In depth analysis of Sherlock Holmes opening title sequence

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.

Class film opening analysis

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 
  

Similarities and differences in film openings

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) - No credits

Differences between film openings and trailers

Trailer

• Shows most exciting parts of the film
• Shows off big stunts
• 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.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I believe that our film demonstrates excellent continuity.  We ensured that our actors were wearing the same clothing in every shot by filming everything at the same time (this also made sure that their hairstyles etc were the same). In the interrogation scene at the end of our film we shot all of the clips of the interrogator talking first in one go and then we shot all of the clips of the suspect afterwards; we did this as it ensured that our actors were sitting in the same positions, were talking in a fluent tone etc to retain good continuity.

Our film demonstrates match on action in two places,  firstly when the interrogator opens and walks through a door and later on when he goes up some stairs. In these shots we have used match on action when he pushed down on the door handle and started to go through the door and then when he turned a corner going up some stairs. In the interrogation scene we also used shot reverse shot to show the reaction and responses of the suspect to what the interrogator said, enhancing the feeling of fear to the audience. During this scene we used POV (Point of view) shots to make the audience have a closer and more personal connection with the characters.

For the most part our group worked alright together, one of the other members and myself took on more authorative roles which ended up working well as it ensured that we stayed on schedule. However we found one of our members had a worryingly relaxed approach to the work and the deadlines we set as a group; although this was a pain we managed to complete everything on time and I feel that it was actually beneficial in a way personally as it forced me to adapt to the situation and take on unforeseen roles.

If I were to film the piece again I would have taken more time in selecting locations (we had an issue whilst filming the interrogation scene with other people getting into shot), as well as thinking more about what equipment to use (a dolly would have been extremely useful at one stage, as I had to crouch-walk along tracking the interrogator's feet, with the camera just off of the floor). I would also have tried to ensure that our actors were calm and focused beforehand as well, as one had a tendency to burst into laughter abruptly.

I feel that we planned our film rather well, we all knew what shots needed to be filmed, who was involved and where. this is because we also had many brief group discussions on the shots we needed to film, allowing us to make small changes at the time if needs be to improve them (such as how high the camera angle should be, how long a clip should be etc).

Our film fades out to and in from black during the title sequence, and some shots fade into the next, however the majority simply use a cut. We chose the fading into and from black in the title sequence to show a smooth transition from the film itself and contextual information which is not necessary to be known to understand the plotline (the title) this helps to show a difference between what is in the film and announcing the start and name of the film. We chose to use crossfades early on as the clips shown were from drastically different locations, and so it showed a passing of time, whilst others were cut as they were in the same location and so no progression of time was necessary to be shown.

Through this piece I have learnt the basics of the software and I now feel relatively comfortable with using it. I have not yet delved into more advanced aspects of it, however I hope that I can use my new knowledge in understanding what I have yet to learn.

Unfortunately, due to having past experience in photography as well as technology in general I don't feel that I have learnt anything new about the technologies we used (such as the cameras, Blogger, file formats etc) specifically.

Preliminary task film

Preliminary task filming

During filming we managed to get all of the shots in our list filmed within around one and a half hours, as we had some spare time left in which we could use our locations as well as the camera and actors, we shot a couple of extra clips (such as the one of the interrogator walking up the stairs) impromptu so that we had a few more options during editing.

Unfortunately, we had to re-shoot some clips as we had issues with things such as the actors laughing or people walking into shot. Although this lengthened both the filming and editing processes it allowed us to refine the shots somewhat, tweaking things such as how an actor walks etc.