Codes and Conventions of Film Openings

From my research I have found that various film openings share the same conventions as others. I decided to broaden my studies into film openings by researching four very different film openings under different genres. These films were:

- James Bond Casino Royale - Action
- IT The Clown - Psychological Horror
- Ice Age - Children's Comedy
- Star Wars Revenge of the Sith - Sci-Fi


The main similarities within each of these films is that they all displayed some form of text in the beginning displaying the production company, or at least the cast of the film. One film Star Wars, however was different; instead of only including the cast or production company, the film also includes what is known as the 'Opening Crawl' which gives a brief summary of the plot of the film, to the audience informing them of an overall story line. This can be seen below and this opening crawl is seen within all Star Wars films.

We can the theme of the film to be Sci-fi due to the opening text being blue and reading the words 'galaxy', along with a cosmic background of stars, which re-inforces it is a Sci-fi film just within the opening title. The yellow text can illustrate its a Sci-fi film also, as Sci-fi film often use colours such as green, yellow, purple and blue to depict some form of mysterious being, or super natural place. The text also being bold stands out, which could relate to how whats seen in Space is different from anything ever seen before, which the film is presenting.





The theme music of the opening sounds grand like, with violins and other instruments. Its upbeat and drops to a low beat sound, which gives the impression of the story being mysterious, as it is space and the whole idea of entering the unknown. Audiences would be drawn into watching the film as a result of this, along with wanting to know more about the story itself from the opening crawl.

However...

Other films such as James Bond, Casino Royale uses an opening shot of Bond killing a victim of his, which instantly draws the audience into wanting to watching the film, as we are curious as to why this has happened. Along with the the shot of Bond pointing the gun straight at the camera, makes us as the audience feel as if he is targeting us, which also encourages us to watch more.

Personally from my own experience this is more effective when drawing the audience in to the film, then perhaps what Star Wars uses, as it instantly draws you into the film, with a killing scene thrown into the audiences eyes. However we must consider that Bond is an action film, and quick things are meant to happen without questioning, so this opening title fits appropriately under the genre of action.

Colours such as red and black to highlight danger, and death are used which relates to the film being action and based on a secret agent. Red can also imply blood, and the fact the rise en scene consists of figures on the game, 'cards, suggests Bond carries out these killings as if its a game. The fact as well the text appears quickly then goes can relate to the concept of life being short, and death coming to kill around the corner, which is reinforced by a silhouette character of Bond, killing various other silhouettes.




The theme song sounds sinister and is fast paced, giving us as the audience a cold killing impression, which is hard to stop and unpredictable. With the support of the silhouettes having some form of a gun fight. The music is fairly upbeat and almost sounds abrupt, giving the impression that Bond is always on edge, and ready for his next move; relating to the genre of action constantly changing from various events. In addition a guitar string in the music gives a sharp sound, as if it were a knife being sliced which is seen as the Bond silhouette stabs another, which helps to support one another.

Yet...

Between James Bond and Star Wars, there is this theme of mystery and unawareness, which is seen in both films. The opening title displays Bond as a silhouette and therefore he is unknown to his targets, which is reinforced right at the end of the sequence, when Bond's face is covered up by a black shape, implying he is to be kept hidden.

These are just two examples of film openings I researched out of the four when I was researching into film openings.

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This video was made to show an understanding of how camera movements and various shot types, can enhance the overall look of a digitally recorded piece. An example of this enhancement could be  we decided to include a shot of the front of Oakgrove School, where our main character would be followed into school using an upwards tracking shot. The reason for this decision is that a tracking shot just focusing on the character entering the school wouldn't perhaps give a clear indication to an audience of where the character was. However using a shot focusing on the sign 'Oakgrove School' following upwards from the character, highlights where the character is. In addition we chose an upwards shot of the sign, in front of the school which is large with a shot slowly going upwards, away from the character, which emphasises how the school dominates the character.

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