Analysis of Mise en Scene - Clash of the Titans (2010)

Clash of the Titans (Scene)

Analysis of Transitions

A Christmas Carol

Analysis of Cinematography - Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead

Conventions of a Film Opening

<< Background information on the film Sweeney Todd (2007).

By looking at the opening sequence of Sweeney Todd (2007), I have noted down the timings and the titles/credits used during the animation sequence. Using the Prezi Presentation tool, I have written down the timing of each title given and have included an image of every other title to show the font colour and font used.

Sweeney Todd (Intro) - Timeline on Prezi

Typography – The font style used is an older looking font in order to create the atmosphere that the film is set in the Victorian period before any characters are introduced. Also, the white font colour against the darker backgrounds enables the names of the main cast and departments to be seen clearly by the audience.

The animation of the blood really adds atmosphere to the setting because the audience may be already aware of Sweeney Todd and so the blood in the rain at the beginning and the main aspects of the narrative being shown (such as the chair and the pies) makes the audience feel involved in the narrative at the very beginning and makes the plot exiting and draws the audience in.

There are roughly about five seconds between each

 title, enabling the audience to gain the title’s information but not leaving them there too long for them to bore the audience. By only doing five second intervals, the audience can be drawn into the narrative because of the fast paced titles and the background being very dramatic as well.

This research has enabled me to know which names are included in the opening sequence to a film and what typography goes well with the mise en scene (including the font and the font colour).

Initial Ideas

My initial idea is to structure my film opening by the foundations of well-known folklore tales. Specifically, I wanted to recreate the Brothers Grimm stories and twist them with the horror and thriller genre. I am aware that some films (and TV programmes) have based their narratives on these folktales and have given them a twist to widen their audiences. Many of the Brothers Grimm stories were not meant to create a positive atmosphere for the reader and were suppose to have a lesson behind them for children (such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf). These meanings were forgotten over time and were changed by people in order to make them more entertaining than horrific to children (which Disney have done with some of the tales – Little Snow White).

I would like to create an atmosphere based around the witch in some of these stories and have thought about her being the cause of most unfortunate events that happen to the main protagonists. For example, what if the witch had cursed a man and made him become the werewolf – also known as ‘The Big Bad Wolf’? What if she possessed the Queen in Snow White and made her kill her with the poisoned apple? These will be the basis ideas of the film in general (as a synopsis), and the opening to the film will have to show the witch somehow in order to get the narrative going successfully (as the audience need to be aware of the villain/or outset of the film).

Therefore, I think that taking the ‘Hansel and Gretel’ story might be a good opening because the audience can meet the witch for the first time and show that it relates to the Brothers Grimm tales. Also, I should be able to get a good representation of the Hansel and Gretel characters and also the witch herself – because she should look kind to them while tricking them into the house. I can hint other tales to the audience along the way (using mise en scene) and hopefully will create the horror/thriller genre as well as the fantasy genre.

Because the audience should be aware of these tales (through childhood), they may have already knowledge of the tales which is a good focus because using the well known folklore can benefit me in creating a narrative.

The Brief - Film Opening

After looking at the possibilities of doing either a film opening sequence or a magazine cover, contents page and a double page spread, I decided that I would create a film opening scene because I watch more films than read magazines and so have more ideas and inspiration based around film. The coursework brief that I will complete for film is:

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group.

I also decided to work independently for this task and look forward to start generating my ideas from this brief.

Coursework Schedule

G321 AS Course Work Schedule 2010-2011