My opening sequence conforms to allot of the conventions that are in place for comedy films but it

also has its own dark twist and unique feel to it.

The conventions of the genre are not set in stone and different tastes of humour make it possible to

play around with the conventions a fair amount. Although there is a certain leeway I realised when

editing that you cannot remove too many of these conventions as the film would just fall apart and

would lack the flow needed for a successful opening sequence.

The first of the conventions that I identified that I conformed to is introducing all the main

characters in the opening sequence. All 3 of the main characters are introduced and the audience is

given the opportunity to assess and get a feel for the status of each character and their place in

society. This is similar to all comedy films. For example the hangover introduces the main characters

by using a conversation over the telephone. Wild hogs simply uses the visuals of them coming onto

screen as a indication that they are main characters, with one person being hit off the bike which

shows who the “ idiot “ in the film is. My film shows Stevie arriving on the moped, Jimmy Getting

shot and Julia who comes down the stairs these are all the main characters.

The second convention that my opening sequence conforms to is having dialogue in the opening

sequence. Where allot of genres have no dialogue in the opening sequence and are usually just

scene setting shots with minimal character interactions comedy films I looked at seemed to have at

least a couple of lines of dialogue for example The hangover is simply just a conversation and Ted is

begun with a voiceover then a conversation. Mine starts with just music to catch the viewers

attention, and then the dialogue starts about a minute into the sequence. At this point the viewer

knows the characters and is just compiling an idea of what each characters personality is like.

Having a background music track is also a common thing to have. Instead of having an especially

composed piece they usually use common recognisable tracks that people can relate to. The track

also usually gives a clue as to what the plot of the film involves. This is the exact reason I chose the

backing track I did for my opening sequence. Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead or Alive is a perfect track to

have and to use as it is recognisable and gives a clue to the plot about the dead hit man.

The title of the film coming after all the characters have been introduces is another convention that i

kept in my opening sequence. Road Hogs does this as the title comes up right after all the characters

have been introduced to the viewer and the first bit of comedy has started. Mine does this as all 3

characters have been introduced and my title comes up just before the last shot.

The last main convention that my film conforms too is the main prop/key item in the movie being in

set. In ted this is the bong and in the hangover this is the car. Road hogs does this less subtly and

makes a big thing of the bike straight off. I decided to find a middle ground between being subtle

with its placement and forcing it upon the audience. The main item/prop is the moped and it is used

and indicated as a key prop but it isn’t the main focus of all shots.

These are the main conventions that my opening sequence conforms to but there are also some

which it doesn’t for example first of all the first visual in most comedies is a close-up on the main

character. I chose not to do this as I was keen to have them shown arriving on a little moped for

comedy effect. I believe that if I had chosen to have a close-up on a main character it wouldn’t have

added to the plot or immersiveness of the opening sequence by may have made it flow a bit

smoother.

Again another convention I considered and decided that I wouldn’t conform to is the conversation

revealing allot of film context. The dialogue in my opening sequence hints at the plot but it doesn’t

make it clear what the plot will be. The reason I left it so open ended as it makes the viewer question

where the film is headed and will hopefully draw people in rather than let them think they know

what’s going to happen therefore they have no reason to continue to pay the same level of attention

that they did in the beginning.

Overall there are many conventions that I have challenged but there are also some that I have stuck

to and I feel I carefully chose which I would stick to and which I wouldn’t to produce the best

outcome for my opening sequence.