We have been looking at film openings created by previous students to help us see what sort of thing we should produce. I have evaluated a few strengths and weaknesses of each opening to see what sort of mistakes have been made in the past as well as thinking about what things worked well to help us to create a better film opening.
Student Film 1
This film opening shows good use of the production logos and the titles match the genre of the film. The music used in the opening also fits with the genre of Horror as it has quite a scary and mysterious feel to it. The use of the static sound effect is a little distracting and makes it seem more like a film trailer than an opening as it seems like seperate pieces of the storyline have been put together as opposed to a flowing opening. The use of the flashback makes it more of a trailer as it doesn't particularly fit with the rest of the narrative. Flashbacks and transitions are more commonly used in trailers rather than openings and I think this is what makes this seem more of a trailer. I also think that the use of the blur transition makes it clear that the clip is an opening however the narrative is closed and it seems to be more of a short film than an opening as it is very unlikely that this much would happen in the opening sequence making it difficult to imagine where the narrative would go next. The camerawork is also quite shaky and off-putting and the flashback of the two characters hugging doesn't seem to fit with the narrative.
The use of mise-en-scene in this opening does have a specific relation to genre however. The images of blood and fire are very specifically linked to the horror genre and immediately give the audience the impression that the genre is horror. The use of the outdoor setting is also quite eerie, especially with the music and tone of the opening. I think that to make the setting seem even more of a horror setting they could maybe have looked at editing the lighting to give more of a scary effect. I think that to make it a more successful opening the narrative should be simplified and open so that it would seem as there there is something more going to happen.
Student Film 2
This film opening of Shadowing makes the Horror genre very clear. The camerawork on this piece is very steady and the range of camera angles are appropriately used for the genre. I also think that the titles are very good and fitting specifically with the film titles itself 'Shadowing' as the transition used to show this matches the word itself. Although I think that the beginning seems like a film opening i think that it then changes to become more of a trailer with the montage at the end.
The use of the photo's at the start of the opening are a little confusing as one of the people does not appear at any other point in the opening sequence. I think that the use of the static sound effect between transitions of the shots make this opening seem very much like a trailer. I really like the use of the voiceover as it gives an element for foreshadowing what is to come if the film were to continue. I think that if there was not a montage and no screaming at the end then it would seem a lot more like an opening and would have more of a direction to follow if the film were to continue. The use of setting and lighting however is very clever as it has specific relation to the horror genre being dark and isolated.The use of the voice over fits also with the genre however it adds to the element of trailer and the sound use at the end is more that of a trailer, revealing different parts of what could be to come in the film as opposed to leaving the events to happen if it were to continue as a regular film.
There is a section after the photos appear where the screen is just a plain black and a lot of titles are flashing up which I think takes away from the reset of the narrative and seems quite rushed. I think that the titles needed to be a lot slower to stick with the eerie and uncomfortable feel which has the element of building up tension for something to happen.
Student Film 3
The opening of this student film I think is the most like an opening rather than a trailer. This is because the narrative is entirely linear and open, leaving the audience to guess what will happen next. The use of the red title reflects the genre and the camerawork is very good however there are some continuity errors in the film itself. For example, we see the girl in the car smile and the arm on the floor moves which distracts the audience and the film becomes less believable. I also think that the font the titles are in does not go with the genre and they also change too quickly which I find distracting and the production logo at the start 'One Bad Apple' seems too bright and colourful for the type of film that this opening represents.
I really like the use of the music in this opening as it is very mysterious and leads you to think that something really terrible has happened. I think that the little use of dialogue is also very clever and I find it quite intruguing making me want to watch the rest of the film. I also like the simplicity of this opening as not a lot happens which is mcuh more typical for this genre of film. The simple transitions and titling make it more believable and it is more like a real film opening. I do think that perhaps there could be more relevance in the use of mise-en scene perhaps with thinks like the setting and the lighting as it does not give a hude indication to the genre however I think that this is the most like a real film opening.
By looking at past student films, I have been able to see what sorts of things work and what doesn't which means that I will be able to consider these things when I start to plan and make my film. It has also helped me to see what has been done before and what I can do to make a more original film opening.
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