Children of Men (2006) Opening Analysis

Children of Men (2006) opens with a Universal Studios production logo, this automatically connotes a high quality and high budget film. The involvement of this largely popular production company means that there will be greater interest in the film compared to one made by less popular or independent company This is because audiences know that if it’s made by Universal then it will be of good quality and the high budget means that better special effect and well know actors are more likely to be used which stands out to mass audiences. Unlike niche audience films who are usually made by smaller or independent film companies. 

A the start of the opening it seems as though the genre for this  film is a crime drama because all we see is a black screen but we hear a news report talking about the murder of the youngest person on earth. However when the opening then cuts to the first scene we see a floating TV this connotes a futuristic element suggest that this film has more of a futuristic sci-fi genre, this idea is later reinforced when a date appears on screen telling us that the film is set in 2027.  The low key lighting and dull colours used in this sequences create connotations of darkness or dark times suggesting this is a more of a sci-fi thriller.

The first scene opens to multiple people standing in what seems to be a café dressed in dull clothes connoting a lack of importance. The main focus in this opening is the man who walks in to the shop and seems to be the only person not in shock and still going about his daily activities.  As the man leaves the shop and walks down the street, the camera specifically follows him with a hand held effect leading us to believe that he is the main character and that someone may be following him.  A long shot of him pouring alcohol into his coffee reveals that the man is wearing all black clothing which connotes mystery suggesting he is a damaged man with secrets which is a common theme in sci-fi thrillers.

The narrative of this opening is quite obviously disruption as the sequence opens on the murder of character and is soon followed by an explosion.  Apart from this small piece of narrative there isn’t much else within this opening sequence that can predict the storyline.

The mystery and darkness along with the thriller element to this opening sequence means that the stereotypically the target audience for this film is mainly middle aged men who have an interest in science fiction and futuristic elements.

The setting for this film is clearly shown in this opening sequence when the time and date appear on screen (London, 16^th November 2027) and we can see iconic thing related to London such as a Red double decker bus. We also know from the start that the film is set in England as the first thing we hear is a British news report as well as the man asking for a coffee.

The opening sequence to this film doesn’t have any credits apart for the actual film title which appears at the end of the sequence. The title which is a simple white block print on a black screen doesn’t convey any messages or themes relating to the film. This means that a lack of interest may occur towards the film because people who just see the title will not get any idea as to what it’s about so therefore will not watch.

Studying this film opening sequence will help with the production of my film opening as it showed me different ways, such as tracking and panning round a character, that I can draw the audience in to make them feel involved with the film.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/wCTgUq6hzUk

Analysis of Film Opening that we did in class

Analysis of Film Opening that we did in class

Catch me if you can

The genre of this film opening isn't immediately obvious as the opening sequence starts but this is all what helps to create a sense of mystery, giving us the idea that it may be a mystery genre. The opening sequence shows animated silhouettes of a man chasing another, the use of the chase suggests to us that the film may be of a crime and genre and the silhouettes again suggest mystery as we don't know who the people are.  

The narrative of this opening scene is the idea of identity as we see one of the main characters taking on different roles throughout the sequence, through the use of different costumes . As well as this, there is the obvious idea of a chase which we see throughout the clip when we see the silhouette man chasing another man. The themes of this opening are very similar if not the same as the narrative as the themes are again chase and identity.     

Within the clip there are animated silhouettes of different characters but only two of which are the main/ lead characters. We automatically know who the main characters are, as the titles start to role, because the names are revealed on an information board along with an arrow that point to a specific silhouette. From this, we know that the two main characters are Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks.

The atmosphere in this opening sequence is quite tense and very mysterious due to the lack in character and overall detail because of the animated set up of this opening. The lack of detail on characters but clear focus on storyline, means that the audience feel a sense of  mystery as they know the basic story line but not all the real details. The opening also creates a tense atmosphere because as an audience we are watching and waiting to see if the man being chased gets caught or gets away, this suspense instantly draws in the audience as they want to watch the film to see what happens and the end results.

The setting for this film changes throughout this opening sequence. First it is in an airport we know this as there is planes flying past in the shot as we see a pilot and cabin crew  walking from a doorway. After this, there is a road with yellow taxis on it leading us to assume that this film is set new York because of the traditional yellow new York cabs.  In this opening sequence we see women on typewriters, the use of typewriters leads us to believe that the film is set in the 50's or at least has a 50's era about it.

The music used in this opening sequence has a jazzy upbeat sound but also creates a mysterious ton, this helps to emphasise the felling and atmosphere and mystery created in this film opening. The jazzy sounds again produces the idea that this is set or based in the 50's era.  

The titles in this sequence are mainly either black or white depending on the background in the shot, they are also in a bold font, to ensure that they stand out to the audience whilst at the same time not give anything away about the full narrative and storyline of the film. The titles are also integrated into the animation of the film opening this allows the titles to flow easily and nicely in with the action and not look separate to the image.

 Final Credit has to be Director

 

My Best Friend’s Wedding

The genre of this film can be determined by many factors from this film opening including the narrative, atmosphere and sound. After watching this film opening it is clearly a romantic comedy, with the romance part being shown by the characters and the fact that they are a bride and hers bridesmaids. The comedy element of the genre is highlighted with the use of the cheesy, catchy song and over dramatic dancing in which the characters sing about the woman getting her man.

The narrative in this film opening is very obviously weddings and relationships because almost instantly we see a bride singing and dancing around with what we assume is her bridesmaids. The lyrics in the song also prove this narrative as the women can be heard singing "Hold him, kiss him and squeeze him and love him ... you will be his", the use of the word love instantly connotes relationships and weddings. These lyrics also link to the other narrative in the film opening which is the women getting the man as they suggest that if she shows the man affection she will be his.

The characters in this are automatically recognisable in this film opening as a bride and her bridesmaids due to the costumes worn by the actors and the way the 3 bridesmaids/ backing singers pamper and follow the woman in the wedding dress. The title of the film also tells us that the characters are best friends, this is backed up in the film opening when we see the four women giggling and dancing around together.  

The atmosphere of this film opening is very cheerful and happy with the music and overdramatic facial expressions giving it a cheesy feel as well. The bright, light colours in this film opening connote fun and happiness which creates a cheerful atmosphere. The cheesy facial expressions  of the actors also give the film its comedy element this then creates cheerful and happy atmosphere.

The themes in this film opening are the same as the narrative, with weddings and marriage being the predominant theme. The mise and costume in this clip is again the obvious aspect that highlights this theme, as one of the girls is wearing a wedding dress and the others are wearing dresses and holding bouquets. The font of the titles in this opening sequence also links in with the theme of marriage and weddings as it looks like the fancy handwriting you would see on a wedding invitation.

Although the setting for this film is not established in this opening clip, we can assume that at least some of the film will be set in a church due to the fact that there is a bride and bridesmaids amd they're singing about love.

The music in this clip is upbeat, catchy and cheesy which helps to create the happy cheerful atmosphere that this film opening creates. The cheesy lyrics and weird noises in the song highlight the comedic elements in the film which backs up the idea of a rom-com genre.

The titles in this film opening quite effeminate in a yellow swirly hand written font. The use of the colour yellow connotes happiness while the swirly hand written font links into the idea mentioned above about the theme of marriage and wedding invitations.

Post on the differnce between film trailers and openings.

The difference between Film Trailers and Film Openings

Film Trailers

Give information about the film

Fade to blacks are often used

Montage of clips

Shows sections that will grab the audience’s attention

Title/ Credits are at the end of the clip

Usually have a tag line

Institution logos are at the start

 

Film Openings

Credit all the way through

Film title towards the start

Introduction to characters or character type

Gives an indication of place/ historical or time period

Gives information regarding the mood and tone

Gives us an introduction to the theme tune

Gives us information about the genre

Creates questions that the viewer find intriguing

Shows patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the film

Sets audiences up for the film

 

 

 Preliminary Task Evaluation

 

 The overall continuity of our short film is very clear as each shot flows smoothly to      another ,however, small sections of our piece lacked continuity these include: a change in props, from a mug to plastic bottle in the date scene, Holly wearing a black cardigan in one shot to a black coat in the next, Sophie wearing a cardigan in one shot to not in the next, and finally different extras in different shots but within the same scene. These continuity errors all occurred because we filmed the same scene with various shots on multiple days meaning not every detail was completely the same.
 Apart from theses slight faults ,which go unnoticed when watching the overall film, I think this piece demonstrates continuity quite well.

 

Throughout this film, we demonstrated various editing techniques these where a match on action  when holly walked through the


door, a 180 degree rule when Sophie and Nick were talking at the table and a shot reverse shot at the start between Sophie and Holly. We used these techniques in order to create a better viewing experience for our audience as its a change from actors moving to fit the shot to the shot changing to suit the actors. There was however issues with some of these techniques, one of which being with the match on action and that the dolly shook when tracking due to an uneven floor, this could have been improved by placing down a flat surface in order to create a smooth run. Another problem was that although an 180 degree rule was used it could have been more apparent through using a pan/ camera movement.  

 

In my opinion, I think our group worked well together, as we all came up with options and all agreed with the final idea and film produced. However we weren't as organised with actors and some had other commitments during our first run of filming creating some of the continuity errors found with in the film.

 

If I was to carry out this task again, I would try to improve the continuity of the product by filming each individual scene on the same day or making sure everything was the same as the previous day of filming. I would also spend more time in terms of editing in order to bring it up to a higher standard as our film was quite jumpy due to our lack in editing skills as it was the first time our group had used the editing program.

 

In my opinion, I think we planned our film quite well as we completed all paper work needed before it e.g. storyboard, shot list so we knew what we had to do and the order in which to do it. I think in order to improve our planning we could have done a chronological list of the parts we were filming so we knew what part we were filming and when. 

 

Within our piece, we used a couple of transitions which we used instead of cuts. We used the transitions in order to create a change from the traditional jump cut and to make cuts smoother and flow more easily into different shots. However some of these transitions were quite obvious and not smooth so did not create a flow between shots.

 

During this process I have learnt a lot about how to use the basic aspects of the editing software, for example using transitions, cropping clips and adding non-diegetic sound. Apart from the basics, I haven't learnt a lot of detailed things about this software but hopefully through experimenting and using it more in the future, my skills will improve.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/twXKAhmvZnU

 

Filming post

 

During the process of filming our piece I found it relatively easy to use the equipment, once I had been told how to set it all up. After a  basic explanation how of to set up the equipment such as getting the tripod to the right height and attaching it to the dolly, I was able to use all the equipment well and didn't face any major issues. One difficulty we faced when using the equipment was that the dolly wobbled when tracking due to an unsteady surface but this could have been easily fixed by placing down a smooth surface for us to track on.

 When filming we didn't face many problems apart from slight issues with timing and actors, due to tight filming schedules. For our filming we had one hour time slots so we had to make sure our actors were all available at the same time which at one point was unsuccessful as one of our main actors was used in another group, creating some continuity errors. 

Holly, Erin, Sophie Preliminary

 

 

 

 

 Preliminary Task Shot List

 

The images below show a shot list of our preliminary film, we made a shot list so that when filming we knew exactly what each shot should look like, the length and angle of it and the way in which we were to film it. Having a shot list meant that we didn't waste time when filming, trying to decide what the shot would look like we just looked at the list and followed what it said.