Conventions of a film opening

In the lesson, we drew 5 tension and sound trackers for 5 different film openings: Halloween, Trainspotting, Amelie, Jaws, and Woman in Black. For these trackers, we commented on the tension/content and the sound of the opening.

HALLOWEEN (1978)

By studying the opening for Halloween, I learned that horror film directors tend to use point of view shots in the first few minutes of their film. These particular shots create an aspect of mystery for the audience, while also using other techniques. Another technique used in horror films such as Halloween is altering the lighting levels so that the audience almost feels lost and therefore has to rely on other things like sound and limited visuals. These Mise en Scene techniques allow the audience to recognise that they are watching a horror.

TRAINSPOTTING (1996)

The opening to Trainspotting taught me that films within the genre of drama can easily get the audience's attention within the first minute. I learned this by tracking the sound and tension/content of the first 2 minutes of the film and saw that the sound started off high to catch the attention of the audience. They did this by using a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, while also using fast-paced background music to accompany the fast-passed action on screen.

AMELIE (2001)

By analysing the opening of Amelie, I discovered that the genre of drama/romance uses very similar techniques to do with Mise en Scene, and Cinematography. These techniques include colour values, editing, and placement of the camera and props etc. This allows the audience to recognise the genre of film that they are watching. This particular film opening uses a lot of these techniques, for example, using a red tint on the screen to give the film more of a romance/drama feel.

WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)

After viewing the opening of Woman in Black, I found out that, similar to Halloween, it uses techniques that allow the audience to recognise the genre of the film. These techniques include altering the volume and pitch of the sound in order to build tension for the audience. The director also used a mixture of close-ups, and full body shots, as well as multiple slow motion shots.

JAWS (1975)

By studying the opening to Jaws, I discovered how the use of cuts can build tension by contrasting scenes. For example, in Jaws, towards the end of the opening, the shots cut between the calm man on the beach with very little sound, and the panicking woman obviously being attacked by a shark in the ocean. This contrast builds the tension for the audience as the shots of the woman gradually get slightly more intense. This technique is very effective, especially for horror/thriller films.