First ideas for film opening

Films i like the opening scenes of ;

• Submarine 

• Pretty in pink 

• grease 

• The double 

• Initial ideas;

Initial ideas;

• building up narrative enigma towards a person 

• showing seeing ( bedroom ) 

• indicators towards the type of person they are e.g. age genre era that its set in 

• see face of character after a build up of extreme close ups of body except face meanwhile a voice over , maybe the voice of the character or the voice of a narrator telling a story that has something to do with the person or maybe a quote of an iconic person in history , this would also set the era 

• show scenary

• long shorts of where they live - clothes they wear - cars etc 

Ferris Bueller's day off opening scene

Ferris buellers day off 

Directed by john Hughes and realised in 1987

Budget : $6,000,000 (estimated) 

Production company : Paramount pictures 

Distributers : Paramount , UIP 

This is the opening to "Ferris Bueller's day off" as you can see the first thing we see when watching the film is the Paramount pictures ident.

We then see various titles one after another naming the production company "Paramount Picture" the director "John Hughes" and the main actor "Matthew Broderick" finally followed by the name of the film "Ferris Bueller's day off".The black background connotes that the film is serious which contrast the film as it is actually a comedy. The sans-serif blue bubble writing is fun which connotes that the film may be a comedy and maybe childish as the colour is bright and electric. The film genre is comedy. The film was released in 1987.

The first scene is shown at 35 seconds after the dents and titles are shown.
This is the first shot we seer of the scene and time in which the film is set. This is the establishing shot. It is a long shot of the house and we presume the main character is living in the house.The old cars on the drive denotes the time in which this film is set , the big expensive house could denote that the family have money , they are a wealthy family.

After the establishing shot the next thing we are introduced to is an extreme close up of a boys face. As this is the first shot after the establishing shot we can connote that this is the main actor and from the title of the film we denote that this is Ferris Bueller. Starting the film off with an extreme close up makes us feel automatically connected with the character , maybe the film is from his point of view and we are being made to feel for him and think as he thinks. The camera angle from slightly above makes the character seem weak and venerable.

This shot is an close up of which we guess are Ferris' parents. the angel in which the camera is at means that the parents are looking down at us , this makes the audience feel intimidated which makes the parents seem to have more power and rulership. The expression on their faces shows concern and panic which gives us the impression something is wrong and not quite right.

This long shot of the bedroom is used as a cut away shot from a two shot , this helps to break up a shot reverse shot and is used so that viewers and the aundience doesn't loose interest or get bored. The objects in the room such as the old tv and posters on the wall of old bands also help us to denote the time period of the film. They also help us to denote how old he is and we learn about him as a person. The opening sequence ends at 3 minutes 17 seconds.  

What i should look for when analysing the opening of the film.

What i should look for when analysing the opening of the film. 

When analysing the opening of the film you have to look at all of these points;

• Sound and music (does it set the scene , indicate the genre and time?)
• Intertextuality 
• The opening shot , how is transition handled?
• Establishing shot 
• Titles ( font , colour , size , positioning , wording )
• Narrative enigma , exposition ( how is it provided? ) 
• Length of opening course ( how does it end? fade ? jump cut? audio bridge? ) 
• Charactors ( who are they introduced? ) 
• Representation
• Locations 
• Costume 

Coursework

Starting to consider film opening conventions.

TASK: Starting to consider film opening conventions

Your coursework brief is to create the opening 2 mins of a new feature film including titles. Before embarking on any production in Media Studies, you must always thoroughly research and analyse the prevailing codes and conventions (not 'rules') of a given format, then look more closely at those of a specific (sub-)genre once you've settled on a firm production idea.

TASK 1: [post] The role of researching conventions in our coursework
Using either your printed copy or an online version, look through the assessment criteria for all three marked sections of your coursework and note in this post any and all elements of this that are linked to researching the conventions of film openings (and film/genre conventions more broadly). Include any relevant Evaluation questions in your list.

TASK 2: [post] What I should look for when blogging on film openings
We will discuss this in a class, after which you should consolidate your list of things to consider by carefully reading this post.

TASK 3: [multiple posts] Titles, 1st shot, length of opening
You will each view and analyse 2 film openings, feeding individual findings, including typed detail and plentiful screenshots, into the following posts:
TITLES EG2 [Film Title] - as we did with Pretty in Pink, note every title. Include several screenshots to demonstrate any common features and variations in these (size, colour, position, font, case, animation/transition/FX, diegetic integration, single/multiple credits, any name credited twice [hint: auteur]). Note clearly the timings of these: do they appear continually; from the very start or later (when?); continue right to the end (maybe beyond?) the opening; are the gaps between them equal in timing or variable (is there any pattern to this). Note the specific language used for company names - and specific whether these companies or production or distribution companies (look them up - and include relevant hyperlinks as part of your post's presentation!). Discuss the main font used: is it serif or sans-serif; clearly linked to (connoting) a genre - is this the expected connotation or signifying, maybe even juxtaposing, a different genre; what are your general thoughts on its semiotics? Is the main title font any different (always screenshot this)?
OPENING SHOT EG3 [Film Title] - we've discussed the semiotics of TisEng's opening shot in detail, now do the same for this. Don't twist your analysis to fit the genre, it doesn't always match the genre so neatly. Consider exposition, narrative enigma, (non-)diegetic sound, anchorage/polysemy - sound is relevant as well as mise-en-scene. Is the camera static or moving (does the shot/framing change?). What does this lead into? Looking ahead, you could apply Todorov's narrative model (equilibrium).
OPENING LENGTH + NARRATIVE [Film Title] - how long is the opening sequence? How is the ending of this denoted? What exposition has been provided (type a very brief bullet list for this, not a paragraph): have the pro/antagonists been signified (can you detail how with reference to framing and editing in particular?); Proppian archetypes; binary oppositions; the location; time/era; genre (maybe hybrid?); equilibrium, dis-equilibrium (central conflict). To what extent has narrative enigma been utilised? Can you spot any intertextuality?

We will review your findings and then you will individually work these into three vodcasts which will cover a sizeable chunk of your openings research:

VODCAST1: Titles in film openings

VODCAST2: The semiotics of the opening shot

VODCAST3: Film openings - length and narrative exposition

First time using Final cut pro Prelim

As i used Final cut pro for the first time i learned many short cuts and editing tools to use while editing videos , many of these were very simple as it was my first time using a professional editing program to edit. 

The first thing i did was import my files onto the program. After i dragged the videos i was using onto the editing onto the bar at the bottom , this enables me to move crop and layer them. i learnt how to use the trim tool which meant i could get my video to flow more and cut out any unnecessary and unwanted parts to the videos.

This tool bar made my editing easier. The snap tools made it easier to cut the videos to the exact part i wanted , i was also able to turn the audio off. 

The zoom tool helper me to be able to see al of my videos all at once but also zoom in to specific videos to know whee to trim it.

I leant how to rename all my files and collections , this means that all my files are organised and when i go to save a piece of work it will be easier to find. I named this task Prelim and under a collection called NiamhAS.

When i had finished my video and it was ready to be saved , i edited the size and quality of the video. I also saved it into a folder that i renamed so that it was easy to find. i added tags so it would again be easy to find. i also uploaded my video to youtube.

My prelim:

  

Breaking the 180% rule:

With sound effects and titles: 

When the prelim task was completed i had learnt a lot of both editing and filming skills could take away and use in the future. this included how to position a camera enabling you to get the best shot , also how to compose a shot properly. When edited i learnt to use all there tools as shown above , i learnt to use the blade , cropping tools , how to change lighting and how to zoom in and out showing more or less of the timeline at the bottom. The prelim task helped me to understand the basics of both filming and editing and this was very useful to out learning.