Update

Hi, firstly apologies for the lack of updates and the lack of film opening analysis. As I'm sure you know the Christmas period can be very busy and demanding, therefore from now my media work will continue. Firstly I will finish my analysis of the Departed opening scenes- which will be uploaded by new years day I would imagine, After that I will continue with my analysis of film opening scenes and all that it entails (such as the film institutions responsible for the films analysed). Meanwhile I will be beginning to plan my final project in detail- updates on my progress with this will come later in the holidays. 

The Usual Suspects- opening sequence analysis

Firstly..

This is my second analyzed opening sequence, once-more i hope to understand and gain vital inspiration, techniques and traits which will help me develop my plans for my opening sequence, to which pre-production is soon to begin.

Why The Usual Suspects?

The Usual Suspects is a classic thriller; career defining for director Bryan Singer. The confusion and enthrallment created by a seemingly simplistic opening sequence is something to be admired, and which ought to be analyzed. The use of orchestral music to develop tension before anything important had happened within the film is curious to me, and develops my interest in having an influential soundtrack.

The first shot is the introductory M.G.M logo animation/C.G.I. This prestigious institution has produced many iconic films over the decades therefore demonstrating to the viewer- the high quality production and pedigree of the film which they are about to watch. This therefore links to Casino Royale (the Bond franchise) spoken about in previous posts, where due to the pedigree, created through the film's history but also the indent's history- the film opening was able to be more adventurous, (using an black and white effect). Therefore through the use of an ident which reassures viewers over pedigree, it is more likely that i will be able to be more adventurous, but to still appeal to a wider audience with success.

This next shot shows a very simplistic and traditional title shot- giving partners within the film, the opportunity to majorly promote themselves, just before the film starts. This business oriented technique is used in order to promote the organization to the many viewers. This may be something I look to do in order to demonstrate the professional of the film, which would further reassure a wider audience, allowing the film opening to be more adventurous when still appealing to a wider audience.

This shot intelligently fades in from the black background to moonlight waters, which immediately suggests to the viewer what the setting of this opening scene may be, gradual revelations like this are key to atmosphere building and is therefore a technique i could look to replicate.
Gentle orchestral music begins to play to  further infer the gradual development in importance of the sequence, showing the importance of the soundtrack in inference as well as to build tension- a feature which i would love to replicate in the music in my film opening.

In this next shot, a larger font, and block capital letters are used to connote that this phrase is the title of the film. Very simplistic however, demonstrating that it does want to attract too much of the viewers attention.

After the title sequence has concluded, there is a cut to an extreme close up of matches being light. This is used to grab the viewers attention, suggesting that the first actions of relevance are about to be shown. This is very effective use of an extreme close up, and shows how it can develop the viewers attention and confusion in an instant, and therefore it is another technique which i will look to incorporate in my work. The red and orange of the glowing flames, could definitely be considered to connote imminent danger. The fact that the first close up/relevant shot of the scene is of the flames and the matches, could suggest that are going to be of importance/a theme within this scene.

The backing music by this point had abruptly stopped, allowing for the upcoming dialogue to have a greater effect on the audience, this is likely to be something i use in my opening sequence as it is easy to achieve and puts great emphasis on the dialogue. Gabriel Byrne as important character Dean Keaton is shown for the first time in a close up shot- using the match, immediately identifying its relevance.The fact that he is shown to be sitting or lying shows his lack of authority or power within this particular scene.

Keaton after lighting a cigarette with the match, drops the match on the oil filled deck- creating an increasing amount of fire, thus attempting to kill himself. The rotating close up of the fire moving and growing is very effective- as it enstills fear into viewer (knowing the possible consequences).
The complexity of the execution of this shot, demonstrates the high class camera work which will be found in this film. Ambitious camera work it something which i will certainly look to achieve, as it has very effective ramifications, and would certainly help me achieve a high level film opening. The use of the theme of fire is also a technique which i would consider; as it creates the danger needed in successful thriller/action film.

In this next shot, the mysterious 'Keyser Söze' is shown for the first time. The low angle shot of the dark figure, connotes his power and importance in this opening scene (in contrast to Keaton, who is sitting down on a lower deck). The effect of the position of characters in scene is something which i would consider as it alludes to the audience the power and prominence of each character, although in my film i may consider making a little less obvious as it creates more mystery, and the plot is unlikely to as intelligent as The Usual Suspects' plot. Soze is shown to be stopping the trail of fire from spreading using water- thus confusing the viewer of his intentions in this scene.



This next shot shows Soze using a cigarette lighter. The theme of fire is therefore added to, connoting the imminent explosive danger within this scene. The conversation between Keaton and Soze is the only sound at this point, signifying its importance (once again showing the convenience and positives to dropping the music when there is dialogue. 

This next close up shot refuses to show the face of Soze, suggesting to the viewer that his identity is of great importance within the context of the film. The tilted hand gun is focal point of the shot, with the rest of the shot blurred slighly, this suggest that the gun is going to fire- purely through its prominence in the shot. The blur effect could well be used in my film opening as it creates mystery and confusion, when relevant to identity or location.

This next shot shown in the intense motion which is crucial to the effectiveness of the entire film. Soze (after subduing
the torching the boat) in slow motion drops a match and then sprints to exit the boat. The flame spreads instantaneously, the visuals are intended in order to strike fear in the viewer, connoting to them- the imminent disaster within this scene. The amazing slow motion visuals are very unique and striking, showing the importance of fresh, different cinematography in order to excite audiences, and this is definitely something i will look to achieve.

The next shot is a close up of stacked equipment on the boat. This may seem meaningless at the time, but the continuety achieved through using this shot is very important to the overall effectiveness of the scene.









At the sight of the roaring flames, the tempo of the music increases, and the melody becomes louder and more urgent- this is effective because the scene and the music reach a crescendo simultaneously. This has a spectacular effect on the viewer, enabling them to know that the damage has been done in this scene- and furthermore this confuses and intrigues them to the outcome of this film. The combination of the striking visuals and powerful music is something very effective and inspiring, as i would like to use a similar combination in my film- as it is very striking.



The last shot of the opening scene is a graphic match (fading from one mass to another)- this is used for a specialised effect. In this case- to show to the viewer that the thrilling opening scene is over, and the story-line will commence. A different example of a graphic match would come from the film Psycho- where a plug hole fades to a women's eye. Graphic match is a very specialized effect, but if opportunity to use one occurred, then i would include it in my opening sequence as it is a very high level technique and it provides a stunning effect. 

Questionnaire Results

1. Gender: Male 25%, Female 75%
2. Age: 16-18 75%, 25 and over 25%
3. Film Genre Preference: Thriller 25% Comedy 25% Other (Rom-com) 50%
4. Name of your favourite films: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Fight Club, Hot Fuzz, Star Wars, Anchorman, Pineapple Express, The Parent Trap, The Holiday, 500 Days of Summer.
5. Which opening sequence is your favourite:

• The Dark Knight Rises- 50%
• Casino Royale- 50%
• Psycho- 0% (Disappointing really- a classic)

What Do These Results Tell Me:

The majority of Female over Male (75%) immediatly perhaps suggests that the results may well be unbalanced as a representation of the views of people in year 12; but on the other hand it presents a strong representation of a female group with similar interests (all having taken media), therefore I will know specifically how one area of my target audience (and one area of the general market) feel towards my chosen genre.

The fact that only 25% of the sample preferred Thrillers is a bit of concern, however it still shows that in a female dominated sample- it sill relatively competes, which shows the genres' strengths in a wider-reaching market.

The list of favorite films once again show a representation of Thriller's within a wider audience, but yet are still almost a minority (2 out of the 9 films listed); showing that only the best, most distinctive thrillers are successful in a wide audience/market- thus liked by people who you may not expect the film to be liked by. Perhaps therefore, the only way to be successful to a wide market, is to create something new and fresh, but yet moderate; so that it is likely to interest a large number of different people; without it losing popularity due to controversial aspects (like its messages, and language used.

The results to question 5 show the votes for the best opening sequence split between The Dark Rises and Casino Royale, with no votes for Hitchcock's classic Psycho. This demonstrates that in order to impress an irregular thriller audience (female dominated) the film opening has to perhaps be fast paced and modern in its representations and traits, however bonds opening oddly is in black and white, featuring heavy violence before the famous opening credits begin- showing a unique but traditional opening being successful with a modern irregular audience; which is certainly something which i would like to achieve. However, without the pedigree of the bond franchise, it may be hard for unknown films to have this desired effect.

Update

Hello all. Well into doing my second opening sequence analysis of The Usual Suspects- that should be uploaded fully before Friday (probably sooner). Meanwhile, I have chosen the next film opening sequence to analyse.

• The Departed (Martin Scorsese)

Research task (film opening sequence analysis+ more) explanation

The obvious reason why my media teacher has asked me to analyse the starts of at least 5 films, is because it allows me to discover and focus in on the key techniques and traits displayed within film sequences of my chosen genre. The biggest aim of the entire final task is produce a exceptional opening 2 mins of a film; which explains the amount of research and planning which I will be doing over the coming weeks and months, in order to prepare myself for the delicate task of bringing all my developed knowledge and hard work together. 
Despite all this, the basic principle for creating a good film- is a good idea; thus through watching and analyzing at least 5 openings to inspiring and influential films- it is likely that it will help my mind to generate at least one adequate idea.
The genre I have ultimately chosen is 'Thriller'. Through this being a wide genre, it allows many ideas to classify in this very easily, allowing myself to focus on the sole thriller criteria of creating a very tense atmosphere, whilst confusing but drawing in the viewer. Another reason for picking the category of thriller, is that it is my favourite genre, and Panic Room+ The Usual Suspects- are two on the long list of my favourite films. This obviously enables me to analyse the films more enthusiastically.

Update- opening sequence analysis

My next analysed opening sequence is to be 5 minutes long, including the opening credits+the first small scene. This will allow me to explore the value of a longer more complex opening, in comparison to Panic Room which I previously analysed.This therefore will enable me to build on the knowledge of conventions, and any inspiration which i have taken from Panic Rooms' well constructed opening sequence, by analyzing the 'next step' as far as a film opening is concerned.What i mean by this is how to develop the story-line from the sequence; as you've probably seen from the Continuity Project and 'The Prisoner'- scripting and filming dialogue is by no means my strong point, therefore through studying the development of film openings from after the opening titles, i will begin to take inspiration and understand common conventions of early plot development- therefore beginning to learn when and how to provide suitable and effective dialogue. 

The film opening analysed will be 'The Usual Suspects', link below:

 http://viooz.co/movies/1514-the-usual-suspects-1995.html

PANIC ROOM- Opening Sequence Analysis

Firstly..
Here is my first piece of opening sequence analysis. Over the course of the analysis of the openings of 5 films or more, its necessary to note that the most important reasons for doing so is to gain inspiration for my final project (which is still but a few undeveloped ideas), and to gain an understanding for the common conventions of thriller/murder mystery openings, so firstly i can learn what to include, and when to include it, thus creating the underlying professionalism my film will need to replicate in order to appeal to the same wide audience as thrillers. And secondly so that when it is time to create my evaluation, i know which films and which specific areas to compare my film to in order to argue its professionalism, and to demonstrate my understanding of the genre and its audience, to the examiners. 

Why Panic Room?

David Fincher is my favourite director without any doubt. So, it was an easy decision for me to pick Panic Room (a simplistic, yet stuninng thriller) to analyse. Howard shore (a favourite of Fincher) provides a wonderfully tense score, which combined with the visuals- creates a breathtakingly dominant and somewhat clostraphobic viewer perception/reaction.

Opening Sequence timeline+depiction

• 0-19 seconds- Columbia/Sony Pictures Entertainment introductory shot. This quickly demonstrates the prestige of the film- because of the institutions reputation. Through this i instantly have an example of a distributor for an American thriller; thus i develop my understanding of the heritage and appeal to American thrillers, through future research. However this ultimately depends on whether i want to present my film as an American thriller, or a British one. Due to it's arguably recognizable and prestigious ident; Columbia Pictures could be seen to be aimed at wide audience- who will have great expectation of this film, therefore its 15 rating is understandable as the distributor is more likely to be moderate due its vested interest in its reputation, and its conglomerate owners want for high profit. In contrast to Film4 and the BFI (institutions/distributors which have produced films like Shallow Grave, and Trainspotting), Columbia are likely less likely to produce something alternative and violent. 

• 19-21 seconds- Police sirens echo in the darkness. Assuming this is diagetic sound, it certainly juxtaposes from the rest of the opening sequence (which is grand and secretive), although having personally watched the whole film more than once- it must be said that this could show to be revealing what is to happen at the film (obviously only a small amount). The police sirens confuse the viewer early on (a common trait in thrillers), but definitely connote the danger which is run throughout the entire film.
• 21-25 seconds- Shores dark orchestral music starts, a slow surrounding shot from in the air (in line with skyscrapers). The floating typography is shown for the first time. This demonstrates the mystery and negative power of this unknown city. This gives me a good example of something which would be effective to replicate in my film opening; the combination of the chilling music building atmosphere, with the bold but mysterious titles, and finally but most importantly the striking sight of the skyscrapers. These combinations are evidently effective in building tension, and luring in the viewer; and are certainly something which the larger cinema screens will increase the effects of. Therefore i can single out tense music, bold titles, and striking scenery as aspects which i would potentially like to replicate in my film,as from first hand experience- and the general success of the film (rotten tomatoes gave it 6.9 out of 10, it earned $196 million in Box Office).

• 26-32 seconds. Two still surrounding/long shots, with the floating text straight on from the camera.

• 32-36 seconds. A new rotation shot (90 degrees possibly)- camera straight on, close on building- showing main cahracter Jodie Fosters name in the floaty typograthy.This shows deliberate emphasis on her name being incredibly grand, and in being shown first in order to show the importance of the characters.

• 37-40 seconds. Exact same shot used for Forrest Whittakers name to be shown- another main character. The importance of having big names in film like this is great, due to the fact that it lures the viewer into total attention, as the average viewer likes knowing an acclaimed actor is in it, this is something which i will contemplate doing in my film- depending on whether i want to aim it at the wide thriller/murder mystery audience, or if i want to give a more British, alternative feel to the genre, in which case big names would be less necessary.
• 41-44 seconds. High angled shot showing a still town scene (a bill board of a women- probably a model, very prominent mise-en-scene as it emphasis the portrayal of realism of the events which further increase the tension, as it becomes more relatable to a wider audience).Lesser character Dwight Yoakams position in the film could be connoted by this vast aerail high angle shot- looking down on his name.

• 45-48 seconds. A rotating close up of a building- showing Jared Letos name blending in with the building-suggesting he could be a sinister character within the film. What this blending effect suggests/infers will be picked up very easily by the viewer, by setting this situation out, the cinematographer is allowing the viewer to become more involved with the film; which for a focused, mildly intelligent audience (noticing the inference) is very effective in establishing engagement. The use of obviously symbolic shots may be something which i consider using in my film in order to engage the viewer more easily. The only issue with achieving this would be the quality of my film, which i have to work hard to achieve( find best camera/camera setting, learn software techniques, and making sure my shots are steady and clear.)

• 49-55. A long slow rotation- showing a long shot of the massive typography- this time bigger than before, reading the words 'PANIC ROOM'. The capitals obviously infer that it is the title of the film, and also they are used important in ultimately demonstrating the danger portrayed in this film. The use of the powerful capitals and font, alongside the most striking visual of the skyscrapers so far, is an effect which in an alternative manner of course (not many big cities near where i live, as well as them being difficult shots to achieve anyway) i would like to replicate, as it undoubtedly is enjoyed and remembered by the viewer, as well as increasingly engaging them in the undeveloped plot. This film opening has taught me the importance of striking visuals, combined with atmosphere building music- as it has the profound effect of engaging the viewer in the film- despite them knowing virtually nothing about the story-line. 

• 56-59. In this time period the music changes- becoming more urgent (moving towards Allegro possibly). Kristen Stewart's name shown in smaller writing in a still high angle shot- arguably suggests her young age, and consequently her vulnerability. 

• For the next 40-45 seconds, the same pattern of shots continue. Rather than continuing to show you the screen shots repetitively, it would be more worthwhile summarising the intentions of the repeating pattern of title shots. The high angle stills of the surrounding city are to show the vastness and the mystery possible within this entire film. The rotating high angle shots, could be considered to create the impression that the large bold typography are floating like dark clouds. The floating typography has connotations of danger, through its dark colouring, and the fact that through the illusion of them floating- they seem to be uncontrollably lurking- like criminals in the city.
• 1.42-1.45. The music fades- allowing the viewer to hear Jodie Foster (the main character)- speaking for the first time in the film. Whilst a large low angle still of the sky scrapers seen from a park (the first obvious human inclusive view in the entire film coincides with the first line) - showing David Fincher's name in-front of them, in order to show his imposing influence on this film. The effect of the imposing director credit, is certainly something i hope to emulate in my film as it emphatically would show my influence on the film and would leave the viewer in no doubt to who was important in the film making process. 
• 

Update

Tried really hard to find a vimeo link but I could not, here is the link for the first film opening sequence i am analysing- Panic Room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqIclb4qsJI

Update

Right,  i should tell you now that i am beginning preparations for my Final Project, which is to create the opening to a professional, realistic film.The opening (lasting 2-3 minutes), can be any genre which i may want to do. I am currently favoring a thriller/murder mystery type opening; this therefore will be mirrored in my research (which is the first part of the 3 units in which my final project mark will be measured on.) Creating a questionnaire was my first task of the long process. Here is an example of a answered questionnaire: (the full results will be published very soon). As you can see for my final question, i have provided  thriller openings for my class to decide which one they prefer the most (on visuals). This therefore will help me develop an understanding of what a relatively balanced audience (4 girls, 2 boys) of year 12 pupils find appealing visually about thrillers, and additionally the views of older audience (my media teacher.) This is a constructive way to start my research into Thrillers and their audiences; as as well as providing views on varied choice from the genre over time (The Dark Night, Quantum of Solace, Psycho), the varied audience mirrors the wide appeal of Thrillers and Murder Mystery's.

Evaluation

Hello all, sorry for the wait, here it is:

Firstly from a personal point of view, i enjoyed making this video more than the first one, i feel also that i am developing my camera skills more and more- despite the continuety project not showing this greatly. 

1. Video Length. Having been a part of fellow students projects, i realise that the entire project- but mainly the dialogue- was not done in enough detail. That is mainly down to myself, not planning in greater depth- this lack of attention to detail will not happen again.

2. Lack of action match. This occurred because of the set which i had chosen to use (the lack of a door to open + having no table to sit around, created a lack of scenarios where an obvious example of action match could take place). I tried to show a vague example- with the close up of the briefcase, to show that it had remained in the same hand as in the previous shot, but previous shot was not clear enough- so this idea did not work very well). 

3.The movie additional time error. The video is shown to run on for another 2-3 mins on my blog, i am very confused to why this happened. I will definitely look into it, quizzing my media teacher if i get the opportunity.

4. The sloppy p.o.v shot. Very sorry about this. I re-did it at least 4 times, all of which looked the same. Next time i will either try to avoid shooting that shot down a staircase, or i will create/buy some equipment helping the p.o.v shot run more smootly down the staircase.

Continuety Project

Here it is, and the evaluation is to follow.