Opening Sequence Analysis MEDIA 2

8/3/2019 Opening Sequence Analysis MEDIA 2

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Comedy Films

OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS



In order to help my group to complete the project I am going too analyse each of the following films:

The Hangover (2009)

The Anchor-man (2004) Art hur (2011 )

COMEDY FILMS TO ANALYSE



Directed by: Todd Phillips

Written by: J on Luc as, Scott Moore

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha

Synopsis:

The film revolves around three grooms-men who during a trip to Las Vegas for

‘Doug’s’ Bachelor party, happen to have lost the groom. It follows them as they

attempt to remember the events of the night previous and work out where their

friend might be in eno ugh t ime to get h im to h is wedding .

THE HANGOVER

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3120597760/tt1119646



The opening sequence of the hangover is as follows:

We see at firs t a b rief mont age of clips show ing prep ara tion s for a w eddi ng abou t t o ha ppen We see a b rief pann ing long shot o f p eopl e movi ng boxe s from a va n a nd over to a house . T his fade s

out to show a reverse creep show displaying the wedding cake, which the fades out once again to show a forward creep of the w edding dress, once again the shot fades out this time showing

peopl e arra ngin g chai rs for the gues ts to u se. Thro ugho ut this we hear very soft clas sica l m usic as well as a p hones dial ling tone along with the answering machine of both ‘Doug’ and towards

the end, ‘Phil’. From the shot of the chairs being arranged it cuts to show a shot out of a window observing the proceedings outside, (a point of view shot) it then cuts again showing a close up of

a woman, the assumed mother of the bride. It cuts to show the bride getting ready (midshot) and on the phone once again getti ng only voicemail. We then see a shot that follows the presumed

mothers progress further into the room. From here we see a discussion from the bride and her supposed family using fairly si milar shot types throughout until the bride finally gets through to

‘Phil’ where we then see a close up oh him with three other guys in the background standing around a car. He then tells her t hat they’ve lost the groom on his bachelor party and he wedding

may not actually happen. This film attracts the audiences attention through the events of the opening sequence as we are intr igued as to how the groom has been lost and what actually

occurred to make the man ‘Phil’ look so bloodied and bedraggled. It seems to at first go against most of the general conventi ons of a comedy film. I think that it’s an especially strange take on

comedy films as the characters first introduced (the bride and her family) do not even feature throughout the film so all the establishing of character and such for them is essentially the most

we’l l s ee them . The targ et aud ienc e for this film woul d b e a roun d the age -range of 15-35 or so, this would be first die to the 15 certificate, but also as a result of the content which would apply

and appeal more to those who would generally be out and doing this sort of thing. I.e. going out to Las Vegas getting drunk a nd partaking in various insane antics. This film I feel will be

part icula rly usef ul to o ur open ing sequ ence in t hat it w as one of the main film s we thou ght of whe n w e w ere think ing of our i dea in t he firs t place , the film wil l de fini tely help us with our

opening sequence in that it focuses on working out the event s of the previous night. And it makes use of gimmicks also as ou r film also should.

ANALYSIS



Directed by: Adam McKay

Written by: W ill Ferrel l, Adam McK ay

Starring: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Christina Applegate

Synopsis:

The film follows the character of Ron Burgundy, the top reporter in San Diego. The

year is 197 0 and the Bro adcasting bus iness is predominan tly m ale in terms o f

power a nd standing, however this is all about to change wh en n ew reporter

Veronica Corningstone arrives on the scene .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bY03Qcc0LU

ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY






The first two minutes of the Anchorman is as follows:

It shows us an establishing shot of the San Diego skyline, the camera rapidly moves forward as the narrator describes the premise of the film -the way in which news is reported. The

camera cuts from an establishing shot of the skyline to a shot showing a high angle view of a helicopter as it flies over the area. It then cuts to show us the man sitting inside of the

helicopter, a man wearing a bright red suit and dark glasses who begins to gesture wildly and tells the pilot where he should be landing the helicopter. The camera then cuts to show the

helicopter moving to the side preparing to land as he narrator begins speaking once more. The camera cuts to show a different view of the helicopter and pans slightly in the direction

opposite to that of the helicopters course. The camera cuts once again to show another view of the helicopter and pans very s lightly in the direction which the helicopter is flying. We see a

few more cuts such as this and some use of a l ow angl e shot and a c ontr asti ng high ang le shot. The helic opte r then land s a nd the came ra is at a f lat angl e a nd a l ong shot to show us a ll

that is currently happening. We next see a flat-angle shot of a mans white shoe and the bottom of his red trousers as he steps out of the helicopter. The camera then cuts to show a low

angle mid shot of the man as he stands out of the helicopter and drinks from his mug , the title appears on screen and the sh ot angle changes from low angle to flat and from a mid shot to a close- up as he r emov es his sung lass es, stat ing, “Don ’t w orry San Dieg o, Dadd y’s here ”. We then get a t acki ng shot as he w al ks from the helicopter and greets various people along his

jour ney, gett ing reco gnit ion, and free item s from vend ors as he passe s. This film openi ng clea rly stat es the genr e throu gh u se of mise -en -sce ne as when we firs t see Ron he is w ear ing a

bright red suit and red shoes, From this we can guess that it’s not a particularly serious film as a typical businessman/ pre sen ter wouldn’t generally w ear a suit so bright and noticeable.

We can also see thro ugh use of dia logu e and soun d t hat the film ’s a c omed y as he says such over ly dram ati c thin gs as “#Do n’t wor ry… Daddy’s here” in such a way that appears less

dramatic and more comedic. Also it is shown to be a comedy through the way in which everyone reacts towards Ron that this is a comedy film, this is because it seems as though he can get

away with anything, for example one woman reacts at first with indignation at his actions until she realises who it is. In re ali ty this wouldn’t really happen and the indignation would still

be there regardless. Due to the 12A Rating for this film I imagine it’s aimed at the age range of about 12 or so and onwards to about 35. This film may not be of particular use to our

opening sequence in that the plots are completely different yet the constant use of gimmicks could be helpful to us as refere nce. Overall even if we don’t really use the film as a reference it

was still very usef ul to l ook at.

ANALYSIS



Directed by: Jason Winer

Written by: P eter Bayn ham(Screenplay) ,

Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig

Synopsis:

This films follows the life of a drunken Millionaire without a care in the world.

Dependant upon the money he was born with he agrees to marry the woman he

detests. Until he meets free-spirited Naomi, a young woman he just can’t resist.

ARTHUR

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4036934144/tt1334512



Arthu r’s openi ng sequ ence is as foll ows:

We see at firs t the openi ng cred its duri ng whic h A rthur is wea ring and putti ng on vari ous part s of a co stum e even tual ly reve a led to b e t he Bat man cost ume. Duri ng this sequ ence the came ra and

all action on screen freezes and takes in a slightly more cartoon appearance that allows for particular people and such to be credited. We are given an introduction during this scene to the

drinking problem of Arthur, this is through the continued drinking from a small glass of what is clearly alcohol as well as t he antics he get’s up to, for example dressing up as batman and

driving in the bat mobile to his mothers formal function. The opening sequence after the credits see Arthur calling in ‘Bitt erm an’ who then walks into the room dressed in a slightly too small

Robin costume and with his chin covered in shaving cream. The camera then cuts to close up of Arthur who asks Bitterman why h e’s shaving, the camera then cuts back to a mid shot of

Bitterman who reply’s innocently that it’s “because Robin doesn’t have a beard”. We then see another shot of Arthur, this tim e a midshot and as all other shot’s have been - a flat angle as he says

about how they’re only doing this for fun and that he shouldn’t take it seriously. I personally feel that this essentially su ms up Arthur's entire role and thoughts on life/ his life as a whole. From

here Arthur and Bitterman talk a little bit more where Arthur finally says the universally ironic statement of what could go wrong. From this as a viewer we just know for definite that everything will go wron g . We next see a b at mobil e spee ding throu gh new york purs ued by the polic e that eve ntua lly cras hes into a s tatu e o f a larg e gold en cow. New s o f t his spre ads to h is disa ppoin ted

mother who then has to do some damage control as her function was organised to name Arthur the new chairman of the Bach company. This film clearly and simply states the genre of the film

in the first few minutes through use of happy playful colours random costumes insane antics and bizarre conversations. The ta rget audience of this film would be of the age range 12 -35 or so, this

is due in part to the certificate. Mainly the target audience of this film being 12 onwards is because it’s not explicit or a bout anything particularly bad yet there are still some sensitive topics in

the film that may not be suitable to audience members younger than 12. In terms of my own opening sequence I think that this film could be quite a big influence in terms of the gimmicks used

and the fact that Arthur is in a semi-permanent state of drunkenness which could aid our actors by giving them a reference to work from.

ANALYSIS

Documents

Opening Sequence Analysis MEDIA 2