G321 - Analysing Film Openings

Before proceeding with our projects, we were informed of how to best go about analysing film openings so that we were able to understand what aspects constitute towards a successful film opening and which aspects to avoid so as to not cause our film openings to look like trailers or to be unsuccessful in their purpose. We were made aware of the eight key aspects of film openings (Genre, Narrative, Characters, Atmosphere, Themes, Setting, Sound and Titles) before briefly analysing two very different opening sequences; "Catch Me If You Can" and "My Best Friend's Wedding".

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

 

Genre:
Catch Me If You Can appears to be an action-crime film due to the use of police cars in the clip, the mysterious non-diegetic music and the clear depiction of one character chasing another through many different locations.

Narrative:
The opening of the film provides an inclination towards the narrative of the film being that of somebody being chased down. This character, believably the protagonist, continues to change their identity throughout the sequence therefore indicating that this will be replicated throughout the duration of the main film.

Character:
From the opening of the film it is possible to determine that throughout the film will be spies, police and a protagonist played by Leonardo DiCaprio who will change his identity multiple times becoming a pilot, a doctor and a business man to name just a few. The antagonist who will be chasing down DiCaprio's character is played by Tom Hanks. These two characters are identifiable due to the integrated titles. It can further be inferred that the woman in the opening sequence will provide a love interest for either DiCaprio or Hanks.

Atmosphere:
The atmosphere created by the opening is one of light-hearted intrigue leading to me to believe that the film will contain comedic elements. However, the non-diegetic music and the narrative suggest suspense and mystery therefore leading the audience to become intrigued about the characters and said narrative.

Themes:
The themes of Catch Me If You Can are evidently chase and identity. This is shown through the changing identity of the main protagonist and the continuous chase throughout the narrative of the title sequence.

Setting:
The iconography of the yellow taxi cab allows the audience to make the inference that the main location of the film will be New York City however the sub-location appears to change throughout and this is emphasised through the changing of the background colour, such as the blue airport and the yellow swimming pool area. Some of the locations shown are airports, the motorway, an office, a hospital, a swimming pool and a dinner party.

Sound:
The non-diegetic music builds tension through the use of trumpets and the change in the music suggests a change in the narrative and foreshadows the changing locations and identities of the characters.
 
Titles:
The titles are fully integrated into the opening and are unobtrusive, connecting to straight lines within the animation such as Amy Adam's name becoming the swimming pool ladder. This prevents them from detracting from the action of the sequence so as to allow the audience to fully understand the brief overview of the narrative.

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) 





 

Genre:

The happy, light-hearted and comical dancing throughout the opening sequence in conjunction with the references to love and weddings in both the sequence and the non-diegetic music signifies that the film is to be a romantic-comedy.

 

Narrative:

Both the opening to the film and the film's title lead the audience to believe that the film will be about weddings and marriage, namely the marriage of the protagonist's best friend. However, aside from this there is very little revealed about the narrative in the opening which would intrigue the audience and causes them to continue watching to discover more.

 

Character:

The opening reveals that there will be a group of friends involved in the plot of the narrative and that one of the key members of this group will become a bride. This means there will also be a groom however the identity of such is currently unknown.

 

Atmosphere:

The opening of the film eludes towards a happy and joyful atmosphere which could potentially become disturbed later on in the film, thus foreshadowing the narrative to include an upset of this happy equilibrium.

 

Themes:

The iconography of the bouquets, white gown and rings connotes that the main theme of the film is to be weddings, romance and marriage.

 

Setting:

The generic signifiers such as those listed above foreshadow the setting to be that of a church or wedding reception however there is no information about the whereabouts of such.

 

Sound:

The diegetic song "Wishin and Hopin" is based around how to impress and keep a man, therefore complementing the narrative of the film. It eludes towards the bride helping one of her friends to find a partner.

 

Titles:

The titles are in a font which gives them the appearance of being handwritten, as if on a wedding invitation, and therefore giving them an integrated feel despite contrasting with the background and standing out.

 

Conclusion

To conclude, I prefer the use of integrated titles and aim to use this within my own film opening. I aim to use iconography within my opening so as to help with the presentation of genre. I will attempt to use non-diegetic music to hint towards the narrative and to set the correct atmosphere for the film and wish to take the route of not revealing too much about the plot from the opening so as to create intrigue for the viewer, therefore raising the chances of them watching the "entire" film.