Conventions of a Film Opening

During the first two minutes of a film, there are usually certain things that the openings will include. They are: credits, company logo, the cast/ characters are revealed and we can often get a tone or certain feel about what the genre of the film will be. It is important for the film directors to be able to portray this, so that the viewers are attracted and will have a rough idea about the type of film that they will be watching.

A good example of this is the opening to The Holiday, which I have given a link to below. Although this is a big mainstream film, I felt that the director was able to get everything across that’s needed to be seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OM7BRtGiB4

During the opening two minutes of this clip, the scene shows everything by sticking to the criteria. It includes music, which personally I think sets the tone; its nice soft music to begin with, implying it’s happy and gradually gets faster at certain points, which adds to the drama. It also includes a voiceover, which in this outlines what the focus of the movie will be about. It gives credits and title of the movie and also introduces the main characters.

Here is another example I have found of a good opening to a film. The film is called ‘Before Sunset.’ This however, isn’t a mainstream film, but an independent film opening I have found. I think that it is very good, considering there wouldn’t have been as much money involved in the movie, compared to if it was a big mainstream production. The opening is simple, but good. It shows some of the settings, the characters and also has music playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIxqfTozwk8&feature=related

Here I have found another movie that demonstrates the conventions of a film opening well. I like this opening in particular, as it gets straight into the acting scenes, instead of having a slower opening, with music playing over the top, whilst introducing the characters. However although it starts straight into the acting, it still shows the typical conventions as it introduces the characters and it includes the company’s logo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyWpNjUGDiI

Here again, is another movie, which sticks to the criteria of a film opening. This again however, is another big mainstream movie, which would have had a lot of money put into it. In this film opening, it includes the company logo, music that sets the tone; it starts light and soft and it introduces the main characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW8hBDNon6A&feature=related

Alternatively, there are some films that have not stuck to the typical conventions of a film opening. There are some films that get straight into the action, and don’t introduce the main characters how you would expect. For example, Mission Impossible gets straight into the action, similarly to James Bond films, which both are opened by getting straight into the acting, so that the viewer is immediately engaged in the film and so that they know what to expect from it. I think that not sticking to the typical conventions can sometimes work and could be a good way of interacting with the audience. However, by using the typical conventions, it still gets all the main focuses across the viewer.

Mainstream and Independent films

Independent films:

An Independent film is one, which is usually produced outside of a big studio setting, usually using many of the directors own resources. Below I have included a link, which I think gives a detailed definition of what an independent film is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_film

 Mainstream films:

Mainstream films are usually big production films, which have been produced using a big variety of resources, including big studios where the film is often made. Mainstream films; often have a lot of money involved. Below I have found a link of which I found gave a good definition of what a mainstream film is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream

Nowadays, it is mostly the bigger mainstream films that are shown on big screens in cinema’s and are often very well known. However, there are many Independent films that have been produced, which can still be of a good quality and standard. For my Coursework, I will look into more of the Independent films, as for my piece, I would be unable to produce something as big as a Mainstream film, therefore I think it is necessary to look into more Independent films, which I think I will still be able to get some creative and good ideas from.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I think that my final sequence is fairly successful and I feel that I have been able to use the camera, my ideas and the editing well, particularly for a first try. I think my piece demonstrates the rules of continuity editing, which is something I made sure I did to the best I could, as otherwise I didn’t think my piece would flow or work as well. I think that to make the piece even more successful, I could of thought more about the sound, and made sure that there wasn’t any speaking or unwanted noises throughout. I think that I thought about what I needed to include and also how I did it well, but to improve I could think more about timings and also making sure I get my timings more accurate for the starting and stopping, so that the people in my piece could understand it better, and it would of flowed even smoother when put together.

One of the things I think I could rethink about my piece is to use a tripod next time. Although I think I did well without a tripod, I think that it would help me to make sure there isn’t any noticeable shaking or wobbles of the camera and it would just make the piece look more solid. I would also rethink the timings of my piece, so that I have enough time for the transitions of each clip to run smoother, and so that there is enough of each of the scenes, for example, the knocking of the door, I think could have gone on for slightly longer. I would also rethink the script element for the talking of the characters, although I had something which they could use, I found it was easier for them to just get ahead and just make general conversation. However next time, I think I would stick to a script so that the people are definitely sure on what they are saying and have something there for them.

My final sequence was pretty much the same as my initial storyboard, other than the setting in which I had included on the storyboard. I think that to improve the planning stage, I could of really thought more into the camera shots and angles, so I could have been slightly more precise when filming and also thought more about timings and when to start and stop each part of the filming so that it was clearer for the characters in my piece. I would also think about the sounds, so that I would know whether I would want some of the particular sounds, such as the walking and knocking of the door.

I think throughout the making of my sequence, it allowed me to think more about the actual filming and to remember some of the rules, such as the continuity editing and also the 180 degree rule, as without myself remembering these, my piece wouldn’t have made much sense, and wouldn’t have run smoothly. I think the main lessons that I need to carry on into my main task would be to make sure I have thoroughly thought about the continuity editing and to make sure that I have a good enough and detailed plan for me to exactly stick to, so that when it comes to the filming I am certain of what I am doing.