene to establish thing in the scene such as the sniper that is being held and the damage from war that has been done on the area. POV shots have been used to show the difficulty of the job and for the audience to be invested in what is happening as the can view it from the characters perspective. Clint Eastwood has done all these things to ensure the audience is hooked on what is going on.
Do you think this is a successful opening scene? Discuss
Yes, this opening scene was intriguing, it kept the viewer invested and it told what was happening in the genre very clearly , it established from the start that it was a war film. It was possible to understand the dynamic in characters as well as develope a storyline and this was all done in the opening sequence.
Action:
Kingsman
What narrative is given to us, and from this what do we expect the rest of the film's narrative will be from the little information we have seen?
The opening scene was very action pact it automatically started with non diegetic sound of upbeat music as a helicopter flies in. From the opening scene you expect a lot of action throughout the film and for the narrative to follow this secret agent group.From the ending of the opening scene I expect for the death of that man to be brought up again as this would go along with the idea of the action presented.
Who is the target audience for this film, how do we know from the opening scene?
I would say this is targeted towards children as it is loud and upbeat on entry, the shooting is not made very graphic or to sad therefore it seems more appropriate for a younger audience. As well as in the first minute of the opening sequence there is an explosion with the bricks of the building falling off an forming the credits, this graphic is more so used in children aimed films.
How is the genre of the film set up in the opening scene? What key conventions have been used?
In the opening scene we are told the setting 'Middle east 1997' this is told to us because it is present at the bottom of the screen.The genre is set by firstly introducing super upbeat music that is paced quite fast this tells us that the action is about to commence. A helicopter is shown to be flying over where there two men are sitting and are seen to be shot within the first thirty-seconds of the opening sequence.As the helicopter flies over the men we see it shoot a rocket towards a building to create an explosion this quickly sudjests the genre of an action film.We then are shown spy like agents in a building surrounding a man we can tell ,these characters are spys due to the fact they are wearing full black and have their face fully covered while confronting this man after jumping straight out of a helicopter to get in there. As the opening scene ends we see a man jump onto the man in the chair in order to protect the people around them the fact that they could tell the man was wearing a suicide jacket also sudjests that they were more likely agents/spies, not much remorse is shown after their partner dies this adds to the mystery enticing the audience,Mattew Vaughn has done this intentionally to grasp the audience and make them continue to watch to understand why this was the case.
How many characters are introduced and what do we know about them? How do we know this about them from the use of technical aspects?
Four main characters are introduced, along with a side character. The four characters include the spies/agents first the guy who saved the rest we know that he was a trainee and was not fully done with his training due to the dialogue between two of the men. The other man who missed the shot who seems to be one of the main characters throughout the film as he is the only one who says any dialogue and the other character who seems to be the trainer of the man who has just died was standing across on the other side of the room Mattew Vaughn has probably done this to show distance in their relationship due to this accident. Finally the other trainee who passed the course into possible joining them perminantely. The side character is presented to be their main target towards something but no more information has been given.
What camera work has been used, and why?
A zoom out was firstly used into a long shot of the helicopter flying over and shooting those two men, this was done to introduce the men in the helicopter. A tracking shot was then used to follow the helicopter going overhead to lead us into the building the men are inside.When we enter the building we are shown a mid-shot of the men surrounding this guy in the chair, a zoom in is used to take us through a window to the men. An over the shoulder shot is used to give perspective to the room they are in as well as set the location.A mid close up shot is shown to show the characters emotion in this shot.
What sound is there? What effect does it have on the narrative and characters?
Non-diegetic music is heard it is upbeat to set a happy tune, diegetic gunshots can be heard. Faded screams can be heard from the men that got shot.A diegetic sound of an explosion can be heard as the rocket launcher hits the buildings deigetic screams can be heard over the top of the explosions. The sound of the screaming and the explosions stop as the camera zooms into the room through the window. Gunshots can be heard parallel to the gun being fired , diegtic dialogue can be heard between the characters.The non-deigetic music begins to be more dramatic building up tension and this makes the scene more memorable. A diegetic explosion can be heard.
What editing techniques have been used and why?
Quick cuts have been used very often throughout this opening title sequence. Zoom shots have also been used quite regularly, examples would include a zoom out from the radio and the zoom in through the window and finally the zoom into one of the men's faces.
Do you think this is a successful opening scene? Discuss
Yes, their is constant action throughout the opening scene this obviously reflects the genre, we are given a clear idea of what the story will contain including loss due to a death in the opening scene and that their will be constant action.It fits with the target audience keeping a constant flow of action will keep a younger audience engaged.
Thriller :
Se7en
What narrative is given to us, and from this what do we expect the rest of the film's narrative will be from the little information we have seen?
Throughout this opening sequence we are shown a collage of photos and micro clips of confusing activity no context of the film is given in the opening sequence.The opening sequence is very artistic showing a book that has disturbing content inside this is the main indication that this film is either a horror or a thriller.With the clips presented and photos I would assume that the rest of the narrative revolves around some sort of murder as images of a dead man wear in the book as well as the man who is creating the book decides to use a razor blade to take off part of his fingers skin.
Who is the target audience for this film, how do we know from the opening scene?
18+, this opening sequence is very disturbing and shows quick flashing imegary which David fincher has done on purpose to set the audience off ease.The clip with the razor blade shows that you need a mature audience that understands that these actions are not ok an dcsn lead to severe damage, these clips could also be scaring for a younger audience.
How is the genre of the film set up in the opening scene? What key conventions have been used?
By using a collage of creepy imigary we can desipher that this film is either a horror or a thriller, having the written aspect of the clip shown leads more towards thriller as it is more thought out and planned for a psychological effect.We are shown frantic clips that are very quick to disappear and glitch into more credits this is done to put the audience off ease again.
How many characters are introduced and what do we know about them? How do we know this about them from the use of technical aspects?
Only one character is introduced, but only the hands of the charactre.We know that the character is mentally unstable this is because we are shown what he is writing as well as looking at these things are all very dark and morbid.Including people who are hurt and children whose faces have been scribbled out with a black marker.One extreme close up of his fingers shows that he does not take good care of himself the dirt build up shows that the charcter does not take care of his own hygiene this could of been done by David Fincher to reflect the mental state of the character.The character decides to preform mild acts of self harm to remove skin on his fingers ,this also expresses the characters mental state to the audience.
What camera work has been used, and why?
The three main shots that were used throughout this opening sequence were extreme close-up,close-up and birds eye view shot.The extreme close ups were used to make the audience feel uncomfortable ,the close ups were done to show what the man was creating and doing and finally the birds eye view shots were to continue showing what was inside this book he was creating.
What sound is there? What effect does it have on the narrative and characters?
Non-diegetic dramatic music plays throughout the opening title sequence the music has multiple spikes to make the audience jump , at the very end one part of the lyrics of the song can be heard 'you got me closer to god'. There are no other sounds throughout this opening sequence.
What editing techniques have been used and why?
Quick cuts have been used throughout this opening sequence to show different elements of the books contents. A glitching effect has been used to incorporate different codes that make the audience jump.Fade transitions are also used often to create an overlapping effect to confuse the audience.Flashing imagery.
Do you think this is a successful opening scene? Discuss
Yes and no, this opening title sequence makes the viewer feel uncomfortable however it does not fully indicate what genre it is or even what the film is about.Throughout the opening sequence no main characters are introduced meaning their is no connection between the audience and the film.
Sci-fi
Interstella
What narrative is given to us, and from this what do we expect the rest of the film's narrative will be from the little information we have seen?
We have been told about a cornfield where the main character lives in an isolated house, we learn from his nightmare that his name is Cooper and that he had suffered a trauma from a crash, in a spaceship.We learn that Cooper has daughter who knows about this crash and she is just under her teenage years.We flip between older characters who are telling the audience about what has happened there and they explain that a thick gavering of dust used to come in through the window everyday after. From this I expect Cooper to have to go back into space to fix the constant dust that settles everywhere. From the opening sequence we are hinted that the primary older woman is the daughter of this man.
Who is the target audience for this film, how do we know from the opening scene?
Children, as it shows rockets and space which usually intises a younger audience as they have curiosity of space and rockets. The narrative is also told asd if it was a bedtime story this would most likely intise an audience around the age of 12. The opening sequence also touches on the idea of nightmares.
How is the genre of the film set up in the opening scene? What key conventions have been used?
In the opening sequence we are shown that the characters are in an isolated area (in the middle of a cornfield) this reflects the idea of space, once we are shown that they are isolated we then have a quick cut that shows us Cooper in a rocket fighting with the commander to get to space, but he fails and crashes as we learn this was a memory of Coopers.This sets up the idea of space, we are also to the story from an older audience which means Cooper either went and didn't make it or he has just not came home yet. Having a spaceship scene indicates that the story will be based in space.
How many characters are introduced and what do we know about them? How do we know this about them from the use of technical aspects?
Four characters are introduced, Cooper, the daughter both old and young, another older lady and an older man. We know that Cooper is the main character as he is the only charcater whose past traumas have came up as well as he is the only charcater we know the name of. The daughter knows about this trauma and tries to tell his story when she is older this tells us they had a good relationship and were close with one another, the two other characters add to his story and explain about the dust settling this would tell the audience that these characters all knew each other.
What camera work has been used, and why?
A close-up is done to introduce the daughter who is now older this done to draw focus to her, after we are shown an establishing shot so that we can see the location of the cornfield and how big it is.We are shown a dutch shot of the spacecraft, this is to disorientate the audience and to introduce them to the idea of going to space. Christopher Nolan has then shown us an over the shoulder shot of Cooper the man inside the ship this is most likely done to show the panick that Cooper is experiencing. We flip between low shots and mid shots of Cooper as well as the Dutch shot of the Spaceship Christopher Nolan has most likely done this to continue to disorienate the audience and make younger viewers feel nautious as this portrays the idea of being in a spaceship. Mid-shots are used to present the younger version of the daughter as well as to show that Cooper was having a nightmare about his past experinces.We are shown an over the shoulder shot of Cooper so that we can see how vast the amount of corn they had, this shot is also done to remind the audience that they are isolated from the rest of society.We end the opening scene by flipping between people talking using a close-up this is done to present the other characters.One wide shot is used to show the amount of dust entering the house.
What sound is there? What effect does it have on the narrative and characters?
Gentle non-deigetic dramatic music plays throughout the opening sequence to build hope and allow the scene to flow nicely together, the main sound used is diegetic dialogue that was done post production as it is enhanced as characters speak this is done to engage the audience as the characters come across as more powerful.When introduced to the cornfireld there is a sound bridge where the older daughter is speaking and the wind goes through the corn the sound of the charcater speaking is diegetic however the sound of the wind going through the corn is non diegetic because she is inside. As we enter the space ship we hear the sound of the engine which is diegetic then we hear the sound of the alarms going off which was added post-production and are diegetic. Inside the ship we can hear the commander giving Cooper instructions and his dialogue is diegetic.As the problem inside the ship increases the sound of the alarms increase and get more high pitch so that the audience can understand this.The dramatic non diegetic music increases as Cooper looksa outside the window.Another sound bridge is used to flip back to the older daughter talking about him as he is looking outside the window.Dialogue and dramatic music is all that can be heard towards the ending of the opening title sequence this is done to represent the idea of a story being told.
What editing techniques have been used and why?
A pan from left to right is used to show the dust settling inside the house, quick cuts are used to transition between characters as this allows the story to flow nicely together. Dutch tilts are used to disorientate the audience when he is in the ship and make the audience feel nautious,this creates a gripping effect.
Do you think this is a successful opening scene? Discuss
Yes, it establishes the idea that a man is going into space which fits with teh genre and we are intised as it leaves unanswered questions such as why did he crash and why is he trying to go to space. This means the audience is more likely to watch to find out.
Conclusion
What did the opening scenes all have in common?
They all mainly use mid-shots and follow their genres very clearly.
Where there any scenes that were particularly different from the others and,if so, why do you think this was?
Se7en was more creative than the others as it did not give away any of its narrative and it only used extreme close-ups , close-ups and birds eyeviews. I think this was done to make the film stand out more as it is a bold move to not give away narrative in the opening sequence as you could potentially lose your audience interest.
In your opinion which is the most successful and why?
The most successful was It in my opinion as it was fast paced and it used multiple different camera shots that made the clip flow nicely together as well as it used colour to focus the audiences attention on Georgie. It also introduced us in the opening sequence to Pennywise which allowed the audience to know that this film was going to jump straight into the main story with no long draw out.
In your opinion which is the least successful and why ?
In my opinion the least successful was Se7en as it didn't give any narrative or explanation of what the story was about therefore I was personally not as intised as I was in the others.
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