Film opening titles;

I have watched and analysed 3 different films openings to see what type of titles are used for different film openings and the effects the titles have on the openings. The 3 film openings I watched were began again, talented Mr Ripley and hunger games. The main thing I found was the common conventions of these films were to have 2-5 indents at the beginning of the film.

  The first clip I watched was began again where there were 5 indents and the titles lasted for roughly 4 minutes. The titles showed the company’s name in white writing and a black background this is so that the name is clear to see and it stands out against the black background. 4 minutes into the film there is two of the main actors who were then followed by the supporting actors in the film the reasoning for this is that the supporting actors are less important compared to the main actors so this shows there importance to the audience and shows how big there part is in the film. The titles are also shown during the opening scenes of the film this creates a sense of the titles not being important to the film and helps to distract the audience from the names being shown. The last titles shown are the producer and directors which shows the importance also.  

    The next film opening I watched was talented Mr Ripley this had 2 indents and the showed the actor’s names which were then followed by the companies involved names and logos these show who were involved with the making of the film. This film opening however had the directors and producers names first rather than at the end I feel this shows the importance of the directors and shows the key role in which they played in making the film. There was also a lot of colour added into the titles which makes it more interesting and helps to keep the audience engaged in the titles and helps to make sure the audience stays to watch the titles. The name of the film was shown last and then the film action started automatically which shortens the timings of the film; the titles lasted 5 minutes in total.

     The final film which I watched to see the opening titles of was the hunger games this was showing the more recent trends for the opening titles where there are no names of actors or directors shown during the opening titles it just showed the name of the film while the opening scenes played. This could be a chose that directors are making so that the audience is completely focused on the film its self and nothing is being taken away from the opening scenes and allows the audiences to stay focused on the dramatic opening. The names of people who are involved in the making of the film are then credited at the end of the film in the end credits instead. These credits only lasted for 2 minutes

   The fonts were different on the entire opening titles and all the different fonts have different effects on the opening of the film the main effect is how dramatic the opening titles are and how much of an impact they make on the audience. The first clip showed the titles were not dramatic and were not shown for very long so did not make much of an effective they were allows in small don’t and black and white the white which shows a contrast and makes them stand out for the short amount of time that they were shown. The next clip made the opening titles more dramatic and made them standout more and were shown for a long amount of time which makes the audience pay more attention to them I feel like this is more effective as the audience actually get to see the titles and can observe them more. The next clip made the opening titles font was more dramatic however they didn’t show the different clips for very long I don’t feel this was very effective as the audience are not able to fully know and watch the titles so they become unnoticed and people don’t watch or pay attention to them to make sure they get noticed the font could be made bigger and a more dramatic font could be used.

  When I make my 2 minutes opening scene to a movie I plan to involve basic titles like what was seen I the hunger games opening so that the main focus is on the opening scene its self and the story which is happening rather than the audience being focused on the titles; this seems to be the current trend in recent films so I would like to follow these trends while making my won opening to a film.

 
 

How thrillers create suspension an tension throughout a film:

In this blog post I am going to be talking about how suspension is made throughout the film black swan; I will be doing this through looking at different parts of the film and analysing why the producer chose to use the different editing, mise en scene, sound, camera angles and shots.

The first clip in which I look at was 22 minutes into the film this clip shows Nina finding it come critical information about her ballet school show which she very keen to play the lead role in this clip Nina finds out that she is in with a chance to get the main part after her rival is knocked out of the running then it goes on to show Nina getting the role and then it shows her calling her mum to tell her the good news. In this clip Nina is shown to be very confused and shocked throughout many different ways the first way is the close up of her face which is used straight away when she finds out this information. This camera angle is used to show the real emotion that Nina is feelings without having any other editing or sound this adds suspension to the scene as it makes the audience feel her true emotions and these emotions can be seen as quite unsettling emotions so this will cause the audience to fear for her. I feel that this camera angle is very effective and gives the audience a good opportunity to get to know the character well so therefore will relate better to her throughout the film and with this shot being very early on it is very effective for this. Throughout the clip the sound is very quiet and is almost hard for the audience to hear then while she is telling her mum the good news over the phone there is a high pitched the top this sound could be used to symbolise the joy which both characters are feeling however some people might think that the music is used to show how Nina might be unsure about the role and even though she is shown to be extremely happy about being given the role the music might show her worry about it. This creates suspension as it is likely to make the audience worry for the character and wonder what might happening next it may make the audience question certain things and they may have many unanswered questions this is a very good way to create tension.  Another way tension is added is the editing which is used throughout this the cutting from different places this happens quite quickly in this clip she goes from being in the toilet talking to her mum to being entering her house this change happening very quickly and is very effective as it adds a sense of the unknown as it makes the audience wonder how she got home and what may have happened on her way home from the ballet class; these questions are normal questions which the audience should be thinking during the clip.The mise en scene of the clip is very effective to adding suspension to the scene as it shows the change between Nina when she is doing ballet and when she is at home with her mother when she is doing ballet she seems very nervous and uneasy however when she is at home she is more relaxed and seems to be less on edge this adds suspension as it makes the audience wonder why she is not as relaxed in her ballet clothes this can make the audience feel uneasy.

In the next clip of black swan the character Nina is shown to be pulling a piece of skin off of her hand the skin being pulled off by the nail; this scene was shown and made very dramatic by the sound this helps to add the drama as when she is pulling the skin back the music goes to a high pitched noise which is often seen as a uneasy sound and is not often heard so when someone hears the noise they become unsure of what to think of the noise which they are listening to; it can also be a sign of pain so this sound is very likely to be showing the pain in which Nina is in.  The camera angles in this scene is used to make the audience feel uneasy, the camera angle used is a close up this shot is used to show the audience exactly what is happening it also makes the audience feel uncomfortable as they are watching the character in a great deal of pain; this adds tension as it the audience are not comfortable so feel under tension as to what pain she is being caused on the character and what is pain is going to happen to her next.

In conclusion there are many different effects which are used to cause tension on to the audience these include things such as camera angles sound and editing. The difference which are used throughout are very useful and add different things into the film.

 

Opening to a film;

The film opening I will be analysing is the opening to hunger games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmp8_ahaBvg) this film opening shows a lot of conventions to a thriller film and this will allow me to see what type of common things happening in an opening and how/what I should include in my 2 minutes opening.

The first thing in which I noticed about the film opening was he camera angles these were used very effectively to show different emotions of the character’s and to show the different setting’s which allows the audience to understand see background on the characters. The first camera angle which introduces the new character while showing the different emotion which they are feelings is the close up on the 2 female characters this shot shows 2 girls who appear to be sisters; they are seen cuddling with a close up shot being used this then zooms round into the older sisters face where she is seen to be worried and concerned about something this shot helps to add to the suspension of the film as it allows the audience to wonder why the characters are worried and makes the audience feel worried for the characters . This is a common emotion which is seen in a thriller film because of the high amount of danger which is involved in the film. Another shot which is used to create tension to the audience is the establishing shot at the beginning of the film this allows the audience to see the setting of distract 12 and the place in which the two girls are shown to be living at; the area looks very run down and not well built which shows there hardship t shows how they live and the struggles they live with on a daily bases. All the different camera angles are used to show different things such as the emotions the characters are feeling, the environment they are living in etc. these things all help to show the audience what is happening in the scene and helps them to be able to make prediction about what is going to happening plus why these things are going to happening.

Another factor which helps to set the scene of a thriller film and shows the audience early on in the film that it is a thriller film is the mise en scene this allows the audience to know the status and lass as well as some background information. The mise en scene in the hunger games shows the audience a lot of information and allows them to be able to make judgments on them and on how they are going to effect the film; firstly the customs’ which are worn by the different groups of people helps to show the different status of the groups firstly the presenter and the male he was talking to were both well-dressed wearing suits which are seen as being quite a powerful outfit as many important people wear them also it shows there status as they can afford expensive clothes. However contrast to this is the two girls who are shown to be wearing run down clothing which look to be dirty and not frequency washed which shows this shows how the families are not well off and cannot afford to wash their clothes this shows there struggles in life and shows there lower class and status compared to the other males. The contract between the two classes add a sense of suspension for the audience as it makes them wonder why there is such a contrast of classes being shown in the first few minutes and makes the audience consider how these two classes will interact with other during the film.

The sound also shows the audience that they are watching a thriller by adding in tension and suspension; the main part which does this in the hunger games opening is when the audience goes from a calm and peaceful interview with two male characters who are both very well spoken to a load high pitched screeching sound which seems to be a females voice this sudden change of noise helps to create a sense of tension because of it shocks the audience as they do not expect the sudden noise which is being made and makes them instantly consider where and who the noise is coming from the therefore start making questions up in here head which they feel they need to be answered throughout the film this is a common convention of thrillers. The other sound which adds tension is the heavy breathing which is heard straight after the high pitched screech the heavy breathing creates a sense of anxiety and is used to make the audience feel anxious as to who and why someone is breathing so heavily and makes them question what is making them feel this.  The silence which is also heard while the female characters is walking out of the house creates tension as it make the audience wonder why it is so quiet somewhere which is run down is normally seen as a working area so therefore would be a lot of sound however there is none while she is walking out which shows that there is something happening in the area.

The last factor which can help to create a sense of tension is the editing this can help to create tension the main piece of editing which does this is the continuous editing throughout the scene in which the older sister is comforting the younger sister this editing allows the scene to seem more real life and the lack of editing being shown allows the audience to really relate to the different characters and to what they are feeling in the scene it also allows the people watching to capture what the older sister is saying and to really see the emotions in which she is trying to show this creates tension as it allows the audiences to feel like part of the scene they are in so therefore helps them feel the same emotions in which they are feeling. 

Conventions to opening of a thriller;

The film opening I will be focusing on is from the film inception (2000) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqyfMlnxmmI); this film shows the main conversations of a thriller which help the audience identify the film is a thriller early in in the film.

One way in which the film shows the conventions is through mise en scene they show the characters to be well dressed which shows a sense of power and helps the audience to identify the characters of being part of the upper class (will a large amount of money); this is convention of a thriller is to have a villain who is normally part of the upper class as they have a lot of money to be able to provide for themselves for their career chooses and to be able to afford the protection they will be needing for their high risk job. As well as this all the characters were always shown to have weapons on them which adds the sense of danger throughout the film; the use of weapons is a way to show the audience that there is a high risk of danger and that the characters are willing to take as many ricks which are needed to succeed in their careers this is a high characteristic of a character in a thriller film. This also supports the idea of the characters being of an upper class because weapons are expensive and hard to buy therefore they would need to be of the upper class so that they can get the license to get the gun and the money to be able to afford to buy it.
 

Another convention of the thrillers are the way in which the camera angles are used throughout the most common shot to be used is the close up this shows things such as what emotions the different characters are showing this helps allow the audiences to know what the characters are thinking and how this is effecting their thoughts and feelings are effecting the scene. By showing the emotions of the character it helps to show what roles the different characters are playing and how these different roles will affect the film. The main character which is shown in this close up shot and to be showing his emotions is a male character wearing a black suit; he is shown with fear and anxiety which shows the danger in the film and how he is not as strong as the other character showing him to be the weaker enemy of the two groups which helps to build suspense. A long shot is also used to show the setting in which the argument is happening in the opening scene this shot shows the setting to be a temple which is a sacred place which is normally a religious place this is going against what a normal religious place would be used for this helps the audience identify it as a thriller as it is showing a group of people going again he conventions of the society they are living in so are causing themselves and other people danger. 

Something else which helps to show the conventions of thrillers in the opening scene is the sound which is in the clip; the main use of sound is the non-diegetic sound which is used to create tension during different scenes. In the scene where the main character is seen running through the building while different pieces of the building falling down around him there was a slow high pitch music which can cause tension to the audience which is a convention of thriller as the creators of thrillers want to add tension within the first few minutes of the films so that the audience want to the see the rest of the film. 

However something which goes against the conventions of a thriller is setting in which the opening fight is being filmed in this clip is set in a temple which is normally shown as a religious place and a place of worship however this setting it being used to have fight in which is going against what the temple should be used for.  This is very effective as it makes the audience more uneasy as the audience will view the temple as a place in which they worship so helps to convert the stereotype.  Another way they have gone against the conventions of a thriller is the way in which they have editing the different scenes together in the opening they made it all very fast pace with everything moving from scene to scene very quickly however in most thrillers they build up to this so therefore the openings are normally not as fast pace as this opening; the scene openings work slowly so that the tension is created slowly not all at once; I feel they have done this so that there is a sense of tension from the beginning and throughout the film this allows adds a sense of continuous throughout the whole of the film not just at the end this is quite effective as it shows the audience very early on that the film is going to be very fast pace and is going to create a lot of tension.
 
 

Opening of a thriller

A thriller consists of two sets of people going against each other in a dramatic fight to see who will win. This story has a plot which is used to create tension throughout the story this is done through making the story have an intense climax this creates the tension. Conventions of a thriller are having low key lightning, quick cuts, shadowing and music which build tension. Some examples of thrillers that have recently been released are legend, hunger games, fast and furious and gone girl.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRqxHOCvnpo)

I have chosen to analyse the opening scene from the film series fast and furious these films are based on car racing and the concept to this being a dangerous industry. The film opening I am focusing on is from fast and furious 7  this clip uses many different techniques to build up the tension for the film and to show the film to be a thriller early on in the scene. One of the main ways in which the opening adds tension is though camera shots; the first camera shot which shows the tension is the close up at the beginning of the scene showing only the male characters face this shot is used to show the emotion of the character and it is also used to guard the rest of the scene which is shortly revealed once the shot is zoomed out. The close up shot shows the male character looking worried which adds suspense to the clip as it makes the audience wonder what is happening behind in this clip; also stereotypically males are not shown to have many emotions so by showing a male character with worry on his face adds to the tension as it will make the audience consider what is making the character worried. Another shot which shows tension and adds suspense is a long shot which shows the male character walking through a destroyed hospital with many dead bodies and worried nurses and doctors around him; this shot is used to show a great deal of distraught which  is made to look like it is  being caused by the charterer who is walking through the hospital ; .this shot also shows the film going stereotypically against the social roles of society as doctors are normally seen as important and respected members of the public which have a lot of power however in this scene the doctors ae shown as being weak without any power over the situation due to the male character who is shown to have all the power over the situation  this helps to show the danger which the character carries with him this creates tension as the audience don’t know what the character is going to do next and they may become scared of this character; all these shots are effective as they create and give off different ideas to the audience they also help to show different stereotypes and the film going against these which can also create tension.

  Another way in which the opening shows tension is the sound which is used; one scene which uses sound effectively is the scene which the male character is walking out of the hospital in this scene uses music in the background has a fast speed and a steady pace which creates tension as it is very similar to a fast heartbeat and this would sound would only be present in a dangerous situation as it a heartbeat stays steady in most situations; this music is very effective in creating tension and suspense. Some other sound which is effective to create tension is the bangs and crashes which are happening throughout the background while he is walking out of the building helps to show the damage which he has caused throughout the scene.

  The mise en scene is also effective to creating a tense scene because it allows the audience to see some background from the characters for example when the male character is first shown in the opening scene he is shown to be wearing a suit which can show power over the other characters and shows that he may be of a higher class than of the other characters as they are dressed in workers clothing which could show them of a lower class; this will all cause tension as it will show the audience that the male character has power and can harm or injure the other characters. Something else which causes tension is when the male character puts on his sunglasses as he is leaving the building this shows how he is trying to guard his identity from the other public members this creates tension as it will make the audience question why he needs to hide his identity and who he needs to hide it from.     

Another way in which tension is added is through the editing which is used the first shot shown is a shot of London this then fades out slowly  to show the back of a male figure looking out the window at the shot of London the way that this shot fades out to show the back of the males character is very effective as it doesn’t show the male figure straight away; this adds suspension as it makes the audience ask questions very early on these questions are things such as where are they in London and why are they here? When an opening makes the audience ask themselves questions very early on it is very effective as thrillers don’t give all the information early on it is realised slowly throughout the film; and the editing which was used was effective to doing this as it didn’t give a lot of information away. During my 2 minute opening I would like to consider opening with a shot like this as it shows the setting very early on without giving to much information away about what is going on in the film and is very effective to adding suspension to the film.

What I hope to get out of studying media production;

Media production by definition is ‘’Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media’’- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_studies. However in my opinion media production is the way in which the media affects the society we live in and how it has affected them over the last 100 years this could be through many different elements of media i.e. social media ,films/TV or music .  Areas in which I am particularly interested in the mass media is music this is because of the huge variety in which there is in the music industry there is so many areas in which can be studied and of which I find interest in; another reason for the interest is its relatable to a wider audience so therefore it is easy to be able to relate the context to many different groups of people this allows the music industry to be part of many wider communities and allows music to create different communities. In particular I am interested in the finding of the new music, the promotion that goes into making their music public and to them creating their fan base to sell their music to through advertising there music to specific groups; an example of this could be one direction who advertise their music on TV channels in which they know the younger generations will watch as this is who they focus their music towards and a contrast to this would be Adele who focuses her music toward the older generations therefore promotes her music on different platforms where different groups of people will see .

   Skills in which I have that will help me develop in the media course are organisation this will allow me to good time management and be fully prepared for the entire work load from the coursework and will allow me to keep on top of all the work in which I will be given. Skills and knowledge in which I hope to develop in the course is the skills of camera work I have not yet had much experience of working cameras so would like to develop these skills to be able to produce a good quality of coursework, I will develop these skills through practice of the camera. I would also like to develop better team working skills I will be able to work well in a team this is something I can do now however I would like to develop better skills throughout the coursework through having the need to communicate with my other team members this will allow me to use their knowledge to better my coursework and knowledge. I would say my main weakness is my lack of background knowledge about media as I haven’t study media as a subject before however this will allow me to learn everything I will need while completing my coursework and this will allow me to research new information. My ultimate aim for the course is to allow me to learn about the media industry and to get background knowledge on many aspects of the media such as the music industry and its impact on society; I will also be able to apply this to other subjects such as sociology.