Starts with a woman in a police interview room and she's been asked about the death of her husband. She is emotional and pleading innocence, . it then cuts to the same woman looking expensive and dressed in fancy clothes and pearls etc. and she's sat on the sofa with pictures of her husband with another woman. The phone rings and it's him - she asks him to take her out to dinner and slips a gun into her bag.
For most of the opening sequence, it'll be the police interview and the big contrast will be between how emotional she is at the start to how calm & collected she is before killing him. She'll then find clues around the house (e.g. lashes, different color hair in the shower, makeup in his drawer). But the most dramatic part is when she is on the phone and gets the gun.
Backstory and summary of the sequence - she's at home and finds out he's having an affair, she then meets him with a plan to kill him. The rest of the plot is how she avoids getting arrested for the murder of her own husband
COMPARING OPENING TITLE SEQUENCES - AMERICAN HORROR STORY & GREASE
The opening title sequences of American horror story and grease are two very different opening sequences and we can assume that the two narratives will be opposites to each other, the key conventions used in American Horror Story to make the narrative horror include quick shots to create a sense of uncertainty and confusion - this is also helped as we aren't told much about the location, time period or introduced to any characters combined with sinister objects such as scissors coated in blood, mysterious potion bottles and parts of human beings in a jar - within this sequence, there is also a sense of purity with the white gown, representative on innocence similar to the small children who are also included in the sequence. The titles themselves are relatively plain however there's a contrast from the black background to the white title but it also has a sense of messiness and chaos, which is in line with the story. The music used emphasizes an eerie atmosphere and the contrast in the quick shots to the slightly longer shots of the white dress help to create the horror genre effectively.
Another completely opposite opening title sequence is Grease (1978), creates a completely different narrative from the start
through upbeat music, vibrant colors and gives the viewers a sense of clarity and understanding of the location, characters, and time period; the time is set clearly when characters such as Marilyn Monroe and the concept of communism are introduced - showing the audience clearly that its set in the 1950s. The characters are well introduced as are the actors that play them, for example (actor name) AS (character).
The characters themselves are introduced individually with a whole small sequence just on them. We get to learn a little about them - for example down below the blonde girl with animals around her connotes that she is friendly, and maybe naive. The impact that this has on the audience just lets us know more about the film and gives certainty and understanding .
The titles themselves are incorporated into the location of a busy city while still keeping in line with the bright colors and a light-hearted mood, which again connotes a happy and playful narrative
To conclude, the opening (title) sequence is crucial to illustrate and hint at the narrative and tone of the film, this can be due to sound, animations, colours and the introducing of the characters and location.
There are huge amounts of people that each contributes to the production of a film, however, there are usually only 6 people, the director, editor, camera operator, producer, and the director of photography.
The director
The director has a few main responsibilities, these include
working with both music and sound departments
reviewing and adjusting scripts
watching in on auditions and working with the casting departments, ensuring they have the best fit for the character
monitoring and approving (spending) the budget appropriately
The editor
The editor has a crucial job on set - because all different scenes of a film are not shot in chronological order, one of their main jobs will be to make the film make sense by putting all the shots in the right order. The editor will work with the sound and camera people while also making everything look seamless and put together. The editor will transform raw footage into a plot that tells the story in the best possible way, by adjusting, cutting, and assembling clips.
The producer
The producer's first job will be to pitch the film idea to the studio/ company, discussing casting, budget, distribution, release, and marketing. They make the movie work by doing a little bit of everything making sure that the editing, camera, and sound are all making the film to the best possible standard. A good producer will have a sense of leadership and authority and (hopefully) this will make the film the best version it could be.
Camera operator(s)
The camera operators will work mostly with editing and sound, but individually they will work with technical equipment to achieve the best shots they can capture. Their main responsibilities include;
- collaboration with the editor and director to envision the outcome of the film
- know how to operate various equipment and select the right equipment which will creatively capture the scene
- follow the script and be quick to respond to changes
The camera departments will vary in numbers due to the budget and size of the film and have a vital part to play in ensuring that the narrative flows naturally.
Art Director/ Director of Photography
The main job of an art director is to keep people interested by focusing on the aesthetic, mood, and tone of the film through color, lighting, and concept.
Their job will initially start in pre-production by sketching out ideas and working with the director to help bring the vision of the film into reality however once it's been released their role shifts and they can now be responsible for designing posters, film covers and help in the social media aspect of advertising.
Titles mainly give credits to the key people who helped the production of the film. Tittles can help establish the genre through the font/ colour and placement. For example in this opening title sequence. For example in this title, establishes the character, the location and the time. Titles should include 21 of the most important names, these are the; director, screenplay(writer), based upon, produced by, executive producer, director of photography, production designer, editor, music, costume designer, casting, 5 main actors, film title, the main star, directors film name, production and money.
The colours, font and transition of how the titles are included in the opening title sequence - for example, a horror film would include colours such as black white and red as they are stereotypically 'scary' such as the one below - this sets the narrative while still being informative - in comparison, you could use a bigger and more colourful and lively font to set a different narrative. Titles within an opening sequence are effective as we can see more clearly the antagonist/ protagonist themselves with the titles which just sets a more 'whole' picture where you can assume the narrative.
Genre is conveyed through conventions and this is easily and effectively done through different fonts and colours, and can give hints to the narrative of the film
The first thing we see of the actual film puts the audience on edge, being on a plane out of control is terrifying to anyone and we're gripped automatically. It cleverly contrasts the pilot with the passengers to show 2 different types of fear, one more controlled and one more expressed - which helps establish how the rest of the narrative will go, we assume it'll be more of an action than a drama, but we soon see that this isn't the case and this whole sequence is just a figment of his imagination in a dream.
The target audience for this film that we can assume from this short sequence would again be more mature as there are themes explored that are dangerous and scary - and this may not be appropriate for a younger/ family viewing. Although because this 'plane crash' is at the very start of the film, the rest would just be the aftermath of this and so it may be a story more on loss and grief than action and fast-paced narrative
The camera work from inside the plane and is handheld, making the audience feel like their present in the plane - further engaging us. it also creates a more chaotic and turbulent scene - combined with the set of it being a confined space where there isn't much room to move about and everyone's falling over each other it creates an unsafe and uncertain atmosphere.
There's little to no dialogue, but a little from the captain muttering positive comments to himself which intensifies the fear he doesn't sound certain of himself and the cries of the passengers are louder. The location of where the plane is crashing into is a busy city which, again captivates the audience and will add tension.
When Sully wakes up, the difference between the 2 scenes are binary opposites, the audience feels relief and the contrast in lighting helps emphasize this, on the plane, it was dark, loud, and stressful - but waking up - the only sound of him breathing and the calm lighting feels like a fresh start and a new day. However, what this means for the rest of the narrative is subjective to the viewer, some could say that it was foreshadowing a plane crash and others might just think it was the pilot's anxieties.
Overall, I think this opening sequence is successful, by means of gripping the audience but it's unclear what the narrative is for the future, we also don't get a feel for the tone that will be set for the remainder of the film.
From the very first shot, the time and location are established through text,
and with this comes the first key convention for an action film -
gunshots and a sense of danger - which immediately engages the audience.
The other conventions used throughout this opening sequence is the dietetic
sound at the start, through radio - creating a sense of unsafety and the
costumes used, they're very stereotypically used to represent bravery and this
reinforces the narrative of an action film. The sound and the terror around
shocks the audience while most of the characters are able to remain calm,
action films are usually very tense and this is seen from the way it zooms
into the building where the danger is and during the specific moment from the
picture down below when the tense music is being played, and the man is
counting down in a foreign language, this creates an atmosphere of uncertainty
as we don't know whats going on and then the bomb goes off - this is startling
for us as the audience but for the characters they don't seem too surprised,
the only dialogue spoken after is a mere curse and then they get back to
planning their next move, this shows us that this has clearly happened before
and gives us an idea for what the rest of the narrative will be about, almost
giving a small backstory to why what happens next, will happen. However, the
rest of the film doesn't continue to this narrative, and while still remaining
an action film, has elements of more lighthearted moments and this is the only
scene in the film shot in this time period and in the middle east.
There aren't too many characters introduced on a deep level, the little
boy who we learn is named Egsy we can see will have a big role, and the man
who was both present in the first location and in the second, we assume will
also play a big part. The camera work used to introduce character is effective
as Egsy is only a background character at the beginning but it zooms out
on him, causing us to pay more attention to him than the dialogue going on,
when Egsy is handed the badge we know that this will get the rest of the story
going - this further engages the audience as to what significance the item
holds. The target audience for this film, from the opening scene we assume
would be a more mature audience who usually like to watch fast-paced, action,
thriller, and war films, however, as the film goes on we can see it may not
just be this type of film and could be targetted towards a younger audience as
it's not as scary and violent as it might seem in the first few
minutes.
The Mise - en - Scene has impacted the scene by making it more
dramatic, the set seems old and broken down by the bombs and violence and
the character composition of one of the characters in the center tied up to
a chair also shows us how serious this situation is. In contrast when the
next location is established it's a very different environment - where it
feels a lot safer and we can see this through the brighter colors and how
all of the characters look more at ease from their facial expressions and
costume.
In conclusion, I think that this opening sequence is very effective as
portraying the film as action and using the key conventions, however, it may
be slightly misleading in the way that it doesn't continue to this narrative
the whole way through.
The opening sequence to the joker only introduces 1 relevant character who has no dialogue, we can only assume what he's like from what is portrayed of him, and this is mainly done through his hair and makeup, the simple denotation of his appearance is that he looks 'clownlike' - a theme that was initially targetted towards small children as a comedic idea; however over time it has become a more sinister concept and one that many people have developed phobias about. The over the shoulder shot used, is unique as this camera angle is usually used between two people having a conversation and is used to establish dominance, and who's more important - but in this case, it's between the Joker in the mirror and a close-up shot of him, this may suggest that its two different emotions or perhaps two different personalities, one being who he truly is and another putting on a mask, literally through makeup and metaphorically through how he's portraying himself. We can see from just 3 minutes of the introduction that the film will include darker topics, such as murder, mental illness, and danger through the location of a busy city - adding to the sense of chaos - this instantly tells us that the film will be an adult audience. The Mise en Scene is also used to imply the narrative of the scene as we can see it's not going to be a 'feel-good' movie; this combined with the diegetic sound at the start on the radio where the words 'emergency' and 'dies' are mentioned gives us an idea of the genre and tone of the film, the sense of violence and a fast-paced introduction are the main conventions in a thriller film - it leaves a lot to the imagination as to what happens next.
The audience is immediately engaged from the dim lighting and the out-of-the-ordinary character we see, because of the radio and the way that the 'Joker'clearly looks in distress, we're eager to keep watching to see how he responds to being violently beaten up and what emerges from this. The audience will most likely feel pity for him which will then shape their response to the rest of the film, I feel like the whole point of them showing him going through this attack is to give a different perspective on how he behaves during the rest of the film and shows us a reason as to why he arguably becomes the villain and the victim simultaneously.
The sound is used effectively through pleonastic sound effects when the teenagers bang the sign against his head, causing him to fall to the ground, this emphasizes the pain aspect of the sequence, and while this is happening the contrapuntal music of the upbeat piano tune is fading out, representative of the infantilization of the film and showing us that the darker themes of the film are about become more present. The chaos sequence is made through the cars blaring their horns, while the piano music is still there and the shouting and swearing is over the top of both of these. In addition, the camera work is tracking them running in a dangerous place while they're running into cars, a stereotypical convention in a thriller film.
In conclusion, I think this opening scene is very successful and covers all areas of making an opening scene for engaging the audience and establishing the genre, character, and basic narrative.
