Zombieland Opening Sequence Review

Notes: 2009
Director - Ruben Fleischer
Actors - Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone & Woody Harrelson
Opening Conventions: The institution sequence (Columbia) is played loudly at the start
There is a voiceover to explain where we are & what is going on.
Furthur on in the sequence the titles are shown over the sequence but they are placed asif they are part of the scene eg. letters break off if someone falls through them. This is effective as it is interesting & differernt.
Narrative Function: We can guess the storyline because we are told that there are no people left in America & we can see zombies chasing everyone so we can guess that it is about the survival of someone living in zombieland.
We do not start withing the story, we just have different scenes of people being killed by zombies whilst the credits are shown.
Characters: No charachters are introduced but we assume that the person who is the voiceover must be the main charachter as he is the only one that is being focused on.
Hook Audience/Enigma/Action Codes: The sequence is done very cleverly which makes it interesting for us an audience to watch & we want to watch more. Also, we want to see if the voiceover survives & what the storyline is going to be throughout the film. This film also used very modern technology & despite the slow-mo, it has quite a fast pace which keeps us interested.
Film Lang - MES, Cinematography (Light & Colour): There is a US flag at the beginning so its clear that the film is set in America. Horrific events are shown straight away so we know that the film is going to be gorey & a horrow but there is also a hint of comedy from the voiceover, The colours are quite bright & vivid which would give the impression of a happy film.

Film Lang - Movement, Framing, Editing & Sound: The use of the hand held camera at the start puts us in the point of view of the man who has just been attacked. It also allows us to have a closeup of one of the zombies. Also, the camera is tilted at the start which gives the idea of chaos & that the world is not right. The opening sequence is all in slow-mo, this allows us to focus on the horror & makes the pace not fast yet still not boring. The music is heavy metal which fits with what is going on. At the start the sound is diegetic as we can hear the sound of the man screaming & the zombie chasing him. Each rule is shown on screen which makes it interesting & it makes sure we saw the rule. Also, due to their being violence & swearing withing the sequence, we know that it would not be appropriate for children instantly.

Rules are written over the sequence

Cleaner Opening Sequence Review

Notes: 2007
Director - Renny Harlin
Actors - Samuel L Jackson
Opening Conventions: The credits are played over the sequence
There is a voiceover which gives us an idea of what the film is going to be about
The institution is shown with mysterious/eerie music played over it to set the tone of the film
Narrative Function: A voiceover introduces us to what the film is going to be about so we know what is going on.
A man explains our job to us through a voiceover, this shows that he must be a main charachter & the film is based around his job
There is a flashback at the start
Characters: The voiceover is of a man whom we assume to be a main charachter as he is telling us about his job. His job is to clean up dead bodies but he is humourous when he tells the story which brightens the tone of the film despite it being about death.
Hook Audience/Enigma/Action Codes: We are not told much about what the film is actually going to be about other than a man who cleans up dead bodies so we want to learn more & find out what is actually going to happen in the film.
Film Lang - MES, Cinematography (Light & Colour): Eerie/mysterious music is played at the start which makes it quite intense. After we find out about the death of them women, the music changed to more cheery, this is known as contrafuntal sound, as cheery music is played as we see a dead body. The voiceover leads into the scene so it turns out that it was diegetic. During the flashblack, the colours are quite bleak & the lighting is dull but when we are at the start, its alot brighter & more colourful.
Film Lang - Movement, Framing, Editing & Sound: There are lots of low levels & sweeping, this makes the scene more interesting & fun to watch. It also fastens the pace so we do not feel bored. The start of the scene fades in as the titles start to appear. There is also a close up to the blood on the floor as it is what they want us to focus on becuase there is alot of it & it all needs to be cleaned up.

The Prestige Opening Sequence Review

Notes: 2006
Director - Chris Nolan
Actors - Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine & Christian Bale
Opening Conventions: The titles & institution sequence (Warner Bros) are silent which builds up tension.
A voiceover is used to talk to us about the three stages of magic tricks which allows us to guess what the film is going to be about. It also does not give us much information about what is going on so we are curious.
Narrative Function: Starts in the middle of the film, this then sets it up for the rest of the film so we know what is going on
We are introduced by a voiceover, what the story is going to be about
Characters: The voiceover is Cutter (Michael Caine), we are told he makes the apparatures for illusions. We can see his is passionate about his job as he refuses to disclose information about the illusion which cause death to a man.
Angier (Hugh Jackman) is introduced as he is on stage perfoming a magic trick to people in a theatre. We see him drown in the sequence & then we see the court case about his death which shows he must be important within the film.

Spotlight on Hugh Jackman as he perfomes on stage

Alfie Borden (Christian Bale) is introduced in court as we see he is being blamed for the death of Angier.
Hook Audience/Enigma/Action Codes: Enigma is the most important part of this sequence, we want to ask alot of questions which hooks us in & makes us want to watch the rest of the film. We want to know why the man is in court, who he is & why he killed the magician.
Film Lang - MES, Cinematography (Light & Colour): The setting looks old fashioned because there are alot of dark, dull colours. Also, in court, everyone is dresssed in suits & tophats which also is very old fashioned. The costumes match the setting. There is a spotlight on Hugh Jackman whilst he is on stage to show his importance & that he must be a main charachter. Flashes of light focus on a strange man under the stage which makes us think something mysterious is going on.
Film Lang - Movement, Framing, Editing & Sound: There is a fade in from the titles to the film.

During the magic trick, eerie music is played which builds intensity. It then goes silent when Hugh Jackman goes through a trap door & then eerie music is played again as he drowns in the tank. There is alot of cutting & intercutting withing scenes. The camera is also hand help which makes it seem like we are following Christian Bale around.

The Mummy Opening Sequence Review

Notes: Director - Sreven Sommers
            Cast - Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz & John Hannah
Opening Conventions: Institution sequence is Univeral Studios so we know it will most likely be a Blockbuster & will be a good film.
Scary/eerie music played over institution sequence which sets the tone for the film & allows us to guess the genre
A voiceover tells us where we are & what is going on so we know our setting well & gather information about the film, this is non-diegetic
There is a graphic match transition from titles to film
Narrative Function: We start at the beginning of the film but later on in the film we sip forward in time & the story continues
This sets up the backstory so we know what is going on in the rest of the film
The use of sound & colour/decore is most important in this sequence.

ASN - Gold & Black makeup

We are introduced to the two main charachters as we are forced to focus on them.
Characters: The Pharaoh is introduced first, his body language, clothing & the music shows that he is powerful. We are then introduced to Imhotep (High Priest - Keeper of the dead). He is standing looking out over the city & over the soldiers which shows his importance & power. Finally, we are introduced to Anuksunamun; she is introduced by a voiceover telling us who she is. She is covered in makeup which has been drawn on carfully. We see ASN & Imotep together & we can feel the intamacy between them through their body language.
Hook Audience/Enigma/Action Codes: There is enigma as we want to know what is going to happen with ASN & Imotep. We are curious as we want to ask many questions & find out more about each of the charachters.
Film Lang - MES, Cinematography (Light & Colour): We can see at the start that Egypt is just being built, which makes it evident that we are in the past. There is alot of gold decor which shows the countrys wealth & power. We can also see tha the culture is thriving, due to how busy & noisy it is. We are interested in the Pharaoh because loud, powerful music is played upon his arrival which connotates how strong & important he is. The voiceover tells us we are in Thebes (the city of the living), but we are also told that Imotep is the Keeper of the dead, which creates enigma as we want to know why the living & the dead is so focused on. ASN is also covered in gold & black makeup, which makes her look like an expensive item, so she looks very precious.
Film Lang - Movement, Framing, Editing & Sound: Egyption music is played, to make sure the audience is aware that it is set in Egypt. When we see ASN & Imotep kissing, there is a close up of him smudging her makeup, this is a clear sign of how important this is & it makes us as an audience look into it & suspect something will happen. Due to the film being a PG, there are rules & regulations which the director must stick to, therefore, when ASN stabs herself, it is a sillouette so there is less detail & focus on the violent act. By sticking the these rules & regulations, it gives them a bigger audience, allowing them to make more money.

"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 effectively use the forms & conventions of film openings. It used credits & titles at the start of the sequence. It also shows the company “STRIKE” & Hit & Run productions. Also, because the Universal Studios sequence is shown at the beginning we instantly assume that it is probably a Blockbuster film & that it will be very good because Universal Studios have a reputation for making good films & having a large budget. It also has a very slow pace. At the end of the opening sequence the film title appears dramatically. There is a strong enigma in the film opening because we find ourselves asking many questions & wondering what is going on, e.g. why has the café been blown up? Why is there so much emphasis on the youngest person dying? Why is it so dark? What did the man pour in his drink? This then makes us want to watch the rest of the film which is very effective.

From just the opening sequence of the film, we already make assumptions of what the film is going to be like. We expect it to be quite a dull, sad, chaotic film due to the bleak colours & explosion in the first few minutes. We are told at the beginning of the film that are in London on the 16^th November 2027 but we could probably guess that already due to the mise-en-scene. We can see red buses on the street but they look futuristic due to the moving adverts on the side of them. We also see a lot of Police Officers in uniform which instantly allows us to distinguish that we are in London. There are a lot of tall buildings with St Pauls in the background. We also enter the film in a café which is quite British. All these things make it clear that we are in London even if we missed the title telling us.

The lighting & colour are very dark & dull. The street looks dirty, dusty & rundown & there are motorised passenger bikes which makes it look like a third world country. The lighting is natural because it is day time but it still looks very dull outside & there are no bright colours that stand out anywhere. This is effective as it creates a mood & allows us to figure out the genre quite quickly. The people we see in the café also look very miserable & are all dressed in dull, dark work clothes. The use of dark colours & dull lighting set the mood of the film & makes us curious because we want to know what happened to London & why everyone seems so depressed.

We are introduced to one main character in the opening sequence because he is being focused on. The first shot consists of a variety of people in a café watching a news report; there are also quite a lot of Police Men too. The news report is about the death of the youngest boy on the planet & it is emphasised several times that he was the youngest child, this gives us clues about the rest of the film. We also hear a women crying due to the death of this boy so it is clear that his death is a very big deal & it upsets people. We are aware of the main character because he is focused on from the start. He enters the café & shows little interest towards the news report & orders a drink, the camera then follows him out of the shop & allows us to see him pouring some kind of alcoholic beverage into his drink. This creates enigma as we want to know who he is, why he is not interested in the news report & why he is pouring alcohol into his drink.

The pace of this opening sequence is very slow as it only consists of two cuts throughout. The movement of the camera is more important than the pace because they use a handheld camera to follow the main character out of the shop which pans to follow him. This gives the effect that we are spying on him to find out what he is doing & it almost feels like we are in the film. It starts with a mid-shot so we can see his face & then changes to a long shot so we can see the explosion when it happens as well as him & his reaction to it. At the end of the sequence after the explosion we see a women walk out of the café holding her arm which has been blown off. We are shown this so we can see the seriousness of the explosion & it also creates enigma.

After the titles, there is a sound bridge over a black screen; we can hear sound before the picture appears. It is a voice over of a news report. This is effective as it makes us listen intently to what is going on & shows the importance of what is being said because they really want us to listen. The news report gives us information about what is going on in the world which makes the world sound like it is in chaos. This adds enigma because we want to know why. The main story on the news report is about the youngest boy on the planet being murdered. The reporter repeats this several times so we defiantly know what’s going on in case we missed it the first time. This shows that this information is very important. The sequence consists mostly of diegetic sound from the television, people & cars but there is also non-diegetic sad music. The sound of the explosion & of screaming people has been enhanced so it is louder & so it is more shocking. It makes us jump because it is so unexpected.

Our personal response as an audience is positive as the conventions of this opening is very effective. We want to ask many questions as we have been given unexplained information which we want to know. Due to there being a lot of enigma, this makes the opening sequence very successful because as an audience we are very intrigued & we want to watch more to find out what is going on. I found the sequence quite interesting as it keeps the same colour scheme & lighting throughout, even outside. London looks very dark & everyone seems miserable, we want to know what has happened. Despite the pace of the sequence being quite slow, it was still interesting due to the use of the handheld camera following the main character. Also, because the film is set in the future, we want to carry on watching so we can see what London is like & what the world has become.