Overview of Opening Sequences

i) What forms can opening sequences take? Can you list the conventional features of opening sequences?

Opening sequences can take very different forms to show clearly a start to the story and the message that the director wants to convey. Each opening sequence is unique and each take a different approach with how they reveal the story and introduce events. However, all opening sequences share conventional features that make them opening sequence and give off an individual effect.

• Setting- this is a very important feature of an opening sequence as it immediately shows the surroundings and reveals part of the story as it allows us to see what the story entails just from what is around and the background we can see. Also, the set and important parts such as lighting tells us the time the film is based and the personalities of the character as the destination can give an insight into the life of the character. For example at the beginning of Legally Blond, we can see it is set on campus and we get to see the main characters room and her beauty products laid out giving us an impression that she takes pride in her appearance and is vain.
• Characters- we get to see characters within opening sequences, particularly main characters and we can see their appearance and most importantly the role they will have within the film. It is our first glance at the main character and the build up into introducing them. However, in some cases we get a first impression of the character and this impression changes further on. For example, again in Legally Blond, we get ECU's of the characters blond hair being combed and her pink clothing and we get this impression of a bimbo however, this changes once we go on a journey with the character.
• Plot- the opening sequence introduces the overall plot and is the start to the narrative making it extremely important. It gives us an initial insight into what might happen however it does not give away too much as there are twists which surprise or shock the audience. There are also hints within the opening that link into future events and an example of this is at the beginning of Se7en when we can pick up that Morgan Freeman's character has seven days to solve the case as it is revealed that he will retire in seven days.
• Music- music is another convention as it reflects the overall mood and builds up atmosphere to the start of the film. With the film Se7en, there is tension music and it is quite slow and gives a feeling of mystery directly linking to the film.

Generally, the opening sequence is used to build up the film and is the start of the film so it gives an immediate impression and makes the audience want to carry on watching.

ii) What narrative functions of opening sequences can you identify?

• The narrative is never fully revealed as it is only the start of the film however, there may be hints and certain things that can be picked up on to link in with future events.
• Background information of the story is revealed and this adds to the narrative as we start to build up knowledge of things such as the setting and the actual time it is set.
• Important information about the characters in particular the main character is shown and this gives us an idea of their individual role and makes us as an audience to make predictions on where this character will end up. We also get to see the power the characters have and in some cases can see the protagonist and antagonist.
• The shot types are also counted as a narrative function as it reveals different sides for example CU's show facial expressions and can help us see their personality.
• Lighting is also a key technique in revealing narrative as it can be used in different ways to show different concepts e.g low lighting and shadows for a dark and mysterious narrative.

iii) What do audiences gain from watching the opening sequence?

From watching an opening sequence, the audience can gain excitement as it is a build up to the film they are watching and they can gain an initial idea into future events. It also helps them to gain knowledge as they get to see the characters, setting and the start of the story which provides audience satisfaction as they can see what the film is going to be about. The opening sequence may make the audience decide whether they think they will like the film and whether they will carry on watching.

iv) What do film-makers gain from including an opening sequence?

The opening sequence in the film makes it easier for the film-maker as it allows them to get across the initial message they want to achieve and allows them to build up suspense and to introduce the film that they have worked hard to produce. It is also a opportunity to provide hints and to link it in with future scenes and the overall conclusion of the film. They also gain the chance to captivate the audience and to keep their eyes peeled to the screen and want to keep watching to find out what happens. They can also gain public opinion as many people judge a film by the way it starts and will only want to keep watching if it is exciting and satisfies what they want in a film. When a film is released, it is judged by critics so if the film-maker can produce an effective opening sequence, they will gain knowledge that it appeals to the audience.

Applying the theory of Levi-Strauss to the openings of "Pale Rider" and "Die Hard 1"

Levi-Strauss created a structuring device for elements in stories which go together in pairs. He organised each story into binary opposites which reveal the structure of media texts. Levi-Strauss looked deeply into the arrangement of themes for example innocence and guilt as they are contrasting themes to have within a sequence. This theory seems to work with almost every action/adventure film.

"Pale Rider" (directed by Clint Eastwood)

Good vs Bad

Cowboys vs Villagers

Innocent vs Evil

Quiet vs Loud

Action vs Tension

Slow vs Fast

Brown Horse vs White Horse

Darkness vs Light

Calmness vs Violence

Peace vs Destruction

Death vs Survival

Normality vs Mourning

Town vs Country

"Die Hard 1" (Directed by John McTrernan)

Good vs Evil

Hero (cop) vs Villain

Future vs Past

Chatty atmosphere vs Reservation and silence of victims

Home vs Away

Marriage vs Career

Upbeat Music (Party) vs Tension music (with villains)

Smartly Dressed (businessmen/women) vs Undressed (main character-personal)

Closeness vs Distance

Single life vs Married life

Work vs Family

Happy vs Sad

Maiden Name vs Husbands Surname

Loud vs Quiet

Analysis using Propp Theory

Vladimir Propp Theory

Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic who created a theory based on the structure of stories. With this theory of narrative, he examined 100's of folk tales to look for similarities. His book was published in 1928 and it contained an analysis of elements in these stories that had connections. He came up with 8 different character roles in these stories and these were:

• The Villain(s)- The person who will go all out to defeat the hero.
• The Hero- The person(s) that progress and go on a journey.
• The donor- prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
• The helper- helps the hero with the quest and journey that they are going on.
• The princess/princess- the person the hero may end up with and the reward for the hero and the person who the villain schemes against.
• Her father- rewards the hero.
• The dispatcher- sets the hero on his/her way to carry on in completing their goal.
• The false hero- Takes the credit for all of the hard work of the hero to impress other characters.

The Little Mermaid

Synopsis

A beautiful mermaid, Ariel, is fascinated by the human world- much to the dismay of her father King Triton, ruler of the Mer-people. Ariel spies handsome Prince Eric and falls hopelessly in love. Sebastian, a crab, is sent by Trilton to keep an eye on Ariel, but he cannot stop her from saving Eric’s life during a storm at sea. Ursala, the sea witch, plots to grant Ariel’s wish to be a human and marry her Prince, but only as part of a larger scheme to gain control of Trilton’s undersea kingdom. In the end, Eric and Ariel, transformed into a human, is given Trilton’s blessing to marry Prince Eric.

The Villain- Ursala

The Hero- Ariel

The donor- Ursala

The helper- Flounder

The Prince- Eric

The Father- (in this case Ariel's father) King Trilton

The Dispatcher- Sebastian

The False Hero-

Vladimir Propp also came up with 31 functions that are in most fairytales and there are four main ones from this list that are used in the film 'The Little Mermaid' and these are:

• Villain attempts to deceive hero with trickery- this is shown in the film when Ursala gives Ariel the potion to give her legs although this is really a trick to get her voice.
• Hero leaves home- this is in the part when Ariel gets legs and starts to live life on land as a human and leaves Mer-land.
• Hero gets magical object to help with quest- even though the potion is a trick, the magical object helps her to meet the Prince and fall in love which was her overall quest.
• Hero given new appearance/ transfiguration- this is when Ariel gets her legs and changes from a mermaid to a human.

Critique of Propp's Theory

The main criticism of Propp's theory and one thing that I think is weak about it is the fact that not everything is taken into account and how some things can change the functions and character types within a narrative. These things include: the tone of the story, the mood of the characters and story as a whole and the characterisation as the character labels have been described but the actual personalities of these characters have not. Also, this theory is fairly old so many people have the opinion that this theory of narrative is dated as many fairytales have been transformed now and with these, the theory of functions and character types to not fit in with them.

Todorov's theory

Evaluation of Opening Sequence

Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian theorist, believed that a similar structural pattern was followed in fairy stories. This theory links in to mainstream films and TV dramas today. The Narrative Pattern was- An Equilibrium > Disruption > Resolution > Restored Order > New Equilibrium. The Opening Sequence above of James Bond Quantum of Solace follows this theory.

• The equilibrium in this opening sequence is with an agent (James Bond), who is seen as a protagonist within the film as he is the character that the viewer wants to succeed. The villain is the man chasing after Bond and who is going all out to try and kill his enemy.
• The disruption in all of this is the car chase between the two characters as the villain tries to kill James violently in this chase. There is constant conflict shown between the two of them as they shoot at each other trying to force each other to crash. This disruption hints that there will be lots of obstacles on the way and people will try and stop him from succeeding.
• At the beginning of the clip, there is a moving establishing shot of the island to show the setting and to take the audience through the surroundings. At 0.56 and 0.59, there is an ECU of the actor Daniel Craig and there is a big shadow casted over his face to show the mysteriousness of this character. This use of minimal lighting is very good at representing the characteristics of the character. Also, with this shot, we can see the determination that he has through his eyes which is very effective.
• The whole clip is very fast-paced and at 1.41, there is a wide shot of all three cars which packs in all of the action so the audience gets front row seats of this action as it is all placed in front of them. At 4.07, there is a high angle shot of the villain tied up in the trunk of James' car. The effect this has is by showing the difference in power with the protagonist standing over the villain and the camera looking down on him makes him seem vulnerable and weak in comparison to the very strong, calm and collected Bond.
• The use of having the main character in a smart and crisp suit carries on the tradition of the other James Bond films and adds to his whole persona. Also, the cars act as the props in the clip as they provide action and are very expensive with the classic aston martin which shows high budget and class.
• The Resolution is when the person who the audience wants to succeed (James Bond) shoots down the other car making it fall off a cliff killing the villain and manages to get the other villain tied up. However, the hero always seems to get out alive and unharmed.
• From this opening sequence, it is obvious that there will be a lot of disruption throughout the film as the main character seems to have made many enemies and also because it is an action film.
• All of the James Bond films follow Todorov's theory as they have the agent and villain(s) that fight it out and show hatred towards each other. Often there is a girl involved and they go through a journey throughout the film consisting of chases and fights to try and complete the main mission.
• However, the new equilibrium is not always one of complete happiness as he is betrayed by his love interest Vesper but he does in every film manage to come out of it alive, but the equilibrium will be restored as we can guarantee that he will survive the obstacles thrown at him and will go on to fight again.

In conclusion, James Bond does follow the theory of Tzevetan Todarov as it starts with a equilibrium, has disruption along the way but ends with a new equilibrium. The narrative of this film following this sequence is:

Agent (Bond) and Villain > Conflict (Chases and fights) > Defeats his enemy > Changes as a person (becomes less trusting)

Opening Sequences, DYM Homework

Legally Blond

Narrative Expectations

- The film starts by showing the main characters bright blond hair out of focus and she is seen getting ready for something, brushing her hair and doing her make-up.

- We can see her pink clothing and we see her dog all dressed up which shows a first impression of this character being very materialistic.

- Also, at the beginning, a card with the name 'Elle' is seen being passed around which shows us the main characters name straight away and also builts up to showing us this character.

- The setting all around is of college life and we see lots of teenagers being loud and socialising and enjoying campus life which is the typical dream life.

- As this all seems too nice and everything seems to be in place, I think something bad will happen to ruin this perfect image, possibly something to do with her boyfriend as she seems to be besotted with him- kissing his photo.

- Also, the beginning of the film seems to upbeat with the music which makes it seem as if it will all come crashing down.

Shot Types

- A lot of CU's and ECU's to show parts of the main character-Elle and to make the person watching guess what she looks like before they even see her face.

- CU's with pans over her personal belongings such as hair care, make up and perfumes to add to the whole view of her being materialistic and vain.

- There is tracking following the journey of the card going to Elle which builds up the actual meeting with this character and we go on a journey as an audience just to view her, showing her importance.

- There is an overhead crane shot showing the sparkling staircase adding to the wealth and perfect lifestyles of these characters in college.

Character Types

- The main character Elle seems perfect as she does not have one hair out of place and we see that she was prom queen and is clearly very popular. However, she seems at first glance like a dizzy blond and that her life seems too good to be true.

- All the other girls in the sorority seem very similar to Elle as they are very pretty, blond and seem to care very much about appearance as they are seen getting ready to go out.

- The boys at the college seem to be all after the girls as they seem to be wild and go crazy at the sight of a girl.

- All the characters seem to be alike and are very content with what is going on around them.

Se7en

Narrative Expectations

- The film at the beginning has no music and has a very serious mood straight away because of this and the minimal lighting which adds to the dark plot.

- Morgan Freeman's character seems very neat with his crisp clothing and white kitchen which seems immaculate. All his belongings are set out precisely and in place.

- The setting of the crime scene shows how this film is based on an investigation and presents the genre thriller with the use of dark colours and dark backgrounds.

- There is rain and thunder which shows this investigation is not going to run smoothly.

- Main characters do not seem to get along with a big contrast with old vs. young with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

- However, I think the two characters will have to work together that the whole thing will take place in 7 days as the film is called 'Se7en' and the main character says how he will be retiring in seven days.

Shot Types

- ECU's of his personal belongings, all lined up neatly.

- LS's of the two characters and tracking as they walk along the busy new york pavements. This gives a feel that we are following the two characters and listening in to their conversations- like we are investigating them.

- Camera seems hidden when Morgan Freeman is at home- invading his privacy.

- CU's of writing and titles linking into the whole detective work and crime within the film.

Character Types

- Morgan Freeman's character is very quiet and keeps himself to himself and seems to be very high up in the detective world however, he seems to have a lot of criticism from colleagues about questions that he asks and sees to make enemies.

- He also seems to be quite an angry person and appears to have a chip on his shoulder. He comes across as rude and very self-assured.

- Brad Pitt's character is the opposite as he seems very energetic and fresh faced as if he is willing to learn. He also seems to be new to the city as he is seen bumping into people as he is walking down the street.

Comparisons between the two:

- Both opening sequences are based around the main characters.

- They also both use a variety of different shot types.

- We can see with Legally Blonde and Se7en the setting and area that the film is in i.e college campus and busy city.

- They both allow us as an audience to guess what we think will happen.

- We can see with these opening sequences the relationship between characters and also their personalities.

- They make us want to carry on watching to find out what will happen as they do not give away too much.

- The two sequences both introduce the film and act as a build up to events.