Notes on Movie Openings

Conventions to take note on -

• Shot sizes
• Shot angles
• Shot durations
• Transitions and overall pace
• Sound effects
• Use of music
• Title and fonts
• Colour pallet and lighting
• Setting
• Types of characters and their contexts
• Storyline/plot development
• Overall tone/mood/atmosphere

Film 1 -

The Judge

• Guitar instrumental
• Slow fade out of music
• Low key lighting
• Flowers
• Depth of field
• Close up on household items
• High key lighting
• Establishing shot
• Upbeat music changes pace
• High angle shot
• Cool, bright light in toilet symbolizes mood and atmosphere of the scene
• Suites and ties show their authority and power

Film 2 -

Forest Gump

• Long shot lasts roughly 1 minute
• Camera follows the journey of a feather
• Slow pace
• Simplistic piano melody
• Everyday sound affects (ambient sound) adds realism
• Title credits it white make it simple, not intrusive
• Warm, bright, blue lighting
• Large town or a smaller city setting unlike previous clip where it was set in somewhere like New York
• Bus stop was were the first piece of dialect we saw was set
• Simple characters
• Happy, warm and non threatening tone

Film 3 -

The Time Travelers Wife

• Violin music over production titles
• Opera singing coming from the actors themselves
• Christmas period made apparent through decorations and snow
• Camera angle shot from inside someone's car looking out through the windscreen
• Dark night, red colours
• Car crashing and windows breaking
• Yellow opening credit titles
• Quick transitions which reflect mood and pace
• Smaller shot sizes
• Tense and sad towards the end of the clip

Film 4 -

The Descendants

• Medium close up of mother on ski boat
• Sound bridge of the boat noise from blank screen until the first scene
• Upbeat music shows contrast between what he is saying and the audio
• Voiceover and narration
• Flowers as background red/blue
• Short autobiography from male character
• Long shot when showing the audience the environment etc  

Film 5

The Age of Adaline

• Tense music
• 3rd person narrative voiceover, gives background and comments on situation
• Hand written font shows authenticity
• Intelligent/observant character (Adaline)
• Mysterious calm - sets tone
• Can't establish the plot for the movie unlike previous movie opening we watched
• Interrogating