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.