Opening Sequences

Questions:
i) What forms can opening sequences take? Can you list the conventional features of opening sequences?
- Introduction of a character- the protagonist or antagonist
- Establishing shot of the setting
- Opening credits – producers, directors, leading actors

ii) What narrative functions of opening sequences can you identify?
- Introduces the main character
- Introduces a setting and situation
- Establishes an equilibrium
- Hints the disruption of the equilibrium
- presents a problem that will need to be solved throughout the rest of the film

iii)What do audiences gain from watching the opening sequence?
- introduction to the film’s characters and the story that may develop
- connection with the characters
- idea of a genre and therefore an idea of what may happen in the rest of the film
- find out whether or not they will want to watch the rest of the film
- there may be questions raised in the opening sequence that the audience will want answered, to do so they will watch the rest of the film

iv) What do film-makers gain from including an opening sequence?
- set up the foundation for the rest of the storyline to develop
- capture the audience’s attention and make them want to watch the rest of the film
- needed to put the rest of the film in a context so that people will understand the significance of what happens

Barthes analysis of the opening sequence of ‘Peeping Tom’

We used Barthes theory of codes to analyse the first 4.5 minutes of ‘Peeping Tom’ which was directed by Michael Powell in 1960.




1) Action code: depicts the events which take place in the narrative
- The man approaches the lady
- They walk into an alleyway and into her room where she begins to undress
- He goes closer with his camera and she starts screaming
- We see him watching his film back as the opening credits come up
2) Enigma code: setting up of the mystery, development and resolutionAs the start of the opening sequence is shot from the POV of the killer, his identity is kept secret. He doesn’t speak or react to the woman or any other characters that pass by him. Also as he follows the woman down the alleyway at night time it is quite dark which is mysterious and can signify danger.

3) Semantic code: refers to character and characterisation
The man’s identity is kept secret all the way through the opening sequence. We don’t know what he looks like as the camera is his POV.
We find out more information about the woman- she is a middle aged a prostitute, the way she is dressed – red skirt and lipstick, she also speaks although the main character doesn’t respond.

4) Referential code: explaining / informing
- The opening credits
- Reference to prostitution in ancient Britain

5) Symbolic code: connotations of signs
- Red skirt and lipstick = blood, murder
- ECU of the eye which jumps open = watching/ peeping, thriller
- Dark, night time, alleyway = danger/ enigma

Levi-Strauss’s analyses of the openings of "Pale Rider" and "Die Hard"

Levi Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions which are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts, e.g. good and evil.

Pale Rider (Clint Eastwood, 1985)
Quiet village vs. Loud horse riders
Survival vs. Death
Peace vs. Violence
Water vs. Fire
Femininity vs. Masculinity
Young vs. Old
Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)Happiness vs. Sadness
Innocence vs. Evil
Safety vs. Danger
New York vs. LA
Japan vs. America
Togetherness vs. Apart
Victims vs. Villains
Prepared (villains) vs. Unprepared (victims)
Life vs. Death
Law vs. Criminals
Defenceless vs. Attackers
Work life vs. Home life
Violence vs. Non violence
Experienced (Bruce Willis) vs. Novice (driver)
Underground vs. Overground (in the building)

Preliminary Coursework Evaluation

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Dominic, India and Tom P for the preliminary coursework project.

During the planning stages we, as a group, developed the main ideas for the narrative, structure and shots.
As Dominic and Tom P were the decided actors, they wrote the script whilst India and I worked on the storyboard as we would be filming for the most part. We held a group meeting to finalize any changes to the paperwork or the ideas.

As we’d learnt about the different roles undertaken on a real production set, we thought it was a good idea to assign some of these roles within the group so the filming process would run smoothly.
For the most part India and I alternated between the roles of the camera operator and the sound operator (who was also the production assistant) but ultimately Dominic and Tom also got the chance to film at least 1 shot each.

The editing process was shared according to the different stages of editing we had to go through. As India was new to editing she got to put the titles in at the end, though from cutting up the shots from the main sequence, to trimming down single frames, the editing was shared amongst the group.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

In our 1st group meeting in class, we assigned roles and came up with the main ideas for the narrative. We considered theories about narrative and ensured our sequence had:
1/ A Beginning - Tom walking into the room and sitting down
2/ Middle – Tom wishing Dominic ‘happy birthday’ and giving him a book
3/ End - Dominic telling Tom he’s already got the book and Tom’s reaction.

This idea was scripted, walked through and then storyboarded. Given what we’d learnt about why storyboards are made, we knew that doing so would be essential to ensure that no one had misinterpretations of the ideas and everyone was clear as to how the sequence would appear visually.

In the 2nd group meeting at lunchtime, we finalized any changes to our storyboard and script, and made a shooting schedule, which included the order the shots needed to be filmed in. This shot list considered the location of the shots and therefore the number of setups we’d have to do.

During the walkthrough and storyboarding processes we had to make sure our sequence demonstrated 3 continuity techniques as stated in the brief:
1/ The 180 degree rule – throughout the sequence
2/ Match on action – Tom opening the door and coming into the room (00:06 – 00:08), also passing the book across the table (00:15 - 00:17)
3/ Shot reverse shot (00:12- 00:15)

But we also took into account other continuity techniques like:
+ Using a LS to establishing the setting (00:09 - 00:11)
+ The 30 degree rule
+ Use of a master shot so the other shots are put into context (00:11 and 00:21)
+ Use of a range of shot distances for variety as well as continuity, (e.g. 00:16 - HA of Dominic and the identical books are seen clearly). We also had to consider the shot order of the different shot distances by not putting 2 extreme distances next to each other.

Group 1D

3) What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?
We used both hardware and software to film and edit the sequence.

Hardware:

~ The sequence was filmed with a Digital, canon, mini DV camera - lightweight and easy to handle whilst filming
~ Shot gun mike attached to camera

~ Headphones so the sound operator could focus on the sound and make sure it was clear
~ The camera was fixed to the tripod for different levels and angles of shots

~ Clapperboards- at the beginning of each shot to signify the beginning and end of each take
~ Computer for editing- source and output monitors

Software:

We used adobe premiere pro to edit the sequence. The software had 2 tracks – audio and video and was non linear.

The tools we used included:

~ Razor to cut the clips

~ Slider tool to edit the length of the clip

~ Titles – fade in at the beginning to show the title and our names

~ We used the fade transition to fade into the sequence at the start and fade out at the end

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
Whilst planning we knew we'd have limits to consider such as the time we had to plan, shoot and then edit the whole sequence, lighting of our setting and also within the location (as 2 other groups would also be shooting at the same time).

Whilst filming we had to trouble shoot problems involving background noise and the volume of the conversation. Dominic pointed out that the bell would ring halfway through the lesson and we'd have to stop filming then.

So that we could get all the paperwork that needed to be done before shooting finished, the actors wrote the script for what they’d say and me and India drew the story board as we’d be filming mostly. Also, we made sure everyone had a chance to practice filming a shot as we all needed to relearn the techniques for the projects coming up. Similarly with the editing we all had to relearn the software and seeing as India hadn’t used it before she was able to work on the titles.

5) How successful was your sequence?

Our sequence was of Tom giving Dominic a birthday present- a book, that he already had.

+ The sequence included, as stated in the brief, Tom opening the door, crossing the room, sitting in a chair opposite Dominic, and having a short conversation. We also included match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. Although not mentioned in the brief we also stuck to the 30 degree rule and used a variety of shot types.

What worked well:

+ OTSs during the conversations - tight editing that gave a choppy/ pacy effect

+ Shots of Tom walking and opening the door into the room flowed nicely

+ The cutaway of the hand on the door handle was effective

+ Higher angle of Dominic holding the books up allowed us to see that they were the

same book.
+The use of a master shot to cut back to was also effective as it was familiar to the audience and ensured that the variety of other shots didn’t confuse them

What didn’t work so well:

There were a few continuity errors such as:

- Dominics hands in diff pos. as he holds up the books (00:21)

- Tom's crossed hands on the table (time code)

We had fewer options when editing as we didn’t film the whole sequence from Dominic’s POV.

Also Tom’s character is well established at the beginning as he walks into the room, the audience is unfamiliar with Dominic yet the next shot is from Dominic's POV.

A cutaway of the books as Dominic holds them up would involve the audience more so we're in the action not just looking from above.

6) What have you learnt from completing this task?

I have learnt a lot about the importance of planning and storyboarding the sequence before filming as it makes the process a lot quicker as everyone in the group knows what needs to be done. Also the theories of continuity and narrative will be essential to the rest of the coursework.

I also learnt that we should shoot the whole sequence from a certain setup as in editing we’d have more options for the sequence of shots and also to avoid having to reshoot a certain shot. Whilst editing I relearnt the tools and processes which will be essential for the next project.

Completing this task has been extremely useful in highlighting what we need to think about and take time over when planning, shooting and editing our next project.

Applying Propp's Narrative functions of a Fairytale to 'Finding Nemo'

Brief Synopsis
The clownfishes Marlin & Coral move into a new home but she and all but 1 of her eggs get eaten by a barracuda. Marlin names it Nemo as suggested by Coral. Some time later is Nemo’s 1st day at school and he gets annoyed and embarrassed by Marlin. Disobeying him, Nemo swims out to open water and gets caught by a scuba diver. Marlin chases after him but can’t catch up. On the way he meets Dory who has short term memory loss. Dory helps Marlin try to find Nemo and on their adventure they meet sharks, an angler fish, a school of fish, jellyfish, sea turtles called crush and squirt, a pelican called Nigel and also a whale who takes them to Sydney which is where Nemo is. This all goes on while Nemo is in a fish tank in a dentist’s making new friends who help him try to escape using various different methods, they have a time limit though as a little girl called Darla wants to take Nemo home to kill him. In the end Marlin and Dory find Nemo and Marlin reconciles with Nemo and apologizes for being overprotective. Once they have returned home, Marlin is able to let Nemo "go have an adventure" at school with his classmates, including the new exchange student, Squirt. The 3 sharks bring Dory home from a Fish-Eaters Anonymous meeting. The fish in the dentist's office make their escape, having followed their earlier plan of breaking the filter and rolling out the window, across the street, and into the harbor, leaving them with the dilemma of how to escape their plastic bags.

Character Types
Villain Humans (Darla)Donor Dory gives marlin the address to where Nemo isHelper Dory helps marlin in his questHero Marlin

Narrative Functions
1) Hero is introduced
2) Interdiction announced (Marlin tells Nemo not to do dangerous things)
3) Interdiction violated - Nemo swims out to open sea
8)Villain causes harm, carries away a victim- scuba diver takes nemo away
8a)member of heros family desires something
11) Hero leaves home- marlin leaves home to find nemo
14) Hero gets magical object that helps with the quest- diver's mask
15) Location shifts to where the lack is to be found- the whale carries marlin and dory to sydney which is where Nemo is
16) Hero and villain in direct combat- in the dentists office where marlin is flown in by Nigel and chaos occurs
18) Viallain defeated - Darla loses Nemo as he goes down the drain
20) Hero sets out for home
25) Difficult task is set - all the fishes trapped in the net and Nemo has to save them
Critique of Propp - Here are the main functions that do not fit with the story:
There is not really any magical object or any kind of magic in the story.
Hero doesnt marry and ascend throne.
Hero is not given new appearance (but he does think differently about his overprotectiveness).
There isn't really a true and false hero - Nemo has his heroic moments but Marlin is the main hero.

Applying Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium to the opening sequence of Bubble Boy

1. Who are the agents: the protagonist (the main hero who propels the narrative forward) and antagonist (opposing agent).The protagonist is Jimmy Livingston who is the bubble boy who has no immunities so he has to live in a bubble to protect him from germs. He voiceovers the first few minutes of the opening sequence to tell us his story- he is obviously the main character.
The antagonist is Jimmy’s mum who stops him from leaving home and is against him making friends or having a life outside his home. In the opening sequence she also bursts the ball that the children in the neighbourhood are playing with.
2. Describe the Equilibrium. How is it represented? What kind of camera shots can you identify? (e.g establishing shots to create a sense of space or use of CUs/cutaways to emphasise particular objects/characters faces). Pick out 2 or 3 examples. Describe the mise-en-scene: what meanings to the props/costumes/lighting/framing carry?The first shot is a clear blue sky, white clouds moving slowly - it looks very calm, peaceful and untroubled for a couple of seconds.
The shot of the baby (representing innocence) in the white room looks very pure and clean. Jimmy’s voiceover and actions as he grows up are also very innocent as he is just doing what his mother tells him to do.
Establishing/ LS as jimmy is brought home shows a sunny neighbourhood with children playing. Also a MCU cutaway of Jimmy’s face smiling in awe reinforces the equilibrium of the opening as he is happy.
Jimmy’s voiceover is very positive all the way through - even when his mother isn’t.
3. Is the Disruption or Disequilibrium introduced or hinted at? (e.g the serial killer in "Seven" is introduced in the title sequence).
The mother is presented as a controlling woman who enforces her own extreme views on both her husband and Jimmy. As soon as they bring Jimmy home for the first time she says ‘You’ll never have to go out there again’ and she puts the idea of the world being a horrible place in his head. This will be a problem as later on in the opening sequence he meets Chloe.
4. Are there any visual/verbal/aural clues that hint at what the hero's journey might be? (E.g. having to solve the murders within a time-limit of seven days in "Seven")The first shot he falls from the sky - this hints that he will escape from his home in the world - probably without his mother’s approval. He also wants to do everything that ‘normal’ children get to do as he tries to ride a bike in his room with his father’s help and mother’s disapproval; this also suggests he may escape.
5. From your knowledge of the film, how will the equilibrium be restored and what will be the new equilibrium?
Restoring equilibrium: Jimmy will escape and meet lots of people that will help him get to Niagara Falls where Chloe is supposed to get married except she won’t when she sees him. His parents follow him there. He takes off his bubble suit as he talks to her, he collapses and presumably dies. Jimmy's father then forces Jimmy's mother to confess that Jimmy had developed a fully functional immune system when he was four years old, and Jimmy realizes that he is not dead at all. It is revealed that Mrs. Livingston had hidden this fact from Jimmy to protect him from the world. Jimmy forgives her and leaves the church with Chloe.
New equilibrium: Later, Jimmy and Chloe are married with all of their new friends in attendance.

Analysis of Continuity in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

I have analyzed the continuity of the sequence from 3:28 to 6:30

- Charlie walks out of the shop the door into the centre of the frame and looks towards the action (the right of the frame), the camera cuts to an MLS of the crowd from Charlie’s POV.
- Back to MCU of Charlie as he sets off towards the crowd, this shot flows into the next where we see him running into the frame of a LS of the crowd (Match on action).
- When he gets there, a HA shot shows the newspaper headline between 2 men having a conversation explaining it, so we now know what all the kerfuffle is about.
- MCU of Charlie at his eye level of his shocked reaction to the news.
- He turns to walk away in the above shot, match on action and shot reverse shot to the crab shot, MCU of Charlie walking away from the crowd.
- As he walks we see people in the background continue to read the paper and the audience knows where he is going in relation to the original crowd of people.

- This leads onto a LA, MS of Charlie as he takes out the Wonka bar and looks at it hopefully, cuts to HA of Charlie opening chocolate bar – variety of angles for one simple but important action.
- CUs of Charlie to show his anticipation and CU of chocolate bar covered in shiny foil and Charlie’s fingers as he opens it - focuses and involves the audience in the action of finding the ticket.
- Fast paced cuts between reaction shots and opening the bar = excitement
- Cutaway: ECU of the coveted golden ticket

- Hand comes from right of frame which we know is where the crowd of people were.
- MLS to show dialogue and action between Charlie and woman then quick pan to MLS of crowd as Charlie gets dragged back and disappears into it.
- Crab shot as he fights his way through the crowd and pan to the right as he runs off into the distance
- LSs as he runs home – Est. shots of the different places in town through which he runs give a sense of the direction in which he is running, distance and freedom
- Reverse track to LA as he runs – involves the audience in the movement
- Sideways track (crab shot) of MCU of Charlie running with a smile – focuses on the emotion of the character, the close range leads us to forget that he’s just run into a dark alleyway, this makes the next shot more shocking.
- Zoom into Slugworth as Charlie almost runs into him - audience feel this action too as the shot is from Charlie’s POV.
- Shot reverse shot of the characters as Slugworth talks.
- LA from Charlie’s POV looking up at Slugworth - involves the audience again
- BCU of Slugworth’s face makes him seem even more intimidating
- Wider shot of both characters takes audience out of the conversation as onlookers
- OTS of Charlie looking nervous = emotion
- Camera shows Slugworth walking away from Charlie and Charlie’s expression in this shot matches the CU of him in the next (match on action) before he continues running home.

DYM HW FEEDBACK

Your comparison was very well presented, and showed clear understanding of the task. Your analysis was of a very good standard．Ｗｅｌｌ　ｄｏｎｅ．

Preliminary Task Evaluation

What did you think was the point to the activity?
~ To break and then learn the rules of continuity

What works about the finished sequence?
+ Establishing shot shows you the setting
+ It is easy to understand what the character is doing and what happens
+ Match on action from 2nd to 3rd shot
+ The fast pace of the shots as he is running
+ Last shot - onlooker- out of the action = funny
+ Handheld = variety - live, dramatic
+ Shot reverse shot- whipped round 180
+ This LA shot introduces the cone

What would you improve about your sequence?
- Establishing shot is a bit too long
- Some of the shots do not flow well
E.g. 2 shots that are too similar next to eachother- 30 degree rule- almost a jump cut

What did you learn from doing this activity?
~ Shot reverse shot
~ Match on action
~ 180 and 30 degree rules
~ Mastershots are filmed to go back to from other shots

COMPARISON OF OPENING SEQUENCES ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Se7en’

Narrative Info:
Helpful Qs: What kind of story is being told in each sequence?How much of the story is revealed to the audience?

Legally Blonde:
- Camera follows a card addressed to the main character - Elle- As it does so a sunny, perfect looking, materialistic campus is revealed – fountains, mowed lawns, massive houses, boys messing around, girls striving to look perfect (working out, doing their make up) - Everyone seems happy so something will probably go wrong to create a problem or some sort of conflict later on.
- We know a lot about Elle by the end of the sequence (throughout it we see her getting ready) but her identity is built up and kept from us until the card reaches her room, as she is the most important character

Se7en:
- Unlike Legally Blonde we’re introduced to the main character straight away, not much is held back as a minute into the sequence we see the dead body in a pool of blood signifying that this is a thriller with a crime and a mystery of whodunit
- Another difference is that we already see conflict between the characters and things seem far from perfect, we are introduced to the 2 detectives, they start a conversation and we expect a partnership will form but there are already signs of them not getting along.
- In both sequences, expectations are built up of where the story will go. We expect something to go wrong in seemingly perfect Elle’s life and in Se7en a crime has taken place and the detectives have to solve the mystery, we also expect them to have seven days to solve the mystery as the sequence begins with Monday signifying the beginning of the case.

Character Types
Helpful Qs: What are your first impressions of the characters you see?
What role do you think the characters will play in their respective storylines?

- Although the characters are very different, in both sequences we learn a lot about the main characters in the first few minutes by the way other characters react to them, the way they act themselves and the props that surround them.

Legally Blonde:
- Main character is very typically girly and rich – lots of pink in her room, makeup, perfume, designer shopping bags etc
- She’s at college and very popular - homecoming queen and class president, lots of people sign her card and care is taken for it to reach her
- She seem to be likeable as she seems to be liked by everyone and also quite innocent and childish - seeing as she is presented so perfectly something bad is bound to happen to her.

Se7en:
- By the way he gets dressed, the main character appears a careful, considered and thoughtful character - he does things a certain way (metronome turned on to get him to sleep)
- The way he lies awake at night suggests internal conflict- maybe worrying about the past or future (unlike Elle who is carefree and materialistic)
- He is retiring which suggests he is very experienced at his job but…
- Unlike Elle in Legally Blonde, his colleagues don’t respect him or seem to like him as he questions everything about the crime scene - we side with him because he seems to be the ‘good guy’ that wants the truth and justice - so he may be the one that solves the crime in the film
- Unlike in legally blonde where everyone on campus looks the same (perfectly groomed and happy)and is the same age, there is contrast between Brad Pitt ‘s character who is young, relaxed and easy going with Morgan Freeman’s character who is older, more experienced, and thoughtful.

Shot Types
Identify at least 3 different shot types/camera techniques used in each sequence
Explain the impact on the audience

Legally Blonde:
- 1st shot is out of focus CU of blonde hair which then become in focus – dreamy effect-idealism
- Pan across campus as girl rides bike across- people playing, fountain, sunny weather and sunlight reflecting off the water presents an idea of perfection and idealism (reinforced by the soundtrack)
- Tracking of people holding the card shows the journey of the card and the care taken to make sure it is delivered - she is obviously an important, popular character
- CUs of perfume, make up etc reinforce her image as a girly girl
- Lots of bright colour, opening credits are glowing pink with curly writing- perfection

Se7en:
- 1st shot seems like we’re watching him, we’re hidden by the furniture as if we can see him but he cant see us = sinister, stalker effect
- Not much colour - even the pool of blood isn’t red, contrasts and shadows, quite dark, very gloomy and rainy – nothings perfect (like in LB)
- Opening credits - lots of fast paced, distorted images presents a psychotic but very careful and specific killer
- LA of the 2 detectives in conversation outside- looks up at them and the rain = gloomy, stalker effect
- -Zoom in to Morgan Freeman and metronome as he tries to sleep = something is on his mind, conflicted character

EVALUATION OF THRILLER STILL

Describe your shot.
In what way can it be seen as representing horror/thriller?
◙ In the foreground of the shot is a MCU of a knife, central to the frame and a person standing to the right of the frame with his hand holding the knife coming from the top of the frame. The knife itself implies that someone will be killed and the darkness of the shot reinforces these sinister connotations. Shot in night mode and on a straight angle, the colours are gloomy and the ‘killer’ is in the dark part of the shot as he is the dark, threatening character. In the background, to the left of the knife, is an out of focused, silhouetted LS of the female victim on the floor looking back at the ‘killer’ whilst turning to try and escape into the naturally lit part of the corridor which signifies safety as it is the only lit part of the shot. The victim looks defenseless in her position on the floor which is at a lower level than the killer- increases suspense as we don’t know if she will get away. The rest of the shot is taken up by darkness which is also associated with horror.
What did you actually do to achieve the effect?
◙ We framed the shot with the camera on the tripod at a low height - the same level as the person in the background. We also had to position the hand so that it was at the right height and didn’t obstruct any light or the victim. The night shot setting was turned on to give the shot an ominous effect. We chose to position the ‘killer’ in the middle of the corridor where there was less natural light as this would make him seem more evil and the victim is positioned by the windows where there is lots of natural light coming through which contrasts with the darkness surrounding the killer so we know that she is the victim. Also, after trying the shot with the victim standing up in the background we decided she seemed more defenceless and scared if she was on the floor as she can’t run away as easily.
What is successful about your shot?
◙ Positioning the victim in the background and the killer with a knife in the foreground was effective and leaves us wanting to know what will happen next. The characters positions were effective as well as it is clear who the villain is and who the victim is. The shot being in night mode made it even scarier than if it had been shot normally. I also think the location of our shot worked well as the silhouette of the victim in the light contrasted with the killer being in the darkness.
What would you do differently in hindsight?
◙ I think the killer could look more threatening if he wasn’t dressed so normally and maybe the knife could already have blood on it suggesting that he has already killed someone and is after his next victim. Also there is a lot of dark space to the left and bottom of the frame – tighter framing or repositioning would allow the characters to take up more of the shot.