Analysing Film Openings - The Men Who Stare At Goats

Scene summary – The men who stare at goats –

The scene doesn’t begin with an establishing shot but a mid-shot of a man sitting in an office. The man’s facial expression can clearly be seen as well as his close surroundings so we get an idea where he is. His face shows strong concentration on something that is on the other side of the room, and the audience are drawn to this as the camera begins to move towards him. Additional information appears on screen as the shot cuts to a closer angle. The information tells us who he is, where he is and the date the scene is set in. Mise-en -scene is used to indicate to the audience this is an army barracks. The man is wearing an army uniform in the shot and in the background of the shot there is a U.S. flag on the wall. The next shot is further away but still on the man and the desk. As he gets up and moves from behind the desk to next to it, his concentration doesn’t break from what he is looking at across the room. The man speaks then the shot changes to a side view just in front of the wall looking across the width of the room. As it does this we see another man at a similar desk look up and answer the man. The angle stays the same as we see the figure of the army man run past the camera. As he passes it the angle cuts quickly to a shot of the man running into the wall on the other side of the room, and falling back down onto the floor.

This shot is at a lower angle so we see the man hit the wall and fall down to the cameras view. The shot then cuts to a view from the army mans knees as he lies on the floor. He then raises his head so the shot almost becomes a close up. We see the emotion on his face and the attention draws to the man’s bleeding nose. He says a line of dialogue and the scene changes. The scene at this point is of a large house and is a shot from across the road. It establishes where it is, as again additional information is used to fill in for a clearer establishing shot. As a car pulls up to the outside of the house someone gets out and walks towards the front door the shot and angle remain the same as he walks up to the door, which is the end of the two minute extract.

The titles and credits take up a lot of time at the beginning of the opening scene so there is not as much use of camera angles, mise en scene, etc. The opening is clear for the audience as they are aware of everything they need to without using an establishing shot, this could take more time because the audience has to take in and think about what is happening, rather than just reading it from the screen.

 

This opening shot is effective and a smart technique because it is different from the average film. Normally the shot would be at a distance and show the audience where the scene is set. This is different because it does the same but at the same time it gives extra information (who the characters are) in a shorter space of time.

This mid-shot is used so that you can see where the character is and also see his facial expression clearly. Here the army man looks extremely concentrated on something that he is yet to take his eyes off. This makes the audience want to know what exactly he is so focused on.

This angle is side view and is looking across the width of the room. This angle highlights the initial thoughts of the audience that this scene is set in an army barracks/office. The shot is composed so the audience can see the man in the background watch the other character run at the wall. This shot is very brief but we see a lot in it.

This shot creates a sense of sympathy for the character because the camera is positioned down at his level. We see that he is bleeding and hurt and even though it is funny the way in which it happened the audience can slightly feel his pain and disappointment, all because we can see his facial expression because of the cameras positioning.

The same effective shot is being used as before here. As the scene changes we get a sense of where it is but as the information fades onto the screen it becomes very clear. This is a long shot so the audience see the surrounding area, which helps the audience understand what is going on.

Use of sound – The men who stare at goats –

The use of sound in the first two minutes of this film is minimal. There is silence through the credits and also as the first scene starts. The use of silence shows the audience a serious element to the beginning of the film, which is not the films genre.  At this point the audience becomes engaged with what is going on onscreen. The character who is an army officer has not broken his concentration of what he is looking at. This is enhanced by the silence because it makes the audience pay close attention as well. This is a very effective use of silence (the easiest type of sound in films) because it creates an atmosphere of seriousness which is completely changed when the character runs into the wall. The next use of sound is when the setting changes to five years later and is in an establishing shot. The sound corresponds with the scene. The scene is of a suburban area with the centre of the frame there is a house. The non-diegetic music corresponds with this because it’s quite relaxing but upbeat music.

Overall

this opening sequence shows how much information you can give the audience fom the shots you choose and the way you edit them together. There is not much plot in this, but there is quite a variety of different shot types and angles, and as I have said above, i also think that sound has been sued very effectively. When we work out what we want to happen in our opening sequence, we need to think just as carefully about how we film it as what actually happens.

 

Analysing Film Openings - Last King of Scotland

'The Last King of Scotland'

 The film starts with two production logos and title slides giving some information about the film, for example the country of filming and the time of year. In one of the production logos, there is a burning vehicle which creates tension. Like most of the other films, this film also starts with an establishing shot. It is a long shot which tells us little about the area. It is an area with less buildings and more trees, which could be country side. There are also lot of people which could tell us that it is about a community. They look very happy and they are only wearing their underwear. They ran towards a lake and jump into it, it looks like they are celebrating something.

We are introduced to the first character using a mid-shot and he is most likely to be the main character of the film. After the mid-shot we are introduced to two other characters in a group shot. They are pretty smartly dressed and they are having dinner together. As a part of mise-en-scéne the house and the actors sound educated and looks like a well-off  family. This reflects on their class and their personality. We also have some close-ups and some over-the-shoulder shots as it is mainly dialogue. Overall the lighting of the room is a little dark which creates a tense atmosphere. There is a light shining behind the main character which emphasises his emotions and gives him an arrogant-looking face.

According to the dialogue, they are celebrating the graduation of the main character. His dad sounds very arrogant about his higher degree than his son. As he says the line, two close ups of the characters are shown in the extract. This was to show their emotions about the conversation. But the main character appears to hide his feelings and not show them to his parents.

The room is furnished with old fashioned furniture and everything looks very old. This is the setting that was created to make the audience feel like the film was set in 1970s. For example, old fashioned props and politeness of the characters and their vocabulary is slightly different to present day. The film has not established the story yet and has not given the audience much knowledge about the film. 

 
This is the first production logo appeared with animation and non-diegetic music.

 

The film four logo is the second to appear as a production logo. It was a bit special compared to others and stands out a lot as it is a burning firetruck and the camera zooms in and changed the subject into the production logo. This makes it memorable

 

This is the establishing shot which the film starts with. In the background there is a coach and few other vehicles. There is also a large building which seems like a cathedral or a castle. It looks very green and there are lot of trees behind the building.

 

Mid-shot when we are introduced to the main character. The light behind him reflects and lightens up the side of his face.



 

Group-shot when the family is together. They all looks happy except one of them. The room looks a bit dark and gives a sinister feeling.

 

 

First close-up of the character, she looks very happy. And she is smartly dressed which reflects on her class and personality.

 

He is also smartly dressed and he looks smart and professional. This is an over-the-shoulder shot during their conversation.

 

 

Analysing Film Openings - Glory Road

'Glory road' – scene summary  

The film begins with the Disney logo which is animated. The familiar music starts playing which gives a feeling of happiness/excitement. As we move on we are presented with lots of flashbacks and old videos and photos of America in 1960s, which could hint to the audience that the past is relevent to this film. After the flashbacks, the film title appears on the screen and in the background a basketball comes up which tell us that the film is about basketball. The first shot is an establishing shot which is an aerial shot. The shot begins in black and white colour and then fades out, adding colour to the film. The next shot is another establishing shot which shows a large building which seems to be a school and we are therefore introduced to where the setting is. It seems like there is something to do with basketball and freedom as there are lots of shots of basketball players playing ball. There is also the flag of America and parades which seems to be something to do with freedom.

The next scene starts with a close-up. The character seems very busy and anxious. He seems to be a basketball coach of the team. He is also smartly dressed. The scene is set in a very noisy environment. It seems that there is a girls’ basketball game is going on. A lot of diegetic sound is involved, eg people cheering and clapping, sounds of ball bouncing etc. Just after they win the game we can see a few group shots of the winning team to represent their victory.

After the game, the first scene fades out, another scene starts with another establishing shot. It is a calm and countryside environment but it is very dark and looks cloudy. Use of lighting tells us which time of day it is. It looks like it is evening time. The only building around there is a house, which looks like a farm house.

 

The animated Disney logo appears with its own music. The first two logos are production and distribution logos. They do not have special music to go with the movie.

 

In first thirty seconds of the clip, there are lots of flashbacks and tells us a lot about the film. It also tells us about the time of year and hints us what sort of a film it is going to be.

 
We have a close up of a basketball net, which tells the audience that the film is about basketball.

 

 

 

The audience is provided with much deep knowledge about the film and the film title is revealed. There is a background picture behind the film title, with two hands and a basketball.

The film begins with an establishing shot which is an aerial shot. The camera pan downwards to give us deeper knowledge about the setting.  It looks like an urban area and tells us that it Texas, US. 

We are introduced to the first character in a mid-shot. It shows his emotions and a little about the surrounding. He is dressed very smartly and looks very curious.

  

This long shot shows us what situation they are in and gives more knowledge of setting. It looks dark and sounds very noisy.

 

 
This establishing shot shows a lonely looking area. It looks like evening.

 

Use of sound

After the productions logos, there is lot of non-diegetic music with lot of flashes and and edited music to create excitement, but the film creates bit of tension and sympathy. Music carries on to the next scene, the beginning of the film. In this scene, there is lot of diegetic sound, ball bouncing, running sounds, people cheering and shouting etc. In the next scene there is lot of silence and it feels more calm. Again we can hear ball bouncing and children playing, sounds of water dropping etc. The non-diegetic music emphasises the domestic background.

 

Analysing Film Openings - Fun with Dick and Jane

'Fun with Dick and Jane' – Scene Summary

 The scene fades in from the titles to a painted drawing which then turns into an establishing shot showing us that it is a drive way with perfect houses and good looking front gardens. This could lead us to assume that this is a wealthy community. It could also suggest that it is summer. The drive way could be a busy one, because we see a car pass by in the establishing shot.

The first character is introduced by a close up. It is a long close up which allows the audience to see the character's emotion and to create a memory of the character. He looks confused at the beginning, but his actions shows that he is an active/charismatic character. He is dressed smartly with a tie and a blazer. This emphasises his class and his personality. His sunglasses makes his face stands out and more expressively. There is lot of day light and sunshine on his face which shows that it could be an early morning. He opens a monologue while he drives. The way he talks presents his personality and sounds normal (not posh, or informal).

 When he drives he ignores the colour light which could tell us that he is rash and we see an aerial shot of the car when he drives through the camera light. The photo adds humour to the film by emphasising the action. In the group shot we see lot of people dressed smartly and well presented. And the character we met earlier is leading the way, giving a presentation. This could reveal more about his career. 

 We are introduced to the other main character through a two shot. The use of the two shot could tell us that she is not as important as the first character or that her relationship with him is the most important thing. She is also smartly dressed. Her temper could tell us that she is doing a stressful job at work. We see her again at home cutting vegetables while talking on the phone and looking after the child. In both scenes she is very busy and the focus is on her. We are then introduced to their child. He is wearing a blue shirt with shorts. The lighting was very bright which could show happiness (usually bright light represents something good).  

The opening establishing shot gives us knowledge of which year and the time of year. The area looks like a wealthy one.



The close up shows his facial expressions. He looks confused. It is a long close up to establish the main character.



Character's name is introduced with big bold letters on the screen. It is a paused image which shows us that he is a very active person.

In this group shot we can see what sort of job he does. They all are smartly dressed and in a building which looks very classy.

In this two shot we are introduced to another character. She looks very busy. She is also smartly dressed, which could tell us that she has a good job.

Here we are introduced to another character which seems to be their son. He also looks confused.

Deep focus shot. This shows how busy she is and she is multitasking.

  

These are the only two titles we see during the extract. These two are production and distribution company credits and logos. The title of the film is not yet established. This means that all the events are leading towards the introduction of the title.

 Use of Sound

Colombia pictures logo appears with their own music and their classic/non-edited logo (to suit the film in any way). Then the Imagine Entertainment logo follows with their own music. The background is black. Not much about the film is revealed from the logos or the music used in them.

 Then happy/excited feeling non-diegetic  music follows with some diegetic sounds of dog barking and the door opening etc. Piano music adds excitement to the extract. Then the voiceover appears which adds humour to the extract. The piano music keeps playing in the background. We are introduced to the other character who was talking on the phone and seems to be very busy. The same character appears to be cooking later on and feeling of  business/restlessness is emphasised from music and non-diegetic sounds.  

 The music used creates a happy feeling and it feels very entertaining. There are lot of non-diegetic sounds alongside the music track. Music begins just after the end of titles and stays there for the whole of first two minutes. During the two minutes, we were introduced to three characters and given good knowledge of two characters. During the two minutes we can recognise that they are a well established, busy family. The genre is established straight away.