BFI RESEARCHCHYNIA TEIXEIRA

BFI TRIP

• FOR THIS PIECE OF WORK I AM GOING TO GIVE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT I HAVE LEARNT ABOUT STRUCTURING AND CREATING AN OPENING SEQUENCE. I WILL ALSO BE EXPLAINING WHAT I SHOULD INCLUDE IN MY OWN OPENING SEQUENCE. DURING OUR TRIP TO THE BFI I RESEARCHED CONCEPTS OF DIFFERENT THRILLER OPENING SEQUENCES; WE ALSO RECEIVED FEEDBACK ON OUR OPENING SEQUENCE IDEA.

STRUCTURE

• THE STRUCTURE OF AN OPENING SEQUENCE CONSISTS OF DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES, CHARACTERS, SETTINGS, MISE EN SCENE AND SOUND. WITH THE CHARACTERS THERE IS USUALLY A PROTAGONIST AND AN ANTAGONIST, WHERE THERE MAY BE A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO. THE SETTING USUALLY MATCHES THE STORYLINE AND THE GENRE. SOUND IS IMPORTANT DURING A FILM AND OPENING SEQUENCE AS IT SETS A MOOD, EITHER BUILDING SUSPENSE AND ANTICIPATION OR CREATING A CALM ENVIRONMENT, THE SOUND GIVES THE AUDIENCE CLUES ABOUT WHAT THE REST OF THE MOVIE IS GOING TO BE ABOUT, ALSO LETS THEM KNOW HOW THEY SHOULD FEEL FOR EXAMPLE IF THERE IS FAST PACE MUSIC THE AUDIENCE IS LIKELY TO BE WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, KEEPING THEIR ATTENTION FIXED ON THE FILM.THE STRUCTURE OF AN OPENING SEQUENCE CONSISTS OF DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES, CHARACTERS, SETTINGS, MISE EN SCENE AND SOUND. WITH THE CHARACTERS THERE IS USUALLY A PROTAGONIST AND AN ANTAGONIST, WHERE THERE MAY BE A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO. THE SETTING USUALLY MATCHES THE STORYLINE AND THE GENRE. SOUND IS IMPORTANT DURING A FILM AND OPENING SEQUENCE AS IT SETS A MOOD, EITHER BUILDING SUSPENSE AND ANTICIPATION OR CREATING A CALM ENVIRONMENT, THE SOUND GIVES THE AUDIENCE CLUES ABOUT WHAT THE REST OF THE MOVIE IS GOING TO BE ABOUT, ALSO LETS THEM KNOW HOW THEY SHOULD FEEL FOR EXAMPLE IF THERE IS FAST PACE MUSIC THE AUDIENCE IS LIKELY TO BE WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, KEEPING THEIR ATTENTION FIXED ON THE FILM.

SWEET SIXTEEN

• THE FIRST FILM I ANALYSED WAS ‘SWEET SIXTEEN (2002)’, I ANALYSED ITS OPENING SEQUENCE BASED ON THE DIFFERENT CAMERA SHOTS AND ANGLES, MISE EN SCENE, CAMERA MOVEMENT AND SOUND IT CONTAINED. THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT A BOY WHO IS DETERMINED TO HAVE A NORMAL FAMILY LIFE ONCE HIS MOTHER GETS OUT OF PRISON, HE IS A SCOTTISH TEENAGER FROM A TOUGH BACKGROUND AND HE SETS OUT TO RAISE THE MONEY FOR A HOME. IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE WE SEE TEENAGE BOYS SELLING CIGARETTES ILLEGALLY; THIS PART OF THE FILM SUPPORTS THE STEREOTYPE OF TEENAGERS, SPECIFICALLY TEENAGE BOYS, TO BE CRIMINALS AND TROUBLESOME. THROUGHOUT THE OPENING SEQUENCE THERE ARE VARIED SHOTS, MID SHOTS OF THE BOYS THIS SHOWS THEIR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND PART OF THEIR UPPER BODY LANGUAGE, THERE IS ALSO FAST CUTS WHEN THE TEENAGE BOYS ARE BEING CHASED BY THE POLICE. THE USE OF CAMERA ANGLES AND EDITING ALL HELP TO ADD SUSPENSE TO THE SCENE, AS DOES THE USE OF SOUND WHICH IS QUITE MISCHIEVOUS AND TROUBLESOME WHICH LINKS WITH THE STORY LINE OF BAD TEENAGERS.

THE SILENCE

• THE SECOND OPENING SEQUENCE I WATCHED I FOCUSED ON HOW THE TITLE WAS PRESENTED ON SCREEN. THE FILM WE WATCHED WAS ‘THE SILENCE’, THIS IS ABOUT A GIRL WHO IS STRUGGLING TO MIX INTO A HEARING WORLD, SHE WITNESSES THE MURDER OF A POLICE OFFICER, AND THIS INVESTIGATION UNRAVELS A NET OF POLICE CORRUPTION. THE TITLE APPEARS ON THE SCREEN WITH A SORT OF FLICKERING EFFECT WHICH GRABS THE AUDIENCE’S ATTENTION, THE WRITING IS IN BOLD BLACK THIS EMPHASISES THE DARK ATMOSPHERE OF THE FILM. THE WAY THE TITLE IS PRESENTED FITS WITH THE THRILLER GENRE DUE TO ITS ROUGH AND GRITTY EFFECT.

39 STEPS

• THE THIRD OPENING SEQUENCE THAT I WATCHED WAS ’39 STEPS’ WHICH IS ABOUT A MAN WHO TRIES TO HELP A COUNTER- ESPIONAGE AGENT PREVENT AN ORGANISATION OF SPIES FROM STEALING TOP SECRET INFORMATION. I ANALYSED HOW THE NARRATIVE IS INTRODUCED TO US AS THE AUDIENCE. FIRSTLY THE FACT THE MOVIE IS IN BLACK AND WHITE MAKES IT SEEM MORE MYSTERIOUS AND FRIGHTENING. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM WE ARE NOT SHOWN THE CHARACTERS FACE WHICH MAKES THE AUDIENCE QUESTION WHY THIS HAS BEEN DONE, REVEALING TO US THAT HE MAY BE A MAIN, IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THE FILM.