Shot List

My Shot Type Video



Group Shot Type Video



Visual image of initial ideas of Shot Type

This shot was decided as a successful way to reveal the roles played by the characters as this shot shows the boys looking over her, thus making them powerful enough to hurt her if they will to. This shot creates an interesting way to reveal the plot of this story as it appears realistic enough for the audience to relate to as Helen is hurt on the floor clinging to her wound, this thought diverts the audience attention from what is really happening; Helen living in a dream and the significance of the characters behind her. We also thought this shot type will be useful as it makes the audience ask questions about what is going to happen next. By using a lingering pause the audience will be drawn into the characters.

This shot is an interesting way to divert the audience's attention from the main character; Helen  to the characters; Blade and Lazar, two personalities combined in one character. We thought we would take a shot from the left side of Blade's face then either cut or pan to the right side of Lazar's face. This makes it seem both interesting and shocking as the audience do not see it coming as the opening sequence maintains focus on Helen. This also makes the audience think for a while trying to connect the last scene to the previous shots. By ending the sequence on this shot it reveals partial of the plot without revealing the storyline.

We decided to do a match on action edit of Helen running to create a creative way to display her movement. We thought that this edit will help create tension by concealing what or who she is running from. The non diegetic pounding of the footsteps help to create tension and suspense making the audience impatient in figuring whom she is running from.

Film Synopsis

Characters

The main character, the victim is Helen a typical female boss who is unaware of her mental disorder.

The other characters; Blade and Lazar are notorious murderous whom she believes are on a mission to kill her. 

The irony is that these characters are just icons of her wild imagination, the reasons for it appearing so realistic is due to her mental illness. 


The story line
It shows the killers sitting on a wall, speaking.The next shot shows a frantic woman;Angel. running from one location to another. Helen trips and the killers come closer to her. The killers move their hands in a certain way, at the same time as each other and Helen disappears. 


The questions it will leave the audience asking;
How are these killers?
Where did Helen disappear too? 
Does she know these killers?
What is going to happen next?
What are these killers going to do next?
What do these killers want with her?



The opening sequence fits into the genre because it gives clues into the story line but not too much so that the viewers know the plot. The opening sequence uses conventions associated with the thriller genre i.e mysterious locations (forest)

Initial Ideas

Location

We choose a forest as a good location for this genre because it creates a sense of mystery, danger and threat. Forests create a feeling of vulnerability because the trees are bigger than the individual. The trees are placed close to one another making it difficult to spot other people meaning that someone will be following you and you will find it hard to find them because there are a million places to hide.

Costume

 

Summary

Our group managed to come up with these ideas due to our obsession of watching and analysing thriller movies. This has inspired some of the conventions that we have come up with. We chose a thriller as the ideal genre as it was favoured by all group members and fits the needs of the target audience which is 14 and above.

Audience Research 2

Results and analysis

What people expect to see in the first two minutes

This pie chart shows what the audience expect to see in the first two minutes of a thriller. The pie chart shows which conventions the audience expect to see. the biggest proportion is shadows in both genders and then blood. This helps my group to know what convections our target audience (14 and above) are familiar with, they can distinguish so our genre.

What people expect to hear in the first minutes

This bar chart shows what the audience expect to hear in the first two minutes of a thriller. The biggest proportion is instrumental slow score. (in female) This helps my group to know that an instrumental slow score is vital for a thriller opening sequence as it helps to create the mood and   distinguishes the genre.

How people expect the main character to be portrayed

This bar chart shows how the audience expect the main character to be portrayed in the first two minutes of a thriller. The biggest proportion is vulnerable in both genders. This helps my group to know that the main character needs to be portrayed  as vulnerable in order for the audience to relate to the fears and emotions of that character.

How people expect the villain to be portrayed

This 3D chart shows  how the  audience expect the villain to be portrayed in the first two minutes of a thriller.  The biggest proportion is scary and friendly but manipulative. This helps my group to know how the villain, whom the audience should be frighten of, should be portrayed. By making this character both scary and friendly but manipulative then it will succeed in scaring the audience.

The emotions people have after watching the first two minutes of a Thriller

This pie chart shows the audience's response to thriller movies, the emotions that they feel after seeing  the first two minutes of a thriller. The biggest proportion is scared (both genders) and excited and thrilled.(male) This helps my group aim to use convenctions that will create a similar audience response so that our genre can be distinguished.

Audience Research 1

My questionnaire
12 Participants; 5 male, 5 female
Ranging from ages between 14 - 45. (Target audience; 14 and above)

 What type of movies are YOU in to?

1.     Gender

Male □ Female □

2.     Age

10-15 □

 16-21 □

22-27 □

28-33 □

34-39□

40-45 □

Other □

3.     Where do you live?

Croydon □

 Sutton□

 Wallington□

 Lewisham □

 Other;

─―――――――――――――――――

4.     What ethnic group do you belong to?

White European □

White British □

Black African □

Black Caribbean□

Asian Bangladeshi□

Asian Pakistani □

Asian Indian □

Chinese

Mix raced □

Other;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

5.     What is your marital status?

Single

Married

In a relationship

Civil partnership

6.     Do you have any children?

No □

 Yes □ if so how many 1-2 □ 3-4 □ 5-6 □ other □

7.     What is your employment and education status?

Full time employment □

Part time employment □

Seeking employment □

Full time education, unemployed □

Full time education, unemployed □

Part time education, unemployed □

Part time education, employed □

Retired □

Other

 ─―――――――――――――――――

8.     How often do you go cinemas on a monthly basis?

0 □

1-2□

 3-4□

 5-6 □

7-8 □

Other □

9.     What genres do you most enjoy?

Action□

 comedy□

 Romantic Comedies□

 Thriller □

Other

 ─―――――――――――――――――

10.  Have you ever watched a thriller movie?

No □

Yes □ If so what is your favourite thriller movie

 ─―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Focusing on the first two minutes

11.  What do you expect to see?

Ordinary setting □

 Blood □

Shadows □

Scary images i.e. scary faces □ scary objects □

 Other;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

12.  What sound do you expect to hear? 

No sound □

Dialogue □

Voiceover □

 Hip-hop music □

Country music □

Rock ‘n’ roll music □

Instrumental; high temp music □ slow music □ other □

 Other types of sound;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

13.  How do you expect the main character to be portrayed?

Innocent □

Vulnerable□

 Secretive □

Loud □

Ordinary□

 Other;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

14.  How do you visualise the villain (the bad guy)

Scary □

Disfigured□

 Friendly but manipulative□

 Strong□

 Other;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

15.  When do you expect the main character to be revealed?

Beginning □

Middle □

End □

16.  How does thriller movies make you feel?

Scared □

confused□

Happy □

Other emotions;

 ─―――――――――――――――――

Thank you for cooperation.  

Location Research

This mid shot shows an ordinary office. The props help to create this notion as there is a work lamp present and a computer, printer, scanner, books, phone and a chair, all of which are on the table. This creates a feeling of normality, the ordinarily of the props make it easier for the audience to connect and relate to. This is why we have chosen it as a location because it makes the viewers feel safe. So by using the sound or editing can be used to threaten the safeness of the viewers.

This shot shows a bathroom, this allows the audience to link this image to home. As the bathtub, the curtain and the shampoos are all items used in the family bathroom; this puts the audience in their comfort zone. The pink walls suggest that the character is female. The significance of choosing this shot as an ideal location is that the viewers  immediately know that the character is getting ready, this hints that the character has been out or going out. We have choosing it as a location because of the mirror designed cabinet, the character is supposed to look in the mirror and then sees something scary in its reflection.

This long shot shows a forest, the props help to make it appear both mysterious and yet friendly; the warm sun, the green leaves the tall trees. This is a good location because it contrasts with the above locations, this will show the audience what genre this movie is. It is strange to see a forest after seeing settings associated with home and the work place. This shows that something bad will happen.

The conventions of your chosen genre; thriller

This brainstorm reveals what I think creates a successfull thriller opening sequence. It show the requirements and the neccessities of the conventions which help to distinguish this opening sequence as a thriller.

(click to watch gif)

Your genre

 My genre 1
Psycho title sequence

This video shows how this thriller presents the title sequence, it uses black background and white font this makes the movie seem more formal, realistic and important. The sound is an instrumental score which builds tension, with its repetitive thud suggests that something bad, very bad is going to happen. The editing is slow and is continuity editing helps to create suspense, clues and narrate the story. this could be used to say that there will be plenty of murders.

These screen grabs show how the opening sequence helps to both reveal the titles; the movie title, the actors but also the genre. this shots show a picture of a knife cutting through the word veramiles, hinting that maybe someone will get killed or stabbed. The other picture says the word psycho, the editing cuts this image and replays it three times which is strange. this shows that there is going to a be mentally unstable character. The fact it appears three times may hint this character is persistant. the red dots could display blood, that someone will die. The word psycho is self explaniatory.

My genre 2

It starts off with a mid shot of two men, their costume; shirt and jeans, create a sense or normality. The props; the guns in their hand suggest that they are going to kill someone. The body language of the blonde male suggest this murder was planned because he looks angry, this could mean that this is revenge. The sound, the score is quite jumpy, it suggests that someone is in a chase.It creates a sense of danger and threat. The use of black as a background for the title suggests that something  bad is going to happen or there is a bad guy in this movie, as black is associated with something sinister e.g black sheep of the family.It also suggests that there is a secret, something that is meant to concealed. Black does this as it is an expressionless colour, it does not create a definite mood whereas blue suggests calmness and red suggests blood and anger. Black does not create a definite mood, this creates a feeling of unknowiness and mystery, which is a vital mood in thrillers. The use of yellow as a font creates a sense of normality and formality, which could mean that the actors in this movie were normal people that got affected by something bad. The orange red colour around the words suggests someone is going to die. By creating this moods and suggestions, this opening sequence is successful at displaying a thriller.

Analyse The Opening Sequence of Spiderwick

Analysing Opening seqence

Bridget Jones's dairy

The cinematography used in the mid shot is a behind the shoulder shot; it shows the facial reaction of both the man and Bridget Jones. The fact the camera has chosen to put this man in focus shows he is and important character, the audience would assume he was the main character. The high key lighting creates a welcoming feeling, and also creates the feeling that audience can relate to this event.  The camera movement, the track zoom in movement identifies this female as the speaker and reveals that she in the main character.

The mise-en-scene shows that there is a range of people in one living room which could imply that this is a social event. The costume reveals the timing of the year in which this movie is set, as the man in this photograph is wearing a reindeer jumper, which hints that this could be around Christmas time. The audience can build a connection with this time and the amount of people in the living room as Christmas is all about getting the family together. The costume of the girl (Bridget Jones is eye catching and old fashioned as though the fashion of the costume is much older than herself. This shows her lack of fashion and perhaps that she is not very feminine as the top she is wearing is not revealing, this is odd because she is a young woman. The lack of make up on her face implies that she may be a workaholic. The only feature that distinguishes her from the old ladies is her rose cheeks, which show that she is quite young. The fact her costume matches that of the old aged ladies is worrying. The audience ask questions; what has happen to this poor girl? Why doesn’t she have a life?  What is missing in her life?

The fact that she is attracted to this man yet fails to speak directly to him shows that she lacks confidence and that she is a single woman. The voice over shows that a change is going to happen, ‘this was it’ the audience respond by watching intensely. The fade in edit shows a time difference, and the next shot is shocking because it was unexpected

The long shot of the setting makes it easier for the audience to relate to, as the building is a typical building located by roads and a street. This shows there is nothing significant within the setting. This creates a feeling of normality which the audience can respond positively to.  The sound present is a popular song about heartbreak ‘I can’t live without you’ which creates a depressing mood for the audience because it implies this person’s live has ended because of the end of her relationship. The singer is a female just like the voice over is feminine, the main character is female, this shows how this film is directed to a female perspective which reveals the target audience is female.  The audience can build a connection with the setting, the previous shot and the music as they both emphasis loneliness and rejection. The setting shows a flat on an empty street with no one walking around, this presents the house as lonely and it is a rejected building as no one is entering or leaving it. The song emphasises the feeling of loneliness by explaining the reason for this feeling as the result of being dumped.

Cinematography decides to use a crane to introduce the next scene as well as cut, the camera looks up as though to create a feeling of hope, an escape route to the feeling of misery. The mise-en-scene creates a feeling of hopelessness, there’s no sun in the sky, everything is still, there’s no animals or people in sight. This creates a feeling of isolation, the audience respond to this setting with pity, as this setting creates a feeling of not being loved, as though this character is incapability of having a happy romance.

This long shot is a master shot which helps to reveal the personality of the main character, the fact that this room appears boring as it lacks creativity in its design shows that she is a dull individual. The several books in her shelf suggest that she loves reading and that she spends a lot of time by herself to be able to have the time to collect and read all these books. Her television isn’t fancy, it isn’t a plasma or big screen which suggests that she doesn’t have a highly paid job. Her position on the sofa and her costume presents her as a lazy depressed woman and the non diegetic sound, the music emphasises this mood. The books scattered on the sofa, the radio on suggest that she is bored and that her brain is elsewhere. She is trying to divert her attention but she can not forget the fact or the feeling of loneliness. The fact that she is lying on the sofa in pyjamas is strangers as pyjamas are worn in bed, this suggests that she is scared or doesn’t like the idea of going to bed alone.  The audience can connect the title on the screen as the name of the actor playing the character. The font of the letter matches one’s handwriting which emphases the title which is that this story is named after someone’s diary.

This long shot is the first shot to distinguish this movie as not just a Romance but a Romantic Comedy, her facial expression shows hopefulness that perhaps she is a voice message. Her body language; her legs crossed together, her hand on her thigh illustrates impatience. The phone then says ‘you have no messages’, this is the first diegetic sound and the audience find it humorous. Her eyebrows crossed shows anger, frustration at herself at being single. The frowns on her forehead hints that she is may be 30 years old or above. The edit used is fade in, ironically it is the character that fades into the scene instead of the next shot, this illustrates the passing of time. Her unsettled behaviour suggests that she is bored. The audience ask questions such as; what is disturbing this girl? Why is she so unsettled? What is bothering her? Why have the film makers put the song with this scene? Has she been heartbroken? Was she expecting a voice message?  Was it someone important? Was she expecting a voice message from the man in the previous scene?

This mid shot reveals what an emotion wreck this character is, her face shows that she has been crying. The fact that she is drinking wine and is gripping a newspaper in her left hand illustrate these props as her comforters, the wine is used to drown out her pain and the newspaper is used to help her take out her anger. The way her left hand positioned as though it is ready to hit something.  The blanket on her sofa, the books opened, the pile of books and cigarettes on the table illustrates her as a messy person. This could also be a clue to mental mind, that she is not thinking properly and that she is frustrated and angry at being single. This shows how desperate this girl is to have a relationship. The audience wonder the lengths she will go to, to get herself a man. The audience respond to her behaviour with pity as they wonder what brought her to this state. What happened to her? Why is she so upset?

These shots show how the mise-en-scene shows how she uses the props; the newspaper and the champagne glass to bring out her emotions which ironically relate to the lyrics of the song. The fact that the music is depressing and the message behind the lyrics is that she needs a man to be happy ‘to live.’  The audience can connect or identify this as a clue to the plot of the story; the film is going to show how this girl gets herself a boyfriend and if she ends up with the man shown in the beginning.

What titles.

 The distributing company for the film produce the posters that advertise the film.

The director of the film directs the actors in the way that he perceives the movie to be seen. He also is involved with the lighting, the set and the sound.

The title of the film is displayed in a distinctive manner so the viewers can recognise it's significance.
Only actors that play the main character have their names revealed in the opening actors, their names appear according to the importance of the role, the main or most famous actors first and child actors playing main characters are displayed last.

Casting - These are the people in charge of casting the film, they chose which actor plays what character.

Music Supervisor - is in charge of choosing the music of the film,
Costume Designer - picks out  and designs the costumes for the actors.

Production Designer - is the person that designs sets and lighting

Editor - Edits all the shots together to make the film run smoothly.

Director of Photography - Is in charge of  the camera shots and angles.

Co-Executive Producers - these are the people that put some money into the film but are hands on.

Executive Producers -  These are the people that invest money into the film but don't work towards creating it.

Written by- are the people That wrote the script and the plot of the film.

Producer by - is the person that produces the film and decides how the film is going to make the most money.

what does a title sequence look like? convections

Analyse The Opening Sequence of Wallander (using Photo Montage)

Wallander
(firewall, 7th December 2008, BBC1)

Camera shots;  long shots  expose the location by focusing on the props; the fields, the car, the fence and trees.These features are associated with the country side. There are no people except two pedestrians. This connects the audience to the genre as most horror movies happen in isolated places. The long shot reveals the distance between the car and the two pedestrians. This helps to narrate the story, as there is a link between the car and the pedestrians. The non diegetic sound of the wind during this scene creates a feeling of dread that something bad has just happened. The focus pull makes the audience think that something or someone is in the car? The audience ask; what has happened in the car? Is someone hurt? Are the two pedestrians involved? Did these people own the car? The emptiness and stillness of the car suggest that someone died. The audience ask is someone really dead? Why is the car abandoned? What is the significance of the car being located in a deserted countryside?The helicopter camera movement cuts to the next shot,  the audience feel as if they are overseeing this event. Its fast pace suggests that the killing  happened very fast. The  continuity editing in the beginning narrates the story. The significance of the editors choosing continuity editing instead of montage editing is that it focuses on one storyline and reveals one message. The audience have one thing to focus on. The question is what? Is it the car? Is it the two pedestrians? Is it the setting?

The mid shot taken from behind shows the distance between the pedestrians, the mise-en-scence shows that though they are walking side by side, their body language can be interpreted as hostile as if they had had a disagreement. The opening sequence takes a while to revel the identity of the characters. The audience make a connection between character personality and relationship. The hairstyles  of the characters reveal their gender, its length and style  is a very feminine suggesting characters are female. Their hairstyle and costume are similar meaning that these girls are close friends that copy each other. One of the characters stands out from the other as her hair is red, a loud colour; a hint to her personality. That she is a loud character; bubbly and demanding. Her costume a leather jacket distinguishes her from the other girl, leather is a trendy material, meaning that she is  involved with the emo subculture  as the audience recognise people with  leather jackets and bright coloured hair as emos. The personality of the girl walking beside her is concealed as nothing is significant about her. This makes the audience think the red haired girl is the main character.The girl is depicted as younger than the red haired girl, almost vulnerable. The costume helps to bring about this message as her jacket is plain and her hair a natural colour, showing  her lack of knowledge and rebellious nature, making her seem innocent. The fact that she is with this girl is grabs the audience’s attention. Why is this innocent girl here? How does she know the emo? Is this girl as innocent as she is portrayed? How do these girls fit into the story, are they connected with the isolated car?  The innocence of this girl can be argued to explain her presence in this scene. The similarities in clothing and hairstyle can be interpreted as the girl  trying to be like the red haired girl.  Is the red haired girl dangerous? Has she peer pressured the girl to do bad things? Regardless the girls walk together  demonstrating  loyalty, as the friends stay faithful to one another. The girl illustrated as vulnerable could be sticking with the red girl because she feels safe and protected. Or maybe she is following her. Perhaps the red haired girl has authority. The red haired girl is walking ahead as if she is leading the way, making the decisions. This creates the feeling of being trapped, that this innocent girl is trapped and has to stay with the red haired girl because of what they have done. The audience ask;What has happen? Was it really bad? Why did these girls do it? There is a non diegetic sound of the girls footsteps. There is no dialogue this is anomalous because these girls are illustrated as good friends. The silence can confirm a change in their friendship, that something bad has happened so that’s why they are silent because they reminiscing on what they have just done. The fast cut edit shows the feelings and emotions of the the girls compared to the bruised man. The audience respond by feeling pity for the taxi driver. The shallow focus on the ID of the taxi driver with splattered blood on it, shows the severance and brutality of their act and the evil nature of the girls. The audience ask; why did these girls do it? The close up of a photograph of a two men, one younger than the other with similar facial features makes the taxi driver appear innocent. As audience recognise the taxi driver as a father with a son, this portrays him a family man.The audience have sympathy for him because he seems innocent. This portrays the girls as troublesome and evil.

The first picture, the blood and bruises grab the audience’s attention as they feel sorry for him as they assume that he was innocently beaten up. The audience are then accusing; Are these girls responsible for this? Why would they do such a thing? What has he done to them? The red haired girl lacks emotion and empathy suggesting that she is proud of what has happened. The repeated scenes of the prop 'blood' shows the brutality of the violence, suggesting that these girls have a personal problem with him. Scientific knowledge shows that when a person repeatedly hits a person, it shows how angry they are with them and how it has affected them personally. This changes the way the audience has interpreted the story. Maybe he caused this upon himself? Maybe he provoked them? Maybe he was going to hurt the girls and this was self defence? This shot is sorely responsible for shifting the views of the audience as the audience feel guilty for misjudging the girls and sympathise with them, the anger and blame is relocated to the man as the ‘bad guy.’ The position of his head against the wheel makes him look weak and vulnerable. His head against the wheel shows that  he has surrendered.  Audience assume that he had abused the girls so they are happy that he has been hurt. The wheel symbolises control because the driving seat demonstrates power, the person driving has the most power in the vehicle because he controls where the passengers go.  The audience linking this image to the setting can explain why the girls are in a deserted countryside. Maybe the taxi driver drove here to do something bad to them? 

Both the close up and mid shot reveal the girls' distinctive facial expression and body language. Though these girls are united by wearing matching clothes and similar hairstyles, their opinions differ. The girl with natural coloured hair is out of the spectrum, making her seem unimportant. Though she is part of the story, the camera places more focus on the red haired girl. The red haired girl’s guilt free expression contrasts to the facial expression of the other girl, this makes it seem as though the red haired girl dominates her. The red haired girl’s face is very calm as if though nothing spectacular has happened; this is strange as the audience know that she almost killed a man. Her eyes seem to be focused ahead as though she has already put what has just happened behind her. Her facial expression illustrates boldness and strength, the idea that she is fearless and careless.   This justifies her behaviour and explain why her face does not show any regret.  Instead her face is business-like, as though this attack was just something she had to do, nothing more. Why does this girl feel this way? Did the man do anything to her? Is this all a game to her?  Is this the her way of handling the situation? If it was personal issue if so why is the other girl there?The diegetic sound of her panting shows how much energy she put into the attack. The bizarre thing about the body language is that they are walking as if  they are calm , they aren’t running to show they want to leave the place as fast as possible. This means that they  don't care about the consequences.  The red haired girl has her hands behind her sides, links to the normal way of walking. This is  her method of acting calm is strange in this story and can be interpreted as her way of trying to get back to normality. This shows what kind of person she is, that such brutal attacks are normal to her. She doesn’t wipe the blood off her skin as the blood on her skin is like a trophy of her hard work? The audience feel disturbed by her mental state of mind. Is this an act of revenge? Why is she so calm about what she has done? Is she mentally well? Why doesn’t she care? The other girl, the one with natural looking hair is silent, her facial expression is kept constant in both the mid shot and long shot. This shows that she is shocked at what she has witnessed. It shows that mentally, her brain is on a stand still as if, all she is thinking about is what has just happened. Notice how she is not focusing on anything, her eyes are looking down yet her chin is up. This shows that her mind is elsewhere. She lacks a connection with her mental self and her physical self. Her face reveals guilt and remorse whereas her walk is confident, her pace is similar to her friend, her chin is facing straight ahead as if she is proud of what she has done. Audience can interpret this as her attempt to act ‘tough’ like her friend .Another explanation is that the natural haired girl is swallowing her grief this could mean that she did know the victim. Maybe she didn’t want him to get hurt, but the red haired girl made do it. This suggests that she may have been peer pressured into doing this act. Or maybe the red haired girl attacked him and she couldn’t stop her?  Her silence can be explained as her response to the behaviour of her friend, maybe she did not expect the red haired girl to be so violent? Maybe it was a joke to hurt him, maybe she didn’t believe the red haired girl would do it? These questions suggest that she was just watching but did not take part. These question may be asked due to the fact that there is no blood on the natural haired girl. Despite all this information the audience still don’t know who the girls are. What are the names of the girls? How these girls know each other? Why did these girls hurt this man?The close up picture of a hand holding a knife, is the last picture of the clip,the audience recognise this hand as  red haired girl's one as the costume of the black nail varnish fit the emo image. Her tight grip on the knife shows that she is angry and revengeful. As though the brutal attack was a mission, a way of getting even. The forced drop of the knife makes it seem as though she had built a relationship with the knife meaning that she had used the knife on other people. By dropping it she could be realising that this time she went too far, or that perhaps she wants to let go of this lifestyle.

Compare Trailer to Opening Sequence

The Roommate Movie Trailer



The Scary Movie Opening Sequence




Comparing The Rommate Movie Trailer to The Expendables opening sequence

This trailer creates meaning by distinguishing normal life experiences from abnormal. This is demonstrated by the differences from beginning and the ending in both title sequence and shots. The trailer begins with an upbeat non diegetic music which suggests a positive mood, reinforced with the shots of a normal looking college building and formal dialogue between the teacher and pupil. The mise-en-scene creates a connection with the audience as they can relate and recognise that the pupil is registering into a new school. The shots of the girls laughing, clubbing and flirting relate to normal college experience which creates a positive response from the audience who assume that this is movie is normal. However towards the middle of the trailer the genre (which is a thriller) becomes known as the happy, disco sounding music comes to an end and is replaced with a gasp at 0.50. After this the trailer reveals actions from one of the characters (Rebbecca) which are abnormal to girly teenage behaviour such as watching her friend all the time, hurting another girl in the shower when she ripped pulled out her belly button piercing and stroking a girls hair while she slept. The sound enforces the weirdness of the activity on the screen by playing piano notes then a clock chiming, each sound with a pause in between creating suspense. With this the audience is left asking questions about Rebbecca. Why Rebbecca has to take medication? Why is Rebbecca so protective over her friend? Why Rebbecca has only one friend? Why Rebbecca kills everyone? The Mise-en-scene and the character actions have helped the audience to try to understand the plot of the trailer, though not revealing too much. The audience categories the first girl on the set, Sarah as the main character because she appears in most of the shots.The shots of her playing with the cat with Rebbecca and talking to one another show the audience the friendly relationship between these girls. The shot of Sarah kissing the boy, ultimately labels the boy as her boyfriend. So Rebecca's negative and hostile attitude towards these characters, help the audience to understand her personality. As Rebecca's negative and hostile behaviour is directed to the ones that Sarah seems to enjoy having company with. Regardless of all this information provided from the trailer the audience are still left asking questions wondering what has made Rebbecca this way, that she cannot stand Sarah having fun with anyone else? Why Rebbecca feels the need to kill the ones Sarah loves?

The opening sequence of The Expendables, though it is an action movie it uses some of the same ideas. Focusing on the first two minutes, similarities between the trailer and the openings sequence can be spotted. Both clips do not include the title of the movie at the beginning. In addition to that they both leave the audience wondering what will happen in the end of the movie. The opening sequence uses diegetic sound and 'fade in' edit to add mystery to the movie. It is set at the dark; the first shot which is taken from the road differs from the second shot taken from the river. The edits that make this opening sequence narrative is seen after the long shot of the ship at the river, and the next shot, a mid shot taken from within the boat. This technique is similar used in the trailer to help reveal the story.

The difference between the two is that they use editing and mise-en-scene techniques differently. Though both opening sequence of The Expendables and The Roommate Trailer uses sound that match with the clip. Only The Roommate Trailer uses non diegetic sound to reinforce the genre of the trailer, which as a result makes it more obvious. Whereas the opening sequence of The Expendables trailer does not reveal what genre it is nor the plot of the story or the main character. The Opening sequence of The Expendables seems to focus more on cinematography than the movie plot, as master shot is repeatedly used as well as match of action edit. The faces of the characters that appear important are not revealed as the light is too dark and does not show it. The characters that seem unimportant appear that way as they are not doing anything instead they are tied up looking peaceful as if they have given up hope. This is rather odd to be spotted in the beginning of a movie, which can make the audience ask questions about what will happen to these people. Who are the men with the power? What is the connection with the men on the motorbikes and the ones on the ship? Though both clips are successful at making the audience ask questions about the clip, both clips approach their genre differently. As The Roommate trailer uses the titles to narrate the story and the black screen to create suspense. Whereas The Expendables opening sequences uses the title sequence to reveal actor names and location. In addition to that the audience is incapable of creating connections between the characters and their relationship between one another, except the obvious one that some men are captive and some men are in power. The connection, the bound between these characters is not clear to the audience. Whereas The Roommate trailer reveals characters relationships and allows the audience to make connections with the characters. To add on the setting of the opening sequence in The Expendables, though it uses master shot twice, the location is still unknown. Whereas The Roommate Trailer reveals the location by having a shot of a normal school building which the audience are familiar with, also the title sequence ‘there are over 2000 colleges’ reinforces the setting.

Analysis of the opening sequence of the Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense

This shot is a title sequence stating the title of the movie, the editing and the score help to illustrate the genre of the movie. The audience can build a connection with the sound and editing to the movie genre as the sound is gripping. The repeated slow notes of the violin help to create a sense of mystery and vulnerability.  As though the audience are not safe, this instrumental can create fear within the audience. The piano first begins to play when the movie title appears on the screen; it ripples as though something scary has just happened across the screen. The rippling sound which introduces the movie title shocks the audience as they were not expecting it. The piano then changes note to one which creates a calm mood which creates a sense of normality. As though it is attempting to drag the audience back to normality however, the notes of the violin make the audience feel restless. This juxtaposition of instrumental notes can be confusing for the audience and make it hard for the audience to make connections. Though based on the trailer the audience can make connections with their responses to the opening sequence to its narrative as this movie is supposed to be a psychological thriller.

The editing makes it appear as though the title sequence of the movie title pops up three times when in fact it has only popped up once and has lingered on screen. The editing makes the letters fade in and out one by one, in tune with the piano notes. As if the pianist is playing the keys over the letters, as if the pianist’s fingers are running along the words. The audience respond to this by feeling scared and unsettled, not knowing what to expect next. As the editing makes the audience feel unsafe as though there is danger circulating around them.

The Mise –en –scene uses greyish blue writing to create an unwelcoming mood as if the audience are trespassing. The black scene gives no clues; it does not give anything away for the audience to relate to. This makes it difficult for the audience to understand the movie.  Which makes the audience question; what is this movie about? Who is going to be in this movie? Are people going to get hurt? Are people going to die? How scary can this movie be?

The lingering close up of the bulb switching on, is a very clever cinematographic technique as it helps to not only connect the scene with the narrative but the setting and the genre. The slow pace of the bulb switching on makes the audience feel like something bad is going to happen or someone is going to hurt someone.  The carefulness of the shot helps the audience to make a connection with the person who is about to do something bad as it was very slow and deliberate which could mean that the attacker has planned to hurt a person and has planned the way in which they would do so. In this way the shot has revealed the narrative though the audience is still unaware of who is going to hurt whom, they are sure that something is going to happen and someone will get hurt. The audience ask ‘why is someone getting hurt?’ ‘Who is going to get hurt?’ ‘Who is the attacker?’  ‘What is the motive behind the attack?’ The shot starts off in complete darkness which creates a depressing mood this contrasts to the emotions previously experienced by the audience. It also creates uncertainty as it leaves the audience clueless on what to expect from the movie so the audience ask the following questions: why is the room so dark? Is there something hiding in the dark? Is it scary? Is it bad? The light slowly lighting up illustrates progress and struggle which could be a hint on the plot of the story. The fact that a normal thing such as switching on the light is exaggerated creates a feeling of abnormality. The audience can build a connection with setting, the fact that the background is dark and the light bulb struggles to light up the room, makes the room appear dangerous. Was something there making it hard for the light bulb to light up faster? Is there something bad wrong with the bulb? Is this a clue that a character in that movie is going to have to struggle?  The bulb lighting up in a dark room could also mean that something that once was in the dark would become light. Meaning a secret or something that was meant to be kept in secret will be brought to light meaning that it will become known. And so if the light lights up the room this goes to show how far this secret will go. This makes the audience ask; what is the secret? What happened?

The editing used to connect the previous shot to the present one differs from the ones used before because this is a cut not a fade in. The change in editing could mean that something is about to happen, or the action is about to start.  The cinematography helps to create a feeling of danger as the shot is taken as a voyeur which makes it seem as though we are trespassing which is why the camera is positioned where the character will not see it or acknowledge its presence.  The audience ask; what is the significance of this character? Why can’t we see the person’s face? The director cleverly introduces the character by revealing the heels, which reveals the gender yet conceals the identity of the individual. The audience ask; why is her face not shown? Is the director hiding something? Is there something that the director does not want us to know? Is this character important? Is she the main character?

The mise-en-scene of the character helps to build a connection with the audience based on cinematography. The mise-en-scene shows how the character’s costume does not match the setting as the setting is depressingly dark and filed with shadows. This creates a sense of unwelcoming and a threat.  Her costume contrasts to the setting as she is wearing a classy bright coloured (purple) dress. Her costume builds a connection with the audience as both the audience and the character do not match the setting. In addition to that both people appear innocent as the audience are innocently viewing the film and she is innocently in this room. This relationship built between the viewer and the character being viewed makes the audience relate to her position.  The significance of the cinematography is that the shot is taken from a voyeur as though the character is not meant to be aware of the fact that she is being watched. This creates desperation within the audience as they want to reach out to her and are unable to because of the shelf; this creates a feeling of being trapped. This makes the audience ask; why is the director doing this? Why can’t we approach the girl? Why can’t we see what’s going through her mind? Why is the director creating and maintaining the distance between us and the character? Is this shot symbolic? Are we witnessing a clue? Perhaps the audience are trapped so they can relate to the feelings and emotions of a character in the movie that will later be revealed? Maybe there was someone in this movie who will be trapped and cannot do anything but watch? The voyeur shot can also be interpreted as the director revealing to the audience their role in this scene. As the character is afraid of this setting because of a crackling nosie that she did not cause. This then perceives the audience as a bad character as if they are indeed trespassing and could have been the ones to cause the crackling noise. The fact that there are two different interpretations for the cinematography can show how cunning the movie is as it has managed to make the audience feel both guilty and compassionate at the same time. The audience feels guilty for watching her when they shouldn’t be. The audience feel compassionate because they can empathise with her situation and relate to the character’s fear of not knowing who else or what else is in the room with her.

The cinematography uses the track in camera movement to zoom into her facial expression. This along with the sound helps to create a sense of dread as the crackling noise startles the woman. Her shocked facial expression confirms that she is afraid. The frown lines on her forehead show that she is trying to identify the noise, to see whether or not it was her. Her shocked expression reveals that she does not know where the noise is coming from or what it is. The fact that she turns her neck slowly shows that she is afraid.This confirms the fact that she did not make the noise. The close up shot changes to long shot to show her body language, her hands clench on the bottle shows how frightened and vulnerable she is, it also shows that she is so afraid that she does not look for the noise but freezes. In this way the cinematography has linked her behaviour to female stereotypes as this woman is too afraid to fight and defend for herself. In this shot she is not placed in the centre but towards one side, most of the space in the image is focussed on her shadow. This gives a sense of mystery and terror as though something is hiding and creeping within the shadows. The audience ask; who is hiding?  What is hiding? How many of them are hiding? Why are they hiding? What is going to happen next? Is the thing hiding going to attack her?  Is it dangerous? Why is it here? The significance of the costume contrasting with the background helps to emphases her innocence and vulnerably by making her look victimized. The audience fear for her. The silence in this shot makes time stand still, creating suspense as the audience wait to see what happens next.

The cinematography maintains the voyeur shot all through the women’s presence in this room. This is another voyeur shot. The impact of the repeated use of the voyeur shot is that it reveals the different hiding places in the room. This implies that there are several possible places where the person or thing that has just made the noise could be hiding. The fact that the director makes the audience visualise the scene in the perceptive of the trespassers by taking all the shots in places where the female character can’t see them, this conceals the identity of the actual trespasser in this movie. This creates suspense as the audience they wait to see the trespasser. Who the trespasser could be? What the trespasser could want? Why is the trespasser here? Is there a relationship between the woman and the trespasser? Is the woman as innocent as she appears? Who really is the victim? These are the questions running through the mind of the audience.

The mise-en-scene uses the body language to illustrate and emphases how scared the character is. Her arms pressed against her chest, her hand clenching the wine bottle shows how vulnerable she is. The non diegetic sound of her rapid breathing shows that she’s terrified.