To continue the research into openings, we then compared a trailer and opening of the same film and noted the differences. This would help us to see the immediate contrasts and familiarise ourselves more with the style of film openings. I chose to evaluate and analyse Casino Royale (2006) and as before commented on the genre, narrative, character, atmosphere, themes, setting, sound and titles.
Trailer
The genre suggested by the trailer of Casino Royale is the main genre of action demonstrated through the fast-paced editing of several fighting, explosion and car chase sequences commonly associated with and seen in action films. The combination of clips of the film creates a montage and a fragmented/anachronic narrative with fade to blacks between several of the clips. This open narrative style is iconic in trailers, allowing the plot to be summarised, build suspense and give small bits of information via the enigma code (Barthes) to the audience in order to decide whether they would want to see the film. The main character is identified straight away in the first shot though little is revealed about him as character and more about what his role is in the film whilst atmosphere created through hiding the characters identity until the end, the fast paced editing and action is suspensive and exciting. Themes of secrecy/conspiracy, gambling, wealth and danger are predominant in the trailer shown through the action sequences used and props such as weapons and a poker table and chips, as well as via the diegetic and non-diegetic dialogue throughout. There are several settings such as the Casino Royale, a beach, Venice, a poker tournament and various other locations shown in the montage but it does not show how they interlink, causing the audience to ask questions and want to see the film. A non-diegetic, iconic soundtrack plays throughout the trailer to create suspense and help link the montage, adding emphasis to specific moments. Diegetic dialogue is also used to reveal details about the plot and summarise key details. Sound bridges also occur in both diegetic and non to link the clips together. Finally, the institutions logo is shown at the start of the trailer and the title of the film is show directly at the end. Unusually, there is no information about the director or main actors involved but this may be due to the recognisable actors included and so it is not needed. There is also no tag line but the famous and recognisable title means that a tag line may not be necessary.
Opening
In the opening of the film, the genre is not as clear though connotations from the guns and fighting suggest the main genre of action, also causing the audience to ask questions about what is in the film. The narrative does not really have a linear structure and it does not suggest much about the film except with the few connotations extracted from the signifiers such as guns or playing cards. However, is appears to be a closed narrative as there is a clear ending; the main character shoots at the camera, the animation between and the final approach to the camera as the soundtrack ends. The actor playing main character is identified immediately as his name appears first and the character continues to appear throughout the opening as a black figure. The face of the character is not revealed much during the opening as this creates mystery suggesting a secretive character, builds suspense and makes the audience ask questions about them. The atmosphere created through the non-diegetic soundtrack and animation is suspensive and exciting. The themes of gambling, wealth and fighting are implied through the images of cards and their suits which are involved throughout the opening, weapons, fighting and roulette tables. The setting is not clear from the opening as it's all artificial and animated, however the themes suggest a poker tournament in the film at the least. The characters involved in the opening would have been filmed in a studio with the animation added later on during post-production. The non-diegetic soundtrack reflects the film genre and suggests danger and death, as well as adding to the exciting atmosphere. Finally, the titles are shown in the correct order amongst the animation, starting with the main actor and ending with the director. The style is in a formal style reflecting the nature of the film and the final title of "007" is iconic to the audience.
As seen with these two clips, trailers and openings are similar but very different in terms of purpose and conventions. Trailers are designed to advertised and interest the audience, revealing some plot and the main characters but only just enough so that the audience will want to see the film later. They use more fade-to-blacks for added atmosphere and suspense whilst including montages and sound bridges to piece together various parts of the film. Often, the order is not chronilogical and the narrative is closed. Openings, however, are there to engage the audience, often to show the titles (who is in the film and who helped to produce it) and set the atmosphere, genre and editing style for the rest of the film. The narrative is open and usually reveals little about the plot but more of the identities of the main characters. Since we are creating an opening for our final task, we will avoid montages and fade-to-blacks, concentrating on introducing the characters and setting the atmosphere for the rest of the film.
