Action Opening Analysis: "Source Code"

Source Code begins with exploring the narrative. The main character is thrown into a situation he cannot explain, and so we follow him as he tries to solve what is going on. Jake Gyllenhaal awakens, and immediately looks all around, and so the shots are constantly moving and changing, fast-paced editing being a convention of action films, as to reinforce the fact that he is trying to take in all the information around him. Like this character, the audience has little idea of what is going on. He questions his identity as the women shat opposite tries to prove otherwise and discards his explanation of who he is a joke. We are introduced to a variety of characters aboard the train and are given a quick look at their personalities. He grows tense, and starts to freak out his female companion as he discovers he is not who he thinks. He goes into a full on tirade trying to understand what is going on, and the woman's reassuring words are cut short by a massive explosion that engulfs the characters and rips the train apart. This is an extremely effective opening as starts with a load of questions that both the audience and the character, who they can instantaneously relate to, ask, and cuminates with a large special effect sequence of the train exploding and derailing. At this point we still don't exactly know what is going on, and the apparent demise of our leading man and woman is confusing. However this is what will draw people in to watching the rest of the feature.

Action Opening Analysis: "The Book Of Eli"

In defiance of the conventions of the majority of action films, The Book Of Eli begins with a suitably subtle opening. Washed in teal overtones, the look of the film is very distinct. The environment is evidently a post-apocalyptic wasteland, as life, bar a fur-less cat, is no-where to be found. Our expectation is proven as the camera focuses and zooms on into a gas-masked and unidentifiable individual, his bow and arrow pointed directly towards the audience. His breathing through the mask increases the suspense as the cat stares towards his/her fate. A break in the subtle music precedes a slow-motion shot of the arrow darting towards its target. The hunter casually approaches his prey, picks it up and ponders for a moment before standing to leave. The screen erupts into white as the film begins. In the context of the film it is a way of establishing the way of life for the protagonist while on its own it is a powerful opening due to its simplicity, creating a number of enigmas for the audience to interpret.

Action Opening Analysis: "Goldfinger"

Bombastically opening with the gun barrel sequence that is an iconic staple of the James Bond films, "Goldfinger" is evidently an action film from the onset, with 007 involved in quick fights with enemy guards, accompanied with the jazzy spy music that fits in well with the theme of espionage. The sequence is edited tightly, with fast cuts between shots, with the obligatory huge explosion less than three minutes in. The lead character is a womanizer, a man's man, the sort of character that is almost always the lead in action films, and has the opportunity to snog the traitorous femme-fetale before dispatching her friend in "shocking...positively shocking" manner, an example of the humor present in the Bond films. The early Bond films were the precursor to many of today's action movies, and so many of the conventions that are so popular now can be found in films such as "Goldfinger", whose opening is effective since it employs many of these in a fast-paced and exciting way.

Conventions Of The Action Genre

October action sequel Taken 2

Ever since the dawn of the 'modern action movie', there have been many conventions and cliches that you find in almost every mainstream action film. Gunfights and chase sequences are an extremely common staple, with both on foot and vehicular types, as well as fistfights and close quarters combat. Explosions are especially important. These set-pieces are often fast-paced edited.

The protagonist is often a very masculine character, appealing to both men and women, suave and intelligent, yet tough and brutal (James Bond). He is often seen shirtless, showing off his muscular physique, and can perform some kind of self-surgery in a matter of moments. He often has a romantic/sexual interest, who either he has to protect and rescue, or meet his match in her skills.

The villain tends to be rather effeminate in contrast to the hero, usually foreign, who hires henchmen much tougher than him. An exception is Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, who can match or even beat the hero. A common theme is betrayal and deception, as well as quest for vengeance (Taken). The hero can take an inordinate amount of bullets, and enemies can never fire guns particularly well. Action films can feature globe-trotting across exotic locations, or feature confined or restricted environments such as Die Hard or The Raid.

Horror Opening Analysis: "'Plan 9 From Outer Space"

Plan 9 From Outer Space opens with a grand orchestral score, as the camera zooms in on an announcer, whose powerful and evocative lines "Remember my friends, future events such as these...will affect you in the future" resonate through the audience's minds. He then promises the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable, the very conventions of horror that the audience has rushed out to see. He then reveals that the following has been the testimony of survivors of this ordeal, providing the audience with the the knowledge that the horror about to unfold is based on facts, not fiction. His epic speech culminates a flash of lightning that signals the opening credits.

Horror Opening Anaylsis: "Zombieland"

The fusion of horror and comedy is evident from the get-go - Zombieland begins with narration from the main character as he establishes the world of the film. An upside down shot of a US flag begins the film, with the smoking Capitol Building in the background. As a zombie charges towards someone who we could assume is the President, and unleashes full-out violence in all its gory glory, Jesse Eisenberg's narration continues "This is now the United States of Zombieland.", the zombie's loud belching echoing into the new shot, a CG realisation of an apocalyptic Earth.

Horror Opening Analysis: "The Woman In Black"

The Woman In Black opens with a eerie and unsettling opening that develops the enigma of who and what is the, as yet, unseen title character, and what is the motivation behind what she is doing. The playful, innocent image of three young girls having a tea party turns to something creepy, and conventional of horror films, as they approach the three windows at the end of the room, and leap to their deaths in unison. The entirety of the sequence is silent, except for the horror score that drives the scene, until we hear the screams of the children's mother, as we cut to a startlingly quick shot of a creepy looking doll, and the camera reveals the titular character in a blink and you'll miss it moment before fading to white, an unusual choice as black is the preferred colour for dark films such as this.

Conventions Of The Horror Genre

October horror film Sinister

The horror genre, ever since the early 20th century, has a number of conventions that make it distinct from others, and are now popular cliches that attract audiences. Across most horror films, the protagonist and other victims tend to be young attractive women, or unlikable youths, who mostly deserve to die. The conventions of mainstream horror include the supernatural, suspense, and jump scares. Creepy young children tend to fulfill a villain capacity, as well as old women, and demonic possession is a major theme in films such as The Exorcist. Ancient curses, and angry ghosts often feature as a plot line.

The sub genres, such as slasher, zombie and the suitably dubbed 'torture porn', tend to feature extreme amounts of gore and violence, while vampire films usually feature erotic elements. These can some of the more popular horror films, as evidenced by the sequel after sequel of Saw.

Some of the more popular horror films of recent years, such as Paranormal Activity and REC feature a found-footage style, providing a modicum of realism which seems to attract the masses. These films attempt to portray the events as being 'real'.

Mise-en-Scène Analysis: "Boardwalk Empire"

The French term Mise-en-Scène, which literally means ‘placing on stage’, refers to the arrangement of everything that appears in frame, for instance the actors themselves, costumes, props, lighting and set design. In order to analyse Mise-en-Scène, you must look at all of these things and how they contribute to and influence the bigger picture. I have chosen to analyse part of the opening episode of the third season of the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire, set during the prohibition era in Atlantic City. The shot I have chosen to look at in-depth is during a lavish Egyptian-themed New Year’s Eve party at the residence of ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi).

From Left To Right: Nucky, Billie, Teddy, Eddie, Margaret

From the frame above, we can analyse a number of things about the Mise-en-Scène of this shot.

Dominance: Both the central man and woman are clearly the focus of this particular shot. The eye is drawn to the female first though as she is in focus and is closest to the centre of the frame. Her red lips also draw the eye as the rest of the shot is predominately sepia toned.

Lighting: Set at night, at a party, this shot does not feature natural light. The shot isn’t brightly lit, like a comedy, nor is it infused with shadows such as in film noir. Here the lighting is moderate – all the characters are equally lit, as well as the background. This type of lighting is suited to drama like Boardwalk Empire.

Proxemics: As well as being a group shot, it is for the most part a medium shot – the central man and woman’s waists would be visible if it were not for the other characters.

Angle: The camera is at a relatively neutral eye level, though all of the characters are looking down at the young boy. There is no dramatic intention as this is a regular angle that is utilised in conversations.

Colour: Again, the image is devoid of much colour besides flesh tones and the drab colours of the clothing, however the woman, Billie Kent’s, red lips symbolise her spunky character and the passion and excitement she brings to Nucky’s life as his mistress.

Lens/Filter/Stock: The whole image is in focus, and there isn’t a great deal of death in the shot. Colour correction has seemingly been applied to strengthen the sepia tone of the image. Slow film stock is what appears to be used as the shot is relatively un-grainy and looks polished.

Subsidiary Contrasts: The sarcophagus in the background is noticeable. The characters on either side of the frame are side-lined and only half visible, their faces looking the other way. However the young boy’s head barely makes it into frame.

Density: Although you can see a few people behind the main characters in shot, there is limited density as most of the shot is taken up by the group – who we are forced to focus on.
Composition: The shot is highly composed so as to fit all the characters involved in the frame. This shot follows a circular composition as the characters are stood in a circular fashion.

Form: This is a closed form image as all the necessary information – the characters essentially - is carefully structured within the confines of the frame. The space around the characters seems enclosed and self-contained to their conversation rather than explorative of the rest of the party.

Framing: This is very tight, as characters are placed very close to the edge, with little space to move without being completely obscured. This suggests the compact nature of the party and the conversation.

Depth: All planes of depth are in focus, though the background isn’t very interesting.

Character Placement: Billie and her friend are in the middle, showing that they have the authority in the conversation. The boy’s head being only barely in the shot, suggests his vulnerability, while Nucky and Margaret are at the sides, suggesting their insignificance in this shot.

Staging: Both centre characters are facing the camera, which the offers the most intimacy, while Nucky’s face is in profile while the son’s head is backed to the camera. Margeret is also looking away, making it unclear what she is feeling or thinking.

Costume: The period costumes in Boardwalk Empire are highly accurate to the era. All of the characters, except for the boy whose attire isn’t visible, are dressed formally, with bow ties and suits for the men, and gowns and hair accessories for the women.

Set Design: As Nucky’s house is in this scene, the set is decorated with an Egyptian theme, though not much is visible in this particular shot.

Character Proxemics: Billie Kent and Eddie are rather close together, indicating a friendly relationship. Nucky and Margaret, husband and wife, are stood apart from one another. L

The Rules Of Continuity Editing: Shot-Reverse-Shot

• Shot-Reverse-Shot

• Shot-reverse-shot is a film technique in which is applied during scenes in which there are multiple characters, often dialogue scenes with two speakers. Utilising the 180-degree rule, this technique shows one character looking at another, and another character looking back. The characters are looking in opposite directions, thus the audience assumes they are looking at one another, making the editing undistracting.

The Rules Of Continuity Editing: Match-On-Action

• Match-On-Action

• Match-on-action refers to when one shot cuts to another that depicts the result, or continuation of an action displayed in the previous shot. Thus it matches the action. This creates a sense of continous time in the film, creating a visual bridge. Like most editing, the audience should not notice this cut.

The Rules Of Continuity Editing: The 180° Rule

• The 180° Rule

• The 180-degree rule is an essential element of continuity editing, which when violated can disorientate the viewer, however this may be the director's intended effect. Applying to characters or objects within the scene ,the general principle of this rule is that the camera should stay on one side throughout every shot of the scene. When the camera moves over to the other side, this is known as 'crossing the line'. 

Opening Analysis: "Children Of Men"

Another film with a strong and interesting opening is the Alfonso Cuaron film "Children of Men". This also features the appearance of a single take sequence, but this is one of only a few similarities, as this opening focuses less on the characters at the heart of the picture, but the situation that they are in - with story and exposition at the forefront. A television newscast introduces the audience to the world in which these people live, a society on the brink of collapse. The central character, Theo, (Clive Owen), is identifiable by the lack of interest and emotion he displays in response to the news on the television that has everyone else in the cafe (people of all backgrounds) distraught, the way in which he goes about the day like it's any other. A tracking shot then follows him out of the cafe, revealing a futuristic central London, different - but instantly recognizable. A title card identifies the date as 2027, before continuing behind Theo, as the director makes good use of this sequence to absorb the viewer into this world that is so similar to ours but also a far cry from it. As he pauses to drink his coffee, a bomb explodes, tearing apart the cafe he had just left - an injured woman stumbles out, carrying her dismembered arm. This shocking end to the opening ushers in the grittiness and intensity of the film to follow.

What Children Of Men's opening shares with Boogie Nights is that is relies a lot on visual imagery and indications rather than just dialogue, in order to evoke the themes of the film to the audience. Both openings are memorable and very well done as they set up each film perfectly, establishing the general premise while not getting ahead of itself and alienating viewers.



Opening Analysis: "Boogie Nights"

The opening to the highly acclaimed Paul Thomas Anderson picture "Boogie Nights" features an almost three-minute sequence that takes us through a nightclub and introduces us to each of the major players in the film.

The film opens in 1977 with a shot of the title's namesake, the neon sign of the "Boogie Nights" club, and swoops down to street level to follow Burt Reynolds' director and Julianne Moore's actress as they enter the club, and take their seats. The tracking shit at the centre of this sequence then follows characters around the dancefloor, constantly joining different conversations, establishing each characters' status and distinguishable persona, moving onto another character, before returning to Reynolds and Moore, and culminating with a shot of the main protagonist, 'Dirk Diggler', portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, in what appears to be a single take. 

The camera slows down and takes a moment to focus on him, inaugurating him as the character at the centre of the film. However this sequence also shows that this film is very much an ensemble piece, through introducing a large number of characters, and establishing the central premise of the film - the relationships between this wide array of roles, the conflicts that drive the story, and their goals that reveal their true intentions. The utilisation of the long take ensures that the audience can digest and explore the environment and its inhabitants as if they were actually in the scene. Viewers feel the rush and excitement of the nightclub as they attempt to absorb all the information that Anderson presents us with in this sequence. Production of such a scene is a very complex, lengthy process which is only possible after heavy rehearsal, especially of timing, and Anderson cleverly hides any crew or film equipment from view. 

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