In our first lesson of research of our practical, we dicussed the significant differences between trailers and openings of films. Since we will be creating an opening to a film it is important to know the defining elements of an opening and trailers so we do not create the wrong thing for our final project.
Trailers:
- gives information and details of the film
- include montages (fragmented narrative), giving the audience an outline of the plot
- tend to fade to black several times
- include the title at the end of the trailer
- have a tag line
- include the institution logos at the start
Openings:
- list important members of the cast and crew at the start or throughout the opening
- include the title at the start of the film
- generally introduce the characters and setting
- set a mood or tone, historical period (if any) and genre
- create questions amongst the audience
- demonstrate the patterns/types of editing that will be used in the film
To test our knowledge, we watched two openings of films and commented on them in terms of genre, narrative, character, atmosphere, themes, setting, soung and titles.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The genre suggested by this opening of Catch Me If You Can is the hybrid action-thriller, maybe with the sub-genre of 'mystery' due to the implications of a car chase scene shown through the taxi and police car and the lack of clarity of the opening and suggestions of disguise. The open, linear narrative includes the plot without the audience realising (though it does not show the end) to make the them ask questions and wonder what the relevance of the animatied opening is to the rest of the film. It also uses iconography of the yellow taxis create the setting and allow the audience to connect to it. Atmospherically, the opening creates suspence and excitement through the implications of chase and the sense of wonder as the audience question what the opening is about. The main characters are also revealed through the icnonography of airport arrow signs pointing the actors name towards the animated men involved in the chase, showing the audience who is in the film and connoting there are clear protagonist and antagnoist characters. The themes in the opening are chase and disguise shown through the plot of the opening and the actions of the animated characters. It also suggests that there are elements of wealth and romance poratrayed through the champagne, pool party and hospital scene. Like the narrative, the iconic yellow taxis allow the audience to identify the setting as New York with locations such as an airport, hospital and party whilst the non-diegetic soundtrack is retro, fast paced and gives a 60s feel setting the histrical period. Finally, the titles that appear throughout the opening include a range of cast and crew in the order required, with the title of the film at the beginning.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
The genre of this film is the another hybrid, but this time romantic-comedy suggested by the wedding theme and comic element of the song and choreography. The closed narrative of the opening is shown through the song in which it suggests the plot of "losing a man" and relationship trouble. The bride and bridesmade signifiers also denote a plot about weddings. The main characters are immediate in the opening as it contains only the bride and her bridesmaids (or friends). The song and their actions create comic and girly characters and also imply that the film is a "chick flick", targeted at a female audience. The characters and narrative also create a feminine, light and happy atmosphere, setting a upbeat tone for the rest of the film. Suggested themes include weddings, love and relationships which are typical for the romantic-comedy genre. Unusually, the opening has been filmed in an articial setting of a studio. The all pink background reinforces the themes and genre and also shows implications of mocking. The soundtrack for the opening is of the song "Wishin' and Hopin'" which speaks about holding onto your man and relationships. It suggests that something is going to wrong in the film and again suggests themes of the film. Finally, the titles are in a feminine, handwritten style commonly associated with wedding invitations also reinforcing the themes and mood of the opening.
