Drive - film opening analysis

Drive - film opening - analysis

 

The opening shot of the film is a birds eye view of a city at night. This informs the viewer that the film is set in a city. The title 'Ryan Gosling' then appears in front of the shot of the city. Straight after this there is a shot of the character played by Ryan Gosling while he is sitting in a car. This informs the viewers that he will be the main character in the film because the title of the actor is the first to be shown in the credits. The low camera angle of Ryan Gosling shows the viewers that he will have power in this film.

 

 

 

The film title 'Drive' then appears in front of the shot where Ryan Gosling is sitting in the drivers seat of a car. This suggests that the character drives for a living and that the film will be based around the life of this character. The low key lighting in the car connotes that this film will be a crime film set at night. As this film is set in a city it connotes that the crime may be stealing money from businesses at night time in the city as people will not be working in the buildings at these hours.

 

 

 

 

Throughout the film opening there is non-diegetic background music with lyrics that say 'I can drive you through the night'. This connotes to the viewers that this character drives people around the city during the night which also emphasizes that this film will be based on crime. As the character is driving he wears black leather gloves. This is often associated with people that commit/ are involved in a crime because they do not want to leave their finger prints at a crime scene. Which also reinforces the original thoughts of the film being crime based and the character played by Ryan Gosling participating in these crimes.   

 

The car is then parked in a hidden under ground car park of a block of flats. This suggests that he lives a life hidden away from other people. As he gets out of the car and start to walk to the lift it allows people to see what Jacket the character is wearing due to the lighting being slightly brighter. The jacket is silver with a gold scorpion on it. This suggests to the audience the character is part of a group/ gang that he works with to steal things and the scorpion may be the group sign. However, this is slightly confusing for the viewer because stereotypically people involved in crime would wear something dark e.g. black to make them less visible.

 

 

 

When the character drops his bag off in a flat he goes straight back out again. This connotes that he is going out to start his job of driving people around during the night to commit crimes. It also leaves the viewer wondering what is in the bag that was dumped in the room (e.g. stolen money).

 

 

The text of the titles are in pink. This causes an uncertainty to what this means about the film. It may be interpreted that there will be a love story in this film between the character and a female although it could mean that the character is slightly feminine as the text is pink and his jacket is silver and gold often linked to women.

 

The atmosphere created in this film opening is confusing for the viewer because it is hard to predict what will happen in the film and what the story will be based around apart from it is based around driving and genre is a crime film. The genre is clear to the viewer because of the low lighting, leather gloves and the secrecy of the flat. This film opening has helped me consider what type of lighting I will use. From this film opening I will use lighting to help the viewer understand the genre e.g. low key lighting (crime, action) or high key lighting (comedy, romance).  However, I will use a more suitable font and colour text for the titles in my film opening because I think the pink text does not help portray the genre to the viewers.

 



 





The Vow - opening - analysis

The Vow - opening - analysis

 

 

At the beginning of the film the production logo of 'Screen Gems' appears with 'A Song Pictures Entertainment Company' underneath it. This shows the audience that the film will be of good quality and a have a high budget due to Sony previously creating high quality films. Straight after this, the logo for 'Spyglass Entertainment' Is shown in the film opening, this tells the audience that both companies produced this film.

 

 

 

 

As the actors start to walk out of the cinema the actors names come up on the screen (titles) this shows that they are going to be the main characters in this film due to the camera focusing on them. The title of the film 'The Vow' then is shown over the two characters played by Rachael McAdams and Channing Tatum which connotes that the characters are married.

 

 

 

 

In this scene there is a lot of white snow which shows the viewer that the film is based during the winter. Although snow is usually seen as a good thing that people enjoy as it diegetically is said in the film 'It's so beautiful', the snow can also be dangerous which suggests there could be accidents from the ice. It is also suggested that there could be danger/ accidents because the female character is wearing a red coat. When the male character kisses the women on the forehead this also suggests to the audience that the characters know each other well and are in a relationship because it would not be expected for that to happen on a first date to the cinema. When the characters get into the car together he kisses her hands because they are cold. This also shows the audience their love because he wants to keep her warm.

 

Whilst they are driving home, the male character does not look out of the windscreen very often because he keeps looking at his wife, this connotes to the audience that something bad may happen and that there will be an accident. As they are driving the radio is turned on and there Is diegetic music playing. The song says ' I will do anything for love' the male character starts to sing along, this suggests that in the film the man will have to do something for love.

 

 The couple both laugh a lot which suggests that they have a very happy marriage as well as still going out for dates to the cinema. When the stop signs appear in red it connotes danger to the viewer. The female character then takes off her seatbelt which strongly suggests that something bad is about to happen considering they are still on the road. When the truck goes into the back of the their car it confirms the evidence of the snow/ ice being dangerous and causing accidents.

 

 

 

 

The narrative is clear from the start that this film will be a love story where something bad happens because of the title being called 'The Vow' and the constant connotations of danger by the amount of red being shown. The atmosphere for the viewer starts off happy because of the couple being very happy however, when the truck hits the back of their car the viewer is aware that something bad will happen most probably to the woman due to her not wearing a seatbelt, which will effect the way the film will be and the love between the two characters. This makes it a very sad atmosphere.

 

The genre is a romance film because the film is about marriage and commitment which is shown in the title 'The Vow'. This means that the audience that watch this film are most probably female due to romance films stereotypically being aimed at women. In this film opening the title makes it obvious what the rest of the film will be about. This film will help me think about what I will name my film.  From this I would make my film also have a title that tells the viewer what the rest of the film is about as this will help connote the genre to the audience.





Spiderman 2- film opening - analysis

Spiderman 2 - film opening - analysis

 

The film opens with the Columbia logo and tells the audience that the film is from 'Sony Pictures Entertainment Company'.  This straight away tells the audience that the film will be high budget and will be filmed with good quality cameras etc. The Marvel logo then is shown next to ensure the audience is aware that the film is based on Spiderman Marvel comics.

 



 The films name is 'Spiderman 2' this appears in front of a spider web with a red background. This connotes the colour of the outfit of Spiderman having red in it. The red also connotes that later on in the film there will be danger however, because Spiderman's name appears in front of this red background is shows that he will be there to save the day.

 

 

 

The actors names are over pictures of their characters with lines over them to look like webbing. This is to re-enforce the title of the film being Spiderman as his webbing is everywhere. For example when Kirsten Dunst's name is displayed it is in front of a picture of her as the character Mary Jane. There is webbing around this picture filled with red and blue. This is to remind the viewer that Spiderman wears blue and red in his costume/ uniform.  

 

 

A picture of Spiderman shirtless is revealed this is to connote his strength In the film due to him having a six pack of muscles in this picture. However, not long after his strength is shown there is an image of Spiderman as himself (Peter Parker) next to his Uncle Ben who is dying in his arms which happened in the previous film to make sure the viewer knows what happened if they have not seen the first film. This connotes that he is angry as it shows the image again and that in this film he will try and get revenge.

 

An image of spider man with his mask half on/ half off is then in he film opening. This reveals to new viewers of the Spiderman films that he has two sides (Peter Parker and Spiderman) and shows them his real identity which suggests maybe he does not want to hide behind his mask anymore and that he wants someone to know who he is.   

   

 



In an image of Spiderman's face there is an image of a man in his eye and besides that there is a faint image of the goblin. This also connotes the anger of Spiderman because he realises this man is not a man but is his best friends dad which suggests this man may/ his son may cause problems in this film. The picture of Mary Jane and Spiderman Kissing shows that although the narrative is that Spiderman will save the world that there is also a love story in this film.

 

There is a low camera angle of Spiderman in this film opening showing his power and importance in this film. When Spiderman walks on walks in this film opening it also connotes his strength and how much he really is like a spider being able to walk on walls.

 

The non-diegetic music with a bass sound is there to create suspense for the viewer the music then changes to a slow paced and sad when there image of the uncle dying appears so show the viewers how sad Peter Parker was and that he may want revenge for the hurt someone cause him y killing his uncle. This makes the atmosphere exciting because it makes the viewer want to see what happens next in the film.  

 

The genre of the film is an action/ adventure film which is clear because of the deaths and that Spiderman is there to save people. I think this film would appear to both boys and girl because although there is violence/ action in the film there is also a love story to follow (clear from the kiss between Spiderman and Mary Jane). However as there is action I would say the film is for people 12+ because the storyline may scare children.

 

This film opening will help me think about/ consider putting the actors names in front of images of the characters they play because it makes it clear to the viewer who play the main parts in the film. I also think that the title was clever because is was put in front of a spider web which is relevant to the film therefore, I will try and place the title in an appropriate part in the film opening I will create.

 



 

 

Skyfall (2012) - opening - analysis

Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall’s opening credit is the productions company ‘Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions LTD’. This comes up in a white text due to the company not having a logo. Straight after this credit the first actors name to be shown in the credits is ‘Daniel Craig’. This shows the audience that Daniel Craig will be the main character in the film. As James Bond is falling into a hole in the sand the name of the film ‘Skyfall’ is in white text over the footage. This suggests that James Bond is linked to ‘Skyfall’ as they appear on the screen together. Whilst James Bong is being dragged down the hole in the sand the lyrics in the non-diegetic background music say ‘hold your breath and count to ten’, this connotes that he is still alive because he is being told to hold his breath as he goes through the sand.

 

At the very start of the film opening there is a low camera angle of a man when he is in the water. This is an enigma code because the audience do not know whether he is alive or not. Shortly after a woman’s hand drags him down further into the water. This suggests that during this film a woman will cause him problems because in this opening a woman dragging him connotes she is there to harm him.

 

 

 

Shortly after this, there is an image of James bond with numbers on him, making him look like a target board for shooters. There is also blood coming out of a certain part of the target board which is not through where his heart is. This also suggests to the audience that Bond is still alive but wounded.

 

There are many images of girls looking sexual. This foreshadows that there will be sexual relationships/ contact between people in this film. Not long after this, the audience see daggers and guns landing in a grave yard acting as grave stones. This tells the audience that there will be many deaths during the film due to violence. Each grave stone that is a knife is in place of someone killed by and knife and the gun is in place of a gravestone for people killed with guns. This makes the audience curious of who will die in the film.

The camera gradually goes into a close up of James Bonds eye. This close up is of how James Bond used to look at the beginning of his career however, at the end of this film opening there is another close up of James Bonds eye and this time it is old, wrinkly skin around his eyes. This connotes the stress of his job and how long he has been doing it that it has begun to age him.

 

James Bond then starts shooting his own shadows in the ground. This connotes his fear of himself and what he has become because of his job. This initially confuses the viewer as it shows James Bond to be vulnerable and scared which the audience has never seen him be before. This creates a sad atmosphere because the audience see a man who is often great at his Job becoming fearful of himself which may cause him not to solve the problems he usually solves.

Red smoke then appears and goes into the shape of a skull. This informs the viewer again that there will be many deaths throughout the film. A woman then appears with a gun which also shows that a woman is there to cause disruption in the film (which is reinforced after a girl dragging him down at the beginning).

As the lyrics to the non-diegetic piece of music are sung ‘at Skyfall’ there are numerous amount of flames floating around. This foreshadows that a fire may occur at Skyfall. Straight after this there are many Chinese dragons in the opening. This connotes that during the rest of the film there will be a connection with China. However, there are then stags which are often associated with Scotland which also leaves the viewer wondering whether the film will be set in Scotland at all.

The genre to this film is action. This is shown by the numerous amount of daggers and guns shown throughout the opening of this film. There is also a crime theme that is shown through the amount of gravestones created by knives and guns and by the skulls in the film. I think the audience for this film would be over the age of 12 due to the amount of deaths that will be in the film suggested in the opening. I think that this film will be targeted at both genders as many people like action films.

The last credit to be shown is the directors name ‘Sam Mendes’, this informs the audience that the film will be good due to ‘Sam Mendes’ directing other James Bond films.

 

In this film opening I like the way it uses guns as grave stones to foreshadow there will be many deaths due to the guns. I think it is a clever way of hinting to the audience what will happen. From this, I will think about using items in my opening that will connotes something that will happen in the rest of the film.

 

 

Children of Men (2006) - opening - analysis

Children of Men (2006) – the opening

Children of Men (2006) opens with the ‘Universal Pictures’ logo. This connotes that it will be a high quality/ high budget film due to the company being well known for its high quality films such as Jurassic park, Jaws and many more. After this logo comes up the ‘strike’ logo comes up on the screen. This suggests that this film is created/ produced by an independent company (strike) and distributed by Universal Pictures.

The screen then goes black and there is a voiceover, this connotes that the film is going to be dark and dramatic. During the voiceover a voice says ‘After 8 years, the British boarders will remain closed’, this suggests that the film is set in the future and that there are immigration problems which have caused problems to the UK and therefore they have shut the boarders. There is then a cut to a coffee shop where the audience then sees that the voice was coming from a floating TV.  This also informs the audience that the film is set in the future however, the coffee shop is very basic looking with just blue walls and some crockery this suggests that although the film is set in the future the country may not have very much money. There is low key lighting which connotes the future of the world will be bad in this film, the low key lighting also emphasises the amount of pollution and dust that is on the street which shows that it is not a healthy place for the people to be in. This is also shown by the amount of rubbish bags in the street near the end of the opening and foreshadows that the living quality has become worse in the UK.

 

There is a man that walks into the coffee shop. As this man leaves the coffee shop the camera tracks him. This shows the audience the man will be the main character/ one of the main characters in the film as the camera focuses on him.

The people in the coffee shop are wearing dark coloured clothes for example the man who walks into the coffee shop and tracked out of it is wearing clothes including a black jacket and black trousers. This suggests that the time the film is being based in, the world is going through bad times. This is also backed up by the fact that on the News it said ‘The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo the youngest man on the planet’ it then says ‘Baby Diego was 18 years old’. This shows that there is something bad happening to the world because there must be a reason that the youngest person is of today’s adult age (18) and he is classed as a baby due to being the youngest person on the planet.  

It is clear to the viewer that the film will portray the issues of crime that will come in the future and how the crime is getting worse as it starts with one murder of Diego and then develops straight away by numerous deaths in the coffee shop due to a bomb. The atmosphere of the film is very sad because of the crime that has happened (baby Diego being murdered and a bomb in the coffee shop).  

 

Due to the crime in the film the genre is ‘crime’ but the film is also ‘science fiction’. The reason for the film also being a ‘science fiction’ genre is because it is talking about the future of the planet (the film is based in 2027) however, the film is fictional because babies have been born since 2009. I also think this film would stereotypically be aimed at men over the age of 15 because of the high level of crime may be frightening to children as because many women like happy films such as romantic comedies.

In this film opening the camera starts tracking/ focusing in on the main character near the start to make it clear to the audience who this is. I liked the way that the film opening tracks the main character near the beginning and will consider doing this in my film to make it totally clear who the main character is.

   

Analysis of Film Openings

Catch Me If You Can (opening)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Action
Narrative: Someone being chased, Identity
Character: Two lead characters played Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks
Atmosphere: Mysteries tense
Themes: Identity, Chase
Setting: New York - yellow cab, 50's era

Sound: Jazzy, Upbeat, Mysterious
Titles: Final credit has to be director





My Best Friends Wedding (opening)

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Narrative: A best friends getting married
Character: best friends, engaged people
Atmosphere: cheerful and happy
Theme: Wedding - ring, veil, dress, bouquets

Setting: shot as if on stage performing to audience
Sound: Diegetic sound - 'Wishing & hope in' - how to keep a man.
Title: Handwritten font, as if on an invitation. The star of the film is Julia Roberts (box office appeal)

Film Trailers and Openings

Film Trailer

Information about film,

Fade to black is often used,

Montage of clips,

Shows sections that will grab audiences attention,

Title/ Credits at the end of the clip,

Have a tag line,

Institution logos at start.

 

 

 

Fade to black in 'TAKEN 3' film trailer 

 

 

Film title and credits at the end of the trailer in 'TAKEN 3' film trailer 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Film Opening

 

Credits all the way through

film title towards the start,

intro to the character or character type,

indication place/ historical period,

Information regarding mood and tone,

Intro to theme tune,

information about genre,

create questions that the viewer finds intriguing,

patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the film,

sets the film up,

Final credit has to be director.

 

In the 'Catch Me If You Can' film opening the name of the film is near the beginning of the opening.

 In the 'Catch Me If You Can' film opening the directors name is the last credit to be shown.




 

 

Film openings establish 

 

genre, atmosphere, sound, narrative,

 themes, titles (integrated and personal), character, setting.