Will Howlett A.S. Media: January 2011

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Analysis of openings of choice

Reservoir Dogs

(Unable to find clip of scene, my analysis starts from 7.33)
Genre-
The genre of this piece is a gangster action film, you get this view as the characters are all in smart suites and walking in a group which causes them to look intimidating. With the theme of gangsters the theme of crime is always there as the thought of gangster brings you back to crime.

Character-
Most of the characters are dressed in suites and ties, this causes them to evoke power, this costume include sunglasses and jewellery which creates the look of a stereotypical gangster. The only character shown to not be wearing a suite is dressed in a blue jumper, he is looked on as the least serious of the group, when the characters all have close ups he is the only one seen to be jumping around and joking, the others are all seen to be happy but not in the immature way he is. Many of the characters are seen to be smoking, some of them are smoking cigars, this again fits in with the stereotype of a gangster.

Atmosphere-
The atmosphere in the opening is tense but shown that the group is comfortable with each other, the look of the group walking down the road as a group creates the feeling that the group is threatening, but it isn’t intimidating which is what gangsters want to achieve.

Themes-
The theme running through out the opening is of friends in a gang, they are all shown to be close and able to talk and have a joke with each other, this shows the group being tight knit.

Setting-
The setting is in a parking lot, it is very run down, this is a juxtaposition to the suites that the characters are wearing, they are very smartly dressed and walking through a run down place, it shows how they are criminals as they stereotypically operate in places like that.

Sound-
The song being played is funky and hints back to the hay day of the gangsters, the song has a funky beat to it which juxtapose to the theme of the film. The lyrics sang over and again in the song is “do it my way” this hints towards the gangsters way of looking on life, as if they have no rules that they live by.

Title-
The titles are orange on a black background which makes them stand out, the actors names come up underneath there face on each of their close ups, this creates the feelings that they are all separate people and have different traits but are as one when in the group when the title Reservoir Dogs comes up behind them when they are walking away.

This is England opening

Genre-
The genre of this opening is in a documentary style, it uses real footage of the times, it uses iconic images of the times, such as the protests, Margaret Thatcher and the Royal wedding this means it is setting the time period it is in which allows the viewer more time to realise the story line then wonder at which time it was set.

Narrative-
The narrative of the opening is showing that it is in the 1980’s it is shown through fashions and fads at the time, these included skin heads and the rubex cube. It also showed you the inner workings of the time, it showed violence and racial hatred, there is a lot of riots and protests shown in this opening, then the Falklands war is shown which is shown after all the rest, this can be shown that at the time the war was on the back of peoples minds and people were more interested in what was going on at home.

Characters-
No main character is shown throughout the clip, many renowned figures from this era are shown, these include Diana and Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher this again takes the viewer into this time and shows the situation at the time.

Atmosphere-
The atmosphere shown through out this time is show to be revolutionary, with lots of people standing up for what they believe in. There is a lot of aggression at this time and it shows the state of England as almost losing control.

Themes-
The themes that run throughout this opening are new technologies, at this time was when technologies really started to move forward quickly, looking back it is dated but shows the difference in life styles to now. The changes in society are evident through the clashes of nationalities and different groups.

Setting-
The settings all show the main talking points of that era, they show the Royal wedding, Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands war. Another setting that is shown very often is discos, they were very big in the 80’s so again showed the difference in life to the present day.

Sound-
The track playing over the opening is a reggae/ska, this is a very happy sounding song which is juxtaposed to the images on the screen, this gives the view that all these things were happening but people were doing anything about it and were not on peoples minds.

Titles-
The initial titles are white on a black background, this means they stand out, but later on the titles are in the corner of the picture but the viewer is more inclined to be focusing on the action on screen which shows that the director was more interested on the viewer seeing the time it was set.

Apocalpyse Now

Genre-
From the opening you begin to get a feel of what genre this film fits in with. The first shot is of trees that are iconic of the jungles that the vietnam war was fought within. This feeling of war is shown when an army helicoptor flies ahead of the camera. This is made to subtly show the genre of the film is a war/action film.

Narrative-
The opening shows how vast and duanting the war was and how it had a lasting affect on the soilders who fought it. The use of a widespread fire burning in the reflection of the mans eyes is used to show how images like that become engraved on peoples minds. This opening does not glorify war but to show how even if a soilder leaves the "jungle" it never leaves him. This is what the character says later on in the opening. It shows how even though in reletive safety he can not sleep well and is showing signs of mental instability.

Characters-
The character shown is a male soilder. He is not in uniform but you know he is a soilder through his narrative. He is not shown to be smartly dressed as you would expect but instead he is depicted in just shorts and at one point when he is shown to be losing his sanity he is shown to be naked. This could be to show his innocence of such danger and mental strain.

Atmosphere-
The atmosphere is heavy and full of fear and waiting. It is made by the eery soundtrack and the heavy objects that you can see, all of the objects are big and captivating, firstly the trees then the helicoptor then fire which juxtaposes with the image of the soilder laying on his bed, it shows how small one man is compared to the war.

Themes-
The themes that are shown to run through the opening is nature and man made things that kill. It is this juxtaposition that makes the war seem so unnatural, this is shown heavily through the fire which is obviously man made at such a scale but is a natural thing. The biggest theme that runs throughout is the affect war has on the individual.

Setting-
The opening begins with a shot of a forest, the camera is not inside the forest but looking onto it, it is shown to be filmed from off the ground. This is to show how vast the scale of the fighting and destruction is. This is backed up when the fire rages through the forest.

Sound-
The opening starts off in silence to begin with, this is so the audience can take stock and are solely concentrating on the forest. Music slowly starts to play, it is very slow and quiet music which is shown when the camera slowly pans through images of vast destruction and fire, which juxtaposes such a calm song to the death shown on screen.

Titles-
No titles are shown in the opening. This could have been done to make the film seen less staged and truer to life.

Tuesday 25 January 2011

To show the differences between opening and trailers i am going to look at 8 different points on each, this way i can compare them equally and easier to view the differences and similarities.

Opening

Genre- Spy/action
Narrative- Gambling, guns, fighting and Love.
Character- James Bond- he is shown to be powerful and destructive.
Atmosphere- Sneaky, suspicious and violent.
Themes- Gambling, fighting and love.
Setting- Casino.
Sound- Soundtrack throughout.
Titles- Plain white, singuluar words, draws attention.

The genre is easily spotted in this opening by the different fights that are shown, they also use the suite of cars, Hearts, very often which shows that love is a big theme in this film. The atmosphere is sneaky and agressive through different action sequences. The sound that is used is rocky and hard, this gives the film a rough feel and adds to the atmosphere. The titles that are used are to show definition of the bond franchise.

Trailer

Genre-Spy-action

Narrative -Killing, Betrayal, Love, Redemption

Character- James bond – spy, cold hearted and killer.

Atmosphere- Spy, Tension, Upbeat and Fast.

Themes- Action, Spy, Love, Betrayal, Survival.

Setting- Jungle, Casino, Hotel, Sea.

Sound: Theme tune throughout creates tension and familiarity.

Title- Stands out, Uses logo in title, White on dark background stands out, Grabs attention, Creates familiarity with brand products.

The theme is spy and action runs throughout the piece, it is created through the settings which create tension.

Thursday 20 January 2011

Differences between Opening and Trailers.

To show the differences between opening and trailers of the same film. I am going to be concentrating on 8 different points on each, this way i can compare them equally and easily view the differences and similarities.

There are large differences between a film opening and trailer. These difference are easy to spot but some films do intergrate techniques through the two. One of the techniques is that they both create the same atmosphere and have the same themes. This is used for most openings and trailers as the the audience knows what type of film it is and so they can know what to expect when they watch the film.

Aspects found in:

Trailers-

The trailer contains more information about the whole film.
Trailer shows clips of the film to give a over view of what the film will include.
In the trailer the characters are shown, so the audience can start to decide there feelings on each person as the trailer show us some of there personality.
Trailers usually include tag lines this is so the film becomes memorable. E.g Terminator (1984) "I will be back"
In the trailer there aren’t any titles until the ending, but more emphasis is made on the film title so people remember the trailer there isn't as many but they are on for longer.

Opening-

Openings should welcome the audience and introduce
The opening sound is literally a soundtrack
Opening there are a lot of titles, including names of actors, producers and companies

Casino Royale Opening

Genre- Spy/action
Narrative- Gambling, guns, fighting and Love.
Character- James Bond- he is shown to be powerful and destructive.
Atmosphere- Sneaky, suspicious and violent.
Themes- Gambling, fighting and love.
Setting- Casino.
Sound- Soundtrack throughout.
Titles- Plain white, singuluar words, draws attention.

The genre is easily spotted in this opening by the different fights that are shown, they also use the suite of cars, Hearts, very often which shows that love is a big theme in this film. The atmosphere is sneaky and agressive through different action sequences. The sound that is used is rocky and hard, this gives the film a rough feel and adds to the atmosphere. The titles that are used are to show definition of the bond franchise.

Casino Royale Trailer