The Holiday
The holiday starts with a mid shot of a happy couple kissing, which we after realise is a movie clip, this shot shows a content relationship which we compare to the main characters we see after who are not happily in love. The second shot also does this as its another couple that are in the movie, this gives us the contrast again, a lot of close up are used to emphasise the emotive looks there are giving each other. As it goes into the second characters who are not in a happy relationship they again use close up to show the lack on emotion or love you see from them. After this it shows the setting of the film with a long shot this shows us where it is and sets the scene, also as its a typical place the people seem normal and we can relate to them. They also show each main character in the opening so we get to recognize them and they are established well.
The sound in this opening is slow music in the background at the beginning very peaceful and calming, the transitions mimic the sound being slow and peaceful from shot to shot. But as it goes into the second characters who are not in a happy relationship the music becomes more fast paced and bouncy showing the contrast from their lives to the happy peaceful bliss of being in love. And goes back into the peaceful music when showing people in love. Other sounds used are a voice over of one of the characters talking, the person talking directly to audience making us feeling part of the film discussing their feelings with us which us feel like we know the person, and leaves an enigma of us wanting to get to know her more. She is talking about love and feelings towards men, signifying the genre straight away. As the clip continues she talks about her problems making us feel sympathy for her, and wanting us to continue watching to see how these become resolved. The voice over also links up to what is happening in the clip making it become very narrative and as if she is telling the story.
Lighting varies to fit the scene and setting of each clip, this keeps it realistic and so you can relate to it, the props clothing and make-up are also like this. This is essential as when it's realistic you can put yourself in the shoes of the characters becoming more attached to the film.
There are many parts of this film I think I would incorporate into my own opening. I like the way the music mimics the pace of the transitions and also the mood of the piece, as my movie will start upbeat then turn sad I think we could use this really effectively there. Also the close-up shots to shows emotion would show the love well in our piece and finally keeping everything realistic is essential.
The Spectacular Now
-The opening begins
with the wide shot of a boy sitting in front of a computer screen with a beer,
he appears to look quite distressed, we then find out that he's writing a
section of his personal statement about hardships that he has overcome, meaning
his expressions is suited for why he is writing. It cuts to a montage of his
hardship that he has overcome and it shows a variety of emotions throughout the
montage but none of them are the same as the one he is showing when he is
writing about it, showing a very strong contrast and putting an emphasis on how
much of a hardship it was for him.
-The lighting for the opening changes throughout
allowing a clear difference in scenes and keeping the scenes
realistic for the audience. However, most of the scenes use quite dark lighting
which could foreshadow his feelings towards particular aspects within the
opening such as his previous girlfriend, which relates to this being quite a
typical romance film.
-The actors appear to be in their teenage years,
this is indicated to us through the very first shot in which he is writing
a personal statement which often has relations to college or university
applications, therefore, it suggests to the audience that he is going through
the process of finishing school and moving on to further
education. Following on from this scene, the setting changes to a party
with other actors of similar ages and further on changes setting again to a
school which finally shows the audience that this film is in fact a teenage
romance.
-There is a variety of sound used throughout the
opening, it begins with a voice over from who the audience assumes is the main
character, due to him being introduced first, we then realise the main
character is called Sutter Keely. Sutter begins to write a personal statement
about his hardships and discusses his girlfriend and refers to her as his best,
this then follows with clips of their relationship and a light upbeat song
comes on which could possibly reflect the emotions within the relationship
however due to the voice over we know they have broken up therefore, the music
goes against the relationship as we know it.
-When creating our opening this will help as we
will be able to follow the typical shots and editing in which they've used for
the romantic opening. The opening also uses a voice over to almost narrate
or give the audience a main idea on what has happened so they're not confused
on the situation at hand and we may need to do this also due to our opening
being done throughout time so the audience will know the basic idea of what is
going on.
Grease
-We are creating a montage of a couple for our
opening and within the opening of 'Grease' it shows a short montage of what
could be a day or possibly weeks, it doesn't seem as if it has been a very long
time. The shots are mostly extreme long shots or mid shots, this allows the
audience to see both their expressions and what they're doing. They appear to
be doing very typical and loving things whilst they're on the beach and are not
being serious with each other and almost play fighting with each other, this
allows the audience to see that their relationship is not very serious.
-Throughout the opening the sun is setting so
there is lots of reds and gold's which keeps a romantic theme throughout
and also adds more elements of romance to the scenes, all allowing us
to establish which genre the film is which my group and I should
hopefully be able to recreate.
-Both of the actors are alone on a beach which
almost makes them seem as if they're outcasts from the rest of the world, by
the camera only showing them it could show how they both only care about each
other and this is emphasised through them being literally the only people on
the beach. They both appear to be very fond of each other and doing
a variety of things on the beach together and their body language and
facial expressions both appear to be very positive, however this changes when
the bad news is given to 'Danny'.
-The sound used throughout the opening could be
seen to be either happy or sad, foreshadowing the feelings of both of the
characters, due to the them finding out that Sandy, the female lead, has only
been on vacation and doesn't live there, therefore making them both feel
sadness towards the situation as they're not being separated whereas throughout
the opening they've been inseparable. There is also foley used to
help exaggerate the sound of the waves crashing on the beach shore, making
them seems more powerful, this is used strongly when they're sitting and it crashes
all over the couple.
-This will help us with our opening as we've now
been able to see the use of foley and what they used it for and its part within
the scene. We creating our own openings we may have to use foley so this has
helped us see the impact in which it can play on an opening or even a short
part, allowing the audience to be drawn in and the sound almost becoming focal
for the shot.
500) Days of Summer
-It starts off with an animation of what appears a summery day with all the
trees in blossom creating a happy start for the audience and it shows the (500)
Days of Summer and then begins the rest of the opening. Throughout the opening
it shows both characters as adults in their current position and a clip in
their teenage years. By showing us this we feel a connection between us and the
characters, already making the audience feel as if they know these characters
on a personal level and can feel their emotions too. It begins with Tom who we
assume is the main character within the film and he’s sitting within an office
and appears to be in a meeting of some sort. He is dresses quite formally but
himself is quite scruffy with his hair and his appearance, this could suggest
he is at loss with something or quite a dis-organised person. When it
moves to his teenage section, Tom looks as if he is depressed, he is wearing
all black and his outward body language is very negative and appears quite
frequently. When Summer’s montage comes on she starts off in an office where
she’s wearing quite smart clothing however, they’re still very feminine so the
audience can assume that she is a very girly girl. The expression and body
language that she upholds is very positive and as the audience we like that as
she seems to be very happy which appears to be the complete opposite of what
Tom’s facial expression is which could foreshadow a change within his facial
expression. When it moves to her teenage years, her expression changes
however, her clothing doesn't appear too different from her current
state just a little less formal. The shot doesn't not change
throughout but we can an over the shoulder shot of Summer looking as herself in
the mirror, she looks as if she is sad when she is brushing her hair, shortly
after we see her brushing her hair we see her cut it and just hold it in her
hand as if she’s nothing, possibly making a change for herself. We then move
back to credits Tom where he looks as if he’s bored within his meeting and the
camera spins around fast and swoops down to Summer where she is walking through
the office, due to this shot the audience are able to make assumptions on
how/what will happen when they meet but we know for certain that they meet due
to the fact they’re working in the same building together. After this there a
few more seconds of Summer walking through the office and it straight cuts to
quite upbeat music and a black screen where the titles appear.
-Most of angles within the opening shot are a variety of mid shots or wide shots;
by using these type of shots we're able to see the full relationships between
both of the main characters. By using a wide shot it allows the audience
to view both of the main characters who appear to have very different outward
emotions, whereas Summer appears that she is quite happy, Tom is the complete opposite
and seems depressed and bored with his life. When showing us both of the
characters it’s a wide shots, which allows the audience to see the surroundings
in which they're in which may give us an idea to the type people that they
are. The opening includes a variety of shots, some are straight cut which
is very unusual for a romantic comedy and may be use other effects such as
a fade which could convey and bring emotion to the opening or the rest of the
movie. It also includes effects which make the shots seem as if they're
blending in to each other, by doing this it makes if flow together making it
almost easier for the audience to view it.
-The song used is for the opening is 'A Story of Boy Meets Girl - Mychael Danna
and Rob Simonsen' this contains both a light backing track that could be
interpreted as either happy or sad which could foreshadow the characters
relationship, making it almost an enigma for the audience. The song also
contains a voice over which is quite harsh over the soft sounding music which
is playing as he talks. The voice over starts with 'this is a story of boy
meets girl' which already establishes for the audience what the genre of the
film is going to be but after the narrator gives us some background on both of
the main characters Tom and Summer. After is discusses their lives it repeats
the line 'this is a story of boy meets girl' however it follows with 'but you
should know upfront, this is not a love story.' which almost makes the movie
seem a little less romantic.
-The lighting uses a variation as they're in many different places throughout
the opening scene due to the fact it is a montage of their lives apart and then
their life together in a relationship. Most of the shots used are quite bright
which will allow the audience to guess that this is quite a happy relationship
opposed to using dark lighting which would lead the audience to believe that
the relationship between Tom and Summer is quite depressing which may lead to
the audience not believing that the couple don't work together almost.
-When creating our opening this will help incredibly as we will be able to
follow the typical shots and editing in which they've used. They also use very
warm lighting throughout the shots of Tom and Summer which will help when we're
creating the lighting on our 'couple' because we're ensuring that the couple
appear to move throughout time to show the length of their relationship. We're
also going to in a quite a dull and depressing scene to the end of our opening
where the girlfriend is crying due to the loss of her boyfriend, which
links to the teenage years in the opening of (500) Days Of Summer, by doing
this the audience will also know that the film may possibly be a
tragedy. In (500) Days Of Summer, the opening uses a voice over to almost
narrate or give the audience a main idea on what has happened so they're not
confused on the situation at hand and the fact they've not actually met each
other yet. The voice over also shows their view on love and how Tom believes in
true love and believes that there is a 'one' for him and when he sees Summer,
the voice over indicates to us that he thinks she is the one.
The Vow
-During the opening scene of 'The Vow' both
characters are wearing warm clothing, coats, hats and scarf’s. The female
character is wearing a red coat. The colour red is significant to the romance
genre as red has connotations of love and passion. The clothing in which we
associate with winter makes the whole scene seem more warm and comfortable,
portraying their relationship and comfort with each other. It also
indicates the season and month in which it is set, which ties in with the
falling snow in the background and the autumnal leaves in which have fallen.
-The lighting sets a warm mood at the beginning of the scene as there
are lots of pretty, warm lights around the setting, by using orange and red
lights set a warm romantic vibe. Both of the characters are on a date and
you can tell this is a date due to the chemistry between them and how they act
towards each other.
Both female and male characters are attractive
which is common in love films. The female character is played by Rachel Mcadams
and male character played by Channing Tatum. The entire opening focuses on
these two characters. This puts attention on their relationship and getting to
know them in the first few minutes of the film. All romance films consist of a
male and female character.
-No props were used. This could be to focus more on the dialogue and
relationship in the scene.
-The setting of the opening scene is important.
It is set at the movies, this is a place where we'd assume to see a couple on a
date. The movie theatre is surrounded with pretty lights and warm
colours. This sets a romantic atmosphere It
is autumn winter, there are leaves on the ground and snow is falling.
All these factors add to the theme and genre of romance.
-The camera starts at the top of the movie theatre and comes down at
an angle across the characters and into a wide shot in front of the characters.
This helps to see the background and you can then tell clearly that they are a
couple by their body language and the way they are standing together linking
arms. The second shot is an establishing shot. In this shot we establish
the setting and surroundings. When they get into the car an over the shoulder
two shot has been used. This shows there relationship further and links in with
the genre. As the car pulls away a long/wide shot is used to again show the
settings and surrounds of the area. From then on over the shoulder shots from
character to character are used. This shows a conversation between the
characters. It also able's you to focus a lot more on there faces and facial
expressions, seeing the way they look at each other. Another wide shot is used
to show the car stopping at a stop sign. By showing the stop sign makes us
audience members more sympathetic towards both characters when the crash
happens because they have done nothing wrong. A mid shot is used to show the
couple kissing. This is effective as you can see the truck lights coming and
how the characters are so oblivious towards it.
-At the beginning of the opening there is a
peaceful music playing. This sets the scene by adding to the surrounding of
snow and pretty lights. All together this adds to the romance genre by creating
a romantic atmosphere. -The colour red is included a lot in this
scene and is very significant to the romance genre. The first thing we see in
the opening is a red light above the theatre This automatically
makes us think of love and the colour red symbolises love and romance. The
second piece of red we see is the female characters coat. After this we see
many other red lights. This is putting a constant theme of love in our minds.
Throughout the scene the two characters are being intimate with each other,
this showing they are in a relationship. They are laughing, kissing and doing
typical couple things, for example going to the movies and listening to
a favourite song in the car while messing around. This makes it clear
they are in a relationship and therefore links in with the romance genre.
We think our first institution would be Working Title Films. Working Titles Films is a British film production company based in London; the company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions. Polygram was its first corporate backer, which was then sold and made into Universal. It has made a range of films from comedies such as Hot Fuzz to children’s films like Nanny Mcphee. We think this institution would be perfect for us. Firstly it is a British company, and our film is British, meaning it will be local to us and also understand the characters and aspects of a British movie, which can vary from an American film. Working Title Films has created many romance films in the past such as Wimbledon, About Time, Defiantly Maybe, Bridget Jones, The Shape of Things and I Give It A Year. This means they have a strong background into romance films, and how to make the most of them, also people will have recognised them from other popular romance films, causing them to trust our film will be up to that standard. To expand on my previous points it has also made a British Romance movie, which we have taken allot of inspiration from "Bridget Jones" this again means they have dealt with similar films to ours, giving us the impression they will be able to produce ours to a high standard.
The second institution we have chosen for our film is DNA films. DNA films are again a British company founded by Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew Macdonald. It has become one of the most successful production companies in London. It has made a variety of films from horrors such as 28 Weeks Later to romances such as A Life Less Ordinary and also comedies such as Twin Town. We think this company would be good for us firstly because it is British so again will understand the features of a British comedy which can vary from other countries. They have also produced romances before such as A Life Less Ordinary and Never Let Me Go. The films they create are very low budget, which relates to our films allot as we did not have a large budget. They also create films that have an edge to them and are quirky, not always your typical storyline. We think our film would also fall under this cartography and we have tried to make it different from others and more quirky.
