ANALYSING AN INTRODUCTION TO: VERTIGO (1958)

Vertigo is a psychological thriller/ romance directed by Alfred Hitchcock

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Before anything comes on screen we can hear a building dream like trance inducing music, as an extreme close up of a woman’s face fades in, her lips twitch nervously before an outburst of music is played where the name ‘James Stewart’ comes in. The outburst stops as the name leaves however the trance like music continues to get louder. The camera pans up to the woman’s eyes, showing signs of fear, unease and paranoia as she is under the viewer’s scrutiny. By having a close up of the eyes, Hitchcock conveys ideas of ‘being watched’ which is often prominent in thrillers. 

With each title that appears, another loud outburst of non-diagetic sound is heard. The lighting goes red, perhaps to convey ideas of danger/fear as the main title ‘vertigo’ appears. The use of hypnotic patterns and music is to entice the viewer but also build suspense until the change in music, where the rest of the titles simultaneously appear with the constantly moving patterns.

Meeting

Please attend a meeting re equipment on Tuesday 18th December at Morning Break.
Mr Royden & Mrs Excell

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: Indiana jones- raiders of the lost arc (1981)

Spielberg’s Indiana Jones opening scene has many sly movie references throughout (Much like Tarintinos geeky gesture at the start of kill bill). For example the film begins with an establishing shot of a peak in the jungle reminiscent of the producer, Paramount Pictures logo.  Another jokey movie-geek reference is found on the aeroplane at the beginning ‘OB-CPO’ written along (referring to star wars) Spielberg has done this to gain connection with the audience and entice them further so throughout the film they are watching for more subtle references.

The genre is made clear (action/adventure)  from the outset by the jungle setting, tension building music and costume. The titles appear whist the film is playing in the hope that the titles get noticed as everyone would be watching. No real character introductions are given, and at first we don’t see Indiana Jones’ face he is but instead he’s established in a dimly-lit shot from behind, showing the familiar fedora-wearing silhouette that reoccurs throughout the film. He is then shown properly through the use of a close up shot allowing the audience to familiarise with the character for the 1^st time.

Similarly to pride and prejudice the music builds with the images, however this time creating a build up and atmosphere along with the daunting sounds of the jungle. Overall the genre of the film is very clear and makes the viewer want to join in on finding out about the archaeologist’s exotic adventure! 

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: Pride and Prejudice

Pride and prejudice is a romance/period drama directed by Joe Write in 2005. Traditionally, the production company comes up, followed by the director, film title and cast etc. Before any image we comes on screen we are able to hear the sounds of birds singing, creating mental images of open country side, this is confirmed by the 1^st shot, an establishing shot showing the rural and tranquil country side, setting the scene further and emphasizing the genre and the time the film was set.

The non-diagetic sound or music, plays a key role in the scene, being completely precise in that the first note we hear plays, as the first rays of sun rise. As the music builds the dawn continues to break, changing with the images. The character Elizabeth Benett is the first person we see in the shot, introducing her as the protagonist. We are able to learn that she is of some wealth by the simplistic yet smart dress worn and also that she Is intellectual seeing as she’s reading a book. Our judgements of her wealth are proven correct later in the scene as we see a large house with maids working who Lizzie walks straight past, but also that the family is in need of more money as we overhear a conversation talking about marring a rich man. The intellectual side is also confirmed by the playing of the piano as non-diagetic sound which also builds as the scene progresses creating a climatic effect.

ALIEN- RIDLEY SCOTT (1979)

 Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto.

The sequence beings with a panning shot of space, the slow subdued pace creates tension and the use of dark colours add to the mystery, Adding to this, the beginning of Jerry Goldstein's eerie score subtlety sets the tone of the film, creating tension.

  

The title appears letter by letter which again adds to the mystery and keeps the audience attentive, trying to guess what it actually is, But the genius is the slow reveal of the title, one element of each letter at a time, taking eventual shape, spelling ALIEN.

 Similarly, as the titular creature reveals itself one step at a time before finally emerging as the Alien later in the film.

Overall the titles are small and simplistic, so the audience’s attention is not drawn away from the main title.

Does it set up particular genre expectations?

The setting of the opening sequence of space immediately sets the scene 'out of this universe' Not only that, but the film title, ‘Alien’ instantly notifies the audience about the theme of the film and adds to the sci-fi genre.

Does it introduce particular characters to the audience? If so, what does it tell the audience about the character?

The titles just present the main actors of the film. The opening titles don’t actually give away anything about the film, which does add to the subtle mystery that complements the film

Does it introduce the setting of the movie? If so, what does it tell the audience about the setting? The use of an interstellar backdrop, again slowly adds to the tension, along with the darkness contributing to the sense of the unknown. Plus the use of the infinite black of space makes us wonder what is lurking within it. The overall effect is of this very slow paced, minimalist title sequence is the tension created is almost haunting to some degree and leaves a lasting impression on the audience. 

Quantum of Solace

ANALYSING AN INTRODUCTION TO: QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)

The intro of the film starts with a striking silhouette of Bond, already implying thoughts of power/strength. This ties into the action movie genre, both traits (power and strength) of what you would expect from a hero. The first title to appear is ‘Daniel Craig’ which, generally speaking, is strange as normally production companies come up first, however this is not odd for a bond film as the character is iconic enough that big name actors often play the him, and the audience instantly knows who they are, again the sequence ends with the directors name so it sticks in our minds. The dark colours and bright flashes of light contrast each other but also could be a representation of explosions and such like within the film. The music has that ‘bond-like’ sound; low mysterious bass sounds with powerful vocals. The opening of quantum of solace is very long however the viewer does not become bored due to the changing sequence of images in the back ground. 

Once upon a time in the west

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)

Once upon a time in the west directed by Sergio Leone comes under the sub-genre of ‘spaghetti western’ which were typically low budget films produced and directed by Italians.

The film opens with, as you would expect, the production company ‘paramount films’. The first shot shows a man writing on a chalk board, causing a horrible screeching sound, it appears as though Leone tried to make it a reoccurring theme to try and fit as many annoying sounds in one scene as possible. Already in the background we can hear the squeaking of the wheel which appears to be turning rhythmically. The sound of the doors slowly creaking when the cowboys enter, adding to the ‘western feel’ of the whole shot and the use of close up shots of the actors faces Highlight the dark heavy creases and unemotional expressions giving impression they’re the ‘bad guys’.

Other sounds include;

- Dripping of the water, shown by an extreme close up to emphasize

-Whining of the dog

 -Clicking of the incoming telegraph

The build up is stopped when the telegraph cable is pulled out, this relief of quiet allows enough time for “A Sergio Leone Film” to appear and spread across the screen, done to make the audience aware of who he is. Once Leones name leaves the screen, all sounds return and are amplified again.

The orchestra of irritating sounds begins to increase with the creak of the rocking chair and the clicking of the man’s knuckles and then the buzzing of the fly. At the same time various crew members slide in and out without, almost in time with actions from the scene, for example, the slamming of the gun as a title enters, however never distracting attention away from what’s occurring in the scene.

Leone has created a sense of anticipation, for the viewer is unaware of who or what the men are waiting for. Once the train arrives, all is silent except the turning of the wheel (which was the 1^st sound we heard) giving the scene a cyclical feel.

The audience is cleverly fooled by the sound of the harmonica as they are lead to believe it I non-diagetic and coming from outside the scene, we know this because of the wide angle shot of all 3 men turning around, followed by the close up of the man playing. Leone has managed to create both tension and enigma without the use of almost any dialogue throughout, creating a very irritating yet genius opening sequence.

London to Brighton

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION: LONDON TO BRIGHTON (2006)

London to brighton, directed by Paul Andrew Williams which was funded by the UK film council or B.F.I as it is more commonly known today.

The film opens, with ‘the national lottery’ (who provided money to fund the film) followed by the production company. The next thing to appear is ‘London 3;07am, this has been used to inform the audience of the time/ setting before  any images actually come up. The titles themselves don’t tell us anything about the film in particular due to them being written in a simplistic manor with no sound or music in the background.

 The film starts with a woman, with Kelly, whose face is bruised and swelling, and a young girl, Joanne, who is crying and distressed bursting into what appears to be a public toilet. Although, perhaps the 2 characters being in the same situation, we seem to gain different feelings/ views towards them, ie, we feel sympathetic for Joanne who is made to look vulnerable and scares however Kelly gives impressions of anger and aggressiveness.

During the opening sequence we can see that these people are in some kind of trouble, setting the scene and informing us that it is perhaps of the gritty-crime genre. By the way the characters look and act, we can see they are panicked and worried by someone or something. This has been done, cleverly to conjure questions in the viewers mind such as; who are they, why are they in this situation, what is their relationship etc. and ultimately make the audience want to continue watching to find these answers.

Kill Bill

ANALYSING INTRODUCTION TO KILL BILL (2003)

“Revenge is a dish best served cold” -Old Klingon proverb. 

This is the first thing to appear on screen, automatically informing us that film will be a sub-genre of horror, revenge. It not only tells us something about the type of film, but also, about the directors (Quentin Tarintino) sly comical sense of humour, bringing in references from Star Trek.

Next to appear is ‘A 4^th Quentin Tarintino Film’ this sounds slightly ostentatious however because of Tarintinos’ quirky methods he is able to get away with introducing himself in this manner.

  We are able to hear sound before any image appears on screen, this creates tension but also a sense of enigma as the audience question what this distressed breathing sound is and why it’s happening and so on. The first shot to appear is a high angle shot of a woman, beaten and covered in blood, and we learn she is the source of this heavy breathing. The use of the high angle shot fits well with the state she’s in, making her appear more vulnerable. The sound of footsteps creeps in, becoming increasingly louder giving the impression that someone is getting closer. The increase in the volume and speed of the footsteps could be interpreted as mirroring that of a heartbeat. A tracking shot follows the movement of the footsteps, making (who we later find out is Bill) appear mysterious, powerful and intimidating.

The use of black and white filming suggests that perhaps this was an event of the past, and goes hand in hand with Tarintinos typical non-linear editing.

The credits themselves are peculiar, and appear not as you would expect, with the protagonists coming up in small print and then larger fonts used for members of the production team etc.