Film 1- Die Hard 1988
The opening of 'Die Hard' starts out with the opening titles stating who the producers of the film are with some aeroplane backing noise being played behind this. This already implies the opening scene so the audience can expect what is coming next. This then cuts straight into a clip of an aeroplane landing with more titles in bold text in the top right hand corner of the screen. The bold block text then follows some of the storyline and themes as it connotes the idea of being brave and bold ( which the protagonist surely is as he saves the day) and links to the idea of being hard and tough which links to the title of the and the protagonists events within the film.
The next shot which is seen is a close up shot of a hand which is grasping the seats arm rests tightly and then a tilt shot to a close up of the mans face. The effect of this is to present initial emotion such as fear or nervousness which is seen here which is good as the audience can already start collecting an interpretation of the character before they have even said anything.
A shot using the rule of thirds rule is then shown with a close up of the main character Johns face and the view of the rest of the inside of the plane in the background however out of focus. This is a good shot as without anything said the editors want the audience to pay attention to John and the focus on his face increases the importance of his character in the scene which is an initial indication of him being the main character. It is also good as the surrounding can still be seen so the audience is still aware of where he is.
A cutaway shot is then used to focus on the passengers face, then cut to Johns gun and then back to the mans face. I like this shot as it presents the characters initial and final expressions when seeing the gun and is a good editing technique to show peoples reactions within film.
Speech 'Its ok Im a cop' is then good to the opening as the audience can gather more information on his character and can gauge that he is good as opposed to bad which is vital in a thriller film as they often include good and bad people. A play on words of the passenger is used by John as the passenger says 'Ive been doing it for 9 years' and John says ' Its ok I've been doing it for 11' which adds humour to the introduction so that the whole film isn't tense and that the tension can build up as the film progresses.
A scene once John is off the plane is then seen where he is sparking a cigarette in a dark area which quickly cuts to another completely different scene. The effect of this adds initial tension as it is a sudden change which follows the idea of the film being a thriller as a typical convention would be for sudden events or things to happen within thriller films. When John is smoking in the first of the two scenes, the ringing of bells is played in a creepy tone and the actually film title 'Die Hard' appears. This follows the idea of it being christmas time in the film using bells but with a slight twist in its tone to add a sense of something is going to happen that is bad which is literally what happens in the film.
Film 2- Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller film that blends elements of the crime and horror genres.
The film starts with some shots of a woman running through the woods. The sweat on her face and back tells us that she is a hard and determined worker. You soon understand that it is clear to see that it is an assault course that she is on. The music at this time is very upbeat and fast paced which links to the fact that she is on an assault course. At this point you don't know anything about her but you soon tell that she has some connection with the police as a man wearing an F.B.I hat calls her over and tells her that somebody wants to see her. A tilt shot is used when you see a tree with signs on it. They each say; hurt, agony, pain, love-it. This is an very important iconic sign as it expresses her passion towards her job that she currently has. Each one of the words clarifys what her job involves.
The next shot you see is a big building. As the camera zooms in it tracks onto her running down a corridor. The shot then cuts to her walking down steps and entering a room which is full of guns and agents. By seeing this equipment you gather that her job is very dangerous and requires a lot of skill and courage. The music stays the same which relates to the danger of her job.
Finally she enters an lift that is full of men. This connotes how she is not portraying the stereotypical role of a woman. Her job is supposedly meant for men. This is binary opposition. Her running, job, guns and danger all back up this idea.
Film 3- Taken
After the well known Twentieth Century Fox gold statue opening, the film starts with a black background and the titles 'Twentieth Century Fox Presents' in white capital bold letters sliding inwards to the centre of the screen. The bold font used for this is the same font as on the movie cover which creates the effect of a well made film without there being any shots as the font is constant and doesn't change, making it seem like they belong to the same film. The contrast of the black on the white and the bold font makes the titles stand out which could then link to the protagonist of the film who certainly stands out for his skill and ability of tracking and saving his daughter which then links these two things together.
The first titles then fade out into a fuzzy video recording of a 5 year old girls birthday with eerie piano music in the background. Parts of the recording then flickers to speed up the scene and then one last flicker ends the scene to the male middle aged protagonist waking up from a dream in a chair. The initial effect of the fade gives a sense of mystery to the scene which follows the thriller conventions of a thriller having unsuspected parts and sudden changes which could happen just after the fade in the opening titles. The video recording is then on display but is shown as being a very old recording because of the crackles and fuzzy nature of it which gives the impression to the audience that it is many years old. The music along with this part of the film is eerie piano music which connotes the ideas of purity because of the high pitched piano but this contrasts because of its slight twist which gives the impressions to the audience that something isn't right which then links to the relationship the girl in the video has with her father ( the protagonist ) and how things go further wrong as the film continues. Parts of the video then flickers which speeds up the movement of the woman in the video. The effect of this is sudden which further links to thriller conventions and to sudden events which happen later in the film.
Finally a flicker ends the recording/dream and shows the dad/protagonist waking up with a continuation of the same music. A medium shot is then shown of the whole room and then a zoom in on a photo frame with the same girl in from the recording, and the movie title 'Taken' is shown next to this. The effect of this then shows the protagonist in the film and shows what his priorities are which is his daughter and also a foreshadows that something might happen to her because of the main focus on her in the opening, stressing her importance. The title then is in the same font as the others which further continues the specific font.
A scene is then seen where the protagonist goes to the shop and is greeted by the shop owner by his name and exactly what he wants without saying. This is because of many previous visits to the shop with one thing in mind for his daughter but not being able to buy this product. This then shows him living in the past and links to the dream he had earlier that day and him thinking about old times. This then further stresses importance of the daughter character and the mindset of the protagonist.
Finally a scene where he is wrapping up the present is seen with clown colourful paper covering it which then flicks to another scene of him going to the daughters party which has a mature setting. This then contrasts between the way the father sees the daughter and the way she actually is as he still sees her as his little girl because of the colourful colours on the paper which presents childishness, where in actual fact she is an older girl now and shows him still living in the past and the connection they have as being close.
Opening Scene- James Bond: Skyfall
Within media, film makers produce a 2-5 minute introductory scene which is presented to the audience at the very beginning of the viewing; this clip is often referred to as the 'opening scene' or the 'title sequence'. Typically, within the first initial moments of the film the audience is introduced to a main character as the opening credits are also presented. Within this time, the characters role/status also becomes prominent towards the audience which allows them to form a fondness or a disliking towards them, depending on their agenda. However, it is also possible to take a more aesthetically pleasing approach by making the title sequence more artistic; by doing to you can captivate the attention of the audience and keep them guessing rather than entering straight into the initial storyline. Most opening sequences also contain a symbol/sign/song which will later be associated with the film itself and should hopefully be recognisable as an icon depending on the success and popularity of the film itself, e.g. The Hunger Games introduces the Mockingjay which later becomes an iconic symbol in association with the film; this symbol is now recognised even by those who have not personally seen the films themselves.
The scene begins underwater creating a tense atmosphere almost instantaneously. It then continues to fill the screen with intense shades of dark blue, black and blood red. The audience is given their first glance at the main character (in which he can be identified as an actor via facial features) through the use of a target; already the film is introduced as an action thriller whilst also alluding to violence and conflict. The audience is then introduced to a female character although it can be inferred that she is not as important in the hierarchy of characters as the editing uses a jump cut to quickly revert attention from the females face, reinforcing the lack of importance; the camera focuses on her body rather than her face through the use of a tracking shot down the length of her entire body. It is also of great significance that she is present only in silhouette which presents elements of seduction as well as alluding to a mysterious and possibly toxic romance. As the credits are presented within the frame the mise-en-scene is extremely symbolic as the weapons that are falling to the sea bed turn into headstones of graves; this psychological imagery indicates the violence and tragedy that could be present within the film itself as it represents loss, death and consequence. The clip then enters vibrant shades of red which is an indexical sign that represents blood; this reinforces the violence present. There is then an extreme close-up of the main characters eyes which connotes feelings of intensity. It then goes on to present the main character in conflict with his own shadows; it can be interpreted that this allows the audience to presume that there will be elements of betrayal and the question of trust present within the film. The opposing element of fire is then introduced; the most natural contrast of fire vs. water represents the conflict/battle which is obviously a main theme within the film due to the numerous symbolic references. Feelings of betrayal are reinforced through the use of mirrors as the main character shows signs of defense, even against his own reflection; it could be argued that the lifestyle in which is focused on throughout the film could also induce feelings of paranoia.
The opening begins as you see a young girl asleep in her bed. Music is playing as this all happens. An aerial shot is used to show how she is laying down in bed. The next shot fades in and her eyes are open. This reassures how the girl is now awake. The camera then tracks down to her hands as they are moving. Straight away you can tell she is moving them as in she is playing the piano. The screen after this blacks out and then comes in again as you can see her playing the piano. This relates back to the music as it was really her playing it. The music is quite wiry and puts you on edge. This connotes how the film is a thriller and you don't know what will happen next.
The next shot shown is a man figuratively cutting up a large sized meat. This backs up the idea of how you don't know what to expect as you wouldn't have thought that this would pop up. The girl continues to play the piano which sets the tone as disturbing as the two different scenarios don't match up.
Later on you see a man arrive at a butchers shop. This adds up as you understand that the man must be a butcher.
The next shot shown is a man figuratively cutting up a large sized meat. This backs up the idea of how you don't know what to expect as you wouldn't have thought that this would pop up. The girl continues to play the piano which sets the tone as disturbing as the two different scenarios don't match up.
Later on you see a man arrive at a butchers shop. This adds up as you understand that the man must be a butcher.
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