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:
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
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