This is a comparison between the key things found in Mainstream and Independent films. This will help me as it gives me a simple list of the differences between the two which I can use during the creation of my film to ensure that it fits the correct type of production company. Mainstream
High production value
More/more complex technologies (such as green screens or CGI)
Higher image quality
Often in 3D or IMAX
Large, broad audience
Common, large genre
Obvious genre
Large, expensive marketing schemes using cross media convergence
Broad distribution (available on DVD, Blu-ray, online, multiplex cinemas etc)
International distribution
Independent
Niche audience (very specific target audience)
Specific, often ususual genre
Genre unclear
Gritty
Either have a very small marketing scheme or none whatsoever (recent independent films, such as Ex_Machina (2015), have utilised social media as it is widespread and free)
Low budget/production value
Limited distribution (often solely on DVD, online, or in independent cinemas)
These are the results from a questionnaire to find out about audiences in general, as well as a few questions targeted at our chosen genre. This is useful as it tells me both a little about my audience, as well as the prevalence that our chosen genre has within this area. I surveyed 20 people, most of which were my peers, however some were older (family members, older friends etc). The youngest person I surveyed was 12, and the oldest 51, and so I had a good range of ages. The average age was somewhere around 17 (so late teenage years), and the gender ratio was fairly equal, with two more men than women.
These results tell me that most of the people I asked like films (namely comedies), most know of and like mockumentaries, however most could not name one. Most also disliked documentaries and preferred mainstream to independent films.
Using Jelly Babies as our characters and post-it notes for titles we created a storyboard for the opening of a (non-existent) film. Our film was to be a supernatural thriller aimed at teenagers; to fit this we set our plotline as a group of 4 friends (one of which is disabled, hence the missing arm) at school who found a basement in one of their classrooms, which in it has all of their past teachers in zombie form.
We did this activity so that it would give us more experience in making a more detailed storyboard. It also allowed us to focus our film onto a specific target audience and make us think on the spot. These things will increase our experience and knowledge in these fields, which we can use in turn when it comes to making our own film.
This is a list of common film genres and the generic conventions found in them. This will help me as it gives me a clear list of generic conventions for different genres, as well as an example of a film opening for each.
Action
Fight scenes
Weaponry
Car chases
Animation
CGI
Usually tied in with another genre (such as family)
Often unrealistic (inanimate objects are often given personalities)
Comedy
Humour
Light-hearted or satirical
Sarcasm
Family
U/PG rating
Happy ending
Information is not withheld
Horror
Gore
Violence
Fear
More realistic than Thriller
Romance
Love
Usually have a happy ending
Emotional
War
Military
Weaponry
Violence
Often historical
Adventure
Journey
Mystery
Overcoming obstacles
Crime
Detectives
Police
Mystery
Illegal activity
Drama
Controversy/conflict
Real life situations
Audience can realate to characters
Mystery
Unknown
Little information given out
Questioning
Historical
Portrays a historical event/period
Serious or satirical (Such as a mockumentary)
Usually as accurate as possible, within political limitations (unless satirical)
Certification is extremely important in films. If the film's age rating is too high then much of the target audience may be restricted from viewing the film, crippling it's views. However if it's too low then the film may be controversial and unpopular due to concerns over how appropriate it is for younger people.
An example of a film which has been controversial with regards to it's certification is Deadpool (2016), which was rated as a 15 although many have argues that it should have been an 18. I personally saw the film with my partner and his family, and his parents said afterwards that they thought it was inappropriate for his sister (who was 15 at the time) due to the excessive violence shown. This lead to a significant amount of hate being thrown at Marvel as parents were concerned by what their children were being allowed to be shown.
This helps me as it serves as a reminder to why it is important that we accurately certify our film in relation to age as doing this incorrectly could have a very negative impact on either our film's views or our production company's reputation.
The purpose of certification is to protect audiences (usually younger people or vulnerable teenagers/adults) from graphic scenes, foul language, and explicit/illegal acts. It sets the standard for what is expected for a film for each age group, often useful for parents with a responsibility for children and thus have to make informed decisions on what they should and should not watch. This will help me as it can serve as a quick set of guidelines for what my own film opening can show dependent on what age classification we choose.
U - Universal
Suitable for people aged 4 and above, carry a positive message and reassuring counterbalancing to and violence, threat, or negative themes.
PG - Parental Guidance
Should not unsettle or upset a child aged 8 or above, thus some scenes or content may be unsuitable for younger children. Parents are advised to accompany their children or consider what effects the film may have on them.
12/12A - Suitable for 12 years and older
Suitable for people aged 12 or above, may have foul language, misuse of drugs etc however this is infrequent and not encouraged or glamourised. Children must be accompanied to watch 12A rated films in cinemas.
15 - Suitable for 15 years and older
Suitable for people aged 15 and above, no one younger than 15 may see a 15 rated film, nor may they buy or rent 15 rated video work. Violence, sexual content, and drugs may be shown, however the piece may not show highly dangerous things, dwell on the infliction of pain/injury, or show too much detail. Foul language is permitted, with extremely foul language may be permitted, dependent on context within the film.
18 - Suitable for adults
Suitable for people aged 18 years and above. Most violence, drugs etc is permitted unless disconcertingly illegal and the bbfc feels that it may cause the Hypodermic needle (theory) threat.
The three films I chose are Deadpool, The Matrix, and Resevoir Dogs. I chose these as they represent both older and modern films and have variations in genre as well. The most striking difference between the three that I noticed is that The Matrix doesn't have many titles in it's intro, only institutional logos, allowing it to be focused more on the story. Resevoir Dogs and Deadpool both have a generous amount of titles, with Deadpool going for a more sarcastic and witty approach and Resevoir Dogs going for a more traditional approach.
This helps me as it shows me the basic sequence of credits in mainstream films, as well as why some films don't follow this pattern and for what reason.
This will help me as it lets me not only watch a film opening as created by another group of AS Media students, but also prompts me to analyse how effective it is in different areas and what areas of it I like or dislike.
Genre/Narrative
This opening certainly fits into the adventure genre (this is not stated) in my opinion. There is a clear narrative which supports this, with a teen embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Through the depiction of the letter to his parents the viewer is given a clear insight into the character's feelings and what he plans to do. As explained later the non-diegetic audio also supports this.
Atmosphere
Throughout the opening the character quite clearly hesitates when performing some tasks, such as when he puts a first aid pack in his bag (which appears to have leapt out again in the next shot, which I found quite noticable -I will need to be very careful with continuity in my own opening) and when he pets a horse. This makes the viewer feel uneasy about the character's actions and decisions as he himself is, giving it a more personal feel.
Themes
There is a clear theme of self-discovery throughout the opening. This can be seen through the overall narrative of the character leaving home to go on an adventure/journey. This is also clear through the atmosphere as mentioned previously; the character seems apprehensive of his own actions (which has connotations of self-doubt) and is perhaps unhappy with his current situation. As noted before this is also supported by the non-diegetic audio.
Setting
The first half of the opening is set in the main character's bedroom. This is an excellent use of pre-existing location as this was almost certainly one of the group member's bedrooms. Through doing this they eliminated the need to find a suitable room and make it look like a teenager's room, saving time, resources, and in turn making it more realistic and believable.
The latter half of the opening is set in a field with a horse and a logpile. Due to the natural light they would have saved time and resources lighting it themselves by choosing to film on a day with suitable weather conditions. This is another good use of pre-exisitng locations as it is clear they haven't modified it whatsoever and so could simply go straight to shooting.
Sound
I personally love the use of non-diegetic audio in this opening. It is an excerpt from a talk by Alan Watts (a popular late British philosopher), who often focused his work around self-discovery and motivation. This particular talk of his (entitled "what if money was no object") is him talking about how he supported graduates in finding what they wanted to do when they came to him seeking advice; which links in very well with the visual aspect of the opening and providing a clear narrative of what's happening. I prefer this in this case over a regular narration as it removes all diegetic audio and focuses the viewer on the words, however these words feel like they have more meaning through the way Watts spoke and not just someone reading a script in a soundbooth. From this I know that if my opening does have some form of narration or presentation I want to make sure it has some character; some personal flair which helps the viewer connect with what is being said.
Titles
I feel that the handwritten style of the titles in this opening really add to the atmosphere of it. They make it feel more personal; giving the viewer a closer relationship with the character, which I think would become important throughout the film, particularly with empathy. This title style also links clearly to the letter the character writes in the clip, making the titles feel more like they're written by him; further emphasising this idea.
Non-diegetic sound to tell a story - WANDERLUST does this excellently, by using Alan Watts' 'What if money was no object'
Low aperture to bring to the focal point to a specific area - Dog Tag uses this very effectively during the shots around 0:45 to bring the viewer's focus on the character
Location - Asphalt has an excellent location, seen at the shot at 0:38, which the production team have used to add to the atmosphere of the sequence
Make-up - CAPTIVE is a brilliant example of this, best seen at 0:25, where make-up has been used to create a realistic effect which makes the audience believe that a fight or conflict will have occurred beforehand
Titles - The Edge uses titles very creatively; opting to blend them into the environment rather than just stick them on the screen, which looks professional and prevents from diverting the audience's attention away from the story
POV shots - The Marksman uses a POV shot near the end to create a more personal feeling on what is happening in the sequence
Colour correction in editing - Carnage has been colour corrected so that everything looks darker and more brown; giving it a much more serious feel
Lighting for emphasis - Bazza has used the metallic surface of a dumbell to put emphasis on it
Silhouetting - End Point has used a silhouette of a person to generate tension due to the character's unknown identity
Costume - Exiled has perfectly fitting costumes which really add to the realism and atmosphere of the sequence
This will help me as it gives me a list of things I should be doing or thinking about when I make my own film opening.
For this research I have decided to look at why some film openings don't use titles (or very few titles), and the effect this has on the viewer's experience. This will help me as it lets me analyse a specific area of film openings which I find particularly interesting and I may be able to use in my own film opening.
Valkyrie (2008)
Valkyrie actually has no institutional logos or credits in the opening whatsoever. This is incredibly unusual as usually films will at least have institutional logos (like Sherlock Holmes, 2009). However, it does have a section at the beginning where some German text flips to English, reading "The following is based on a true story", and the Wehrmacht Oath of loyalty (also known as the Hitler Oath), which, although very sudden and harsh, is extremely effective at putting the viewer in a suitable mindset for the film, as well as giving them an idea of what the main character was expected to do (which he later goes back on, as the story shows). This use of titles is extremely effective in my opinion and I admire the selflessness and dedication to the story the institutions associated with it showed.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
As mentioned previously, the opening of Sherlock Holmes only has three institutional logos, all of which are presented at the immediate start of the film and are inset into part of a cobbled road. The camera briefly pauses at each of these before tilting up to the main attraction, marking the beginning of the film. This very minimal and subtle approach to the titles is very effective in my opinion, and I firmly believe that it really helps to contribute to the story of the film; allowing the audience to focus on the story itself, and not reading who directed and starred in it.
Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool is certainly an oddball when it comes to films, with the opening of this film featuring wedgies, Angel of the Morning (by Juice Newton), and most importantly some rather ridiculous titles. Although this opening has several titles, I believe that these are unique in contributing to the story and setting the film up with a remarkable degree of effectiveness. As the titles move slowly with various items in the frame and regard different crew members by outlandish titles instead of their official titles it perfectly sets up the action genre in an extremely comedic fashion. Some of the titles also help show how the film doesn't really take itself seriously, supported later on with several fourth wall breaks.
Inception (2010)
Inception is another rarity in films as it features no titles whatsoever. This fits in very well with the story due to its reliance on being immersive. I believe that this excellently supports the storyline of the film; giving the audience a much greater viewing experience and thus improves the film as a whole. As the film is riddled with questions of what is real and what is dream the lack of titles also helps in giving the audience no indication of what state the characters are in at the beginning of the film, making it more immersive and keeping the audience questioning and on their toes.
Lord of war (2005)
Lord of War is by far the most stereotypical in how it presents titles in it's opening, however this is for good reason. As the film is a crime drama with an odd documentary-style twist (seen first with the audience being directly addressed in the first lines), it can afford more stereotypical titles as there is less of a story for the viewer to be immersed in. This means that the titles do not detract from the storyline of the film.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
This will help me as it makes me look at how a less conventional mainstream film opening presents different themes to the audience in depth.
Genre
Action is hinted at by the characters in the carriage loading their weapons (a shotgun and revolver), this connotes an upcoming firefight/conflict. The fact that a shotgun is used is also noteworthy as it emphasises the significance of this upcoming conflict; if it were only minor they would both have revolvers, but one of the characters has opted for a significantly more lethal and powerful weapon instead.
The pace of the editing, the man running, and the speed of the carriage also culminate to make the sequence feel fast-paced; it also feels as if the carriage is chasing the running man at the beginning, giving further connotation to an upcoming conflict? Later in the sequence the running man also vaults several obstacles, dodges others, and breaks down a door; this gives further connotation to the viewer that he is desperate to not be caught by the carriage, even if that means breaking into somewhere.
Adventure is entailed through the narrative of the carriage chasing the running man. This, combined with the running man's willingness to venture off of the well-lit and obvious path into more secluded alleys, gives the sequence a feeling of adventure and mystery.
Crime is heavily shown throughout the clip. At the beginning of the clip the characters in the carriage appear very authoritative and well dressed as well as being armed; this connotes that they are part of law enforcement. These characters are being driven by stereotypical policemen, enforcing the idea that they are part of the police. Later in the sequence it is shown that they are accompanied by two more policemen inside the carriage as one of the characters turns to face them; reassuring their allegiance.
The fact that the running man opts to break in via breaking down a gate at the end of the sequence with no time spent questioning it also connotes that this may be a petty crime compared to others he may have committed.
Narrative
The sequence encompasses a carriage chasing a running man. The carriage is evidently the police and the running man is presumed to be a criminal. Throughout the sequence the running man sticks to well-lit roads until nearer the end, where he turns down an extremely dark alley, before avoiding obstacles and breaking down a gate to seek refuge. The fact that he opts to switch to such a dark alleyway highlights that he is desperate to escape the police carriage. He also almost loses his footing as he turns down said alleyway due to the speed at which he was running at; emphasising the pace of the chase and showing that he has to react quickly and make sharp decisions in order to evade the police carriage. He also makes a jump off of a considerable ledge shortly before breaking down the door/gate; further showing the lengths he is prepared to go to to achieve his goal.
The entire sequence up to 0:52 is one continuous shot, this makes up over half of the clip and so is very slow paced; the sudden switch to fast paced editing once the camera cuts to the character in the carriage with the revolver is thus emphasised and makes much more of an impact had the first section been comprised of several shots with a neutral paced edit. At 0:34 it also feels as though the camera would naturally cut to another shot, however the camera then moves first as if it is being picked up before chasing the carriage and ending at the rear window of said carriage with the two law enforcement characters in frame; this is unusual and gives a sense of unease to the viewer, making them start to question their own judgement.
Atmosphere
The streets in which the carriage travels have low-key lighting, however they are the brightest places in the sequence. The rest of the areas shown are also poorly lit or completely blanketed in darkness (such as the alleyway the running man switches to). Due to the overall darkness the sequence encompasses through low-key lighting (or a lack of lighting entirely) it feels rather mysterious. This is enforced by the presumed purposes/identities of the characters and the presumption of that is happening in the sequence; as nothing that is happening or character's identities is not supported with concrete evidence or even stated then the only thing the viewer can do is presume using what little information is given.
As the carriage sticks to the comparatively well-lit roads it makes it feel more as though it is carrying the protagonist(s) of the film, whilst the running man sticks to dark alleyways and so is presumed to be the antagonist (or perhaps just a regular criminal, however I doubt this due to the amount of attention given to him and the tracking shots which give a more personal view of him). The light on the carriage is also white instead of yellow/orange, and so ties in with the connotation of purity from white, as well as the light itself being purer and not tarnished and yellowed.
Themes
Crime is a major theme in this sequence; right from the beginning of the clip the viewer presumes that the carriage is law-enforcement (as supported by the policemen both inside the carriage as shown later on and the policemen driving it). The presumably criminal running man also continues this theme, and the chase-style nature of the sequence connotes that a crime may have recently taken place, hence why the police are chasing the criminal.
Conflict is presented in the sequence primarily through the appearance of firearms. Both of the suited men in the carriage have weapons (a shotgun and revolver), and one of the policemen also carries a revolver. These are not only shown but can be seen being loaded and the revolver can be seen being cocked (arming the weapon so that it can be fired); the presentation of these weapons being prepared for firing gives a heavy implication that the holder of said weapons are expecting to be needing to use them shortly into the future.
Setting
The first visual indicators of the setting to the viewer are the cobbled road, eccentric architecture and horse-drawn carriage. Based off of these the viewer can gain a rough indicator of the time period that this is set in (around-about the 1800s), and that it is set in a built-up area.
When the camera reaches the carriage at the end of the first shot there is also more indicators of the setting. The clothing worn by the two characters is well-suited (pun not intended) to the time period and also shows that they are higher class; as supported by them being well-groomed and the presence of a pocketwatch in one of their pockets. These two characters are quite obviously of a western ethnicity, allowing the audience to presume that this is set in a western town/city. The firearms they posess also helps to reassure the viewer of the time period; revolvers and lever-action shotguns are commonly shown in other films set in the later 1800s to early 1900s. The Policemen's uniform is of the iconic British 'bobby' style, helping the viewer to pin down the location to London and providing more reassurance on the time period.
Sound
The non-diegetic music in the sequence feels very in tune with the setting and fits the Action/Crime/Adventure genre very well. The camera also cuts at several points during the clip when the next part of the music begins; This emphasises the impact it has on the viewer and helps to build up the pace.
The diegetic sounds in the sequence is mostly from the feet of the running man and sounds the carriage and horses make. This makes it feel somewhat impersonal and fits the nighttime setting. The lack of speech gives not only an impersonal view but also prevents too much being shown about the characters; allowing for more to be shown and revealed as the film progresses. This also forces the viewer to concentrate more on the visual side of it and what can be seen. As well as these there is also the sounds made as the characters load and cock their weapons; this highlights their significance in the sequence as they are the only things (bar the carriage and running man) creating any noise in the sequence.
Titles
Unfortunately there is an almost complete lack of titles in this film opening. Although this is unusual it is not the only film to do this (The Matrix, for example, also does); and so feels less out of place because of this. There are two institutional logos shown at the beginning of the sequence (Warner Bros and Village Roadshow); the inclusion of only these and no other titles makes them feel more significant but also prevents the viewer's attention from being diverted away from what is happening in relation to the plotline.
The way these logos is presented is particularly fitting; they are both inlayed into the cobbled road, blending in instead of sticking out. This shows that these institutions have decided to put the plotline over their self-advertising, which is an unfortunately rare yet refreshing approach which shows their confidence in the film and dedication to it.
Skyfall
This will help me as it will let me explore the key themes which are presented by a popular mainstream film opening. This gives me an idea of what a mainstream audience would expect from a film opening.
Genre
Action - daggers and guns
Drama -death references (skulls, blood, gravestones etc)
Narrative
Camera - Low angle shot of protagonist in water (enigma code)
Womans hand - drags him down (connotations of women causing issues and bringing him down)
POV High angle - protagonist falling down what looks like a plughole - not in agood state of mind - makes the viewer question his destination
Continual journey in water - connotation of him having far to go
Target cut out of protagonist floating in water with wound where he was hit on the train - foreshadowes injury in this film?
Shooting his own shadow - afraid of himself?
Character
Protagonist looks vulnerable - loss of consciousness
Also looks weak - dragged down by woman's hand - extremely small in comparison to hand
Often aims his weapon where he is walking - afraid of enemies - cautious
Close up shots of protagonist's face - personal - looks tired and worn
Atmosphere
POV shots - makes certain sequences feel more personal
Underwater - everything floats around - feels unnatural
Shadows - much of the screen is usually filled with darkness/shadows - feels claustrophobic - low key lighting
Themes
Death - repeated imagery of weapons (guns and knives), blood, shooting targets
Internal conflict - protagonist shooting his own shadows, mirrors and seemingly overly cautious
Conflict - woman aiming pistol (a Walther PPK, the protagonist's iconic weapon of choice; suggesting she obtained it from him -betrayal?) at camera - Fire underwater - contrasting colours - shooting targets in place of fish
Stag/deer - hints to later in film
Setting
Underwater - some appears as if it were filmed on the seabed - some looks like underwater buildings
Water - drowning - death
Buildings - appear abandoned - solitary, alone
Sound
Water can be heard flowing at start (and then protagonist being submerged) - diegetic - only non-diegetic sound after that point
Dramatic and sudden violins begin as he is submerged - signals start of sequence
Lyrics begin with "This is the end" - ironic - beginning of film vs "end" - death connotations?
Lyrics often link to what is being seen - "but you'll never have my heart" - blood-red skull and structures which look like arteries/veins - "we will stand tall and face it all" as protagonist/camera (POV shot) looks/tilts upwards to see reflection of standing protagonist and multiple other silhoutted reflections
Titles
All of the titles are white (except some nearer the end, when they are on a white background and so change to black) - purity - contrast to largely dark backdrop
Titles appear either when the scene changes or/and at the same time the pace/section of the song changes
Titles remain in place on screen regardless of what is happening
Size of titles remains the same, as well as the font
Names are always in capitals whilst titles (Co-Producers etc) are lowercase
Main 'SKYFALL' title is only slightly larger than the others and partially covered up as protagonist falls/is pulled - understated
Main title is stylised (some areas faded, different font etc) - matches posters, cover art etc
I chose the openings of The Kingsman, Lord of war, and Inception. Out of the three i noticed that Inception was the most different of the three, with Kingsman and LOW having most of the same key features. This will help me as it shows me common things shown in film openings, as well as different ways in which some films do certain things (such as showing the time and place).
Film Name/Opening Sequence watched
Similarities
Differences
Kingsman
- Song
- Fade in/from blacks
- Credits
- Dramatic situation presented
- Little dialogue at end
- CGI
- Time and place stated on screen
Lord of War
- Song
- Fade in/from blacks
- Credits
- Little dialogue at beginning -direct to camera, breaks 4th wall
- Dramatic situation presented
- CGI
Inception
- Fade in/from blacks
- Dramatic situation presented
-Dialogue
- No Song
- Much more dialogue than others
- No CGI (although this is not as noteworthy as the lack of this is not uncommon)
aim is to get the audience excited -create tension
Doesn't give the plotline away (if it's a good one), yet gives you theh general gist
often have cliffhangers
progression of time and narrative
Information (release date etc)
institution logos
Tag line
Title of film at the END
Opening
Titles (cast, crew etc)
sets the scene
Introduces key characters
Film title at the very BEGINNING
Implications of:
Place
historical period (timeframe)
mood
tone
theme tune
Genre
poses questions that the viewer will find intriguing and try to answer as they watch the film
patterns of editing, mise etc which will be echoed throughout the film
This will help me as it highlights the key things that differentiate a film opening (which I will be creating), and a film trailer. This should prevent me from making my film opening look more like a trailer and help point me in the right direction for what I should and shouldn't be including.
