Monday 25 November 2013

Colours


Colouring has a huge influence over different film types and their genre. Horror films always tend to have a darker colour and the settings are quite often isolated to build tension in certain films. For example in 'The Conjuring' its filmed in a cold, eery winter setting. Most of the film is placed in an old isolated house which is also darkened and faded with age. All the mise-en-scene is also quite classic and dull, with dim-lit rooms and dark-coloured clothing.
up-edit1.jpg
Although then in contrast in films such as 'Up' created as a childrens and family film, there is alot of bright colouring. Although it is animated the setting, mood and props are usually quite happy and bright. Even negative parts of the story-line are kept light-hearted and bright with the film of the movie. The colouring of the mise-en-scene and shooting of the movie can have a direct influence over the genre it will be placed in and the mood it creates.

Friday 22 November 2013

Different Film Opening Types

Narrative Structure

Film openings with an narrative style are designed to guide us through the course of a film. The narrator would usually introduce elements of the film such as the characters or gradually introduce certain situations with in the film. Narrative opening scenes can be effective as they then add more importance to characters when they are eventually seen for the first time in the opening. Narrative structured film openings still have effective credits as this gives the audience something to visualise both in front of them and in their mind as they interpret what the narrator is talking about. For example all the institutions involved will be still listed in the opening minutes, so the importance of the companies behind the film are not taking away just because of the different approach they have taken.

Discrete title sequence

Discrete title sequences  give away very little to do with the story line or the location in which the film is set. The opening clip does the simple elements that most openings have such as credits of the companies behind the film. This type of opening sequence can be effective because it may make the audience more intrigued to what the film as they do not know what is going to happen.

A stylised edited opening

This type opening incorporates a lot of editing and transitions used to help give the audience an insight in to the film but without giving away the whole plot of the film. This type of opening may give out a number of clues that relate to the ending of the plot but this will be unclear to the audience as they have not watch the film yet. These type of openings can be found in a lot of action films as they have a lot of energetic scenes.



Titles over a blank screen

This type of opening sequence can be very limited as it does not give the audience any anticipation show they can not make any judgment on what they are going to watch. This opening consist of having a plain background and incorporates credits listing everyone involved in producing the film , which overall makes it bland and boring for the viewer. No other camera shots or images are shown which add to the limitations of this type of opening sequence.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

2 minute opening scene to 'Stepbrothers'


The beginning of the film starts with a black screen and written in white writing is the quote 'Family is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream' this funny quote said by mistake already hints towards the idea that 'Stepbrothers' is a comedy and it is mocking the idea of family values. The quote always hints towards the film being about family and possibly how family life is not as perfect as it seems and this is reinforced by the misspelt quote. All the titles are written in varying sizes just like a child's writing also implying it could be about children and obviously stepbrothers from the title. The scene then opens up at around 19 seconds on Hollywood actor Will Ferrel as he puts cheese on nachos. He is dressed in pyjamas like a child which is comical in itself although his face is not at first revealed showing how the producers want the audience to be in shock when they realise he is infact a grown man and not a child. He is also placing cheese on a nachos, but being dressed in pyjamas it is obviously breakfast and this is also unusual and possible humorous to some audiences as its not something you would eat for breakfast, but it also highlights how is unhealthy and possibly quite lazy. It then moves on to another man taking underwear from a laundry basket and sniffing it reinforcing the humorous laziness that these two main characters obviously possess.
Will Ferrell then appears again carrying lots of food showing his childish greediness and unawareness of health and he is watching television as a woman walks past she says good bye to Will Ferrell as she leaves for work and he says good bye to his mother while he watches television he then makes a sexual implication as he puts his hands down his trousers as she leaves. This shows possibly boredom and his laziness implies he doesn't have anywhere to go for the day and that he possibly doesn't have a job. The well dressed woman who appears to be Will Ferrell's mother is obviously of quite a high profession which is very juxtaposing to Will Ferrell and it is evidence that she obviously supports the family. It then goes on to the other man who is playing guitar hero which is well recognized game normally played by young people or children in their spare time, and his father, also well dressed comes to speak to him. He tells his son how he has left him money to order pizza and John Reilly argues back childishly and selfishly asking for more money for 'wings' this is entertaining to the audience as he becomes angered by childish matters which is unusual, it also implies that he, like Will Ferrrell, is unemployed in the film making the idea of his childishness seem even more realistic.
The opening sequence then moves on to The father making a presentation in a very rich and sophisticated looking hall where he is distracted by Will Ferrell's mother as he says 'put your face between those breasts' mid-way through his presentation which also connects to the idea of how real life and foreshadows the unprofessionalism of the characters throughout the movie. It is also engaging and entertaining for the audience. It then quickly switches to a sexual scene where the mother and father are meeting for the first time and getting intimate in a hotel room where they suddenly both admit to having a 40 and 39 year old son still living at home. This brings the whole opening scene to together as the audience is shocked by the sudden realization of how old the two sons really are. This attracts the  audience to watch the rest of the film as they want to find out why these two middle aged men are still living at home like children. The music is quite young and cheerful although the mise-en-scene is quite profesional all apart from the two sons who appear very childish in their pyjamas and in the way they act with the food they eat and playing games which makes them even more obvious as the two main characters.