Film Openings Research

Film Openings Research 

In one of our recent media lessons we watched three film openings; Trainspotting, Halloween and Amelie. We explored what features were included in different types of genres so we could gain a better understanding of what to include in our own piece. I created visual maps showing the types of sound, tension levels, camera work, mise-en-scene and editing used in the openings. 

Trainspotting:

Genre: Drama/Crime

Director: Danny Boyle

Notes: The scenes starts off with an establishing shot which sets the location of the film. This is immediately interrupted by the main characters running into the shot which creates tension and a fast pace in the film which draws in the audience. The whole of the opening is edited with cross cuts as the scenes switch from one another with the voice over of Ewan McGregor's character. This fast montage gives the viewer an inside look of other characters and themes that will feature throughout the movie. As a result of the cross cutting, tension levels throughout the clip stay quite moderate and the sound does not get very loud. Most of the sound is diegetic as the scenes are normal settings. However, there is music played throughout the opening which modernises the clip and relates back to the urban setting.

Amelie:

Genre: Drama/Romance

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Notes: The film starts off with classic opening credits with gold writing and a black background. The opening then changes to an establishing shot  of an empty french street which sets the location of the film. Different clips of settings are then shown followed by the introduction of a man with a voice over in French. Subtle non-diegetic music is played throughout the whole clip. The opening then changes to stop frame animation of a pregnant women throughout her pregnancy and Amelie is born. The final scenes in the opening are of a child playing and doing things like spinning coins and making faces. The whole of the opening lacks tension due to it being a calm romance. However, the concept of a romantic theme is carried throughout due to the colour palette being very neutral with green and yellow.

Halloween:

Genre: Slasher/Thriller

Director: John Carpenter

Notes: Just like the other two movies, Halloween starts off with a establishing shot of a house. A pumpkin is visible to definitely get across to the audience that is Halloween. The shots of this opening are interesting as it is all filmed from the point of view of the killer except from the last shot when the killer is revealed. This intrigues the audience as they find out a lot of information at the very start which other characters don't. Along it all being filmed from a p.o.v, the opening is all a continuous shot. This creates more suspense for the audience as there are no breaks between the shots so they see everything. Unlike the other movies, Halloween is full of suspense and this heightened with the use of sound. Diegetic sound like talking and footsteps is added to show it is a normal situation. However, is is the non-diegetic dound of added music that creates the susoense with sharp noises added in. Darkly lit shots is also a key component in this film to create suspense. The dim lighting stops the audience from seeing everything clearly so they are not fully clear on what is going on.