"Breakfast at Tiffany's" Opening Sequence

This is my favourite example of a film opening. I think it follows all the codes and conventions of moving image and creates an endearing yet intriguing beginning to the story.
The clip begins with an establishing shot, showing the audience the location. When the lady arrives at her destination, the camera does an almost over the shoulder shot, tilting up toward Tiffany's. It suggests that she is amazed, in awe and mesmerised by this place, and we, as an audience, want to find out what is so wonderful about this place. The shot shows the word Tiffany's and we gather from the title that it is a very important aspect to this movie so we want to know what’s going to happens and why. As she walks, the camera tilts down showing us her entire outfit. Towards the end, there are some more establishing shots, to again set the scene, and show us what is around this "magical" place. At the very end when she is in the hallway, the camera looks down on her, to suggest the room is very small and cramped, a world away from the grand majestic Tiffany’s.

There is a soundtrack played over the entire sequence, which is very endearing. It is a well-known song, adds a sense of luxury and tranquillity. It's smooth and almost glamorous and reflects what is happening in the scene.

This film completely follows all the typical codes and conventions of moving image, with the movie company and all the credits rolling throughout the scene. I particularly like that they have the perfect balance with enough going on screen so it's not boring, but not too much that the credits seem like they're blocking the story.

The mise en scene in this sequence is amazing and is all in keeping with the genre and tone of the scene. She is wearing a very glamorous dress, is appears she is wealthy with her jewellery and clothing. She seems completely at home outside Tiffany’s until she brings out a paper bag with a cake of some sort and a drink in a polystyrene cup. This massively us as the audience off, because you'd imagine from what we know about her that she wouldn't be eating finger food, out in public without any tables or chairs or anything. This leads us to question what and why is she doing that. It essentially sets the whole theme for the film. The taxis are very reflective of the time period, and everything is very authentic and typical "New York"!

"Breaking Dawn Part 2" Opening Sequence

This is the opening sequence Breaking Dawn Part 2" from the Twilight series. I don't particularly like this opening sequence as I found it dragged on a little, however there were elements that I really liked and will take inspiration for my own film opening.

Each shot is wide and establishes the surrounding. The use of the wide angle really highlights its vast emptiness. The camera appears as if it's flying over all this landscape, as an audience we feel like we are the camera, it acting as a point of view shot, and we feel like we are flying over everything. When it gets to intense shots, the ones revolving around her eyes, it is an extreme close up showing us the fine detail. It's quite gruesome.

There is one backing track played over the entire sequence but the impression it gives off at the different points vary massively. At points the music is slow and quite inspirational, matched with the slow shots it’s almost forcing us to reflect. The music then becomes really intense when there are closer up shots and it sounds very majestic and grand, like something truly phenomenal is happening. Three quarters of the way through sound effects are introduced, the sound of the wold howling, the wind whistling, and the crunchy snow. This brings the scene back to reality and where we've felt like we've been flying objectively over everything, we are now part of the scene. At the end there is one synchronous sound used as Bella opens her eyes, a high pitched "ting" is heard. It sounds innocent and pure which contrasts her character of a vampire.

This follows the typical written codes of moving image, and has the logo and film company introduced as well as actors, producers, directors and many others. The appearance of a single name at a time meant it wasn't too overwhelming for the audience and we could see each name and get excited about the stars in advance.

The most significant part of this opening clip, in my opinion, was the symbolism used. The whole thing was focused around two colours-red and white. These both are hugely contrasting in terms of connotations, white representing purity and innocence and red being a sign of danger and pain. It's hugely representative of the main theme and concept of the story, the fight between right and wrong, safety and danger. The locations were often red, with snow being a common symbol throughout again representing the idea of innocence being taken over by evil.

I liked elements of this clip, and thought as a title sequence it was quite effective, but I will not be doing a similar one for my own. I think it was quite long and didn't introduce any action or any real hints about the story (apart from right at the very end).

"Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix" Opening Sequence

This is the opening sequence from the film "Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix". I chose this clip because by the end of it I was hugely engrossed in the storyline and wanted to carry on watching.
The camera angles are significant; at first they set the scene is establishing shots, each shot is very slow allowing the audience to see every detail of the scene. The framing is important, when the boys are bullying Harry; the camera titles down towards Harry and up towards the bullies, so even without it being said we are informed of the statuses of the characters and their power within the scene. Once the storm begins, the camera then changes to look down on the boys. This shows them as vulnerable having lost all their power. It shows them feeling intimidated and threatened. This completely alters the whole initial idea of the scene because suddenly the bullies are scared. As the boys are running, the camera tilts down toward them and follows them. This gives the impression that someone is chasing them and following them and considering the mood already set we can obviously see that whatever is chasing them is bad/evil. The boys then enter the tunnel and the camera is very far away at the other end, looking at the silhouettes of the boys looking very small in this large empty space. With no place to hide, we as an audience are left guessing and pre-empting the worst. The sound of the playground rides are heard in the back ground, but are asynchronous as we can't yet see the park. It is high pitched and squeaky which is quite eerie.

The audio in this clip is clever. At the beginning to soundtrack is used, acting as a motif. It's very trademark of the Harry Potter brand and films. It is followed by playing a radio station telling audiences important information without it being so obviously said, almost like a voiceover. It upholds a naturalistic theme and lets us pick up the details of the scene without being patronised and had then pointed out too obviously. Additionally is adds to the eeriness and mystery-why is there a radio in this random place? Where is it coming from? Dialogue is used which introduces the antagonist and other important characters, and shows us a lot about their individual characters. The song played over the top as the fight sequence takes place is tense and creates a real sense of panic and uncertainty. The music volume is then brought right down as Harry casts his spell. This is significant because it sets the whole concept of the film, that he is magic, has this ability to fight these great forces and him being the focus of the saving of them all shows him as being brave, heroic and the most definitely the main character.

This opening sequence didn't follow many typical written codes. It did have the logo and name of the company, however no credits were shown. I believe this was intended and instead of being distracted, the company needed to audiences complete attention on the action.

The lighting during the fight scene is very hostile and harsh and creates a very unfriendly and threatening image for the audience. This links back to genre. Harry obviously has his trademark scar on his forehead; this is a very significant part of this look and keeps the audience aware of the underlying story throughout all the films. Harry similarly has a wand. This again is very important and pulls together the genre and key concept of the scene.

I love this opening, as it packs a lot of action into a fairly short space of time and has e completely intrigued by the end. Especially since the evil creature doesn't get destroyed, it simply leaves which leaves me anticipating its return. Whilst I recognise the need to simplicity, this was a perfect balance between action, and setting the scene and characters.

What I've learnt about The Film Industry

The film industry is one of the most profitable institutions in the world, with the UK Box Office alone taking over £1 billion, and I believe it will continue to be because there always has been and always will be a desire for this type of entertainment. And as technology is progressing, the quality of the products are improving dramatically, increasing media consumption. Major conglomerates now have more and more money to spend on the production of their films, using more high-tech hardware, for example cameras which can shoot in 3D. This then opens up more platforms for the exhibiting of films allowing it to be more widely available for audiences. Similarly the development of technological and cross-media convergence has opened industries up to new audiences.

New knowledge about consumers has really helped guide companies. 29% of cinema audiences are ages 15-25, with more than half of these visiting the cinema more than once a month. That's a massive indication to film industries the types of audiences they should be approaching and trying to appeal to. Similarly the popularity of genres is important, action is the most popular being responsible for 34.5% of Box Office takings, followed by comedy at 17.5%, drama at 14.2%, animation at 12.2%, horror at 4.4% and romcom and only 1%! Often films will have inherited audiences; if films have been popular often companies will do a sequel. Additionally actors and actresses also often bring audiences with them. Lots of people would be encouraged to watch a film if they like the stars in it.

In 2012, 646 films were released in the UK that makes about 12 new releases per week. This means that institutions need to ensure their product is noticed and not forgotten amongst all the others. Release dates are crucial. Saturday is the most popular day regarding cinema visitations taking 24% of profits at the Box Office, Sunday takes 17.6%, Friday takes 16.4%, Wednesday takes 13.5% and the rest take 9.4%. Most companies however will not release on the more popular days, but instead in the middle of the week. This is to allow frontloading, securing the most amounts of profits for the companies. Similarly companies will often do staggered releases, in different countries at different times. This creates anticipation and hype in specific areas at certain times and ensures the excitement continues as each new place prepares for the release.

In the current economic climate, money for most is very tight and industries are struggling as people often spend their disposable income on more important things than "treats". So film institutions have had to improve the quality of the overall experience of film viewing and make it as luxury as possible. Film qualities have improved, and so have the cinemas. On average people will spend 16 minutes in the foyer before seeing a film, and 40% of cinema profits come from refreshments. Cinema going is a definite treat, but through the use of cross media convergence, cinemas and film companies can work with other institutions to make attractive deals for their audiences, for example, Orange Wednesdays. When revising case studies i saw that the film "In Fear" had a deal with E4, and people could win tickets. People are always looking out for ways to make their money go further, so offering luxury experiences for lower prices is hugely enticing to audiences.

But why go to the cinema when it's responsible for just 4% of all film viewing? The simple answer is cinemas protect media ownership. Once a film is released onto DVD, piracy, illegal downloading and streaming happens so the period of time the film is at the cinema, the product is exclusive.

Once films have run their course at cinemas, they are put onto DVD. Media consumption at home is massively popular with the average person watching 4 hours of TV per day. In 2012 BBC iPlayer had 6 million requests per day! The quality of films at home is also increasing with 35% of the TV sets sold in the UK being supersized. In peoples busy lives to have that easy release of stresses and pressures is a hugely appealing thing. Films are now easily accessible at home also, with companies such as Netflix and AppleTV offering new releases as the click of a button; only 14% of retail buyers bought a film they had seen at the cinema, most people tend to watch movies in the comfort of their own home.

The marketing process is a hugely important aspect to the release of a film. Trailers are released, teasers, featurettes, film reviews, premiers, film festivals, interviews with cast and crew, websites, wiki pages, social networking, sound tracks and apps all raise awareness and promote the product making audiences aware of products, and encourage them to see them.

"The Shining" Opening Sequence

This is the opening scene from "The Shining". What intrigued me the most about this clip was its ability to be simplistic yet so mesmerising; I found I couldn't take my eyes of the screen for the entire 3 minutes. This clip defied many of the typical codes and conventions of opening sequences, but the ones they did include were so powerful, they made up for the ones they didn't have.

 There was a huge range of camera angles, shots and movements which established location. It added a huge sense of mysteriousness since it showed miles and miles of eerily empty land, creating a tense atmosphere. By the camera using wide angled shots, it showed vast emptiness. The use of one car amongst all this emptiness was significant because it gave us a sense of them being alone and venerable so far away from anything. Similarly our attention is then drawn to that one car because there is little else to look at which gives us the impression that something will happen to this car and we shouldn't take our eyes off it. The sequence didn't introduce the audience to any characters, but we got the impression that they were probably in the car since that was the focus of the clip. This cleverly means the audience builds a relationship with the people in the car without evening knowing who they are. We are intrigued to know what happens. There is a title sequence within the opening scene, with the names of actors, directors and producers.

 The colouring of the scene is quite hostile at points with harsh blues and greens being used, and the use of natural sunlight is used and this creates shadows within the frame. This then adds to the eeriness. Within the frame it is often half dark, half light to perhaps suggest we are only seeing half the picture, a lot of the truth is hidden. Ironically the car used as the main focus at points in the sequence is yellow. This contrasts the existing mood of suspicion and tension. The car appears very small on the scene, again adding to the venerability of the people inside, they seem like helpless people in this vast empty world.

 My favourite part of the clip though, and the most significant in my opinion is the audio used within this clip. There is no dialogue or sound effects which keeps us at a distance from the true action and looking as an outsider. This makes us feel helpless because we can objectively see that it seems something bad is going to happen .The soundtrack used is deep and slow which is very tense. Then it is interrupted with loud, harsh noises which almost sound like people screaming, often sounding like sirens going off. It's very eerie and creepy and gives us the impression that something very big is about to happen. At the end when the music quietens and nothing has yet happened, we are left confused but intrigued and I really felt like I needed to continue watching.

I think this is a very successful opening sequence because its simplicity is what draws the audience in. It had given me lots of ideas in terms of my own opening, I realise less is more and trying to cram too much into the first part of a film can be overwhelming and look too rushed, not leaving any time for the story to develop since we find out too much straight away.

Codes and Coventions of Moving Image

There are many different codes and conventions used in moving image. They ensure that the audience gets an inital understanding of the film, by establishing main characters, locations and the genre. The aim in the first few minutes of any film is to capture the audiences attention, without giving too much about the story away.
Technical Codes:
-Camera angles
-Camera shots
-Camera movement
-Lighting
-Framing
Audio Codes:
-Music, a backing track or maybe a motif that will continue throughout the rest of the movie.
-Sound effects
-Dialogue/voiceovers
Written Codes:
-Headings and subtitles
-Names and logos (of the film company)
-Titles
-Actors (protagonist and antagonist)
-Directors/Producers
Symbolic Codes (similar to Mise en scene)
-Use of colour
-Lighting
-The positioning of objects and people
-Costumes and Make up

Preliminary Task

I have chosen to do moving image for my coursework piece. To begin the process we were asked, in groups, to carry out a preliminary task. The brief said;
Continuity task involving filming and editing a character:
-Opening a door
-Crossing a room
-Sitting down in a chair opposite another character
-They exchange a couple of lines of dialogue.
The task should include:
-Match on action
-Shot/reverse shot
-180-degree rule
This task was hugely beneficial, it allowed me to practice using the appropriate software, and gave me a wide range of ideas for things I will do differently in my final coursework film to improve the quality and overall appearance of the film for its audiences (for example using a better quality camera, and making sure lightening is carefully maniplulated). It evidenced to me how important the pre production process is, each shot needs to be carefully mapped out and every aspect of the scene molded to exactly what is needed, or it looks very unprofessional and rushed. 
During the making of this clip we ran into a few problems such as losing our clips. The inital takes we had for this scene weren't able to be uploaded so we had to refilm. This taught us important lessons in terms of picking locations which are closer to us and easily accepable in case any refilming needs to take place.When it came to editing I found that a lot of the clips were too short to add any transitions, so next time I need to make sure the beginning and end of the clip has enough time for me to put transitions.
It also helped me feel a lot more confident in terms of the technical aspect to the task. I had to get this video from the Mac to a normal computer, I then had to upload it to a YouTube account and follow by embedding the clip into a blog post. This challanged me and helped me a lot, and when it comes to doing this for my real coursework piece, I will be able to approach it independantly and confidently.

It also opened my eyes, along with the work I did on swedes, to how passionate I need to be about this unit. It is a lot of work and is very time consuming so I need to be completely engaged and focused-which I am.

What I learnt from the "swedes" task

In October 2013 we began to make swedes. This was an ungraded task that allowed us to develop many technical skills. During the construction and marketing process' we learnt a great deal which will now help us hugely in our coursework task. This is a presentation summing up what I learnt.
http://prezi.com/qkg3ge6j656t/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy