film the opening sequence of a new fiction film including titles and soundtrack to last approximatelytwo minutes.
filming an opening sequence means that i don't need to make a short film with a story line, an opening sequence is made to introduce and set the scene for the rest of the film. Because it needs to be a new fiction film this means i can create story line of my own to introduce and there is no specific genre that it has to be.
my opening sequence must include titles, introducing actors, producers, editors ect. As well as having soundtrack which includes, diagetic/non- diagetic sound, dialogues, sound effects and background music.
Ideally the sequence should last approximately two minutes.
Shot/reverse shot is where character A is shown looking at character B (from character A's point of view), the reverse shot is when character B is looking back at character A (from character B's point of view) this works not just in conversations but when we see a character looking at something and then the camera cuts to what the character was looking at (from the point of view of the character./ over their shoulder)
The 180 degree rule is where characters opposite each other have an invisible axis going through them. The camera will only focus on one half of the 'circle' otherwise it looks like the characters are next to each other as opposed to opposite .
In Preparation for my main task I have been looking at opening scenes of films. in class we have explored the different elements that make an opening of a film, such as the content (how it doesn't tell the whole story) also the titles and sounds; how the delivery of the titles eg. fonts, colours, size , can set the initial idea of the type of film it will be. The music and sounds are also very key to making sure you are inviting the audience into the right sort of film, the music can tell what genre the film is and it is important that what the music is telling you in the opening scene is continued throughout the film so that the audience is not miss lead into the story.
The way that the first few minutes are edited is also a very important type of film language that subconsciously speaks to the audience about what is to be expected through the duration of the film.
Sound
In this opening scene from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' there is a soft background track that is played. The song 'Moon River' is recreated as just an instrumental with very little voice harmonies toward the end. although an instrumental of a soothing song seems simple, the intricacy of the instruments played and the layers of sound created suggest complications. The use of this music is possibly suggesting the complexity of the main character's life but in a very simple way, as the film goes on we begin to see the character's innocence and simplicity of life only to realise that her life is in fact quite complicated, this may be what the music is reflecting at the start. The song 'Moon River ' is also played again during the film as 'Holly' is playing it on her guitar.
Editing
The cutting rate of this scene is very slow for example the first cut of the film is only around 27 seconds in, further on in the clip when we see her looking in the window the clip lasts for 35 seconds before it cuts to the next. This technique mirrors the peaceful, placid character and the life that this character is living seems very slow and delayed/not rushed. The way we watch her in her daily life, getting out the taxi, eating her breakfast, walking down the street all suggests that the film is about following this character and watching her develop as a person. The slow cutting rate of the first scene is subconsciously implying that this is not an action/adventure genre or the type of film that you have to think about to keep up with.
Titles
In this opening scene, the titles start roughly a minute in. The first person it mentions is Audrey Hepburn (the main character) followed by George Peppard , the titles end with the director of the film and always almost do. The names of the two main characters and then the editor are in a larger font- showing importance. Title of the film 'Breakfast At Tiffany's ' is the third title to appear and is again in a larger font. The font used is of a rich yellow/gold colour suggesting high class, it is also an almost rounded serif font making it look more formal and giving it more value.
costume
we see the main character wearing a long, very smart black dress with a 3 layered pearl necklace with long black gloves, this is also screaming to the audience that this film is not about action or adventure or thrilling, it is an innocent story of a very innocent woman who likes to be classy.
Lets be honest, the opening of this film says it all, Audrey Hepburn is eating breakfast outside of Tiffany's the jewellery shop. These elements alone make the audience aware of the type of film they are about to watch. however that is not to say that the parts that I have mentioned; sound, titles, editing and costume aren't crucially vital when opening a film... or making a film all together.
In recent lessons we have been exploring the use of sound. This includes Diagetic and Non-diagetic sounds.
diagetic: sound whose source can be seen on the screen and is implied to be present by the action of the film. examples include: voices of charaters and object/prop sound/movement eg, doors closing.
Non-Diagetic: sound whose source is neither visible on the screen or implied to be present in the action. examples include:background music and commentators
This scene from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' includes:
continuous background soundtrack (Non-diagetic)
sound of the trumpet being blown (diagetic)
the sound of the rolling pin being put down (diagetic)
scrunching of the lamp shade cover (diagetic )
occasional footsteps when walking around the shop (diagetic)
placing of the goldfish bowl on the metal racks (diagetic)
movement/putting on of the plastic masks (diagetic)
noise of commuters and traffic when they step outside the shop (diagetic)
In todays lesson we looked at how having the right sound in a film can create a scene as well as possibly being able to tell the viewer where the scene/film is set and what genre the film is. different elements such as, tempo, instruments used, pitch etc. Is what makes this possible. Music and sounds are a huge part of the films communication. chosen correctly and used in the right context, music can effect our emotions, make us happy-laugh, sad-cry, even empathetic. Music is how the writers,producers and directors communicate their ideas to help the audience understand exactly what their thoughts were and what exactly the situation given, is.
This clip was written by Hans Zimmer for Batman:The Dark Knight. as you listen to the clip you will hear that the composer has used a high tempo to reflect the action and drama of the film. Zimmer has also used constant, deep sounding drums in the background with string instruments over the top. However the string instruments aren't playing continuously and their sound doesn't flow. It is a very aggressive jerking/pulling of the strings and is played in short bursts - highlighting the intense nature of the opening scene which continues throughout the film. The use of lower notes and the absence of high pitch sounds amplifies the darkness of Batman.
When all these different elements of the piece are put together, it truly reflects the original qualities of the Batman films that the producers and writers where hoping to achieve and present to the audience.
In today's lesson we had to order camera angles to make what we interpreted to be the correct ordering of this scene from E.T.
like everyone else, i started with a long distance shot and a birdseye view. i chose these angles because i thought it would introduce the scene well and give the audience a bit more context of the situation. However the shots i placed at the beginning were actually used further into the scene about 4 or 5 shots in. this was to give the viewers some idea of the situation first and then give them a birdseye view to make the scale of it more understandable. As the last shot we all chose the sunset, this is because it is a typical way to finish a scene and is seen as a cliche.
