Movie Opener Brainstorming & Research

Rise 

    This movie opening begins with a boy getting out of his car and opening the trunk door, letting viewers see that there is soccer gear. The boy proceeds to walk to the soccer field while a Blues song playing in the background. A sequence of the boy tying his shoe laces and gearing up to play is shown and then as the music speeds up and a rap starts, he begins to play with the ball and make goals. Then, a different boy is shown getting out of a car and walking down the sidewalk, until reaching a fence where he begins to watch the player play soccer. Music gets louder once again and the boy is shown in another soccer playing sequence. Eventually, the music starts to fade as the boy stops to play, change out of his soccer uniform, gather his items, and walk towards his cars. The movie opening ends with the soccer player realizing the other boy is standing by his car, and an extreme close up of both boys. 

Offline

    This film opening begins with a title sequence displaying the studios and companies involved in the making of the movie. This then cuts to a hooded figure in the dark stalking a girl on Instagram, with ominous music playing. This cuts to a girl laying unconscious in a cage with a rag covering her mouth. This cuts to several back and forth scenes, showing the girl in the cage and different scenes of a girl on social media throughout the day. The scene ends with the girl in the cage waking up and realizing her situation. She begins to shake the cage and scream. Finally, the title, Offline", is displayed. 

Dear Lover

    This opening starts with several different shots of nature as the credits are shown at the bottom of the screen. This sequence ends with a shot of a girl sitting by a creek and the title, "Dear Lover", being shown.  The opening continues with a close up shot of the girl wiping away her tears, as she begins to narrate what has happened to her in a voiceover. This is followed by an interview style scene where the girl is asked if she ever thinks about her. This reveals that this is an LGBT movie. As the girl continues to explain why she couldn't stay with her girlfriend, happy scenes of said girlfriend laughing and smiling are shown, which contrasts with the sad shot of the girl by the creek. The girl by the creek is then approached by her girlfriend who has the letter she sent to her. They sit by the creek and start talking, holding hands, and laying against each other. This cuts to scenes of the girl writing letters with the greeting, "Dear lover", and sending them back and forth with her girlfriend to communicate. The opening ends with the girl saying, "And one day...no I'm getting ahead of myself...lets start from the beginning". This creates suspense and serves as an attention grabber for people to continue watching. 

 

Dare to Thrill

    With this film opening, a group of friends are shown walking excitedly while looking at their phone.Words in "video game" font are shown on the screen to reveal a little more about the plot. A very upbeat song begins to play as the friends climb the stairway to go to the parking garage roof. Credits are rolling at the bottom of the screen as this occurs. On the roof, they see a black car with its headlights on. They excitedly run to it and jump, driving fast around the roof. After a sequence of shots showing their dangerous driving, the scene cuts to them turning sharply out of the garage. The following scenes include the car driving down the highway at night, showing the friends' thrill ride. Finally, the friends pull into a parking spot and turn down the volume of the car, and the music in the opening stops. This cuts to a black screen, until the friends suddenly open the trunk, the camera pointing at them from inside the trunk. They shriek, looking shocked, implying that there is something insane in the trunk, like a dead body. The opening ends with post-credit scenes, including the tittle of the film.

Always Watching

    This movie opening begins the opening credits against a black background, showcasing the title of the film and the production company. This changes to a scene where a boy, Kane, is talking to a therapist, with the cast credits shown at the bottom of the screen. The boy appears angered by the therapist's questions about his friend. The scene changes to a flashback of the boy and his friend walking together. An extreme close-up of the boy making creepy faces is shown. The scene goes back to then therapy session as the boy reveals more about his obsession. The next scene shows the boy walking in the dark as an eery sound gets louder and louder. The boy is shown creepily looking through a window as well. After another quick cut back to the therapy session, the boy's friend is shown in his house being followed by Kane, and then having his mouth covered up by duct tape, which Kane put on him. Another therapy session shot is shown. These parts of the opening features dialogue, which reveals more about Kane's intentions to steal his friend's life. Different shots of both boys looking into a mirror, flashing rapidly back and forth between both shots, are shown to show how Kane is taking his friend's identity. The opening scene ends with a close up shot of the therapist telling Kane to breathe and to tell her the story from the beginning. 

Blue Boar

    This film scene starts with a medium close up shot of a girl walking in a forest approaching a hedge, a shot her feet walking through the grass, an over-the-shoulder shot of the same girl, and different shots of the nature around her. All of this includes a voiceover in the back explaining the story and the opening credits at the bottom of the screen. An extreme close-up of a lady's lips are shown as she accuses the girl of something, followed by another extreme close-up of the girl looking up in surprise. Dialogue is shown between the girl and her mother, with different shots of each as the lady reprimands her daughter. This cuts back to the shot of the girl by the hedge, as she makes the decision to walk through the hedge, ignoring her mother's orders. A close-up of the girl's feet is shown again as she balances barefoot across the tree roots. During this, a lively instrumental track plays in the background. An extreme close up of the girl opening her eyes to the marvelous nature around her is shown, and she she begins to sing in the background track. A close up of the girl taking off her headwear and letting down her hair is shown. Multiple shots of the girl frolicking in the nature and singing are displayed. Close ups of different natural items the girl picks up are shown, like twigs and leaves. The scene ends with the girl arranging the materials into the figure of a boar, which is outlined by a white line, which stands out as the scene fades to a black background. The title along with the figure of the boar ends the scene. 

White Coat

    During this film opening, the start features multiple credit scenes with dark shots in the background. A medium close up of a boy waking up while tied up in a chair are shown, followed by multiple different shots showing his shoes, the rope, his face, etc. The boy is shown eventually being able to break himself free. Ominous music is playing. A close-up of a boy with a mask, glasses, and white coat is shown, as he pours water into a beaker. More scenes of the boy escaping and the scientist doing experiments are creepily shown, followed by a shot of a paper revealing the boy that was tied up is a subject in an experiment. The scientist is shown turning on a stove, boiling water, and putting chemicals into solutions. The boy is seen finding a box, slowly opening it to reveal a green light and smoke exiting the box. An extreme close-up shot of the boy looking up from the box to face into the camera is shown, which cuts to a black screen with the title over it.

Stalker

    This movie opening commences with a medium close-up shot of a girl waking up in her bed as an alarm rings. The credits are rolling at the bottom of the screen. Shots of the girl getting out of bed, looking out her window, and brushing her hair are shown. Suddenly, as the girl is brushing her hair in the mirror, the sound of cameras flashing is hard. An extreme close-up of the girl turning around is shown as an eery sound plays. A shot looking out the window is seen, and another of the girl turning back around, ignoring what she heard. This cuts to a black screen with the title over, which gets bigger and bigger, and fades out. This cuts to a shot of the same girl sitting on the floor with her backpack. The girl opens up her pencil bag to find a note, to which the girl reacts to very surprised, getting off the floor and walking away with wide eyes. As this occurs, a very sudden, shocking sound plays. Shots of the girl running out of the school and into her are shown. She is unable to start her car. The sound of a heartbeat plays during all of this. The opening ends with a medium-close up shot of the girl looking out her car window, turning around, and screaming at the sight of what is outside her car. The same sudden, shocking, sound plays. 

Nostalgia

    This film opening starts with the production company's logo, followed by a slow tilt shot of a tree. Once the camera is fully showing the blue sky, the title of the film appears. This cuts to close-up shots of artwork, with instrumental, piano music playing in the background. Scattered throughout the shots of the artwork, are medium close-up shots and extreme close-up shots of an elderly woman. Close ups of her hand grabbing plants, touching her shirt, and different memorabilia (religious pieces, photographs, souvenirs) are shown back to back. Followed by a shot of flowers and an old photograph, the a medium close up of the lady smiling is shown. This scene cuts to the same shot but of a much younger girl wearing the same red blouse, implying that the old woman and the young girl are the same person. The scene ends by panning from the girl to the sky. 

Conclusion: 

    By watching all these film openings, I have gotten a very good idea of what this part of a movie should contain. For one, I need to make sure to include the credits of the film at one point during my opening. I also learned that the power of sound is everything. In a lot of these openings, the music and sound effects told the entire story. In almost every single one of these openings, I got a general idea of the genre, theme, and plot of the entire film. My project must carry this out as well, since the opening is what first grabs the viewer's attention. These scenes also taught me how long my opening should be, and how little time that really is. I have up to around two minutes to execute my beginning scene, making sure I keep the plot concise and understandable for viewers. Like many of the videos, I also plan to take several shots of at the same scene, showing the character's face, body, and surrounding items. All in all, getting the opportunity to watch these openings has helped me to better understand how to carry out my project. 

Film Openings

 High School Musical

Musical/Family

High School Musical. Dir. Kenny Ortega. Disney-ABC Domestic Television. 2006. Film

    This film begins with a black screen with the words, "A Disney Channel Original Movie. Then, the black slowly fades to show an establishing shot of a wintry resort with mountains in the background and snow. At the same time, the title of the film, "High School Musical" appears in big font in the middle of the screen. At the bottom, "New Years Eve" is written to specify the time setting of the scene. The scene changes to a teenage party filled with kids excited to celebrate the New Year. It is at this point that the actors who are in the film are credited at the bottom of the screen. As the actors' name are shown, the scene changes again to Gabriella sitting on a couch reading in a different part of the hotel, away from the party. Her mom urges her to stop reading and enjoy herself at the teen party. The scene changes again to show Troy and his father playing basketball. His mother tells them that they have to stop playing basketball and instead get ready for the New Years Eve party. She did not travel all this way to spend vacation playing basketball. She lets Troy about the teen party as well. By this point, the cast members' names have stopped being shown. The scene goes back to the party, where Gabriella and Troy are seen entering the party. Gabriella opens her book to read, when the attention is directed to a man onstage. He is running the karaoke at the party and is choosing the next two people to sing. Suddenly, a spotlight is shown on Gabriella and Troy, meaning they have been chosen to sing. As they are pushed onto the stage, Troy and Gabriella keep refusing and look very nervous, but begin to sing anyway. At first they seem very nervous, especially Gabriella who has her arms crossed, showing her shy personality. Slowly, they start to open up and have more fun singing the song. For example, Troy takes off his coat and starts to dance. The entire crowd starts cheering for them after having a good time. The scene ends with Troy introducing himself to Gabriella, and Gabriella introducing herself to Troy. 

Heathers

Comedy/Teen

Heathers. Dir. Michael Lehmann. New World Pictures. 1988. Film

   

 This movie begins with the New World Pictures logo appearing followed by opening credits on a black screen that communicate the distributor (New World Pictures in association with Cinemarque Entertainment LTD), and two of the cast members. The black screen then transitions to a shot from behind of a girl tying her hair in a red scrunchie, with the title, Heathers, displayed in big font. As this occurs, a song, "Que sera sera", plays in the background. A long shot of three girls, all wearing different colors (yellow, red, and green), is shown as they sit in a garden drinking a beverage. The credits continue to roll at the bottom of the screen as more cast members' names are displayed. The three girls grab their croquet mallets and walk way from their chairs, stomping over flowers as they do so. They are seen casually walking together across the garden as the credits continue to roll. They then are shown approaching the croquet balls, each one matching the color they wear. After the girl wearing yellow hits her ball, they speak on who should go next. Its during this time that it is seen that all the girls' names are Heather. Heather (green) hits her ball and, inferred by their facial expressions, misses her target. Heather (red) then hits her ball and hits her target, which is a girl, Veronica, whose head is the only thing poking out of the ground. The three Heathers giggle, and Veronica is shown saying "Dear Diary". The scene immediately cuts to students in a high school hallway as Veronica gives a voiceover. 

Lady Bird

Drama/Indie

Lady Bird. Dir. Greta Gerwig. A24. 2017. Film

    

This film starts with the distributor's logo, A24, being displayed on the screen. This then fades to a black screen featuring a quote by Joan Didion on California and Sacramento. This quickly cuts to a scene of a teenage girl and her mother sleeping next to each other. This cuts to a scene of the same characters talking to each other in a hotel room as the mother, Marion, makes the bed. Ready to go home, the scene cuts to an establishing shot going down a highway and then to Ladybird and Marion driving in the car. They are seen teary eyed as they listen to a recording of the "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. After the recording ends, it is then revealed through dialogue that they have been traveling on a college trip. As Ladybird turns on the radio once again, Marion asks her if they could sit without listening to more entertainment. Ladybird seems frustrated and after a moment of silence states how she wishes she could live through something. She continues to say how 2002 is not very exciting, revealing the time setting. they begin to argue as Marion feels that Ladybird is being ridiculous and actually has a great life. Ladybird apologizes for not being perfect, followed by Marion saying all she needs to be is considerate. Ladybird continues to say she doesn't want to study in California and instead wants to go to the east coast, but Marion explains how in-state tuition is barely affordable, much less out of state. This is when the family's economic hardships are shown, as Marion explains that Ladybird's brother barely has a job, since he bags groceries after going to Berkeley, and that her husband's company is laying people off. They continue to argue as Ladybird lists why she wants to go to the east coast, and Marion insults her daughter. Marion calls her daughter Christine, instead of Ladybird like she asked her to, and even goes as far to say that she will go to jail. Frustrated with the argument, Ladybird opens the car door and jumps out of the moving vehicle. Her mother screams and the scene cuts to a shot of Ladybird's pink cast with the words fuck you mom" written on it. All while music plays in the background. The opening credits roll in the following scenes. 

Brainstorming for our Group Project

     Recently, we were asked by my teacher to create groups, so we could start brainstorming for our film project in which we will have to create a movie opening. One of my very good friends, Hannah Barnes, is in this class with me and we had been thinking of ideas for our project for months. So, Hannah was an obvious addition to the group I would be in. Melanie Reynoso had been speaking to Hannah for a while about working together with Tori Ragin. After asking if our group of four was alright, I happily agreed to Melanie and Tori joining our group. Hannah is an expert on everything film and Melanie and Tori are very creative individuals, so I'm sure our project will turn out great!

    The next step was to brainstorm what our movie opening would focus on. Like I said before, Hannah and I had had a general idea for months. To explain, last summer a very famous artist released an album that featured multiple songs. Three of those songs were from the different perspectives of three people involved in a love triangle. One from the perspective of a heartbroken girl whose boyfriend has cheated on her. Another from a regretful boy who had cheated on his girlfriend, who he loves greatly. And a third from the girl who the boy was involved with while in a relationship, but misses said boy greatly. These songs were in my head for months and just make for a great story. So, inspired by the album, we wanted to bring out the story of these three teenagers in our movie opening. After telling Melanie and Tori about our idea, they listened to the songs and agreed to our ideas. 

    Next, we discussed what the opening would actually contain. My main ideas were that James, the boy, would walk up to Betty's house in an attempt to apologize. Betty is his ex who he hurt. Then, Inez, Betty's best friend, would open the door and not let him speak to Betty, basically kicking him out. Then, James would walk away from the house and to the street when Heather, the girl he cheated with, would pull up in her car and try to convince James to continue their relationship. James would reject her and she would drive off, leading to the end of the opening. 

    While, the idea was a good one, Melanie came up with multiple more great ideas that could add to the scene. For example, she suggested a shot of Betty getting ready, in which you see a trash can filled with gifts and ripped photo of her and James. This scene would allow viewers to understand that there has been a breakup. We could also show James' phone with multiple phone calls and texts from Heather, suggesting she is flirting with him and trying to continue their affair. Melanie also sent multiple movie and show scenes that we could use as inspiration for our own opening scene. For instance, we could use a voiceover as all the characters get ready. 

All in all, our group is very ahead of the game, with multiple ideas we could use for our movie opening. Although some of the smaller details aren't finalized, I can definitely say that our general idea seems like the one we will pursue. I'm very excited to see where this journey will take us!

Little Women Storyboard

 

Scene Link: Movie clip: Little Women (2019) - The Beach Scene (full) - YouTube

Following this assignment, I have learned that storyboarding is definitely no easy task. Storyboarding is crucial in creating the setup for a certain scene. It can be said that it is the linking step that connects coming up with a mental idea of the scene and actually creating it on camera. To storyboard, one must accurately display and draw the different shots and things they will see in the scene, along with a description of the drawing. This pre-production step is important in deciding how one's story will flow and if one's shots actually work well together. One of the biggest challenges of story boarding that I found was drawing the different shots. Since I wouldn't exactly call myself artistically inclined, sketching these shots was pretty difficult. I was able to achieve a certain level of accuracy with my drawings, but I'm definitely no Picasso. Another difficulty would have to be actually coming up with what you want to be shown in the shot. While I didn't experience this because this specific storyboard is based off an already release film, I am sure that that will cause some indecisiveness for me. Overall, storyboarding is actually a pretty fun, creative experience that allows one to bring their ideas to life.

Analysis of The Crown

     While simply watching a movie or show gives you a general understanding of its structure, analyzing one really allows you too interpret the tiny details and components that make the movie into what is. This can be said for every single film and series ever created, but especially The Crown. This entertaining Netflix series, which has been streaming since 2016, features the life of Queen Elizabeth II and key events that shaped the second half of the 20^th century. Obviously, in order to correctly depict the life of a reigning monarch and her surroundings, producers and directors must pay careful attention to detail and make sure everything makes sense for the story. I chose to watch episode 5 of season 1, since it features the grand coronation of the Queen in 1952 and incorporates several features of mise-en-scene.

First, one must applaud the creators of The Crown for executing such an amazing, realistic telling of the British monarchy in the 50s. It should be made clear that this series is a period show, meaning it takes place in a time period different from today, specifically the early 1950s. This means that the costume designers, producers, set designers, and many other people on set must make sure to use items or props that make this fact obvious. For example, the appearance of many old-timey cars and black and white photographs display that the episode takes place before the creation of colored images or modern cars. Also, one can tell by the outfits of the characters that they are not from a very recent time or from a very distant time that had even more strict, unique modes of fashion. The setting is also established through many means like the accents of the characters that communicate the show takes place in Great Britain and the establishing shots of several iconic landmark, like Buckingham Palace. The show creators make sure to include grand halls, posh rooms, high ceilings, expensive items, and fancy paintings in the set to show that the characters are in a palace and have a large amount of money. Costume is everything in this show. For example, the crown represents the power of the monarch, so Queen Elizabeth wearing it during her coronation shows her transition into power and leadership. Her smaller diamond tiaras, expensive jewelry, and fancy dresses indicate that she is very rich and comes from a high ranking, like royalty. The set and costume design of The Crown really takes you back in time by 70 years and makes you feel like you are living the events of 1952 Great Britain in real time.

            The complexity and beauty of this show doesn’t stop at costume and sets but continues into several other mise-en-scene features. For instance, lighting of a scene can play a very important role in the mood and tone of a certain shot. During this episode, Queen Mary is seen on her deathbed and passes away. When the scene changes to Mary of Teck deceased on a bed, the lighting in the room is very dark and gloomy, which is done to fit the mood of death. This dark lighting is displayed again when Elizabeth and Phillip are having an argument, while whispering, in a cathedral concerning the protocol of her coronation. One can say that this dark lighting is just because of the fact that they are in a cathedral, but I believe the creators purposefully did this for the reader to envision the conflict that there is between the couple. Lighting is used in another way during the coronation when the priest is applying holy oil to the hands, breast, and forehead of Elizabeth. The bright lighting allows there to be a reflection on the oil while it is on her, so viewers can see it more easily. Framing also plays its role in the making of this episode. During the coronation, the director frames the shot to capture the camera that is broadcasting the ceremony while also showing Elizabeth walking in the background. This is done to emphasize the fact that this coronation broke normal tradition by broadcasting the sacred ceremony to the entire world, instead of keeping it for the eyes of the nobility. Another example of framing is right after Elizabeth and Phillip’s fight in the cathedral, it shows an extreme long shot with Elizabeth right in the center and Philip walking away from her. This is done to emphasize the conflict they are going through and how distant they feel from each other.

            It is no question that one of the reasons The Crown is so successful is because of its advanced storytelling techniques and mise-en-scene. It is no coincidence that the show has been able to receive an average of 1.3 million total viewers. The accuracy of the show, in terms of the costume design, props, and acting, is really what makes it so popular and successful. It really makes audiences feel like they are living the events and that they are present in the moment. This also allows the show to define its genre, historical drama genre. The conflict between characters, dialogue, dramatic music, and use of dark lighting brings out the drama portion, while the telling of real-life past events during the Queen’s life shows its historical component. Like many others, I am interested in the lives of the royal family and also enjoy drama shows, which makes The Crown a very entertaining show.

            The Crown is a very well executed series that depicts the complex life of a popular royal figure who has lived for more than nine decades. It can be said that many are interested and curious about such private, but noble, people. Which attracts many viewers to stream the show and learn more about the royals. Still, ultimately what keeps people watching a show is how well made it is, which is what keep fans of The Crown still watching. It is no surprise that it is rumored that the Queen herself has watched the entirety of season one and enjoyed it.

Editing Transitions

Cut

A cut is when there is an instant change from one shot to the next. I wanted a fast transition to show that the two scenes are in the same period of time, just from different angles. It also works for the action, fast-paced feel of the video, which would've clashed with something more gradual and serene, like dissolve. This transition was probably easiest to create because it does not require much editing. When filming, I had to make sure the ending of the first scene instantly continued with the beginning of the second scene, since it is all supposed to be happening sequentially. 

Fade

A fade is when a shot gradually goes all black/white and then gradually continues to the next shot. The scene I shot is supposed to model one from a drama film, in which the two characters are calling for each other from across the lake. The two events are occurring at the same time and the female character is responding to my calls. While this isn't the complete end or beginning of a scene, the fade still works in this dramatic situation.

Wipe

A wipe is when a first shot is replaced by the second shot in a geometric pattern. In my scene's case, I am walking up to a door and knocking on it. It then transitions to the inside of the house, where a different character hears the knocking and begins to panic. A wipe works in this case because the two scenes are occurring almost at the same time, as the knocking at the end of the first scene can be heard once again at the beginning of the second scene.  

 

Mood Board: My Ideal Adulthood