Hi all, I am very sorry but I will not be in school again today as I have a throat infection. Please can you get on with the following in today's lesson ready for when I return... 1. Finish your titles timeline from last lesson - don't forget to try the extension if you are aiming for an A*-B grade. 2. Decide upon your groups for the opening sequence project. These are the people you will be working with for the next 4 months so choose wisely - groups can be between 1-5 people. 3. Once you have decided upon your groups you must spend 5 minutes mindmapping your initial ideas for the opening sequence and decide upon your GENRE. 4. Each of you must then produce a moodboard (see examples below) on the computer about your chosen genre which will go into your own portfolio.
Melodie's choice... Its from the film The Boat That Rocked which is (kind of) based off of Radio Caroline/Carolina. I really like it because you can tell the genre of the film, the music fits the genre, there are titles, it introduces you to a character/characters and it gives an inkling of the narrative through telling us about pirate radio stations.
Ivy's choice... The opening scene I have chosen is called Twilight zone. I have not seen this film and it shows a different type of enigma towards the audience, by only using editing and showing to the audience use of computer skills- however this has brought the attention towards the audience as you want to know how the film carries on. By the use of having no characters and no scene of a setting or location, it leaves the audience thinking who, what and where the film will be. The only credits seen are at the very end advertising the title of the film which leaves you wondering who will be starring in the film. I liked this opening scene as it was unique to others as it didn't have the conventions of every other film. The camera angles used throughout the scene are twisted and unsettled making the audience feel confused and uneasy. This already gives us the idea that the genre is thriller or horror as the use of uneasiness, confusion as well as dark lighting shows us it is linked to one of these genres.
Esme's choice... I like this opening because its fun and it flows nicely into the different scenes which goes well with the song. I also like how it has the montage of the different monsters like the one "hiding under your stairs" It really relates to the story line as its about Halloween. I find it funny that they have all these monsters singing which really wouldn't happen so its a sort of juxtaposition. Isobel's choice... I like this opening sequence because there is a lot of tension and enigma. The music is quite slow which could show how serious James Bond is and also builds up the suspense. I also liked all of the special effects because they are very effective and could give you an inkling about what could happen in the film. Kawther's choice... The opening sequence that I have chosen is from the movie called, Lego Batman. The reason why I chose this is because, I'm a huge fan of animations (I might one day become an animator, I don't know yet) I also love Batman! In this opening sequence, you can tell the genre is animation, which has a mixed range of action, a bit of comedy, and definitely fantasy (so it's a hybrid movie). Second of all, we have an inkling of the narrative which is, good versus evil. We also know that, Joker has a plan on taking control over Gotham City and apparently it will be the best plan ever. We are introduced to the characters without titles, the Joker is telling us all the different villains there is, (at the beginning Batman has already introduced himself.) At the beginning of this opening sequence the music already creates enigma, starting at a low beat and then eventually higher (crescendo). Furthermore, Batman makes the enigma ironic, for he is mentioning everything to do with making the movie enigmatic such as 'edgy, scary music'. Although he mentions the elements of what makes the start of a movie enigmatic, he makes it obvious that he knows how to make 'his' movie unique. Amelie's choice... I think this opening sequence works really well because there is a constant sense of enigma as you never quite know whats why everything is happening or whats going to happen next: everything is a surprise. the symbols on the computer at the start with ere music in the background make them seem strange and scientific. Then the cops and men in suits and dark sunglasses talk, which is stereo typical of the secret service, are walking around a dark and derelict building which gives you a sense of the crime and danger surrounding the main character. Finally at the end of the sequence, the main character suddenly performs moves in mid air to show her strange powers which leaves the audience in with questions as to who she is and why she's in that situation. Catherine's choice... I think this is an effective opening sequence because it seems to include all of the typical conventions - Genre (drama/romance) Narrative (a story following this kind looking man at the bustop, hints from the suitcase and feathers journey) Character (man at the bustop, the film title and camera focuses on him) Music (soft, slow, story-type music) Location (feather sets the scene for the first 2 mins, small town/urban area) Enigma (wanting to know where he's going and where he's come from, whats in his suitcase? what's his story?) and titles (credits). Maisie's choice... I think the film 'Footloose' has a good opening sequence because straight away from the upbeat music, bright font and the dancing in the background you can tell it is of the musical genre. The narrative is also made clear as being about teenagers, parties and of course, dancing. Throughout the most of the clip, the music is building up and when it reaches its peak, there is a fatal accident from where on it is silent. This helps the audience understand the impact of the accident and how it took away some of the happiness shown through the music. The location is at a party with teenagers from a town and then a car. The fact that the music builds up and up creates enigma as the audience are not expecting the crash when it hits the chorus, which juxtaposes the most upbeat part of the song with a disaster. The titles are in yellow and a bold font and display the credits and producers etc. All in all, the Footloose opening sequence follows all the conventions of a typical film opening scene.
Sevde's choice... This opening sequence belongs to an awesome drama film-action movie which is Fight Club. I chose this opening sequence because when I started to watch the beginning, I didn't understand very well about which genre is the movie and I thought it might be a sci-fi movie. The music change in the beginning shows that there will be a narrative which we can't guess and the music is rock and loud so it gives a clue to us about action and the madness of the character, as the music keeps continue inside of the human. The titles also suggest that it feels like a sci-fi movie and we first start the movie as inside of a cell but at the end, again it surprises us with a human, which also tries to tell us that we are going to feel that we understood what is happening in the movie but the ending will be different as it in the opening sequence. And it creates enigma which makes us curious about what are we in in the beginning and at the end, what happened to the guy. I personally love this movie and the opening sequence is as good as the film itself.
Ula's choice... The opening sequence is from the film Nerve, I chose this film in particular because I find that its opening scene can be deceiving to the audience about its genre. Through the chill light-hearted music and Venus's sense of humour and her obvious crush towards JP, the audience may think this film is a coming out of age story about a girl who wants to go to an art school however, it is actually an action adventure and crime film which takes a deep turn and has big plot twists as the film progresses. From the opening sequence, the audience can see that the film is going to follow Venus and whether or not she is going to join the game, Nerve, as a watcher or player which creates the enigma of how this illegal game is going to go. Similarly, the audience also wonders whether or not Vee is going to tell her mother about the art school. Furthermore, the audience can tell that the film is set in New York City which is an urban location and therefore fits the conventions of the genre. Lastly, the opening sequence does not contain any titles however this is because the opening sequence is filmed as a recording of Venus's laptop screen and this itself if very effective in making the audience feel involved and want to continue watching the film.
Ahlam's choice...
Katherine's choice... I like this opening because it peaks the audience's interest and makes them begin to think what the film could be about. The iconic soundtrack would also be recognised by anyone as a 'space' soundtrack even if they hadn't seen the film.
Maha's choice... I think the opening scene is effective because there is instantly an element of enigma. This is shown from the very start when a character is speaking but we cannot see them, instead we are shown photographs. This creates a sense of mystery which is further reinforced with the low key lighting in that moment. Also, there is music when he is driving which helps to establish the action genre. Furthermore, we are instantly introduced to what the film is about, racing, which gives the audience an idea about the narrative. From the establishing shot at the very start, we learn it is set in New York. An urban location is very typical of the action genre. Overall, I think it is a successful opening because it keeps the audience interested. Need for Speed - click here for the video Freya's choice... Marvel’s super hero action film really knows how to make an impact and establish a tone in the first few minutes of a story with an unusually sad beginning to the film. In the first scene the uplifting dreamy 80’s music is a juxtaposition as to what is actually happening. This scene of the film is unexpected as you wouldn’t suspect something bad was going to happen especially in this genre of action film and that’s why I like it. You feel an instant empathy for the lead character. Not only does he lose his mother he is abducted. The music is an important part of the film as it’s a tape mix given to him by his mother of 80’s music which he listens to throughout the film. It’s a tragic start to Star-Lords story and most super heroes have a sad backstory, which are normally told later in the movie. Telling this story at the start of the film draws in the audience emotionally with sadness and wonder as to what happens to the boy next.
Nayla's Choice...
I chose Jurassic park for my opening sequence homework because it is very mysterious and enigmatic because at beggining of there is something walking around in the trees and we as an audience are not sure what it is which creates a feel of mystery. However this scene also looks very intimidating because the animal people are standing there with a lot of guns showing that whatever is behind those trees is obviously very strong! Another part in the scene which creates a sense of mystery is when the people are carrying a big box and we as the audience want to know what is inside as it is being handled with care. At 2:44 the man gets attacked by whatever creature there is inside the box and suddenly the background music also starts to get tense slowly creating suspense. Throughout the whole opening sequence the audience are engaged very effectively.
