My Film Opening Project: Genre and Group Members

Genre: Action Comedy
Group Members: Me, Jairo

Film Opening Research #2- Stand By Me

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

Just two titles are displayed in the beginning, the film company (Columbia Pictures) that made the movie, and the actual title of the movie.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

A car standing in front of a large kind of pasture is prioritized in the opening sequence setting up that the wilderness will be a factor in this adventure. The movie then closes in on a man in the car looking at a newspaper with murder on the headline. Then two kids on a bike pass by, making the man think of simpler times.

What connotations do the images carry?

The connotations that the images carry are that the man is reminiscent of the time he and his friends went out on an adventure to find a dead body, as not only told by the narration but also the newspaper, the establishing shot, and the kids riding the bikes.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The genre of this film is an adventure and a drama, which is demonstrated by the long establishing shot of the pastures and the shot about the murder of an attorney. The part where the audiences realize that these events are held in the present, and future events of the movie are in the past are also shown through the narration and the later 1950s setting.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

By the narrator stating that he was in 6th grade when he first saw a dead body the audiences immediately become drawn in, since it is not everyday that somebody sees a dead body, especially an 11 year old kid.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

By having Columbia Pictures' logo show up in the beginning the audiences are already buying tickets because they know that Columbia Pictures has made good films in the past.

How has technology been used effectively? 

you might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

By contrasting the car and the bike we seen the difference in innocence of the narrator. Also through the old cars and strange cash register we know that the movie takes place in the 1950s. Other camera techniques that are used are an establishing shot, and a zoom in onto the narrator as he goes through a flash back.

Film Opening Research # 1- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?

 There are twelve titles used in the opening sequence, one for the company, another for the actual title of the film, and the others for the cast and the people involved in making the film.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

A somewhat deep fog surrounding a castle, and a knight and his squire pretending to ride a horse with coconuts are the images prioritized.

What connotations do the images carry?

The connotations that the images carry are that this film is a parody of other films set in the medieval era, as the knight is not actually riding a horse but galloping while his squire is slamming coconuts together to make trotting sounds. The set pieces also seem realistic, so you're not really sure what type of comedy is going to be used.

How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?

The characters are dressed accordingly as a knight and a squire. The squire is in some kind of rag, while the knight is wearing armor with a crest in the middle. This with the castle as a setting reinforces that this is indeed set in the Middle Ages.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?

The audience is left confused by the film since a horse is replaced with coconuts. Through dialogue the coconuts are then mentioned as confusing and out of place, enhancing the comic tone. The audience is then further confused by the dry humor, with the characters now being aware that this move seems too good to be true.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The dry British humor used ensures that the film appeals to its British audience, as a British comedy group created this film. The title itself also affectively attracts the audience because many people before this film was released were already familiar with Monty Python and their work.

How has technology been used effectively? 

You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.

Camera angles such as a high angle shot, where King Arthur is looking up towards the castle, makes the film's set pieces feel realistic and entices viewers by making it feel as though they too are in the film. The fog used also makes the film seem mysterious, and at the same time foreshadows the strange things that are ahead.

Genre Research #2- PowerPoint

My Favorite Genre- Video

My Favorite Genre- Powerpoint

Film Viewing Practice Essay

Agent Carter

Agent Carter, directed by Louis D'Esposito is a short film that correlates with the motion picture Captain America: The First Avenger. Viewers realize this when the cinematographer uses parallelism to show Captain America on a plane, trying to stop a nuclear bomb from going off, and Agent Carter at a military base trying to talk sense into Captain America. These scenes happened at the same time but in different locations. The acting style of the actress who plays Agent Carter is more of a non-method kind of acting, because the actress' personality is apart of her performance. The actress showcases her connection and relationship to Captain America through her expressions of sadness when he is about to die. Some symbolism in the short film is a photograph. Captain America has one of Agent Carter, and Agent Carter has one of Captain America, showing again their romantic relationship. Some shots that take place in the film include an establishing shot that shows outside of Brooklyn. They also later use a long shot to show Agent Carter walking towards the villains. This shows that she seems harmless to the villains, so they encounter her without any worry, but they end up being knocked out by a suitcase. The setting of the short film also gave viewers a sense of dread and mystery, due to the dark, low- key lighting, which contains several shadows. Other editing techniques that are used include simultaneity when Agent Carter is walking towards the villains. The perspectives switch between Agent Carter and the villains, creating suspense in that we don't know how the spy is going to avoid being caught, or is going to get through the guards. Some types of sound that is used in the short film is synchronous sounds when Agent Carter is beating up the guards, however this can be also seen as post-synchronization dubbing as the sounds are added after the shots are filmed. These sounds would also be diegetic because the characters supposedly can hear the sounds witting the film. Other shots include a pan shot when the shot of the last guard turns to Agent Carter with a gun, and a cutaway after Agent Carter receives the call about Zodiac. Most shots that are used are very basic such as the eye level shot, or the medium long shot, which shows the subject from the knees up. During the introduction there is a leitmotif, which is the Marvel Studios theme for all of their films. This theme appears whenever the logo appears, telling viewers what they are getting into. Some more Mise-en-scenes that are important to the plot are how the producers made up the costumes. While the costumes are simple, and are basically just suits, we also know that this takes place possibly sometime in the 1950s, and that these people are professionals. We can also assume this is sometime in the 1950s by the staging, and props, such as the old-fashioned cars. Overall, from the clip that is shown viewers are enthralled finally in a world of superheroes, where the main character is just like one of us.