Previous Student Openings

Below are several film openings belonging to AS media students from previous years. I will breifly analyse the openings concluding their advantages and disadvantages to encourage myself to create innovative ideas to use in my opening.

This thriller stood out for me as the distinct use of music immediately informed an audience of the genre being thriller. The consistent use of black and white colour throughout adds a spooky and mysterious aspect to the opening. The students successfully used special effects to convey the killing of the character despite its standard, it exceeded AS expectations. Lastly, the titles displayed the genre with the simple yet effective fade in and out technique furthermore matching the theme of monotonous colouring.

This particular opening I found gripping throughout due to its effective use of titles and shots. The genre of a chase was signified from the start with the shots alongside one another. The titles were creative as it followed a feature in the shot adding creativity and uniqueness. Music used accompanied the theme and allowed the audience to feel gripped throughout. The title was significantly shown between titles matching the requirements of a 'Film Opening' rather than a trailer, it left the audience thinking what was yet to come due to the cliffhanger. Overall, this opening was extremely well produced.

First when watching this opening you struggle to understand the relationship between the characters and categorise the film opening as an average piece of work. This is until the title sequence is introduced which increases the uniqueness of the opening. The artistic streak shows a significantly clever title opening conveying the male protagonist shown at the start to be the main character throughout the film. Despite the music change not being smoothly executed, the title opening conveyed a clever, intriguing film opening.

Todorov's Theory

Who was Tzvetan Todorov?

Todorov was a Franco-Bulgarian philosopher living in France since 1963. Within his career alongside developing theories he has published a total of 21 books, several including: his 'literary theory', 'culture theory' and 'thought history'. He researched the issues and purposes of concentration camps such as Stalinist concentration camps also the conquest of the Americans and Nazis. Alongside this aspect of his career, he was also a visiting professor of universities one being the famous Harvard in Cambridge, United States. 

His narrative theory:

His work on this theory began in the early 1960's and onwards. He suggested that stories began with an equilibrium where any possible opposing forces are in balance.

WHAT IS AN EQUILIBRIUM:

a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced

He suggested that the narratives were split into 5 stages:

1. Equilibrium - a happy start
2. A disruption of this equilibrium by an event - problem occuring
3. A realisation that a distruption has occured
4. An attemot to repair the damage of the disruption - problem solved
5. A restoration of the equilibrium - happy ending 

Some examples of films which follow this structure are:

• Lord of the Rings
• Spiderman
• Titanic
• The Descent

Film Opening Ideas

So far, the ideas I have for my film opening are rather brief and un-organised. I have planned to work in a pair with a fellow student in my AS media class. 

We already decided that we would not use the genre of comedy as it is too difficult and ambiguous to film. it would be difficult to ensure that the audience finds the opening humorous and this could therefore make our opening look like a mockery.

Originally, our film was based upon the theory of peer pressure. It would mean us finding a location which replicates one of which is shown in kidulthood/adulthood where the protagonists are surrounded by darkness in some parts. This would therefore be a difficult location to find and film in. 

We then thought of using the genre of drama and mystery. We were thinking it could be about the problems teens suffer with today, perhaps cyber abuse or online threats. This would therefore allow easy access to cast members as we can use friends in school and use the location. It could be effective yet we are to think of a main storyline and opening scene.

Conventions of a Comedy Title Sequence

To further develop my knowledge I have chosen a particular genre of film and watched several openings to see the similar conventions throughout.

• 21 Jump Street
  
• Identity Thief 
  
•  Grown Ups
  
•  The Inbetweeners Movie 
  
•  Just Go With It
  

The above comedic films had the following in common:

• All opening titles seem to have arrays of colour used to imply their joyful and humorous genre. It helps to appeal to the target demographic which is mostly to those of teenagers and above due to their ratings usually a 12+.
• The music used is often and mostly upbeat to represent and reinforce what the topics of the film are and how the overall mood is lighthearted.
• The transitions used between each shot are usually wipes or fast cuts therefore conveying scene changes and the overall comedic genre. Possibly further into the film slapstick comedy would be used meaning long shots and extreme shots used to capture the psychical comedy within the text.
• Fonts and imagery used within the opening somewhat depicts the genre through the use of bubbly and lighthearted, childlike fonts. It illustrates the lack of seriousness and type of film
• Lastly, the introduction to some props used implies that the result of them can be painful therefore creating humour. For example, in 21 Jump Street, gun fires are shown which we expect will be amusing due to the comedic conventions which follow this implication.

Tips Learnt At BFI

On Thursday 21st November, as a media group within QE Girls we visited the British Film Institute on South Bank.

Within this visit I learnt many new skills regarding both my exam and having a career in media. 

In terms of my exam there were many skills which were clearly etched into my memory when leaving the trip. 

I was told the following:

1. To get as much practice and feedback as possible therefore making your work of a higher standard, better each time.
2. Investigate existing successful title openings and note down their positives and negatives, highlighting how the genre is addressed.
3. Whilst investigating title openings, despite there several advantages, also take note of their somewhat disadvantages describing how it could have been made better.
4. Brainstorm any ideas you have, even if you think they are too extreme or minimal - ideas can flow from any starting point.
5. Plan all actions with storyboards and time sheets consequently making filming a faster process.
6. When creating your opening DO NOT/AVOID using the common openings by students: 
   
7. AVOID making the following mistakes:
   
8. Lastly, use websites for advice and use resources available, for example: http://petesmediablog.blogspot.co.uk/
   

What Is A Title Sequence?

A title sequence is a unique yet common way of giving viewers an insight into the film or TV series to follow. It introduces the title of the film or TV series alongside the cast members and those that have helped produce and edit the clips. The sound often gives an indication into the type of genre and possible content of the film/TV series. 

Many successful title sequences create anticipation for a viewer leading them to be immediately attached to the film or TV series. One of these may include the introduction to the 1995 American Thriller, Se7en.

This particular opening title sequence immediately conveys the genre of the film further enhanced by the music accompanying the fast, sharp shots. This is effective due to the suspense it leaves for the audience as un-expected jolts in both the music and clips create anticipation.

Researching Genre: Film Openings

Below is some research I personally carried out in order to illustrate the ways in which opening title sequences and scenes can clearly portray the characters, plot and mood of the film. In order to do this, I repeatedly watched 3 film openings to retrieve information gathered from the first 3 minutes approximately. Here are my findings: