Consolidation post:

From all of the film openings I have looked at I have come to the conclusion that most motorsport film openings include an introduction to the racing world whether it is professional or street racing. They also include the conventional characters which includes a protagonist, antagonist, friends, and a love interest. The opening sequences also include brief titles introducing the key cast and crew and also includes the dents of the production and distribution company.

All of these elements will be shown within the film opening that me and my group will create later on in the course.

Genre: Analysis of Rush

Analysis for Rush film opening:

Director: Ron Howard

Awards: 7 wins and 53 nominations

Box office: Gross Worldwide $90,247,624

In the opening scene of Rush are introduced to the conventional location in motorsport sub-genre in action adventure films, the conventional location is the race track, the whole of the opening is set in grounds of the race track, it is in the pits where the audience is introduced to the costumes used in the opening; those costumes that are used are the conventional costumes used in this genre and they are race suits, this is the professional race ware and bearing in mind this film is a true story it needs to follow the truth and not just the conventional elements used in this genre.

The props are the cars themselves  and the helmets, these props foreshadow that the cars will be used for racing and that the races will probably be dangerous which is why the racers are using the helmets, this also emphasises how professional and important these races and racers are in the motorsport world. As the film is a true story it have to show all of the key elements and include all the key facts, this is shown to the audience through a post production non-diegetic voice over performed by Niki Lauda himself to tell his own life changing story.

The narrative and characters aren't as conventional as other films in this genre as this film is also a true story so it can't be changed to fit the rest of the genre so the film shows the usual conventional elements through the props, costume, and location; they only use these three as they can't change the characters in it because if they did that it wouldn't create the same effect for the viewers that already know the story and are passionate about it as it would come across the way that most movies that were books were changed which wasn't a popular choice by most viewers, the narrative also needed to follow the story of Niki Lauda and James Hunt to the facts and we are first shown that it sticks to the facts by in the opening being introduced to Niki Lauda's character getting into the car and putting his helmet on which signifies that the viewers are about to watch a reenactment of the moment his life would be changed forever.

Genre: Analysis of Need For Speed

Analysis of Need for Speed film opening:

Director: Scott Waugh

Awards: 1 nomination

Box office: Gross worldwide $203,277,636

In the opening of Need for Speed the audience are introduced to many different costumes but the conventional costumes the film opening uses are mechanic wear, informal clothes and formal clothes, we are shown these costumes on the characters that are highlighted to show some characters that have a different status in the motorsport world. For example we are shown a man in informal clothing making a podcast, he is shown to be the man who is of a very high importance racing world, we are then shown a man in a suit talking to a mechanic this shows that the conventional clothing is used to connote that the man in the suit is important but to to the racing and the mechanic used to be important to the racing world but isn't anymore.

It is signified to us that the mechanic is the protagonist as he looks at his trophy collection which reveals that he used to be a good racer, probably the best however is now just a mechanic, this links to the conventional narrative that a former racer or underdog goes up against the current star to win something or someone back. 

The conventional props shown to the audience in the opening scene are cars, trophies, car memorabilia, this connotes that winning is important to the protagonist and to the narrative. During the opening we are also introduce to the protagonists stock character which in the opening is just the friends, and maybe the sidekick, however if the film follows a conventional list of stock characters we will at some point be introduce to the love interest and antagonist.

As the film is based on cars and racing the conventional locations shown in the opening include a mechanic's garage, office, old fashioned unused home office, this connotes that someone in the opening was one very fond of racing and everything that came with it, however following the conventional narrative they were probably injured which made them lose their love and interest in the sport.

Overall the opening includes the conventional costumes, character, props, locations and narrative - these conventional elements are in the interest of the viewers as it means they know what they're in for when thy pay to consume the film.

Genre: Analysis of Days of Thunder

Analysis of the Days of Thunder film opening:

Director: Tony Scott

Awards: 1 win and 1 nomination

Box Office: Gross Worldwide $165,900,000

In the opening of Days of Thunder the audience are introduced to close ups of some of the characters, these shots reveal the iconographic costumes of race suits, these are the commonly found costumes found in the motorsport sub-genre in action adventure films.

We as the audience are also introduced to many shots of the race cars themselves and they are iconographic prop as they are used to win or save the specific person or thing, during these shots we are also shown the conventional set and location which will be used in the races, chases, fights between the protagonist and antagonist, the conventional location is the Daytona race track and it is common knowledge that Daytona is a bi race in america so it also reveals the importance of racing to the narrative.

The audience are constantly being brought back to shots of a specific racer and the crowds reaction to him, this reveals that the film will most likely follow the conventional narrative of an underdog going up again the star to win something or someone, and in the process the audience are introduced to the stock characters (love interest, professional friends and a side kick). These stock characters will be shown in the narrative to help influence the protagonists decisions. These decisions will most likely lead to final race or fight which will end the ongoing feud between the two characters.

In the opening we aren't introduced to any characters by name, however we are introduced to shots of specific racers while we hear the voice over of the commentators, this reveals to us that these characters are either going to play the role of antagonist or protagonist in the narrative, in these motorsport films the protagonist is normally an underdog that used to be a really good racer but endured a career ending injury, the protagonist 'good' will go up against the antagonist who is possibly going to harm the sports reputation or their own reputation so the protagonist will try and save them.

Overall the opening credits contain the conventional props, costumes, locations and hints of the narrative. This will interest a wider audience as they will know what they're in for so  know they will enjoy it if these are the films they are into.

Genre: Sub-genres

Genre: Poster Annotations

Avengers Movie Poster Annotation:

Genre : Powerpoint

This is the link to the powerpoint I created on Genre:


http://www.slideshare.net/ameliabrandon/genre-task-one-amelia-brandon

Paladin

I have completed the paladin task however I could not upload it to my blog from the school desktop.

Research Technical analysis: Kingsman (2015)

This is my analysis of the 2015 film Kingsman.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Box office: Worldwide $403,788,617 (28 June 2015)

Director: MATTHEW VAUGHN

Awards: 2 wins and 4 nominations

In the opening clip of Kingsman we don't see a lot which draws in the attention, however what we do see is a war zone in a sandy environment, this starts to form many questions in the viewers minds.

This is the ident of the movies production company, this is also the first post production text shown which expresses the importance and the importance of the use of idents in film production because they might have already produced a film that the viewers like which could attract more viewers which means a greater gross income from box office.

The camera starts to zoom out from the stereo into a war zone, this is a contrast from normality which could foreshadow the abnormality of the narrative. This choice of shot will also cause the viewers to wonder what has happened and whether they are meant to pick a side between normality and abnormality.

The camera pans which focuses on the helicopter, this then hints to the viewers that this is the side that maybe they should be on, and also as the camera pans it reveals a big building that is a sandy colour, everyone and everything is sandy coloured; the reading we get from this is that they are using these colours as a form of camouflage, also we don't see any women so the directors have stuck with the archetype of men being strong, highly skilled and intelligent.




We are then shown a wide shot off the full desert and the building, over the top of this shot there are sound FX of helicopters, gun shots and explosions, this shot will make the viewers question who is inside it and why they are firing at it, also whether this is an important building.

 

As the camera zooms it starts to focus on a window in the building, however the camera never focuses on any face in particular, this draws attention of the viewers and makes them unclear as to who the main character is and which side the different characters are on.



Timeline of the opening clip of Kingsman:

This is the clip that I evaluated:

Research Technical Analysis: Top Gun (1986)

This is my analysis of 1986 film Top Gun
Genre: Drama, Action

 Box Office: Worldwide $356,830,601 (17 February 2013)
Director: TONY SCOTT
Awards: 9 won and 5 nominated

In the opening scene all the viewers are introduced to is a montage of clips from an air force ship and all of the different jobs, this shows all of the elements that go into this job at this time.


Like many films from this time the first thing we see in the opening  of the film is an ident of paramount pictures. This reflects to the audience that this is who made the film and that they are important. Also if it is a production company that they know and like the films by them, then it might give the film a better chance of being successful.

 The ident then continues from a moving image of their company to post production text on a black back drop, this black back drop with the thick white text will set the tone of the opening credits as serious and it will then also subconsciously make the viewers think that it is a serious movie that you need to focus on and not be distracted.

 The theme of the white text on a black back drop is then continued in the use of emphasising the names of the producers and the importance of them in the creation of the film. These names are also the only names shown before we see the name of the film which again highlights their importance.

Using post production text the viewers are told that the film is based on true events and the facts behind it, if films are based on true events it makes them more appealing as the viewers know that these situations are real and they will start to put themselves int the situations which will then draw more attention as they will want to find out the ending.

In even bigger and thicker white text we are told the name of the film, this post production text makes a big statement to the viewers as when it comes onto the screen we start to hear non-diegetic sound of a score with an additional overlay of diegetic ambient sounds of plane engines and people mumbling. This score is called danger zone which links to the sense of danger in the film.

 We then cut from the black back drop to a slow pan of sunrise with silhouettes of people and fighter jets, this establishes that it is set at a military air base, and the loyalty needed as they are there 24/7, this again reminds the viewers that the is serious film with an action element as we can see the fighter jets are shooting off and the day has barely started.

Worms eye view is then used, this shows us plane wheels and peoples feet. this links to the archetype that people in the army have big intelligence and are highly skilled. This also reveals to the viewers that it is important where the shot is taken and the scale of the operation as they can see many feet running around.

The camera ten uses a focus pull, this focuses on the hand signals, which then re-lays the importance of signals and the communication between each other in order for he military operations to work, it also emphasis the intelligence and high skill that will be shown throughout the rest of the movie.



This is a very rare position in the clip to place the establishing shot because normally in most films where they have used an establishing shot they will put it at the beginning of the clip, where as in this clip it is further in. The establishing shot is of the ocean with an air force ship and a plane about to land on it. This shot signifies to the viewers that they are in the middle of nowhere flying fighter jets, are they in battle? are they hiding? its questions like these that will start to build up in their minds.

This is a wide two-shot and i chose to write about this shot because it shows the costume of the characters and how they are all wearing the same one, this shows the archetypal role that men are independent and strong, it is shown by giving them military uniform. Also it gives the viewers a time frame of when the film is set by the style of their costume, and make-up, by the style of their moustaches and hair.


This is the clip of the intro that I analysed:

Research Technical analysis : Drive (2011)

This is my analysis of the 2011 film Drive:
Genre: Crime, Drama

Gross Box Office: Worldwide $76,175,166 (9 February 2012)

Director: NICOLAS WINDING REFN

Awards: 70 wins and 150 nominations

In the opening we see one man in a car driving around late at night and he goes home once, but when he does he leaves again straight away. This leaves the viewers with a lot of unanswered questions, which will make it more appealing to the viewers.

 The first shot in the film is an establishing shot and this is effective as it gets straight into the narrative for the viewers and will be more interesting to watch. It is an establishing shot of LA at night, this reveals to the viewers where the scene, if not the whole movie is set and it also signifies that nighttime plays a vital part in the narrative.

The opening credits start as soon as the film does and the first thing in the credits is the name "Ryan Gosling"(post production), this implies that his character is the most important character to the narrative, or that he is the most well known character to the film and that will attract viewers that share an interest in him. Also through out this whole opening clip there is only non-diegetic sound used and it is a score called "nightfall" which again relates back to the importance of nighttime to the narrative.

After the establishing shot it cross-fades to a low angle medium close-up of Ryan Goslings face, the cross fade shows us that it probably is the same place and the same time as the establishing shot, and the medium close up implies to the viewers that he is most likely the main character. Also the way the editors made his face the first face to be shown, also tells the viewers that he is the main character.

After they left the picture of his face on the screen for about 4 seconds they then post production added the title of the film over the top of the image, this proves the point that Ryan Gosling has the most importance to the film as his name is the only name to show up before the title of the film.

The clip then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of him driving the car on a nearly empty road which makes the viewers question why he is out so late and also why he is alone. This is effective as it emphasis the deafening sound of silence and makes it clear that he is contemplating a big decision that will probably change his life and the loneliness could symbolise how lonely people are in big cities no matter how popular they might feel.

From the over shoulder shot it then cuts to a birds eye view of the busy Los Angeles roads, the way that it cuts from the over the shoulder shot to this shot, which makes the viewers wonder why in a busy city with busy roads why he is in an empty road where the viewers are shown barely any other cars.

 In this shot we see another over the shoulder shot, this time it reveals to us the choice of costume for the character and on the back of his jacket there is a very big yellow scorpion, this made me stereotypically think he is in a gang and that is probably because it is very emphasised and that reminds me of other films with gangs and how the gangs have their own sort of trademark. The way they added this over the shoulder shot shows a lift in a car park with no other people in it and that makes the viewers question where he's going and whether he's meeting anyone that is going to make a positive or negative impact on him.

 We are then introduce into a wide shot of him stood in a dark empty room, this is very important as it is still within the first 2 minutes and it will have drawn the attention of the viewers by leaving them with many questions unanswered, questions like, why is his home so empty?, why is there only basic furniture?...

 After the shot of him walking into the room he then without turning the light on he turns around and leaves, as he is doing this the camera slowly zooms out, it is zooming out on a view from him at the back, this is an interesting option of shot as it forms more questions as the opening progresses and they are questions like, why is he leaving if he has just come in?, what is so important at that time of the night?

We are then introduced again to the over shoulder shot which has been focus pulled on the rear view mirror which is an interesting shot as it shows him from behind driving, however you can also see his eyes which reveal his reactions to whats ahead, this again makes the viewers wonder why he's out so late and where he might be going.

This is the clip from youtube that I evaluated:

Research Technical Analysis: Burlesque (2010)

This is my analysis of the 2010 film Burlesque: 
Genre: Musical, Romance

Gross Box Office - worldwide $89,519,773 (15 May 2011)
Director - STEVE ANTIN
Awards - 5 wins and 13 nominations

In the opening clip we see two waitresses and their boss in the bar they work in moaning about there pay and the conditions they work in, which then pushes one of them to make the decision of taking the money out of the till and quitting her job.

 The first thing shown in the opening 3 minutes is 'Screen Gems' which is an Ident, this signifies that it is the production used for the film and that they want to show this first as it is important. After about 5 seconds of this being shown of the screen it fades to black to then start the motion picture. 

 This is the first element of the film and it fades up from black which finishes the transition form the opening Ident. Spreading over this clip and the Idents clip there is a non - diegetic soundtrack that is country themed which signifies that the opening scene is set in the american country / ranch.

As the camera pans down, it establishes the scene as it shows the name of the bar (Dwight's bar), this also connotes that it is a small town as it is a small business that is named after the owner. This foreshadows that the theme of the film is probably about someone from a small town, finding their big break in a big city. This shot also has the non-diegetic sound continuing from the beginning.

This screenshot is a picture of the first face we see and this signifies that she is the main character. As the camera cuts to this shot the non-diegetic soundtrack fades out as the digits ambient sounds fade up, these ambient sounds consist of glasses clinking together, doors opening, and the sound of someone spraying and cleaning surfaces, this also signifies that the bar is empty and so they are preparing for the busy time which means that viewers will focus more on the actions that the characters are undertaking.

These three screenshots are of the moment when over shoulder shot and eye-line match were used. With the eye-line match it also incorporates the 180° rule which emphasises the connection formed between the two characters. These shots also includes an over shoulder shot and this has been used in a very clever way as it emphasis even in a two way conversation wo the main character is and who the viewers should be focusing on.

This shot consists of the editing term match n action, which reveals to the viewers what the character is looking at, in this case it allows the viewers to see that the character is taking money out of the till. In most of this opening 3 minutes it is quite dark lighting which could imply that the main characters life is quite dull and boring and that they want it to change.



As the opening credits start there is a focus pull on the pair of heels that she wears, this emphasis that the characters personality brings glamour to the dull bar that she works in and that she might hope for a more glamorous life, which foreshadows the meaning of the film.



As the titles begin the background is a montage of clips from a Burlesque club, and the main character singing and packing. This signifies that she is leaving and that she will most likely end up working in a Burlesque bar. The order of the titles tells us a lot as well:

• Screen Gems Presents (Production company is first)
• A DE LINE PICTURES production
• a film by STEVEN ANTIN
• CHER
• CHRISTINA AGUILERA
• BURLESQUE
• other actors and actresses in order of importance to the film
• Producers and directors in order of importance

The way that they only give two actresses names in the opening credits before the name of the film emphasis that they are the two main actresses in the movie. They are also most likely to be the most known actresses to star in the film and for the people who haven't heard of it and are just watching the beginning, seeing those two names might interest them more into the film.