Film opening analysis

Film opening analysis

For part of our blog I'm going to analyse several film opening of the same genre as ours and talk about how the opening is effective.

Opening 1

I've have chosen to analyse the opening to Casino Royale (2006) because it consists of a chase sequence which is something my group is going to try to implement into our opening.  Firstly, the sound in the extract is used to create suspense and tension through out the clip. This can be seen through the use of intense soundtrack which makes the scene more dramatic it's used to make the scene more effective for the audience as it makes them anxious about the protagonist as we don't know what is going to happen to them.

Another thing that is used to make the scene much more dramatic is the cinematography used as when James Bond starts to climb the crane lots more extreme long shots are used to show how high up he is which creates more tension as the audience wonders what is going to happen to the Protagonist as one false move could lead to James falling of the crane and getting killed, this makes the audience feel uneasy as they are unsure of what is going to happen to the protagonist. Also the editing throughout the clip is fast paced which makes it more suspenseful as everything is happening so fast so it engages the audience throughout the scene.

Overall, this is an exciting opening as it focuses on engaging the audience so that they will want to watch the rest of the film through the use of an intense soundtrack and camera/editing techniques to make the audience become sympathetic to the Protagonist as we don't know what is going to happen to him. If I were to choose something in the extract and use it in my groups opening I would choose the intense soundtrack as I personally believe that it was one of the most important parts of the scene.

Opening 2

I'm now going to look at a scene from another James Bond film (Skyfall 2012). Like the first clip I analysed a film that contains a chase scene as well however this one is a vehicle chase scene however I can still take inspirations for it in my film. The soundtrack in this scene is not as intense as the previous soundtrack however it has still been used to make the scene more effective so that the audience feel they are immersed in the film.

Also the editing in the clip is fast paced so that this is so that the audience are on the edge of their seats making the scene mush more intense. Also the clip cuts between the protagonist and the antagonist as the protagonist is chasing him. This has been done to make the scene more suspenseful as we see can see the facial expressions of both characters which so that we can tell how determined the are to catch/escape the other. This makes the audience feel uneasy as they wonder who is going to prevail in the chase. 

Overall, This is a good opening as it makes the scene feel exciting and thrilling, which is done through the use of an exciting soundtrack and fast paced editing so that the audience finds the scene exciting.  If I had to chose something to take inspiration from this scene I would choose the editing as it's used successfully in the clip making it more suspenseful. 

Opening 3

The Final opening that I'll be analyzing is from The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) when I was watching the opening I immediately heard the soundtrack which was silent at first but slowly builds as the police approach the protagonist and when they start to pursuit him the music reaches its peak. This make the scene much more intense and makes the audience feel the intensity. 

Also, the lighting in the extract is low key and has been used to make the scene look more dark and gritty. This helps create tension as it makes it harder to see the Protagonists pursuers which makes the audience feel uneasy as we don't know what is going to happen to the protagonist.

Also, Throughout the extract editing is used to create flashback sequences however the most notable thing is that the video becomes distorted and slows down. This has been used to make the flashback scenes more dream like so that when the audience watches the film they will be confused by it similar to how the Protagonist is confused.

After looking at all of the films I see a lot of similarities between them. All of them use their soundtracks to make scenes more intense and suspenseful so that the audience feels engaged and in some cases sympathetic towards the protagonist. The editing is faced paced as it makes the scenes look like they are going by fast which keeps the audiences on the edge of their seats. The camera in these openings mainly focuses on showing the facial expressions of the protagonist and other characters in the scene so that we can tell how they are feeling at that moment in time. Overall, I believe that he most important thing in these openings was the soundtrack as it helps make the openings much more intense. 

Institutional Research

Institutional Research

We have been tasked with researching studios that produce films of the same genre of the film we will be making so I researched companies that produce action films. However, when I was researching action studios I realized that almost every major film studio has done several action films so trying to research a single studio that only made action films became difficult finding a studio that specifically made action films so I will talk about the studios who produce lots of action films but don't mainly focus on them.

Firstly, I'll talk about Sony pictures they are a American entertainment company and one of Hollywood's major film studios and produce many films. Looking at the films they have produced I can see a lot of major Action films these include the X-men film series, The Amazing Spider man 1 and 2 and the Men in Black series and all of these were very successful and our beloved by many. What this tells me is that the studio has a great reputation as a majority of their are a huge success also while looking at the films they've produced I can't really see many recurring actors or directors accept for large film franchise like x-men so it only be normal to have the same actors in them. (such as Hugh Jackman who is known for playing Wolverine in the X-men series).

Another, popular film studio i'll talk about is Marvel studios who are known for turning their comic books into films which are very popular. A good thing to point out is that most of their films are part of the action genre and they so they contain similar conventions to my groups film opening. Also superhero film franchises will normally have recurring actors playing the same roles as fans will immediately recognize the actor in the film. This can be seen with actors such as Robert Downey Jr who is known for playing Tony Stark also known as Iron Man.

I have also been told to research the BBFC otherwise known as the British Board of Film Classification These are the people who give films age ratings depending on their content with their ratings ranging from U for universal (everyone can watch it) all the way to 18 (Restricted 18 is different to 18 because it's for films which contain pornography). I believe that my groups film opening would be in the 12A (12-Adult) section as we don't plan on using loads of bad language and a majority of the opening will be a chase sequence so there won't be loads of over the top action. However we have chosen 12A instead of 12 because we want our film to be enjoyed by a wide range of people which includes adults so we will include content (small fight sequences) which they will enjoy.

Character archetypes in the Action genre

Character Archetypes

In the Action genre a lot of characters are based on an archetype created by Propps. And are mainly associated with character roles such as the hero, damsel in distress, helper and the father figure. Another important thing is that the characters personality normally corresponds with the characters roles which can be seen in the list below.

Hero: brave, strong and fearless the hero always prevails by overcoming all obstacles to save the day. A good example of this is Superman from superman (1978) who in the his films always wins and stops the villain. And while stereo typically male there are a few examples of Female heroes for example Lara croft from the film Tomb Raider (2001).

Damsel in distress: Weak, powerless and must be saved by the hero a good example of this would be Marion from the film Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) who needs to be rescued by Indiana Jones.

Sidekick: A character who assists the hero in his journey to save the Damsel in distress. They are portrayed as weaker than the hero of the film however are shown to be very useful. A good example of a sidekick is Robin from the film Batman and Robin (1997) who assists Batman throughout the film.

Villain: Evil, cunning and devious the Villain is the polar opposite to the hero and plans to eradicate any one who stands in their way (usually the hero). A popular example of this is Darth Vader from Star Wars Episode IV a New Hope (1977) who threatens the galaxy for the glory of the empire.

Henchmen: The henchmen are the foot soldiers of the Villain and do whatever they say without hesitation. Normally they are portrayed as being idiots and are easily outmatched by the hero. A popular of a henchmen are Stormtroppers which are seen throughout the Star Wars franchise.

Father figure: The father figure is a person who the Hero looks up to and despite the name they have no biological relationship with the hero as in most action films the heroes parents have been killed or have already died prior to the film. An example of this is Alfred who is seen in many Batman films but most notably The Dark Knight (2008) where he assists Batman.

Chase scenes in the Action genre

Chase Scenes

In our film opening the main thing in it is going to be a chase scene so I have decided to research how they are used in the Action genre as a whole. A chase scene is when the protagonist is being chased by the antagonist (normally it's the antagonists henchmen as it shows the antagonist as being powerful as he has control over his minions). The reasons for they are pursing the protagonist is usually because he has an item that is key to the plot of the film. For example in the film National Treasures Book of secrets (2007) the protagonist is being chased because he has stolen the Book of secrets from a museum. While in the scene it's a car chase it shows lots of conventions that are found in foot chases.

(Skip to 0:31 for the chase)

As seen in the clip, Chase scenes use lots of fast paced editing with lots of cuts being used very quickly which shows the protagonist and then the antagonists immediately after to show the distant between them. This is used to create suspense as it makes the audience fear that the protagonist is going to be caught. Another example of a on foot chase scene can be seen in the film The Matrix (1999) in the climax of the film the protagonist is being chased by the main antagonist which makes the scene much more intense as the antagonist is personally chasing him instead of making his henchmen chase them. 

What makes this chase scene good is that we see a wide range of camera shots which are used to create suspense in scenes. For example when the protagonist is sprinting a hand held camera is used to follower but when it follows him it is very shaky this imitates the the we are trying to catch up to him by running to him. Also the position of the camera is at times is closed in on his face or its following him from behind. This is used to show his facial expressions so that we can see his emotions which helps convey the tension within the scene as he looks scared throughout which makes the audience nervous as it shows the protagonist in a weaker state than usual. And when the camera is behind him it shows that the protagonist is being chased and that the antagonist is catching up to them which makes it more suspenseful as while the protagonist doesn't know how close the antagonist is the audience does which makes it more suspenseful for the audience 

Another good thing in this clip is that one part of the chase is set in a building which is useful for my group as we are going to film our chase scene in a building so it will be useful to my group as we can see how shots are filmed and edited filming chase on stairs normally has the camera at the top the stairs its or it's follows right behind them.  

Codes and Conventions continued

Codes and Conventions

To continue my Codes and Conventions research I have made a list of some of the conventions that I have found the list can be viewed below.

• Intense and exciting soundtrack which creates suspense and tension in the scene
• Contain lots of explosions so that the viewers don't lose interest in the film (Whammo Theory)
• Weapons are usually firearms but can contain melee weapons 
• Can have a chase scene were the hero/heroine flees from the villains henchmen
• Costumes vary among film can range from casual clothing to army gear
• most have a basic narrative so it can be followed easily by a majority of viewers
• Characters conform to a specific archetypes such as Heroes being brave, powerful and fearless (Propps character theory)  
• Todorov's narrative theory suggests film starts with Disrupted equilibrium and the films plot involves restoring the equilibrium
• A variety of camera shots are used for different reasons (Close-ups to show emotion)
• The setting can range from a busy city to an exotic temple

Characters in the action genre are normally associated a theory created by Propp which states that all characters in the action genre are stereotyped as a certain role. For example the heroic protagonist in the action film will be based on the hero archetype meaning they are brave, strong and fearless where as the love interest of the hero will be a damsel in distress who is weak, pathetic and will always be saved by the hero. A lot of characters in the action genre fit with these archetypes such as Indiana Jones as a hero, Stormtroppers as henchmen and Alfred (The Dark Knight) who  is a helper and a father figure. However, characters that are too stereotypical are often criticised as they reinforce a negative stereotype. Because of this i'll make sure that while my characters do show traits of the stereotypes they are based on they are not a carbon copy of that stereotype (the hero may show signs of weakness in the film opening).