Deconstructing a Film Opening

DECONSTRUCTING HANNA (shot by shot)

Shot:

1. Misty, grey, snowy, empty landscape. Panning.
2. Fade into second shot of snowy landscape, icy water with trees on horizon. Vignette edged, blurred.
3. Cut to medium wide shot of running water, snow. Swan is seen. Diegetic sounds of water running, no music/soundtrack.
4. Birds-eye view of an icy lake.
5. Shot of a baby arctic fox.
6. Cut to woody area. Panning across. Figure is seen in heavy furs holding a bow and arrow, poised. Camera pans across in front of tree - the figure has then vanished.
7. Panning across another place within woody area. Moose is seen walking.
8. Panning across opposite side again, figure is stood behind two thin trees.
9. Pans across on moose.
10. Close up panning on Hanna’s hiding place and her striking blue eye between the trunks.
11. Quick cut to her pull back her bow and arrow
12. Close up of the arrow firing. Can hear the arrow fly through the air.
13. Fleeting glimpse of moose’s eyes.
14. Close up of arrow impaling the moose’s body.
15. Quick, dramatic cut to moose’s startled eyes. It howls in pain.
16. Quick cut to moose running. Can hear its feet in the snow.
17. Cut to Hanna chasing after. Can hear her heavy breathing and feet in the snow.
18. Cut back to moose.
19. Shaky POV shot (of moose) - blurred trees. Vignette around edge.
20. Cut back to Hanna.
21. Wide shot of moose running into flat, snowy expanse of landscape.
22. Cut back to Hanna continuing to pursue it.
23. Medium close up shows the moose now walking.
24. Wide shot of moose struggling to continue. Noises of pain are heard.
25. Cut back to Hanna, still running.
26. Close up of moose’s head collapsing - is apparent its body has already fallen to the ground. Exhale of breathe is heard.
27. Extreme close up of rolled, bloodshot eye. Hanna can be seen in the reflection of the eyeball. Moose’s struggling breaths are heard.
28. Cut to close up of Hanna removing the arrow from the body. Another noise of pain.
29. Camera from below shows Hanna standing up above the moose, blocking out the sun. She looks down on us.
30. Medium close up. She pulls down the fabric covering her mouth. ‘I just missed your heart’, she says. Noises of pain can still be heard. She reveals a gun from below the shot. Points it straight at the camera - gun comes into focus. She shoots it - the shot is heard.
31. Cuts to ‘HANNA’ - white writing on bright red background.

What can we establish from a two-minute opening? 

• We are able to be introduced to the main characters - we are given an idea of their current situation and their motives. 
• The audience is able to start guessing and anticipating what is going to happen throughout the film from the information we are given; their may be foreshadowing, symbolism, flashbacks or a set up to give the audience ideas.
• A backstory may even be introduced - this gives further context and richness to the opening; drawing the audience in.
• A question/questions are posed to the audience to keep them guessing and building tension.
• We are clearly shown the style and tone of the film through the use of sound (absence/presence of soundtrack and the tone of this music), the chosen colour palette, the location and the speed of editing (fast paced/slow paced). 

Vertigo - Film Opening Analysis

• Sound bridge - suspenseful, dramatic deep string music is heard before we see the image. This already sets up the theme of a chase.
• A bar then comes into shot and a pair of hands grip it - suggesting a struggle, a getaway. Already building tension.
• Zooms out to man climbing rungs of ladder onto a roof, running - confirms chase scene. The roof connotes danger due to the heights involved.
• A policeman follows, telling the audience there has been a run-in with the law.
• A detective, our protagonist, follows. The clothes these men are wearing instantly informs the audience of who they are; we know what the relationships are between them without having to be told.
• Long shot of the rooftops and the night sky, showing the three figures running after another. The night setting adds to the presence of danger and threat; shadows, darkness etc.
• Gun shots are heard, building more tension and evoking fear.
• Wide shot of a slanted roof on the LHS with the criminal and the policeman jumping onto it, into the frame from the RHS - they struggle a little to climb up it. This grips the audience to the edge of their seats, evoking excitement and anxiety as the threat of death is tangible.
• The protagonist, Ferguson, struggles even more so. The camera cuts to a close shot of him falling down the roof and gripping onto the drainpipe. This heightens the emotions already felt by the audience, evoking stronger feelings of terror.
• Ferguson looks down and sees the street below him - POV shot - the famous ‘vertigo effect’ shot is used, by using a dolly zoom. Heightens tension and threat.
• Close up of his facial expression shows horror, fear and perhaps even defeat.
• The policeman comes back for him, tries to help him up - we begin to have hope that it will turn out ok. We are wrong; the policeman falls to his death - this evokes surprise and shock, and confirms that it is possible for the same to happen to Ferguson.
• Eyeline match from Ferguson to the ground shows him splayed on the pavement, again re-emphasising the height from which he may fall, and how he will end up if he does.
• Another close up of his face; terror, alarm, fright.
• Hitchcock uses the slow build of suspense and tension to evoke fear instead of fast paced action, as he did not have a lot of technology available to him. We can already see this in this opening, as half of the scene revolves around Ferguson gripping the drainpipe and the drop to the ground.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

We Need To Talk About Kevin - Film Opening Analysis

• Opening shot is a fade into a dark room with chiffon white curtains blowing in a breeze from outside. This is foreshadowing as it appears later, with significance, in the film. The white of the curtains suggests innocence but this is ironic as we know that the film is revolved around Kevin who is the opposite of this.
• Slow zoom in. Non-diegetic sound of some sort of timer ticking, sounding as if it’s about to go off- symbolises time running out/tension being built until breaking point.
• Non-diegetic sound of people shouting out, but sounds far away. This suggests that it is a memory from the distant past. The ticking speeds up and becomes faster and faster, building to a climax.
• The light from outside the curtains blooms and the scene dissolves into an overhead shot of a packed crowd. The shouting and cheering of people becomes louder.
• The camera zooms into the crowd from above. As it gets closer, we can see that people are covered in tomatoes - the first semiotic, using the colour red, is displayed.
• The red connotes blood which foreshadows Kevin’s shooting.
• The liquified tomatoes are thrown everywhere - blood bath.
• Khatchadourian, our protagonist, is lifted above the crowds, above the fray - she appears happy and euphoric. The audience feels sympathy and nostalgia for her as we know these emotions are a thing of the past.
• The slow motion emphasises the serenity that she feels. She is lifted to form a cross, much like Jesus looked when he was crucified - perhaps representing sacrifice, martyrdom.
• She is then slowly dropped to the ground, into the sea of red tomatoes, people covering her in the substance. Close up on the intense red which looks disconcertingly similar to blood. This makes the audience feel uneasy and builds suspense, and the semiotics are building themes and foreshadowing of gore and death.
• Cuts back to the present - camera out of focus. Suggesting the tired, hazy vision from which Khatchadourian views her desolate world. Again, red is the most prominent colour.
• Camera comes into focus and pans, close up, across objects; red apple, red candle, ketchup. Warm light falls through the red stained windows, casting everything in a red glow.
• Pans up to show Khatchadourian asleep on the sofa - sad, skeletal. Wakes with regret - we instantly realise that she is depressed. The audience asks questions; why is she alone? Why does she feel this way?
• An eyeline match to a blurred shot of the window (again, the out-of-focus conveys her clouded vision of the world which now seems so distant to her.)
• Stands with difficulty - close up of her pained face - this builds intimacy and forms a sympathetic relationship with the protagonist.
• Knocks foot against table leg, pills fall to the floor - more connotations to depression. This draws the audience in further - how did she get into such a bad state?
• Attempts to open door, door handle breaks - symbolises her life which seems to be falling apart, her lack of care and upkeep of both her mental state and appearances.
• Bright, sunny light of street contrasts with the inside of the house which seems almost womb-like; provoking themes of maternity and comfort.
• Khatchadourian looks at her tiny white house which has been covered in bright red paint - again symbolising and foreshadowing blood. There is a clear visual link to the tomatoes which the audience instantly refers back to.
• She slowly returns inside, as if in defeat.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The Rum Diary - Film Opening Analysis

• First shot - extreme close up of bloodshot eye. Intense, intimate and slightly grotesque. Foreshadows trouble and drama. Audience is already asking questions - how did his eye end up like this? Already hooked from the first second. Diegetic sound of an old plane is heard.
• The next shot shows a man (who we later find out to be Kemp) lying in bed in a dark hotel room - we can see it’s day outside from light behind curtains. Suggests he’s overslept for some reason - did something significant happen the night before?
• Shows mess on the floor and Kemp struggling to walk - hungover, hurt? Building fascination and intriguing the audience.
• Curtains are drawn back and we are hit with blue sky - shot reverse shot to Kemp’s face, shocked from the light and the location he finds himself in. His face looks mildly injured.
• The trail from the plane reads ‘welcome to Puerto Rico’. This tells us the location he’s in - his facial expressions show disgust and even fear. His messy, unwashed hair suggest that he has not had much sleep. The foreign setting adds to the scale of the situation - this builds on the questions being asked - how did he end up here?
• There is no soundtrack in this opening, which adds to the intimacy and gives the scene a sense of naturality.
• Scene cuts to the bathroom - further stumbling and confusion. Warm, dim, yellow light contrasts with the bright blue from outside. We hear a knock at the door.
• Close up of Kemp’s face as he opens the door a crack, still looking disgruntled and fearful. This builds tension and anxiety for the audience as we feel as if something bad is going to happen. A butler is at the door with breakfast; a few words are exchanged.
• Kemp swallows a load of pills to - we assume - cure his hangover; this builds on his character, establishing that he gets himself into troublesome situations.
• He tells the butler to ‘get out’ - shows that he’s hostile either because he’s fed up or is fearful of something/someone - building tension.
• Kemp’s head movement motivates the eyeline match shot to the fridge that lies on the floor - it has been ripped from it’s foundations - he tries to make an excuse. This conveys that Kemp is perhaps unreliable and untrustworthy as well as a troublemaker.
• He says ‘I tend to avoid alcohol… when I can.’ This reveals that he must be hungover. The end shot is a close up, which establishes that he is the protagonist of the film.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Hanna - Film Opening Analysis

• Begins with wide shot, panning. Bleak, cold, snowy landscape. Diegetic sound of running water and the wind.
• Another wide, landscape shot, this time with the edges blurred. Connontes confusion, even fear or threat. We can now see trees on the horizon and icy water.
• The absence of a soundtrack emphasises how still, empty and rural this place is. Connotes isolation and perhaps loneliness.
• We see animals before a human is even introduced - bringing us back to nature and the importance of the natural world rather than modern human life.
• The next shot pans across a crowd of trees and we see a person hidden within many heavy furs, holding a hunting rifle. The camera pans across a tree trunk, and they have then disappeared. This shows that they are experienced in what they do and are used to this environment -  it draws the audience in with anticipation - where have they gone?
• There are more panning shots, this person (who we later find out is Hanna), is hiding camouflaged amongst the snow and trees. There are eyeline match shots of her watching the animals - tension builds as we know she is going to kill one.
• Close up of her blue eye - this is the first detail we see of her, building intimacy. We now know that she is a child; this is unusual for a protagonist. This draws the audience in as this is contradicting the normal conventions of a thriller.
• In the next second, she has drawn back her arrow - it flies through the air and spears a deer. The quick, elegant movements conveys that she is skilled and therefore dangerous, building excitement but also fear.
• The animal runs with Hanna in pursuit - tracking shots - making the audience feel involved. The sounds of snow crunching and Hanna’s breathing can be heard. The use of purely diegetic sound gives the sense of the pastoral and reality rather than the superficial. This makes the film more gripping as we can easily imagine this happening in real life.
• A handheld POV shot of the trees and sky is seen, giving the audience Hanna’s perspective.
• Close up of the deer’s bloodshot eye after it falls to the ground. Close up as Hanna removes the arrow - the mild gore foreshadows violence and further death.
• The camera is below, from the position of the deer - Hanna stands above, blocking out the sun, looking down - shows her position of dominance and power.
• Close up of Hanna’s face - we now realise that she is a young girl, which will provoke surprise and even shock from the audience. The first narrative is heard; ‘I just missed your heart’.
• She then lifts a gun, points it straight at the camera and shoots without hesitation. This shows that she is so used to killing that she has become immune to the process of it. This leaves the audience wondering - how did she begin doing this? How is she so dextrous?
• The confidence with the gun brings in themes of assassination and murder, gripping the audience as they are now fearful of the protagonist, and almost disturbed that she is a young girl - but this makes them want to watch further even more.

Girl, Interrupted - Film Opening Analysis

• The scene opens to a barred window, conveying imprisonment. The view is a grey, dreary, overcast sky - connotes depression and misery.
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  The camera pans down to reveal a profile close-up of Kaysen, the protagonist. The intimate shot is very personal and creates an emotional bond between the character and the audience. The weather shows dramatic irony to her emotions (she is feeling down).
• The camera holds still for a moment before Kaysen looks towards Rowe, motivating the eyeline match shot which reveals her to the audience.
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  The non-diegetic music score reflects the gloomy, melancholy mood - the soundtrack is gentle with a downbeat melody.
• The camera movement is slow, allowing the audience to discover the emotion of the scene.
• The shots are very dark and the only light is from the open window - this low light again connotes depression and the despair and hopelessness for which the characters feel.
• A POV shot of Rowe from Kaysen is seen. This establishes that the story will be told from Kaysen’s POV.
• All the shots of Kaysen are close ups of her face, allowing a profound bond to be made between the her and the audience from the very beginning. This therefore means we are invested in the character, and draws us closer to the emotions she feels; this scene sets up the journey that the audience will travel on with her throughout the film.
• The fact that we are invested in her emotions therefore builds the sense of anxiety and anticipation.
• A cat appears at the window which will later become significant. Here, it is used to re-emphasize the mood of the scene.
• The direction of Kaysen’s looks continue to motivate the cuts which conveys her dominance in the film and continues to tell the audience that the film is from her POV.
• Non-diegetic narration from Kaysen is heard, confirming that it is her story.
• Diegetic sound of a broken lightbulb and syringes is heard along with the image. This makes the audience wonder why and how they got there, building anticipation.
• This cuts to a long shot of a dark corridor with a gate at the end - guards come to unlock it. The camera cuts back to Kaysen who is watching this happen.
• She continues to narrate in the background - she asks the audience rhetorical questions and talks ambiguously about herself. This grips the audience by making them feel involved, but also begins to build tension as they want to find out more about this mysterious character, and how she ended up in the place in which she is in.
• Diegetic sound of police sirens is heard. Kaysen looks into the camera and the police grab her shoulders, pushing her backwards. The scene cuts to black. This leaves the audience with a cliffhanger, desperate and fascinated to find out more.

Inception - Film Opening Analysis

• A dramatic score of music featuring a lot of deep strings and brass is played before Cobb, the protagonist, is shown on screen. This helps to build tension and the audience’s anticipation.
• This music stops as the screen cuts to the diegetic sound and image of waves crashing against rocks. This helps to set the scene and presents to the audience that the film is set in the present day. The water also splashes onto the camera lens, making the audience feel as if they are a part of the film. 
• We are then shown Cobb, who appears to have been washed up on shore. There is the sound of children playing in the background, and an eyeline match is shown from Cobb to them. The fact that he is at a distance from them and that the are turned away from him suggests that he has lost some sort of connection with them.
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  Arm/military men find him and nudge him with a rifle - it appears that Cobb, too, has a gun on him. This sets up themes of action and violence but also ideas of danger and threat that will occur throughout the film.
• A wide shot is shown of the beach and a grand house - shows the audience that is where Cobb is being taken.
• The interior of the ‘base’ is a very traditional looking Chinese building, which goes against the general urban locations of a thriller. This foreign setting suggests that the film will deal with large, powerful groups of enemies that the protagonist will have to fight and take down.
• The warm, dim, yellow light in the dark, low room contrasts with the infinite blue of the sky in the previous shot. This gives the audience a sense of confinement which connotes entrapment and threat.
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  The wide, centre shot adds to the scale of importance of the scene and heightens the tension being built.
• All diegetic sound can be heard (footsteps, a box being set down on the table) - this accentuates the sense of fear and suspense as every noise can be heard; nothing can be hidden.
• The music score is deep and dramatic, again conveying the scale and depth of the situation.
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  No faces are shown as of yet, only the back of the head and hands. This builds suspense and keeps the audience guessing who the characters are. Chiaroscuro is used in this setting to add mystery and ambiguity.
• The Chinese man then speaks to Cobb, who appears to be very weak. Immediately the audience will be asking questions - who is Cobb? Who is the Chinese man? Why is Cobb in this place?
• The spinner is shown which, a little later in the film, becomes an extremely significant motif. The Chinese man appears to know what is is - the audience is instantly intrigued by this and will want to know what the spinner does and what it represents.  

Practical Task Reflection

THE PACKAGE

Claudia, Emma and I began by discussing ideas and writing a brief list of shots, locations and a very loose storyline. We also drew very rough drawings of the first few shots of our scene. This proved to be very useful as it meant we knew where and what we had to film, but not necessarily what order yet.

On the first day of filming we had a issues with the camera, with Claudia not actually recording our film due to misleading instructions on the camera. We figured out that the camera was in fact a lot easier to use than we assumed, and we did not have this problem again.

On the second day we tried to use sound but with only a DAR and not a boom mic. The sound that we were trying to capture (footsteps) was too difficult to capture as we were outside and it was too windy. We then decided that we would record an inside scene with audio instead, in order to get a clear sound.

By the third day we had managed to film a range of different shots (close ups, wide shots, tracking shots, pans) in various locations (both inside and out). Once we had got the tripod set up, the filming was much quicker and went a lot smoother than I had anticipated, especially compared to the first day.

On the fourth and final day of filming we simply filmed all the shots that we had not yet recorded, which took almost no time at all as by this time we were confident in what we were doing.

After filming The Package, I have learnt that keeping the SD card safe is obviously very important, as well as using the same camera as different models have different settings etc. I have also discovered that is is very useful to get into the routine of counting down from three after pressing record, and doing so again after your desired shot has been filmed. This makes it a lot easier for editing footage as it gives leeway on either side of the shot.

I know that I will also have to experiment further with the sound equipment as we did not use audio that much in this piece of film.

Conventions of a Thriller

THRILLER.

A thriller is a film with an exciting plot, usually involving crime and espionage. They often have villain-driven plots, whereby presenting obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. They have a number of subgenres, including political, supernatural, crime and psychological thrillers. This genre of film is defined by the moods they provoke, heightening the viewers feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Thrillers build up tension towards a climax, while also using red herrings, plot twists and cliff-hangers to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Another important literary element is the cover up of essential information from the viewer, as to keep them guessing and anticipated.


Suspense is a key characteristic which keeps the audience hooked until the climax - it gives the viewer a combination of fascination, apprehension and tension, which develop from mysterious events in the plot which may lead the viewer guessing at the outcome and left with the feeling of impending doom. In terms of narrative, suspense is contrasted with surprise. It is also linked with hope; the audience have faith that the ending will turn out to be good, but there is an element of anxiety and fear as we are unsure of whether 'things will go right.'


In thrillers, there are certain characters which are generally involved, including criminals, assassins, victims, psychotic individuals, agents, police, conmen and many more. Themes may involve political conspiracy, terrorism, pursuit, revenge and murder, tied in with a plots which include ransoms, heists and kidnappings. This usually leads to an investigation and, especially in crime thrillers, a 'whodunit' technique is used. The protagonist is set against one of these problems and emphasises the danger that they must face. This character is usually an ordinary citizen, either unaccustomed to danger or 'hard men', e.g. detectives. Their problem generally revolves around menace, violence and mind games. Life may be threatened, and there is a sense of being trapped in a situation with seemingly no way out. Thrillers usually take place in ordinary suburbs and cities, but can sometimes be set in more exotic places such as foreign cities or polar regions.


Subgenres


Action - usually running against a clock with frequent violence.


Comedy - a combination of humour with suspense and/or action.


Conspiracy - where the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies.


Crime - suspenseful account of a crime, usually focusing on the criminal rather than the police.


Erotic - where a sexual relationship plays an important role in the plot.


Horror - focuses on suspense and adrenaline, emphasising on fear, terror and often gore.


Legal - a suspense film in which major characters are lawyers. The justice system is usually involved.


Political - where the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government.


Psychological - in which the majority of the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional rather than physical.


Spy - the protagonist is usually a government agent who must take violent action against other agents.


Supernatural - brings in an other world element (e.g. fantasy and psychic ability).


Techno - manipulation of advanced technology is used, with a bit of science fiction and action.