Genre of film opening

Romantic comedies

1) The Holiday

2) The proposal

3) Easy A


Top 5 conventions:

• Upbeat or fragile music to illustrate the romantic and comedic themes, this usually involves a piano and strings.
• Cross reference between the protagonists and some of the peripheral characters.
• Two of the films are set in California and one is in New York, but 'The Holiday' is also filmed in London.
• When the romantic element is portrayed in a scene, colourful clothes or objects are used to create a lighthearted and jolly mood.
• A narrative intervention is employed at the beginning of two movies to help engage with the audience.

Film opening: researching genre

Genre and Film	Character	Setting	Mood	Narrative hook	Sound	Titles
1.       Horror Scream	'Casey Becker' is the first character shown. She is alone in her house, when a stranger calls her.	It's set in her house. This is effective as she is lonely. The fact that the house is set in an isolated area foreshadows trouble.	At the start there's a calm & relaxing atmosphere. No music is playing in the background so the audience can feel the tension build up as the scene progresses. The audience then feel frightened when the voice on the other end of the line grows fierce.	The scene ends with the mysterious voice saying "turn on the patio lights again", this makes the audience keen to find out who the man is and who the man is and who is out on the patio.	Phone ringing, door bell, pop corn, doors being locked and dialogue between girl and man on the phone.	Only 1 title is used and it starts off white illustrating the colour of innocence and purity. It then turns red symbolising blood which foreshadows danger.
2.       Comedy    White chicks	Kevin and Marcus Copeland start off the scene disguised as foreign shop owners.	This film is set in a shop, this is effective as we are interested to find out where the scene takes place next.	The mood is jolly, humorous & the audience feel happy as the 2 men sing and dance in a serious situation.	The scene ends with a fight between the 2 men who are actually FBI's and 3 mysterious men.	Ridiculous dialogue between 3 men, spanish music, bell of shop rings, maracas, footsteps, brushing hair.	13
3.       Romantic comedy When Harry met Sally	Harry is kissing his girlfriend and Sally waits awkwardly in the car. This is the first time she sees Harry.	First scene takes place outside a university in America. This makes the audience believe the movie will be based on young love and romance.	An awkward and humorous atmosphere is created as Sally waits for her friend.	The awkward situation grabs the audience's attention.	Jazzy music at the beginning then a small and quick dialogue between all 3 characters.	20, simple font from black to white.

Life on Mars

Life on Mars exercise

1) The Life on Mars exercise was a TV show we were asked to re-create in small groups. This project involved using different shots such as panning, mid shot, medium close up and close up. In the preproduction, we had to make sure the times fitted in with the footage as well as the sounds.

2) Our preparation helped us get all the shots we needed for our exercise. The only problem we had was when we filmed at the wrong angle, luckily we managed to get another footage where we turned the camera on its side so we could portray the position of the man.
       
3) The positives of filming were that we enjoyed working as a team to re-create the scene from the TV show, we also made sure we went to the best locations which matched the scenes from 'Life on Mars'. However the negative aspects of this activity was when we took a little longer than other groups to get all the footage we needed. 

4) In conclusion, I have learnt how to edit the footage on Final Cut using the tools on the right side so our group could re-create the 'Life on Mars' exercise. 

Favourite film opening elements

This is a description of specific elements used in one of my favourite film openings, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. I layed it out in this way as I couldn't describe the elements used through a timeline. I chose this film opening because it starts with the protagonist roaming around New York where she admires her city, the calming atmosphere is emphasised through the music. 

Saul Bass

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and a winning film maker, well known for his design of the motion picture title sequences, logos and film posters. One of the most famous title sequence he created was a film called 'Psycho'. 

What is an opening title sequence and why is it important? 

A title sequence is the method by which films or TV programs present their title and cast members, utilizing visuals as well as sounds. This is all important as it introduces the theme and mood of the film so the audience know what typical things to expect.

     

Reflecting on continuity exercise

Our first group task was to film a short scene showing the 180 degree rule, match on match action and shot reverse shot. We began the scene by using match on action whilst we were filming one person about to open the door, then we filmed a close up of the door being opened. The 180 degree rule was applied within a small conversation between two people, if we crossed the line then it would look like one person was talking to themselves so we made sure we filmed on the same side. Finally shot reverse shot was used so we could see the dramatic facial expressions on the actors faces once they finished a speech. Overall it was a fun experience and it was a brilliant way of learning how to apply each rule within a short clip.

Researching sound in film and TV

Researching sound in film and TV

Diagetic sound- is part of the scene such as the radio.

Non- diagetic sound- is added to the scene only for the audience to hear for example, Jaws.

Synchronous sound- that appears to match certain movements like footsteps which synchronises with feet walking.

Asynchronous sound- which is indigenous to the action but not exactly in sync with the action. An example of this would be if two people are having an argument and a siren from an ambulance goes past, the audience can't really see it because the sound is meant to be symbolising a bad relationship.

Contrapuntal sound- doesn't seem to fit with the scene or images on screen. 

Leitmotif- A recurring melody that is to do with a certain character, person, object, emotion or place. This is when Richard Wagner used it in the operas. An example of this would be reservoir dogs.

TV Drama - A Case Study of Conventions

Why I chose Media?

The reason why I picked Media was because there are many career options I can choose from and I can learn new skills which will help me in the future. Media can also help me express my feelings through blogging which I find interesting and enjoyable.