Sky Fall : Director – Sam Mendes, Film company- Eon Productions
LTD, Target Audience- Male 40-54, Genre- Thriller.
The first shot is a mid-shot of a body in river. The
body looks lifeless which suggests he is dead. This shows the audience some of
the narrative and gives a clear indication of the genre. The shot then cuts to
a waterfall of the body falling down. This shows the audience some of the
setting as well as the violent flow of the water. This could be a foreshadow of
the narrative as well as showing the audience that there could be scenes of
violence as this is what we expect from a James Bond film. The iconic,
classical James Bond tune starts when the body drops into the water. The shot
zooms from a long shot to a close up to show the identity of the body of James
Bond. The zoom editing is used to give a continuous shot and to also give the
audience more information therefore building the narrative.
The lighting is dark and slightly dim which could
reflect that this part of the narrative is dark as he has been murdered. The
clothing that the body has on is a formal suit which hints to the audience that
they have a good job as well as being an important person. He is wearing an
expensive watch which shows that he is well paid. The body then fades into the
darkness which could represent that his life has faded away. The colour fades
back into the shot to show a hand grabbing the hand of the body. This suggests
that the character isn’t dead as someone is going to try and save him as well
as him being a person who is important and needed in the narrative of film as
he isn’t allowed to die. The duration of the shots during the opening credits
is long as it tries to keep the audiences attention on the important key parts
of the film. The body is sucked into a black hole in the sand underneath the
water. This black hole could represent the career path he is in as he can’t
escape it. There are numerous fade transition shots which could imply that it
is a dream.
There are targets floating in the sea with blood
fading from them. This hints to the narrative of violence and death. The target
turns out to have the face of James Bond and he is shot in the heart which
could suggest there is a love story in the plot as well as foreshadowing his
death or injury. A woman then fades onto the screen wearing no clothes. This
shows the audience there is a damsel in distress type character that is a
sexual symbol or object during the film. By her wearing no clothes could imply
she has nothing to hide which could be her love for James. There is a wipe from
the shot to a black screen and to a new shot. The new shot shows weapons such
as guns and knives which are typical props for a thriller film which is a clear
indication of the genre. There are also grave stones in this shot which shows
the audience there is a chance of death during the film. The lighting is dark
which creates shadows which is a stereotypical feature of the thriller genre.
The colours change dramatically from a dull blue to a bright, deep red. This
could represent the narrative as it could be calm with a huge plot twist. The
colour red signifies blood and danger which could hint to the narrative.
The use of James Bond’s eye as a shot suggests there
may be parts seen through the perceptive of Bond. There is no emotion on his
face with this shot which could portray that he is a thick skinned person and
he is not easily upset. His eye is blue which could reflect that he is calm
during stressful situations. The next shot is a maze type place where he looks
trapped which may suggest he is physically in difficult situations to get out
of however it could also portray that he is in a mental maze which could
reflect the narrative.
Mission Impossible : Director- John
Woo, Film Company- Paramount Pictures, Target Audience- Male 40-54
, Genre-Thriller.
A long shot is used to show the
facial expression as well as the way his body is positioned on the cliff. The
shot shows the view and it shows the audience that he isn’t gripped on
correctly which may hint that something bad may happen to the character soon.
The clothing is wearing is basic as he has a vest top and chinos on with
average trainers. This is odd as we expect a climber to have specialist
equipment as it is dangerous. The long shot zooms out slightly and the
character wedges his knees against the cliff to balance as well as letting his
arms dangle off of the cliff. This makes the audience on edge as he is in
danger and isn’t safe however he seems to know what he is doing which portrays
to the audience that he is a knowledgeable character and has a lot of
experience with dangerous situations. There is a close up to show that he is
using his bare hands and chalk to climb up the cliff which makes the audience
surprised as well as being entertained.
The soundtrack that is used as
the background music is in another language which gives additional information
to the audience as it could suggest that the location is abroad or the
character is well travelled.
The shot changes to a close up of
his feet on the cliff to show the audience that he has a basic shoe on which
implies that he is a talented man. The music and noises are louder which could
portray that he is starting to struggle. This adds anticipation for the
audience as they don’t know what is going to happen. There is a low angled shot
which shows the character as powerful and it also shows his facial expression.
This facial expression looks worried and anxious which could hint to the
audience that the narrative is going to change. The camera then moves to a high
angled shot which contrasts with the last shot to show the height of the cliff.
The character then jumps from one cliff to another which makes the audience
feel on edge as they don’t know what will happen. The editing slows down to
create suspense and tension to the outcome of the jump. This is a stereotypical
convention of an action and adventure film. The character successfully lands on
the platform of the next cliff which shows the audience that he is skilled and
has more than likely had training. The character starts sliding down the cliff
as he loses balance which is shown to the audience through a long shot which
switches to a close up of the character grasping onto the cliff by one hand
which shows the audience that he is physically strong as well as mentally. The
character turns around into a position which is like Jesus on a cross which
could represent that he is looked up to like Jesus as well as suggesting that
he may get killed in the film. There is a close up of his face which shows no
emotion. This could suggest that he isn’t fazed by a challenge. He continues
climbing up the cliff which could portray that the narrative has up’s and
down’s as well as foreshadowing that there could be a cliff hanger at the end
as the character was physically hanging off a cliff.
The shot changes to a long shot
of the top of the cliff and the man appears which could represent that he can
survive anything. The camera tracks the character in a circle to show the
audience what he could possibly see which make the audience entertained as they
know what he sees which could make him a role model for the audience as well as
the hero in the film.
Hot Fuzz : Director – Edgar Howard Wright, Film
company- Working Titles Films, Target Audience- Male 25-39, Genre-Comedy.
The first shot is a long shot of the inside of a
police station. This hints to the audience that it could be serious as the
lighting is dark which hints to a dark narrative. The setting is also something
you would see from a crime or thriller film. The sound is natural as there are
diegetic sounds from doors opening and echoes which are what we expect from an
empty building. The camera then zooms slowly into the shot to reveal the
identity of the person walking towards us. There is a sound of stomping feet
which could indicate to the audience that the character is angry or in a rush.
The character is wearing a police uniform with the police cap on. This shows
the audience that he is a respected character as he is wearing a public
uniform. The badge shows he is part of the metropolitan police which gives us
additional information to the character without use of dialogue. There is then
a close up shot which shows the expression on the characters face which shows
the audience he isn’t very happy. There is an extreme close up as the policeman
reveals his identity with his ID card along with his badge. This gives the
audience information of the character for example his name and what role he has
in the police. These all contrast with the genre of the film as it is a comedy
which may make the audience laugh and be entertained as it is not what they
expected.
The sound fades
into a more comical tune which now reflects the narrative and its conventions. There
are lots of fast paced cuts which show the audience that is a busy job being a
police man in the metropolitan. He is various different costumes throughout the
montage of clips which shows he is never stopping on the job and that he is
expected to do lots of different things e.g. physically training. There is a
low angled shot of a group of policemen in swat uniform running towards punch
bags. This shows they are powerful as they appear bigger than they are. They
run through the punch bags like a pack of animals which shows that they are a
team and that there is a leader. The editing then slows down to slow motion to
show the determination on his face. There are fast cuts of shots with the riot
team running with shields to jump cuts of a long shot the team running down a
street that has guns and fire and bombs. This shows they are brave and they
have a lot to do in their job role. The music is still comical which contrasts
with the footage.
There is a mid-shot of an official document which
turns out to be an exam. The editing is sped up when the character is answering
his questions which shows that he knows the answers to the questions. He finishes before anyone else in the room
which suggest he is the best. There is ellipsis editing as the shot from the
exam to graduation implies that he has passed and is ready to become a police
officer. This gives the narrative a linear layout as the shots are in the order
which we would expect them to be. He is holding the trophy for the team which
suggest he is the best out of the team. There is another ellipsis to the officer
with the general public as well as a shot with people within a prison which
shows he offers help where it is needed. The serious element of working with
criminals contrasted with the upbeat soundtrack creates a comical tone to the
opening credits. There are shots of the character in a car at high speed which
is what we expect from an adventure genre with lots of action however it is
then followed by him on a bike at high speed which makes the audience laugh as
you don’t expect policemen to catch criminals on a bike.
There is dialogue throughout the whole of the opening
credit which adds a comical feel as he is joking around in what he is saying.
By the dialogue being less serious it makes the audience feel relaxed which is
what the comedy genre does. The dialogue is a speech about all of his
achievements which match the shots shown. This shows the audience that he does
lot of activities as well as his job and adds to the narrative as it gives
additional information such as saying he is the man with the most arrests which
shows that he is a valued member of the police force and that he is one of the
best. These all add up to creating the comical feel however it is not the
stereotypical comedy as serious jobs and elements are involved.
Forrest Gump : Director – Robert
Zemeckis, Film company- Paramount Pictures, Target Audience- Female 25-39, Genre-
Romance.
The main focus of the shots throughout the opening
credits of Forrest Gump is the feather. The feather we follow in the opening
credits could hint to the audience that we are following a specific character
throughout the whole film. The feather could signify the innocence of the
character as we associate feathers with freedom and peace. This could hint to
the audience the narrative of the film. There is a long establishing shot which
is of a high angle of the town below the feather to set the scene and show the
audience where most of the film will be set.
The movement of the shot is tracking as the feather is followed
throughout the entire opening credits. There are lots of close up shots to show
the emotion of Forrest and also it highlights the importance of the point in
the opening titles.
The mise en scene helps the audience understand what
is happening and adds information. By cars being used in the film shows the
audience that the film is modern however they are older models which tells the
audience that the setting isn’t nowadays. The costume worn by the people in the
scene are casual such as jeans and a t-shirt however the main character is
wearing a suit with old, worn trainers. By Forrest wearing a suit it makes the
audience think that he is a man of high class and has a good job however the
dirty trainers contrasts with his formal costume. This could connote that he has high and low
points in the film as the contrast is so different. This makes the character
stand out which could hints the audience the narrative as he is obviously
different from the others in the scene. The bright orange bow on the box of
chocolates that he moves from the top of his suitcase draws the audience in as
it stands out in the scene.
The sound throughout the opening credits is a soft,
gentle tune of a piano. The piano is a peaceful, classical sound that has
connotations of romance. This gives the audience a clear indication of the
genre of the film. The sound starts to crescendo slightly when we meet the main
character of the film to highlight the importance of the person on the screen.
The use of the piano makes the soundtrack light and elegant which reflects the
feather.
The editing is invisible and has a continuous
narrative which creates a more realistic atmosphere around the film. There is
minimal editing used in the opening credits as there needs to be a focus on the
feather as it is a crucial part of the narrative. The font of the credits is
classical and elegant to reflect the representation of the feather. The typography could represent the genre of
the film as romance is seen as a classical genre of film. The credits are in
white which links to the feather and the genre as the colour white signifies
weddings, relationships and purity. This means that the credits constantly
relate to the genre. The shots are of short duration to give the audience a lot
of background information before meeting the character. There is a cut from a mid shot of Forrest to
a long shot of the scene. This gives the audience more information about what
is happening as it cuts to show a bus which signifies to the audience that a
character maybe getting off of the bus. There is a fade transition at the start
of the opening credits which makes the audience feel like the film is dream
like.
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