- Genre
- Narrative
- Character
- Atmosphere
- Themes
- Setting
- Sound
- Title
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a thriller which was released in 2011 and stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. It was directed by David Fincher and is a Yellow Bird Production.
The audience are able to establish that the film has a genre of thriller within this opening sequence. The editing is fast paced, which will be echoed throughout the duration of the film and all the images are dark. This creates an enigma, this thematic convention implies that the film will be full of action. The enigma also connotes that there will be an element of mystery to the film, adding to the genre of thriller. Further more, the editing is fast paced and this should be echoed throughout the film. This further supports the film's thriller genre.
Like most film openings, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo opening has an open narrative as it does not reveal anything of the plot. The opening provides more questions than answers as many images are seen but do not appear to link, therefore none of the plots is revealed. This is common in the openings of films as the opening should not reveal the plot. However, often film trailers have a closed narrative as the are a montage of clips from the film so ofter reveal the plot line.
Often within film openings, the protagonist is established. In this opening, the protagonist is not fully established. However, both a male and female figures are seen, making the audience question if they are the protagonists. Also, the music played was originally sung by a man, however in this extract is sung by a female. This makes the audience question further if the main protagonist is female.
A dark atmosphere is created in this opening. This thematic convention is stereotypically linked with the genre thriller. The main colour used is black which holds connotations of death and negativity. Also, the images used are abstract, connoting that the film may be a little strange, enhancing the dark and sinister atmosphere. Also, many of the images seen in the opening hold happy and positive connotations, for example the flowers. However, in the extract the flower is black as opposed to colourful, contributing to the dark atmosphere as it has given an object with positive connotations negative ones.
All film openings must contain the main title of the film. The main title is seen at 22 seconds in this opening and is clear as it is white, making it stand out from the black background, and is the only thing on screen at the time. The font it is written in is plain and simple. It also is appropriate for the genre.
Overall, this is an effective opening sequence as it has an open narrative by not revealing the plot line. This invites the audience to ask questions about the film making them watch on. It is also clear that the film is a thriller with a dark atmosphere. It is good to establish the genre and atmosphere within the opening sequence as it will allow the audience to assess if they would like to continue to watch the film.
Love Actually (2003)
Love Actually is a romance which was released in 2003. It was produced by Universal Pictures, Studio Canal and Working Title and stars Hugh Grant.
http://youtu.be/PMScPVO4rLw (the link would not embed)
From this opening, it is clear the the genre of the film is romance. This is because the diegetic voice over discusses the various types of love and also talks about it in a positive light. Also, the images are of people being reunited with the people they love, and them expressing their love towards each other. Because of this, love is the theme seen in this opening too.
Like most other film openings, this film opening has an open narrative as the narrator does not tell the audience about the plot, and the images shown do not reveal the plot either. This is common in film openings.
Like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the characters of the film are not introduced in this opening as it shows many clips of people being reunited. However, the voice over is male, questioning if the protagonist is male as he stands out to the audience. This supports the open narrative because the people seen in the opening are not able to reveal any of the plot.
In contrast to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a happy and positive atmosphere is created within this opening. This is partly due to the high key natural lighting and steady paced editing, which connotes positiveness. Also, the narrator speaks of love in a positive way which often people do not see it in. This immediately makes the audience feel more positive, creating a happy atmosphere which is echoed throughout the film. This is further supported by the happy images which show a positive and happy side to love.
The title of the film is also established within this opening. It is the final title shown, and stands out as it is on a black background and is written in red and white. This is effective as the title Love Actually is a conclusion of what the narrator has explained.
Overall, this is also a successful opening sequence. This is because it is clear what the film is about as it has the reoccurring theme of love. However, it does not reveal the plot line. The atmosphere is also quickly established, allowing the audience to see that it is a light hearted film.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
This film is a Comedy and Romance produced in 1997 by TriStar Pictures. It stars Julia Roberts and was directed by P. J. Hogan.
From this opening, it is possible to identify the genre of romance due to the pink background holding connotations of love. Also, the theme of weddings of seen through the bride and her bridesmaids singing about love and relationships. Also, a comedy genre is established by the lyrics of the songs and the over exaggerated happiness of the characters.
This opening also has an open narrative. Although the theme of weddings and romance are present, applying that the film is about a wedding, the opening does not reveal what is going to happen. This makes the narrative open.
There is a light hearted atmosphere created with the high key lighting, steady slow paced editing, comic elements, bright characters and the theme of weddings.
The titles are written in writing that is typically written in a font that is associated with wedding invitations, further enhancing the theme of weddings.
Also, the main protagonist is established within this opening. The bride is seen throughout the opening as the centre of attention, connoting that she is the main female protagonist. Also her bridesmaids who could also be her friends are also established as characters.
Overall, this is an effective film opening. This is because it is clear what the film is going to be about because of the establsihed themes. It also reveals the main character but does not reveal the plot line although it give the audience an insite into the film.
Se7en (1995)
This film is a Crime and Drama produced by New Line Cinema in 1995. It stars Morgan Freeman and was directed by David Fincher.
The genre of this opening appears to be horror because a dark and sinister atmosphere is created through low lighting, fast paced editing and dark colours. Also, the only character who is only partially established appears to be isolated, possibly trapped or planning a plan.
An open narrative is seen in this opening as none of the plot is revealed. Instead a series of clips are seen only revealing the characters hands, inviting the audience to ask questions about the film and who the protagonist of the film is.
No theme is fully established in this opening, however the theme of crime is suggested. This is through the techno non diegetic music which adds suspicion to the opening. Also, the character appears to be isolated and undergoes activities which enhances his reserveness such as peeling his skin. Because an inegma and suspicion are built around the character, the theme of crime is implied.
The titles are written in a scruffy handwriting and are presented on a black background which holds connotations of death. However, the titles are written in white, possibly conoting the innocence of the character in the opening.
Overall, this is an effective film opening because an element of suspicion is created through the open narrative, sinister atmosphere and eeiry character. This encourages the audience to ask questions about the film and encourages them to continue watching.
The Fall (2006)
The Fall was produced in 2006 by Googly Films and Absolute Entertainment. Directed by Tarshem Singh the drama and fantasy stars Dan Gilroy.
There is a lack of non-diegetic sound at the begining of the opening. This is effective as it makes the diegetic sound if the man gasping for breath more powerful when he comes out of the water.The classical non-diegetic music when the workers are seen on the train is also effetcive as it helps to pick the pace up of the opening as it had been slow until then. There is also a lack of diegetic sound which makes the actions and mime of the characters more powerful. This helps to engage the audience. Slow motion is also used to reflect the sound and actions.
The narrative of the opening is open even though a lot of action happens with in it. It is open as it is not clear how the ending shot was established and tells the audience that the film is going to be about a chain of events that will lead to that result. The opening is also intriguing as it proposes more questions than it answers. However, it could also have the opposite effect on the audience. The opening seems to be quite confusing as none of the events seemed to tie together enough to get the end result. Also, the end result seen is also obscure. The audience may think that this confusion will be echoed throughout the film and therefore stop watching it.
The genre is also established with in the opening. It is clear that it is a drama as alot of action is seen in the opening. The genre of fantasy is also suggested through horses being suspended from a bridge as that idea is quite surreal.
Further more there is a good use of camera angles with in this opening. An arial shot is used to show the man lying in the water. This helps to show the audience where he is and that he is alone. It also connotes his venerability as he is seen as small and alone. Also many establishing shots are used in the opening. This helps the audience establish that they film is set in the country which is suggested through the barren land and how isolated the characters appear to be.
Like most film openings, this opening established the characters of the film. A possible protagonist is seen at the beginning extract as he comes out of the water. This suggests that he may be a protagonist because the attention at the beginning of the opening is based around him. Another group of characters established are the people on the train. A couple are also established who were sitting and watching the horses being pulled out of the water. It is suggested that all of these characters have separate stories because until the end of the opening they are not seen on screen together.
finally, the titles are in the correct order. This is a good example of a film opening to look at in terms of titles because the main title is seen towards the beginning of the opening where as most students put it at the end of their opening. This is something we need to remember when producing our film openings.
Overall, this opening is also good. This is because it proposes more questions that in provides answers, encouraging the audience to continue to watch the film. It also establishes the genre and makes it clear to the audience what it is going to be about. There is also a good use of camera angles and sound.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook is a romance film produced in 2004 by New Line Cinema. Directed by Nick Cassarettes, the film stars James Garner.
The genre of this film is romance. This is seen within this opening by the red setting, holding connotations of love. Also the two characters who appear to be the protagonists of the film are the only two people seen. By the way the woman is watching the man row down the river, it connotes that she loves him.
The narrative of this opening is open.This is because the opening does not reveal any of the plot line, just shows the audience the two main protagonists who appear to be in love.
There is a clam atmosphere created within this opening. This is partly due to the slow paced editing and movement seen in the opening. Also, the film appears to be set by a river or lake which appears to be isolated. This connotes a clam and peaceful environment which is reflected in the atmosphere. Also, the colours used in this opening are warm and the music slow. This makes the audience feel more relaxed which then helps to create a calm atmosphere.
The non-diegetic music heard is a piano playing slowly and quietly. This helps enhance the calm atmosphere as it is slow paced. Also, it connotes the genre of romance because it is the style of music people could dance to. However, as the music is slow paced it does not generate a hugely positive atmosphere, connoting that the love story may not be happy.
Overall, this is a good film opening because all of the titles are in the correct order in a suitable font. Also, not lot of the plot is established, due to the open narrative, but the protagonists of the film are seen and the genre is established. Also, the relaxed atmosphere and slow pace of the opening helps show that the film is not going to be full of action.
This exercise is going to help us when we come to produce our film opening for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has helped show us what makes a good film opening such as the genre being clear and there being a reasonable amount of action took keep the audience interested, but not too much to reveal the plot and to keep an open narrative. Also, by looking at different genre, it has helped highlight a few of the basic conventions used with in a certain genre. We will look at these conventions more closely when we study genre in debth. We will need to consider the aspects of good film openings to ensure that we use them within our opening. Also, we will need to consider the aspects seen in these film openings that made them less successful. An example of this is the information shown in The Fall as it did not make a lot of sense. We will need to consider these aspects to ensure we do not make the same mistakes.
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