Sixth Sense
This is the opening scene to the Sixth Sense http://youtu.be/SZi3BmrUVrcThis was a really good opening as it demonstrated many different cameras angles, many that inspired us for our final piece. However, the opening was 10 minutes long, which is something that we can't do, so we must brainstorm in order to make sure our idea stays under 2 minutes.
Representation - The best use of representation in the opening (and throughout) Sixth Sense is the colour red. This is used on the door handle, jumpers, various other items of clothing, cards, writing and many others. Red has connotations of danger and fear, feelings the director would want the audience to feel throughout the film.
Mise-en-scene - The lighting has a significant role for developing the plot and builds up anticipation. Within the first few seconds a naked light bulb gradually heats up within a dark setting through a close-up shot. This gives out a hint of a symbolic idea of the presence of ghosts and the unnatural. The light within the opening credits maintains an eerie and surreal atmosphere which builds up suspense.It becomes clear that Malcolm and Anna’s marriage is very strong. We see these signs from how Anna sits close to Malcolm, as well as the intimate physical contact between them. This signifies that she truly loves and has faith in him and tells the audience there will be a strong love story as a side plot.
Use of Camera - Close up of the lightbulb at the beginning is eerie and nerving, and as one of the main characters moves into the close up it is clear she is very relevant to the story. It also makes us aware how important the lightbulb is, as it suggests there is not much light - audience can assume something bad/scary is going to happen soon and it's not going to be clear exactly what's happening. Long shot shows the audience everything that is going on, even though it is calm for the moment, emphasises how alone the couple are in the big house.
Sound - the unnerving music portrays a creepy nature which foreshadows that the film may be mentally difficult to watch. The music quickens when the titles come on and becomes more abrupt as the titles repeating themselves, representing how everything may not be how it seems the first time round, a key theme of the film
Narration - Restricted narration, we only realise what is going on whilst the characters are finding out, or thanks to the camera work, even later than them
Form - Flashback after the first scene, so the structure in not chronological, one line of action to start
Genres - Horror/thriller
Target Audience - late teens early adulthood as the film deals with issues such as death but in a sensitive way. Both men and women would enjoy this film as it is more of a mind game and not oo gory for (some) women to find it disgusting.
Titles - Suggests ambiguous nature of the film as the credits gradually appear in black and white, typically ghost colours. Creates and eerie and edgy feel, helps create tension and put the audience on edge.
The Shining
Here is the opening to The Shining which we studied in lessons.
I thought it was a really interesting opening as it was so simple, yet I found myself really tense through the whole of the opening because of the non-diagetic sound, as well as the reputation the film has, despite the fact that nothing scary happen for the whole 5 minutes.
Mise-en-scene - The single yellow car in the establishing shots shows how significant it is as the camera follows the car through out the opening, implying to the audience how important it is. As well, the colour is important as often yellow is the colour of fear, which represents the genre of the film and prepares the audience as what they are about to see is going to be scary. The lack of actor in this opening scene keeps the audience interested as they are curious as to why theres no actor seen as normal, and adds the feeling of isolation to the piece even more so.
Use of camera - Birds eye view and establishing shots suggest vulnerability and shows the audience the isolation the characters are going to be in for the rest of the film.
Sound - Non-diagetic sound used, very famous for being 'horror music' as the film is now 30 years old. It was unnerving, and we knew it was a horror film from the screams featured in the piece, parallel sound, sets the mood for the rest of the film.
Narration - Restricted narration, as we only find out information as the character does (we didn't know the hotel was on an ancient burial ground until the main character is told on screen)
Form - From the opening, I could only see one line of action
Genres - Thriller/Horror
Target Audience - 16 and over as it is very scary, tense and jumpy. Stereotypically it is more aimed at men as they tend to enjoy the thriller/horror genre more
Titles - Simplistic, the titles were written in an icy blue to represent the cold, and this is parallel to the genre of the film. They also look very out of place as the backdrop is lush countryside, and so this doesn't fit in, but makes the audience aware of the genre and sets them up for what they are about to watch. The titles are also this way so that they stand out.
Goodfellas
Representation - clear they are in New York or from New York due to their prominent accents. The car represents what time era it was filmed. Gender is also represented here as the males being dominant as there are no women featured in this opening at all. This represents the life they are living and the fact that they are working in a male dominant world.
Mise-en-scene - The suits they are wearing represent what type of gangsters they are, high class mafia gangsters are most likely to be the case here. Clearly going to be violent film as we already see the use of knives and guns. Tommy’s face during the stabbing is mainly cast in shadow as he kills – there is no clarity, implying that he himself is not thinking clearly when he is carrying out the murder and all you can tell of his emotions while he is doing it is from what he’s saying and how he’s moving. He’s moving restlessly, erratic and brutal in his stabbing. His words are angry, and almost childish in the way he repeatedly says 'die'. Jimmy’s face on the other hand is stony. He is calm, his movements careful and measured as he pulls out the gun and shoots. He knows what he is doing, and we can see him perfectly though not for very long. Henry is the only one who does not take part in the kill. He only watches, observant. When he speaks in the beginning he seems fairly easygoing, even while discussing what the strange noise could be, only curious. They look to him before carrying anything out, waiting for him to open the car trunk. He is the one with the access, with the key, the one who seems like he has the ultimate power here – maybe he is the one who is really in control here.
Use of Camera - The very first shot in the film is of the car which has been placed centre frame, telling that the people in in shall be central to the film.There is a medium shot of the car’s three inmates. The most prominently placed is the driver Henry, then Jimmy who is dozing beside him and lastly Tommy who is out of focus in the back seat – perhaps he is not so important as the other two. When the men get out of the car, the camera shoots a low angle of them in side profile looking down warily at the trunk. The audience is looking up to them, seeing that they are in a position of power.A medium shot is taken to reveal that it is a man, bloody and beaten. There is no close up, so we feel a slight distance from him. The camera then zooms out on Jimmy, showing that he is distancing himself from the violence and his actions, as if taking less responsibility for it somehow, and isn’t thinking about it for very long either. It all happens very quick.The camera doesn’t stay on him for very long as he shoots before cutting quickly to a close up of the bloody man – but not of his face, all we see is the bloody sheet. This dehumanises him, as we are no longer putting a face to the man, and at the same time shows subtly that he is finally dead; the sheet is no longer moving.
Sound - The strong language used is casually and informal to show that they are among friends. Also shows the certificate of the film and makes it more realistic as the target audience most likely use this language on a more day to day basis.
There is a strange thumping, clattering noise that indicates something is wrong, out of place amongst the usual sounds of the motorway and it’s nearby, then we find out the sound is coming from the trunk. The voiceover: ‘As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster’. This has nothing in particular to do with what has just happened, trivialising the matter and placing the focus on Henry Hill. There is no talk about life or death, the first thing mentioned here and so considered more important is the self indulgence of remembering, memory, nostalgia, his own self and his own desires. Following that voiceover is music, but not the typical action music that you might expect – this sounds much more like a show tune, something to dance to, jive-like and upbeat. The drama of the situation has been belittled to something like off of a TV show, stripping the people of reality, distancing from it and making everything feel more like just a story you’re telling for entertainment value.
Their accents are Brooklyn, a typically working class area of New York associated with gangsters in literature and films, this is in contrast to the expensive look they’re wearing which makes the origin of their riches suspect; this plants the seed of suspicion within the audience’s head that maybe these people too are gangsters.
Narration - Once again, restricted narration is used as the audience and the characters find out who is making that noise at the same time. However, the audience don't know who he is and what he is doing there, unlike the characters.
Form - From the little I can see, there is a flashback so the order of action is not chronological however fit is most likely to be beneficial to the audience. So far, there is only one line of action
Genres - Crime/thriller
Target Audience - The certificate is and 18 which minimalises the audience. This means it is an adult film, stereotypically a man's film which I can tell from the cast, genre, explicity and the language. The target audience is also anyone who is a fan of the actors as they are big hollywood stars, and so many fans will come to see this film just for them
Titles - There is no music played in conjunction with the titles as there would be usually.There are only the sounds of the motorway, each time the sound of a car driving past played the same time as a name appears on screen. The font is simple, classic capitals white on black. The titles are cut in between the footage of the film, giving director name and then a couple facts: ‘This film is based on a true story’ – and then ‘New York 1970’. These help set the scene and add to making the film feel like reality, like the lack of music in the beginning.
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