Film opening analysis 5: Bridget Jones Diary

Director= Sharon Maguire

Writers= Helen Fielding 

Release date= 2001

Runtime=97 minutes

Budget= $26 000 000

Rotten Tomatoes 

IMDb

Genre Conventions

The genre of this film is Romantic Comedy (Rom-Com) This genre combines both romance and comedy. The target audience for this genre is primarily teenage girls to older women.

Cinematography
The film opens with the film's idents, for example universal and working title. 

There is then a long shot. This establishes the surrounding and the season. From this shot we know that the character is in the countryside, during winter. As the character talks about being single, a couple, together can be seen in the background. This juxtaposes the loneliness of the character that we see. 

In a scene, during the party, there is a medium shot of the main character, who we now know is called Bridget, kissing her Dad. This is a very gentle and sincere scene which contrast with the awkward, embarrassing kiss with her uncle. 
Later on, there is a shot from the top of the stairs which makes the audience feel very involved in the scene. The shot is also slightly slanted which could be reflecting the quirky character of the Bridget's mum. 

There is also an extreme close-up of Bridget removing her eye make up. This represents her taking off the past, and a new start. This close-up shows her intimate feelings. 

Editing 
When changing from the countryside back to Bridget's flat in London, there is a dissolve. This emphasizes the darkness of London and her misery. 

There is a lot of continuity editing when characters are talking to each other and this creates a smooth transition. There are lots of shot-reverse-shots which also creates continuity between characters. 

There are also a lot of fades and dissolves.
There is a use of slow-motion when one of the characters, called Mark, turns around when Bridget first meets him. This emphasizes the theme of love and also creates this idea of her meeting 'Mr.Right'
At one point, there is a freeze frame. This is when she reaches her 'epitome' of sadness. It represents a turning point in her life. This is the point where she decides to change

Sound
At working title, non-diegetic music begins which sounds almost christmassy due to there being light bells in it.   
Also, right at the start, Bridget talks about it being her 32nd year of being single, this shows that the genre of the movie is romance, this sentence has connotations of a typical rom com and shows that this movie will be consistent in its genre, so there will be no surprises eg.very typical, girl falls in love etc. 
Near the end, Bridget is sitting in her room, lip syncing to non-diegetic music of "all by myself" by Whitney Houston. This scene is a medium shot and this doesn't change much throughout the song. This allows the focus to be on the character herself and the misery that she feels.

   

Film Opening Analysis 4: The Giver

 

Director= Phillip Noyce

Author (of the book)=Lois Lowry

Released=2014

Budget= $25,000,000

Run time=97 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes 

IMDb

The movie begins with the Studio Canal ident, as well as the TWC ident. When the TWC ident begins, the soundtrack begins and unusually
the ident is in black and white. Then appears the Walden media one. This is also in black and white. However when it moves into a circle, the circle flashes red for a few seconds. I noticed that this could be representing something that happens later in the film, also in the book. The movie/ book is set in black and white as colour has been removed from where it is set. However, one of the first things that the main character sees in colour is a red apple (although it is a red ball in the book) and this is a very significant moment in the the film but especially in the book and i believe that this is a reference to that moment. 

There is then a cut to a black background with white text over. This helps establish the genre slightly as its simplicity, combined with the music creates an almost futuristic feeling. The text explains about a community, and how it way built. This gives background information to the film. There is a sentence that says "All memories of the past were erased" this suggests that the film is set in the future and helps the viewer to understand what the film is about. The non-diegetic music is still audible and is building up tension and atmosphere. 

There is then an ariel shot of a city. It is in black and white. There are some identical house that again, look very futuristic. The city looks very uniform and almost sterile. Some people can be seen walking around. The camera is moving very fast which could suggest to action later on in the film. It also gives a sense that the film is fast-paced. This shot also establishes where the film is set. 

A voice-over begins, a young, American man can be heard. He is speaking about equality. He is describing where he lives. It seems very perfect. However, at this point, the non-diegetic music in the background becomes much more dramatic which adds an eerie feeling. There is an establishing shot of some grass, a house and some children playing together. This scene has connotations of happiness, fun and perhaps family although the black and white filter somehow doesn't fit this. 
The voice-over (perhaps a main character or narrator) is talking about different rules that everyone must follow. There is a long shot of children sitting around a circular table with what seems to be a teacher instructing them. The boy in the voice-over talks about how they must wear assigned clothing. At this point, a young girl and boy can be seen sitting together. In terms of mise-en-scene, they look very happy, and their hair looks perfect. Their clothes are very tidy and clean and also very basic. 
As the voice-over speaks about these rules, they slide across the screen in a white font. This emphasizes them. 

There is a cut to a low angle shot of the treetops. The title then appears. The font for the title is very simplistic and futuristic which further helps to establish the genre.

Film opening analysis 3: Love Actually

 Written and Directed by Richard Curtis.

Released= 2003
Budget=$45 million
Run time= 135 minutes   
Rotten Tomatoes 
IMDb

Genre Conventions 
The genre of this film is a Romantic Comedy (also known as Rom-Com).
This genre typically has a target audience of 15-30 year old females. There is a basic format that makes up Rom Coms, and even in Shakespeare's plays such as 'Much Ado About Nothing' and 'Midsummer Nights Dream'.

Intertextuality
During the second scene, in a music recording studio, there is a character who is singing a song called "Love Is All Around" originally by Wet, Wet, Wet. They have changed the lyrics to 'Christmas is all around' this intertextuality re-iterates the idea that 'love is everywhere' which was an idea put forwards during the introduction. 

Opening concludes
The film opens with the idents for Universal, Studio Canal and Working Title. 
The first scene is a tracking shot of a girl running and embracing a man. This scene will be analysed later on when discussing the cinematography and mise-en-scene.  

Cinematography
In the opening scenes of this movie, there is a lot to say in terms of cinematography as many different camera angles and techniques where used.

The first scene, is a tracking shot. We follow a girl running through a crowd of people. There is a central focus on the girl and the boy that she she reaches, the crowd in front of them and the background are blurred and out of focus but they are sharp which emphasizes the fact that they and their actions are significant. 
The camera used is handheld which is used to portray the emotion of the characters shown. As the opening scene is showing love and happiness and also maybe excitement, this filming technique reflects that. 
There is a lot of zooming in/out, usually from mid shot to close up or medium close up. These close ups capture the emotion on the peoples faces such as smiles and also a lot of relief is shown as we see people meeting up in what seems to be an airport. In the recording studio scene, there is continuity editing used. This means that during a conversation between the singer and another man, there are cuts to their faces each time they speak.

A lot of the scenes are shot at eye level, which helps the audience to feel involved and almost part of the crowd.

 
Editing 
For the opening scene, the  small clips are in slow motion, again to capture the emotion felt by characters and to create a soft, gentle and loving tone to the film opening. 

Sound
There is a voice-over in the first scene, the voice over is a male who we can assume is either a character that will appear later or could be a narrator. The voice over is talking about love, which is what is being shown in the montage. There is also non-diegetic music playing. It is quiet and soft, reflecting the feeling of the introduction to the film.The
music helps the viewer define what genre the film is. 

Mise-en-scene 
During the opening of this film, the mise-en-scene help to establish important information about the rest of the film. For example, the first character we see has a rucksack on, which has connotations of travel. This helps us to establish that it's a place where people are arriving, for example a train station or an airport. The camera also zooms in on a young girl. She is wearing big round glasses and has braces. She has a bow in her hair. These things along with her big smile, emphasize her youth and further show the idea that love is everywhere.

Another instance in which the mise-en-scene is very important is in the recording studio. The singer is wearing a very colourful, flamboyant shirt and jewelry. This shows that he is very quirky and extravagant which gives us clues to his character. The fact that the other characters in this scene, the back up singers for example, are dressed very plainly in contrast to his manner of dress further emphasize this.

Film Opening Analysis 2: Les Misérables

The film opens with the idents of Universal, Camack international and Working Title Films.

The first scene that we see is a low angle shot, underwater, looking up at a French flag floating in the water. An introductory caption appears which gives the time period (1815), and gives you an idea of what the film is about. Diegetic sound of waves crashing can be heard and also a very faint, non diegetic sound drums of drums playing. These sounds build up a tense atmosphere.

As the camera moves upwards, towards the surface of the water, the flag can be seen clearer. The flag is dirty and ripped in places to show that perhaps a fight or battle has occurred. The fact that the flag is in water further contributes to this idea. 

The camera continues to move upwards and then suddenly breaks from the water. The non diegeitic drums that could be heard up until this point, now become full music. The music is loud, fast and dramatic. The filming up until now is almost in Point of view which engages the audience as it is as though they are there in the water. However, when the camera surfaces, it moves upwards above the water and travels over the body of a ship which looks very battered, adding to the concept of a battle or war. 

There is now an establishing shot of a harbour in which what seem to be men, standing in lines. As the camera zooms in further we can see that they are pulling ropes.

 The camera then moves down further so that we can see that these men are perhaps slaves or prisoners as they look very unkempt and are working hard. The have also got chains around their necks. There are a few large waves which crash over the men, representing that they are oppressed and insignificant to others. 
As the men struggle to pull the ropes, the give a collective shout or grunt, presenting the idea that they are all suffering together. This also could show that others see them as 'one' group of unimportant people rather than individuals. 

There is then a medium close up of one of the prisoners and he looks up. Following his gaze, the camera cuts to a wall of the harbour. There is a man standing on top of it. As the camera moves upwards to him we can see that he is in uniform and in charge. The way in which he is standing further shows his rank. As we come closer to his face, we can see that he is looking very sternly down at the prisoners, and though they are suffering a great deal, he shows an immense lack of compassion.

The camera then cuts back down to the prisoners. The same man who looked up at the guard now begins to sing. The song's lyrics go "look down" which is urging them to keep working and not look at the guards. In a way the song is hopeful as there are lyrics such as "when I am free" which shows that they are trying to keep hoping for the future. 

Allthough the song is telling him not to, the prisoner who can be established as the main prisoner looks up at the same prison guard. This is almost an act of defiance, and perhaps we can gauge that he is a rebellious character. 

There is another medium shot of the workers which again reinforce that they are suffering a lot and exemplifies the harsh conditions in which they have to work. 

There then follows some close ups of the workers, they have long beards, cuts on their face and ripped clothes. This again adds to the idea that they are suffering a lot. Their appearance and also they work they are having to do may cause sympathy towards the workers and therefore the workers become almost likeable, whereas the prison guards, who shows their lack of compassion are seen as unlikeable. 


There is an over the shoulder shot of the same guard who appeared earlier, and past him, the prisoners can be seen. This emphasizes his power and importance.

Then the work seems to be over and the prisoners are walking away from the ship. The choral plodding noise of their feet almost matches the beat of the music still playing and shows their uniformal suffering and unhappiness. The men also trod on the same French flag which was seen previously. This could be representation of their hatred towards the French law, as they were imprisoned by it.

 

Film Opening Analysis 1: Pride & Prejudice

The Film begins with the Universal and Working title idents. This establishes the institution involved producing the film. 

Whilst the screen is still black, birdsong can be heard. This sound is non-diegetic as you cannot see the scene which the birds are in or the birds themselves. However, this sound becomes diegetic as a scene appears. This birdsong creates a very peaceful atmosphere and it is evident that the film will be calm and it could even hint to the fact that there could  be romance later on as birds are sometimes associated with love. The scene is a time lapse  of the sun rising in the countryside at dawn and is an establishing shot. This tranquility is further echoed by the font used as it is simplistic and fades out slowly. 

The music in this scene is non-diegetic and it is classical music. This adds to the peaceful atmosphere. The music is a piano piece and is very soft/gentle. 

The title of the film, 'Pride and Prejudice' now appears. At this moment the sun also reaches its brightest point, perhaps to bring attention to the title. 

The first character is introduced at this moment. There is a medium close up of her reading a book and walking. The shot is slightly low angle which shows that she is transfixed by the book. As she is introduced first, this could establish that she is a main character.

The next scene is an over the shoulder shot of the same character. At the bottom of the page you can see it says 'The End' which hints to the fact that she is an avid reader, especially as when she shuts the book she runs her hand over it tenderly. Through her dress, it could be assumed that this film is set in the past rather than the present day. She is represented as quite a calm and peaceful character, through the fact that she is going for a walk so early in the morning, and is reading a book. 

The next scene is an establishing shot of the same character reaching a farmyard. This scene further adds to the peace and calmness of the previous scenes as the gentle music is still playing and diegetic animal sounds can be heard. 

We then see the character walk through many lines of washing. This is a tracking shot. From this washing, we can ascertain that the house, which can also be seen, is a large one, perhaps with a large family living in it. This washing also gives us an idea of the season, probably summer, as they would not have done or hung up the washing if it was cold.
In the background, we can see two women who appear to be feeding some chickens. Through this we also can establish that this film is set in the past, through their clothes- long dresses, aprons, bonnets. The lack of farming machines also hints to the time period. 

The character that we have been following then walks past an open door and we can see into the house. The character continues walking but the camera takes us into the house.
The house makes certain of the time the film was set through the painted portraits hanging on the wall.
We see two young girls rush down the stairs, giggling. There is then a seemingly older girl who says their names. This scene establishing three more characters. As the camera pans around the room we see that the family are fairly wealthy. There is another character sitting at a piano. The music that has been playing in the background for the entirety of the opening, merges with the scales that the girl is playing at the piano. 

There is a table in the room which the camera pans round to and on it we can see a jumble of ribbons and a bonnet. This hints that maybe an important event is going to occur, and this is evidence of the process of getting ready for it. 

There is then a cut back to the main character who is walking up the front steps of the house. There is a window and through an over the shoulder shot you can see and hear an older man and woman chatting. The main character pauses and watches them for a moment, chuckles and moves on into the house. When these two characters speak, it is the first proper dialogue of the film which alerts us that what they are saying must be of importance. The fact that the main character is listening to them talking shows that she is part of the household and also that she feels fondly towards them. 


 

Key Concepts in Media

Key Concepts

Media Language (The way in which a text is constructed to create meaning for a reader or viewer of the text).

The text acts as a connection between the institution that has made the text and the audience who will receive it.There are three basic way  of looking at this.

- An active institutional view is that meaning is passed from the institution to the audience. The institution are seen as active and the audience as passive. 

- A negotiated view is that meaning is constructed by the text. The institution gives a meaning to the text and the reader/viewer interprets this in relation to other factors, for example knowledge of previous texts.

- An Active Audience view means that meaning is re-created by the audience. Because of this the institution becomes passive.    

A man called Jacques Derrida looked at the relationship between institution and audience in another way. He states that an audience deconstructs a media text within the context of its logos (The wider context which surrounds the texts and influences the meaning of the text). According to his theory, there is not one simple meaning to a text but rather, a range of different meanings and interpretations.   

Representation (relating to the representation of reality in the media).

In the majority of situations our only knowledge of people or situations will come from the media, so these representations are very important and must be accurate.

-When reading media texts it's very difficult to to know how we receive them and to make conscious decisions about why we accept or challenge them. As a reader or viewer of these texts we must make independent decisions on whether or not they are accurate/reliable.

- Newspapers are often accused of beginning moral panics through the way they represent people or groups.

We can categorize people into social groups which consist of factors such as:

-age

-disability

-gender

-socio-economic grouping 

-race

-nationality

-sexuality

-Stereotyping is another important factor to be considered when analysing a media text. Stereotypes are characters who are 'types' rather than actual, complex people who will usually not be developed in any depth. Stereotypes are usually negative representations and most have a lot of assumptions about their character. Stereotypes also mostly represent an entire social group in a single character. 


Audience (The viewers/readers of the media text).

The success of a media text is directly judged in terms of audience size, so media producers have a good reason for wanting to attract large audiences. 

There are two different types of audience, mass audience and niche audience.

-Mass audiences are large audiences such as the audience for Eastenders or a Premiership football match.
-Niche audiences are much smaller but the majority of the time, they are very influential. These audience are usually very dedicated and loyal and therefore are very attractive to advertisers. 

One of the most common ways of identifying a target audience is the socio-economic model. Although this model has been in use for a long time, it is still very useful in identifying a target audience and thus deconstructing a text. The basis for this system is money.

Audiences can also be categorized into other ways as well as the socio-economic model:
- Age
- Gender
- Demographic (i.e. where they live)
- Profiling

- Values, attitudes and lifestyles. 


Ideology (Ideology underpins the construction of any media text)

A media text will always have an ideology which is communicated explicitly or implicitly to an audience. The media can construct our views of our society and our attitudes towards society.

Any media institution will have specific ideologies which affect the construction of its texts. The may be explicit ideologies (e.g. a newspaper may have a particular political affiliation) or implicit ideologies (such as the visual representations of a heroine in a typical Hollywood film).

When analysing a media text you must take into account the text in relation to the ideologies underpinning the text. 


Institution (Who made the media text, is there an institution involved in the process?)

By being aware of how institutional perspectives affect the shaping of a text in this way, you can become better aware of the text itself and the relationship to the target audience. The shape of a media institution and the texts it creates is usually formed by a compromise between four crucial influences:
- Money (or the lack of it)
- ownership (and the amount of control this involves)
- artistic or social motivations (wanting to produce certain texts)
- target audience (needing to attract a particular audience or being dependent on keeping a certain audience)

Commercial institutions have to make money to survive-newspapers have to sell advertising space and sell copies, for example. So, they cannot afford to to produce texts which will attract small, especially niche audiences, as the advertisers will want access to large and stable audiences. 

The BBC is a Public Service Broadcaster which is required to provide a public service when broadcasting and not be driven by commercial influences. So, the BBC must provide a range of programmes for different social groups, including minority and niche audiences. 

Independent institutions are often the hardest to categorize. However, in general, they are basically commercial since they need to sell sufficient copies for example, of a magazine. 


Narrative (Basically meaning 'story', all media texts have a narrative, which can be explicit, such as in a film or implicit such as in an advert). 

Hollywood screenwriters are taught that the action must happen in three 'acts' and that there should be a crisis point at the end of Act 1 and Act2 and a happy resolution at the end of the film. Many narratives do not conform to this structure but it is the 'classic' structure and has been used for many years. 
Questions to ask about the narrative structure when studying a media text:

- has the institution created a text with a conventional narrative structure?
-If not, which conventions have they subverted or broken?
- why have they done this?
- What impact did this have on the audience. 

Time is used in different ways in a moving image text. For example, Discourse time and story time. 
Discourse time is the time that it takes to narrate the events. Story time refers to the real time of the events.


Genre (Type)

All texts operate within genre, although many texts are hybrids of more than one genre. 
Associated with genre are the codes and conventions. This means the textual codes which give meaning to an audience and the conventions of the genre. 

These codes and conventions are important for the genre because there is a genre framework for a text and it is more likely to attract audiences.