Harry Brown Opening Sequence

At the start of the Harry Brown opening there is a black out which includes some credits over the top which is a good way of of making the audience focus on just the sounds and credits. There is a voice over being a males voice using offensive language. An image then appears and the camera movement is hand held, creating the effect that it is a video being filmed on a mobile phone. The sounds here are loud and there is a lot of shouting which creates it to be quite intimidating for the audience. The dark setting adds to this frightening atmosphere. There are many hooded male characters which creates enigma because of there being no certainty of any main characters being introduced. There is then another black out when the chanting of the hooded characters stops. The footage then goes back into a hand held camera movement again creating it to look like a mobile phone video. It is very busy and the pace is fast as the characters are on a moped. The sound along with this footage is very loud adding to the busy camera movement. With so much happening it really engages the audience into the film. With the use of the hand held camera movement it lets the viewer get an insight to where the film is set, being a London council estate. Overall the use of camera movement and sounds in this opening is what engages the audience and make them want to carry on watching the film.

'Children of Men'

“How effectively does the opening sequence from ‘Children of Men’ (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?”

‘Children of Men’ is a sci-fi/thriller film which is directed by Alfonso Cuaron, it was released in 2006. It stars Julianne Moore, Clive Owen and Chiwetel Ejofor.  The opening sequence to ‘Children of Men’ uses forms and conventions in ways to get the audience intrigued and wanting to watch the rest of the film.

First of all as soon as the film starts the audience is automatically hit with a lot of information about what is occurring at that moment in time of the film. It is clear when watching the opening sequence that Alfonso Cuaron wants the audience to have a clear understanding of the time setting and the place setting. This is because of the constant reminders the audience is given, for example the date of when the film is set in which is 2027 is repeated twice, once on the TV screen which is magnified to make it even more clear but it is then also shown when the character leaves the cafe it appears at the bottom of the screen. Also the place setting is made clear to be London by the red buses the tall buildings and the police uniform which two officers are wearing. London however is shown differently in this opening sequence, it come across as dull, depressing and in the future. This is clear because of the colouring being very dark and gloomy therefore creating a depressive atmosphere. Also to add to it being depressing the character Theo Faron is seen pouring some sort of alcoholic drink into his coffee which makes the audience question why he is doing that. A way in which the audience knows that this film is set in the future is by certain features within the surroundings, such as moving adverts on the buses and motorised rickshaws. The purpose of doing this is to inform the audience and prepare them for the rest of the film. Another way in which Alfonso Cuaron has done this is by having the news on the TV, not only is it informing the characters within the film about what has happened but it is also informing us as an audience.

A narrative function which Alfonso Cuaron uses is introducing a main character. This happens to be Clive Owen and he first appears walking into a cafe acting uninterested at what is existing at that moment. As all the other characters within this scene are acting shocked and worried and Clive Owen who plays Theo Faron is completely calm it makes the audience see this as very unusual and creates enigma, making the audience question why this is. The audience can tell that Clive Owen is going to be a main character because of the camera movement. For example when he leaves the cafe s does the camera. The camera follows only him focusing all of the audience’s attention onto him.

The pace of the opening sequence is rather slow and there are not many edits. This is to reflect the mood of the film and also that the fact the world has come to some sort of stand still at this point in the film it would not be as effective is there was to be a fast jumpy pace.                                                Music is used in the opening sequence to establish the mood of this scene. The music is played from the TV when the dates of the birth and death of the youngest human being, Diego Ricardo is shown. This creates a miserable, upsetting atmosphere for both the characters and the audience.                       The costumes of every character within the opening sequence of ‘Children of Men’ are dark, plain and dingy. No one stands out from the crowd; every character blends in making the audience focus more on what is being said than shown. The costumes reflect everything else that has been established so far in the film such as the depressing mood.

Alfonso Cuaron uses technical codes in order to gain all of the audience’s attention. A way in which he has does this is by at the very beginning of the film there is a blank screen however you can hear a voice over of a news broadcast. The point of doing this is that by having a blank screen the audience has nothing else to focus on but the things they are hearing so therefore gets them intrigued into the film. A sound bridge is used at this point when you can hear the news broadcast with a blacked out screen it then continues when eventually seeing the news broadcast on the TV. This adds to the effect of keeping the audience interested.

The camera movement within the opening sequence is kept very basic and so is the editing to match this. Only straight cuts are used, simply switching between the TV and the character Theo Faron. The reason for this would probably be to not distract the audience from what is being said. Like mentioned before the camera follows the character Theo Faron which seems to become handheld once left the cafe which creates it to be realistic for the audience as if they are walking down the street after him. This involves the audience in the film. The camera follows Theo Faron down the street and then pans around him focusing the audience on him pouring alcohol into his coffee and then the camera becomes static for a few seconds to then reveal the explosion from the cafe. This becomes a big shock for the audience as it was so unexpected and again creates enigma, making the audience question why and how that happened.

I personally got intrigued right from the start of this opening. The entire enigma created made me wants to see the rest of this film. I found the whole setting and time period very interesting and wanted to find out more of what has become of our country. The fact that the opening was so depressing and dark it made me want to see the rest of the film to find out if there’s happy moments or a happy ending. To conclude on all of this it is clear to see that this is a very effective opening which I personally think is mainly down to the enigma as it captivates the audience’s attention straight away.

Editing Essay.

How are the sequences from “Pillow Talk” and “Fringe” different? Discuss the differences in pace and style of editing as well as the effect the editing has on meaning/audiences reception of the extracts.

Within the sequences from “Pillow Talk” and “Fringe” editing is used frequently to create different effects to suit the situation within the film. “Pillow Talk” is an old fashioned film so therefore uses basic, traditional styles of editing however “Fringe” is a more modern programme so resulting them to using up to date editing and using their edits more effectively. It is clear that when watching both these sequences there is a different pace used and they are both received differently by certain audiences.

“Pillow Talk” is a 1950’s romantic comedy directed by Michael Gordon which concentrates on two characters, one played by Doris Day and the other played by Rock Hudson. It portrays their bumpy relationship and how they eventually fall in love. “Fringe” is a modern, science fiction television programme which lasted three seasons.

The pace within “Pillow Talk” and the pace within “Fringe” are obviously going to show differences because of the time periods in which they were set in. With “Pillow Talk” being set in 1959 and “Fringe” being shown last in 2010 it is clear the pace in “Pillow Talk” is much slower and less upbeat than “Fringe.” The average time between each cut in the sequence from “Pillow Talk” is twelve seconds and within this time the film is being filmed with static camera movement. This is resulting in the film to come across as relaxed and gives the audience the impression that nothing significant is happening where as in “Pillow Talk” the average time between each edit is four short seconds and within that time it is being filmed in many different ways using, zoom in and out, moving panning and tilting which altogether makes it more exciting for an audience to watch and makes it more intriguing. This shows some significant differences in how ways of editing has changed over time such as the pace, making it different speeds to suit the atmosphere within the sequences therefore then creating an intended effect on the audience and it also shows how the way filming between the edits have changed, as filming has become more modern, the way of filming has developed creating many different effects on the viewers.

As well as the pace being individual in both sequences, the edits themselves are also different and are used in different ways. The sequence from “Pillow Talk” hardly experiments with using different types of edits; it sticks to the basic ways, again this probably is down to the time period. The majority of the time the edit used is a straight cut which is straight forward and sets the audience straight to the point and is particularly effective within “Pillow Talk” as the whole sequence is concentrated on conversation between two characters so by using straight cuts it makes it more realistic, as if you was there with the characters listening and watching their conversation.  A dissolve cut is used in “Pillow Talk” as the first edit within this sequence. Dissolve cuts can be used in many ways like to show a different scenery or to make it seem later on in the day. For this particular edit it starts off being a conversation between two men, talking about a female character, a dissolve edit is then used to then go to a different scene in which the female character they were talking about is. By doing this it informs the audience early on in the sequence of what the film is going to be about and also what characters are going to be the main focus. Also by the men talking about this lady it gives the audience a first impression of the female character. One more effective edit that is used in “Pillow Talk” is a wipe. The wipe is used effectively to create a split screen for a phone call conversation to take place. It is used for when the two main characters within this film talk on the phone. The reason why this is an effective edit is because it gives the audience an easy way to see and take in the conversation they are having. It also allows the facial expressions of each character and reaction to what each other is saying bee seen clearly by the audience.

The edits that are used in “Fringe” are surprisingly very straight forward and basic. The straight cuts used throughout the sequence however do reflect the fact of “Fringe” being very modern by keeping the cuts neat and precise it allows the audience to get straight down to the point of the programme. With the genre being a science fiction I would personally expect the cuts to be very bold and different to what is seen in “Pillow Talk” although the straight forward cuts are still effective due to the many ways in which the programme is filmed. An example of a way in which “Fringe” is filmed is when there is a close up of a man writing and the camera movement moves to the left showing everything on the table and then the camera is lifted up at a steady speed then focusing on the other man. This is very effective as it creates suspense and tension for the audience in what the man is writing down and it also gains the audiences likeness for the other character. This sums up that “Fringe” doesn’t necessarily portray to be modern through its ways of editing however it does by the pace of editing and also the way it is filmed. Unlike “Pillow Talk” were the editing does in fact reflect the time period it was made in.

With these two sequences having been set in two different time periods it has made an effect on the way in which an audience reacts to each of them. “Pillow Talk” was much better received within the time period it was set because the audience where adapted to this way of editing however they would also see a new way of editing because a wipe to split screen was very new and fresh creating a good reception of the film. If this way of editing was released in the modern day I would expect the audience to find it lengthy and maybe boring as the length between the edits is quite long, also they way its filmed in between the edits is not very creative and is mainly static making the audience to probably lose interest. With the editing being slow it gives the audience an easier way to get the storyline and meaning of the film. “Fringe” however is received well in the modern day due to its quickly paced edits which creates the programme to be entertaining although it can create the audience to lose track of the storyline as there is a lot going on creating the programme to be busy and in some ways confusing.

In conclusion of all these points  it is clear to see that both “Pillow Talk” and “Fringe” are very different, in the way they are filmed, the edits used, the way they are received by an audience and also the pace of both sequences. Although they are both very different, they both seem to still be successful in the way that they create an intended effect on their suited audience.

Narrative Image

Premier:

Lately many pictures of the three main characters within Harry Potter that have been taken from the premier of the film, have been seen in lots of different newspapers and magazines. When people see these images it makes them think of the film making people want to go and see it. Also with it being in many newspapers and magazines it is advertising the film to a variety of different audiences.

Magazine:

Below is the most recent copy of Then Empire magazine and it is advertising Harry Potter 7 as it is the front cover. This magazine is mainly bought by film fans but will attract other audiences to want to see the film such as the older generation who mainly buy this magazine. The image on the front cover stands out and this may cause people to notice the magazine when looking in shops attracting people towards the film.

Narrative Image

Merchandise:

A main way in marketing films is through its merchandise. Below is a Harry Potter T-shirt advertising the new film, 'Deathly Hallows.' When people see this in shops it is promoting the film encouraging and reminding people to go and see the film. Also when people see other people wearing the shirt it creates the film to be advertised everywhere, advertising the film to all types of people.



Another piece of merchandise is sticker books. By this type of marketing it is aiming at a younger generation, widening their audience. This is a clever thing to do because the new film is seen as a scary thriller and not paticularly attracting young viewers but by creating a sticker book it might then change their minds, making them want tot see the film. One paticular sticker book for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was given free within The Times, the newspaper. This is a great marketing scheme because fist of all the sticker book has been advertised on tv then making parents buy the newspaper in order to get the sticker book for their children but then to get more stickers tyou have to perchase them at your local post office, therefore marketing the film in several places to a wide range of audience.

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Trailers:

Another way the film has been marketed is through their teaser trailers. This is a great way of of creating suspense for viewers, giving them an insight of clips which will be in the film. Trailers are generally seen at cinemas however they are shown in screens where they are showing the same type of genre film. This limits the amount of people seeing the trailer although many people nowadays view YouTube which then widens their audience, creating them to possibly widen the amount of people wanting to go and see the film because YouTube targets everyone.

Online:

A way in which they have promoted the new Harry Potter film is by their official online website. When entering the website this first thing that comes up is the trailer, which automatically starts playing. This encourages people to watch the trailer seen as it takes up the whole of your computer screen. Once within the site the first section under the Menu is 'About the Movie.' There you’ll see a Story synopsis that covers what parts of the plot are going to be included in the film and also the cast. All of this really intrigues people to want to see the film however only mainly Harry Potter fans will check the website out therefore not broadening their audience but could be by word of mouth.

Narrative Image

Posters:

One way in which the film ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ‘ has been marketed is through posters. The reason for doing this is that the film can be advertised to the whole public in order to gain the interest of as many people as possible. This particular poster is very dark and gloomy, set in the woods creating a mysterious atmosphere. The characters within the poster are running away, straight away this achieves peoples interest because it makes the viewer want to know why they are running away and the only way they will find out is by watching the film, therefore successfully marketing the film. The poster also contains a short piece of text saying ‘NOWHERE IS SAFE’ in capitals, this is below the title of the film. This again is enigma, creating a mystery around the film, making the public want to find out why this is. The whole image of the poster is very dark and gives in some ways a horror/thriller feel to it, especially from the splattered blood on it which could gain the interest of not the particular harry potter fans and widening their audience. The splattered blood creates the viewer to question which characters blood it is, making them more eager to see the film to find out.