Our Final Opening Sequence to a Childrens Film

Finding Halloween...

Shrek the third opening sequence analysis

Shrek the Third is the third film in the popular shrek series of children's films. the film is entirly CGI. The sequence begins with the dreamworks logo, but then the actual opening narrative of the scene and the dreamworks logo mix together. The camera is shwoing us the dreamworks logog up in the clouds, but then slowly the soft opening music fades out and is replaced by thunder and ominous sounds. the white clouds of the dreamworks logog turn grey and cover the logo. It is at this point that the camera starts to track downwards, showing us the eye of a storm. Light then flows out of the eye, and the camera moves closer to the light as it keeps spiralling downwards, showing the audiance dark clouds and the ominous music and thunderclaps carry on. As this is happening credits fade in and out. As the camera comes out of the clouds we get an extreme longshot of a forest, and as the camera continues to move downwards trees obscure the shot, and suddenly heroic music starts playing and the camera begins to track in a way that suggests it is on something that is moving. the camera then tracks downwards again and finally the camera moves into a closeup of a handsome young prince who appears to be riding a horse. The camera tracks his riding and we see trees's in the background. In this continuous shot we see the princes head and shoulders, but also a small part of the horse's head. After a few moments of riding the prince shouts "onwards chancy!". he then begins a monologue about saving a princess, but as he is speaking the camera zooms out into a long shot, and it is revealed to the audience that the horse is not a real horse at all, but a fake horse head on a stick, and the what we though was a forest is just a large moving canvas behind the prince. The shot zooms out even further and our setting is shown to be some kind of medieval bar. The mise-en-scene includes a few people sitting on tables watching the performance, and small dwarf-like stage hands helping out with the show. The shot then cuts to somebody clapping two coca nuts together which is what created the impression of a riding horse. (it is also interesting to note that when the camera zoomed out the heroic music changed in tone, now sounding as if it is coming from a cheap sound system). The shot then cuts to a medium closeup somebody looking very bored at the top corner of the moving canvas winding a wheel which is what gives it its movement, and after this the shot cuts again to a med closeup people lighting matches and burning powders to create the effect of lightning and thunder. After these establishing shots the camera cuts to a medium shot of a group of fairytale creatures sitting at a table in the bar, and there is a conversation between them about how the show "sucks", and after this quick conversation the shot switches to a low angled long shot showing us a "tower" and how the prince is talking to the girl in the tower, promising to rescue her etc. Once the prince "dismounts" his horse, the shot switches to a medium closeup of the women in the fake prop tower, detailing how brave etc the prince is. We then get a shot reverse shot of the prince speaking to the lady, and the lady again speaking to the prince. After this there is a quick long shot showing the entire bar, with very few people and those who are there looking disintrested. One women in the audiance even heceles the prince, and we get a reaction shot from him looking annoyed, but then the shot suddenly cuts to a long shot of the stage, which now has a man in an oger costume standing on it, and we hear the audiance clap with enthusiasm, and the camera quickly cuts to closeups of several of them saying "yeah go shrek!!" and another reaction shot from the prince looking even more annoyed. The shot then switches to the ogers over the shoulder shot, showing the prince brandishing his sword at the monster. The entire sequence is around 2 minutes long.

i think that this is a paticulerly good example of an openining sequence of a childrens film as it sets up an exciting and mildly suspenceful tone, which it quickly does away with via the use of comedy and parody of the prince. The opening would make both adults and children alike laugh at the prince's predicament, and sets up a lighthearted tone for the rest of the film, and this is done for the children in particuler.

Fil.

Aristocats Opening Sequence Analysis.

The opening sequence begins with a flurish of exciting and reavling sound,setting the theme instantly giving the idea the film is to based in France, the instition "Walt Disney" appears on a smudged watercolour canvas.It then cuts to the next shot of a vibrant blue background and the title of the film appears "The Aristocrats", the soundtrack then mentions pets and as this happens a pair of cats run across the screen and one jumps up and takes away the R leaving Aristocats as the title. We then get another cut and as the first credits appear we get three kittens running simultansley on the spot this mid-shot goes on for around 7 seconds.The next cut takes us to a long shot of three cats one who seems like the mother perching on a stool and the kittens on top of the piano,the background now being orange. almost immediatley it cuts to the mother cat grooming herself as the credits roll on the screen to the rgiht of her the background colour is a violet matching the sex of the cat who i do belive is called violet. Next we have a mid-shot of two cats a male who is seeminly trying to impress the mother at frm the previous shot,once agian the background colur is changing. the mother cat begins to lush and flatter her eye lids so we can guess that these two may have a relationship together.We then go back to the smudeged watercolour canvas as we see a pair of cats eating left overs in the bin and the soundtrack then suggests that you wuoldnt find this family of cats doing this. it then snaps to the three kittens plaing again and two of th stop and look up admiringly whislt one goes on a tantrum, the next shot is mid shot of the mother and her kitten as the mother lovingly comforts her kitten as she buts a bow on her,it then cuts to this kitten sitting superior on top of the pian grooming herslef in the same way her mother did a few shos back. The next few shots consist of the hree playfull kittens running and hurdling over objects before we hit a long shot of the piano and then the kittens walk into the shot and try and clamber up to the keys. One kitten manages to get up to the piano and then lays the keys that go in time with the soundtrack and then the next shot is one kitten dabbing it's paw in piant and then splasing it on to the canvas, the canvas is hidden from view so we cant see the image being drawn, this is a long shot. the canvas then appears and we see the cat throw paint on it,we then zoom in on the canvas and then have another cut and we have a close up the paint dripping down the canvas and then painiting a picure of Paris. We then zoom in and we can see the eifel tower and then a horse and carriage comes in to view. the sht then fades to the horse and carraige going through the streets, the settings are very posh and grand and then text comes up on screen telling us the location and date " Paris 1910". Riding in he carriage is an old looking woman sitting by herself with her cheaffuer one seat ahead. We then have a close up shot of the horses head as a kitten runs downs it neck and sits on its head. It then cuts back to the carriage and we get a mid shot of the lady picking up the kitten and giving it praise whilst its mother is sat next to the woman. The music is still very French and upbeat and light, the shot then fades to a close up of the woman and kitten and then the mother joins in as she rubs up agianst the old lady and purs appreciatlevly. A kitten then procedes o climb all over the driver (Edgars face) they then pull up at a posh looking neighbour hood and the carriage comes to a stop, Edgar hops out nd helps down the women who he goes on to call madam a vast amount of times stating her importance, the shot then switches to a close up of the horse called FruFru nieghing for some appreciaion and the woman gives her a well erned treat.

Josh.

Opening Sequence Completed And The Beginning Of Our Soundtrack

After hundreds of clicks on I-stop motion we have finally completed our opening sequence which gives the audience a vivid idea about what the film will be about, the quirky and fun characters are jumping around the screen and the the title page " Finding Halloween " really sets the scene and we can imaine what the film is going to entitle.For this kind of genre of film we need a suitable acoompaning soundtrack, after a few hours of trying to create a soundtrack on garageband we decided it to be a good idea to go home and try and create a peice on a piano, we all went home and did this and Fil came up with what seems to be the perfect soundtrack to accompany the opening credits, we are then going to transfer these notes on to garage band and add an low levelled bass line to go with it and this will help set the scene of the film and generate a sense of halloween eeriness.The sound track should be finished within around half an hour of next lesson, leaving us with some extra time to edit our opening sequence.All in the last two lessons have been very productive.

Josh.

Analysis of an Opening Sequence

Analysing The Opening Sequence of Matilda

Matilda is a well known children’s film made in 1996. It’s a fantasy film. The opening sequence consists of mainly the film itself and little opening credits. Although it was made thirteen years a go it is still remembered and liked today.

From the opening sequence you can gain quite a lot about the narrative. The clip has a narrator which introduces the film in a friendly way which would be attractive to children. From the first shot you know that one of the films main characters will be a child, this child being Matilda. The two parents of the child are then introduced and a sense of unloving and little care can be felt by the audience. The child is left in the back of the car as the rest of the family enter the house which just shows how much they feel for the baby. As most of the shots and the story so far have been based around the baby then you can tell that the film will be about her and her life. Nearer the end of the clip the baby writes her name herself so the audience can then see that there is something special about this baby and engages them into the film.


Two of the main characters are introduced straight away as the mother and father of the baby. As soon as the audience meets the father it is apparent that he doesn’t care about his new born baby and is more worried about the money she will cost. The mother seems to care more looks and well being than the baby’s so again doesn’t really show much compassion towards her newborn daughter. From their appearance these two characters come across as very materialistic, selfish people who wouldn’t appeal to children at all. I think that the target audience would see them as the villains of the film. However in their actions the characters to appear quite humorous which adds a light hearted feel to the film.

The atmosphere of the clip seems very rushed and frantic and keeps the audience interested as it has a fast pace to it. You can feel this frantic atmosphere from the quick abrupt movements of the characters and the immediate camera transitions.

Most of the sound heard within this clip was the music which plays almost all of the way through. It contrasts with the frantic atmosphere as it is calming and happy making the film quite enjoyable and easy to watch. The other sounds heard are the dialogue spoken by the characters and the sound effects such as screeching of car tyres.

The editing was very smooth and linear and continuity editing was definitely used as the clip was in chronologic order making it was simple to watch and it flowed really well and smoothly.

The camera work contributed to the flow of the opening sequence of Matilda, these are some of the shots used:
· Extreme close up (establishing shot)
· Tracking backwards
· Mid shot
· 2 shot
· Long shot
· Close up
· Pan

All of these were linked very well and as an audience it would be very difficult to spot the changing of shot.

If i was to freeze a part of the opening sequence and analyse everything within in that frame it would be called the mise-en-scene. I have does this and within this particular frame I could see the interior of Matilda’s house, lamps, two sofas and two of the main characters were also in it. This scene would have taken place ion the living room of the house and you can see this from the surroundings and props used. See below:

Overall I think that this opening sequence tells the viewer a lot about the narrative in a very simple way because it is just filming with no special effects. I think it’s an effective introduction to the film as it introduces most of the main characters and the story itself in a short space of time.

Our Childrens film opening sequence.

The opening sequnce that we have created for our own childrens film follows many of the conventions of a typical opening for a film aimed at 5-11 year olds. It also mixes live action and stop motion animation, a theme that was quite consistent of childrens films from the past. It begins with the live action, setting the scene and showing our main character drawing out side. we incorperate many shots, including tracking of the surroundings to set the scene, and zooms, tracks, over the shoulder shots and closeups to introduce our main human character. The chracter is drawing and he scrunches up the paper and throws it to the ground. we then had several shots of the paper landing, as well as tracking in slowly untill it fills the screen. its after this that the opening titles appear, and these are all filmed in stop motion. it includes the peice of papaer raveling and un-raveling by itself, with names appearing on it. This scene also serves to introduce the fictional characters of the pupkin man, the witch, and the clown creature, all of which appear at certain points and move around the paper. the film has not yet been edited, but we have several ideas for what we are going to do in terms of effects and music.

Fil.

Madegascar Opening sequence analysis.

This movie is a populer childrens film and is shot entirly in CG (computer generate imagery). The film begins with an extreme long shot of a sunset. The mis-en-scene also includes a wide expance of grass and trees framing the sunset on either side. A zebra swings across the shot on a vine, and the shot cuts to a close up of the zebras face, and tracks him as he swings. The shot then cuts to a med-longshot of the zebra jumping from the vine and flying through the air. The shot is angled upwards to the give the impression on extreme hight, and while the zebra is moving in slow motion, the title of the film slowy fades over the screen, and then fades out. Also, just before the title fades, there is a tracking shot of the zebra landing (from the same position of the long shot), and the title moves with the shot before fading. once the Zebra lands (on a bed of penguins), the camera stays in the position that it tracked in, and the Zebra (in slo-mo) runs towards the camera, and the shot finishes with an extreme closeup of the zebras moving feet. The shot then cuts to a high angled long shot, revealing that the zebra is actually running towards a large chasm, and as the zebra runs and jumps, the shot switches to a medium shot below the zebra, showing his stomach etc as he jumps across the chasm. As he flies through the air, again, the shot tracks with him. Once the zebra is nearly on the other side, the shot cuts to an extreme closeup of the zebras feet as he lands on the ground, and then quickly cuts to a slightly low angled medium shot in which we see the zebra run towards an unknown destination. the zebra runs very close to the camera, turning it into a close up, then an extreme closeup untill finally he runs out of shot. the camera has been slowly tracking backwards as he as been running, and continues to do this after the zebra is out of shot. The shot stays for a few seconds with showing the chasm the zebra has jumped over, and then from the hedges to the side of the shot, a lion pops out. the shot cuts to a closeup of the lion licking his lips, then cuts to an extreme longshot from up high, showing the Zebra running away from the camera towards what looks like an oasis. the lion then sneaks into the extreme long shot. once the lion is about halfway to the zebra, the shot switches to a medium shot from the side showing the zebra running, and after a few seconds of this the shot slowly zooms out to show the lion sneaking up right behind the zebra. The shot cuts to a closeup of the zebra looking joyous, and then cuts to a POV shot of him seeing the shining oasis. Suddenly, the Lion jumps into the POV shot shouting "suprise!". The next shot is of a closeup of the zebras shocked expression, and while the zebra continues to be itself and the narrative flows, the surroundings suddenly switch to that of gray buildings, showing the audiance that the whole thing was somkind of day dream sequence. As the Zebra keeps yelling in suprise, the shot cuts to a low angled long shot of him and the lion, and the shot also shows the zebra falling over in his suprise, and shows us the surroundings of a zoo, with tall gray buildings in the back ground. The entire openings sequence is around 1 minute 30 seconds.

I think that it is a good opening sequence for a childrens film as it begins peacefully, with a nice establishing shot that sets up the entire film as child friendly, but it then introduces mild peril and excitement in the form of the lion, but then quickly twists it to show that the lion and zebra are friends, again a very child friendly theme. Despite all this however, the dialouge within it is rather complex and fast paced, and so it also appealing to adults, and while this is largly a good thing, it can also make it harder for children to watch, and although this is true for the rest of the movie, it is not evident in the opening sequence itself.

Fil.

Analysis of An Opening Sequence

Analysing The Opening Sequence of Monsters Inc

The opening of the popular 2001 film, Monsters Inc is mainly the title sequence and none of the film itself. However you can still get a lot from the simple set up of the sequence. The viewer knows that it is a mystery comedy because of the music and the image of a closed door, tells you that something is being hidden making it a mystery.

From the opening sequence not much shown yet it still tells the audience quite a bit about the narrative. The coloured doors give the film a mysterious element and some show monsters coming of them which shows that this film will be about monsters and they may be the main characters. The cheery, happy music also says that this film will be a light-hearted happy one and not too dark, the

bright colours represent this also.

The characters will almost definitely be monsters, as they appear in all of the title sequence, so there will be a main theme of monsters in the film. As this is a children’s film there will be children in it so they can relate to the characters more easily. A childlike scream in the opening sequence is a clue to back up this thought.

Fun is just one of the words that would be used to describe the atmosphere of this film. I derived this from the bright colours used in the clip and the upbeat music played throughout. The atmosphere was also comic, light hearted even though it involved monsters, and happy.

The only special effects present in this clip are animation of the doors, monsters and words. They move fluently across the frame and the movements they made went perfectly with the music, making the clip flow very well.

Most of the sound in this clip was jazz music, which was played throughout. It had a light hearted tune to it giving the clip a very cheery and jolly feel. The other sounds were one child screaming and a roar of a monster, these added and variation to the sound within the clip.

Linear editing was used in the opening sequence of monsters inc. and the words shown were in order and each one followed another in chronological order. Continuity editing was also present and made the clip flow brilliantly and made it easy and enjoyable to watch.

As this clip only showed the opening titles it consisted of just one frame all the way through so there was little camera movement until the end where there was a tracking forward shot. Again this added to simplicity of the clip and made it easy to watch, which is good for children as it would hold their attention for longer.

If I was to freeze one frame of this opening sequence, it would be called the mise-en-scene and within this I would se multicoloured doors, words and a cartoon monster. These would be very simple images with bright colour that stand out to the viewer and capture their attention. See below:

All in all just from the opening sequence of Monsters Inc the audience can gain many clues about the narrative of the film. This shows that a complex opening sequence is not needed to inform the audience, the more simple it is the more it will catch the audiences attention and get them guessing on what the film will be about and this is just what this clip does as well as being fun, enjoyable and interesting.

Analysis of an openig sequence

Analysing the Opening Sequence of The Nightmare Before Christmas

Although this film is a children’s film, from the opening sequence you get the impression that it is a horror film. But it would only seem scary to young children and would not particularly follow the known rules of a typical horror film.

From this opening sequence you get quite a good feel for the narrative right from the beginning of the clip which starts with narration introducing the narrative to the audience. You can see that it will be a scary film yet with light-hearted elements, there are lots of characters involved in the film. They all belong to a town and from the opening it is easy to tell that the film will be set here and based on the characters in the town. From the song played throughout the opening sequence the film is definitely Halloween themed, you can also see this from the characters shown.

This takes me straight onto the characters themselves. All of the characters in the film are introduced one by one or in small groups right the way through the sequence, alongside the music. Nearer the end of the sequence the main character is clearly highlighted as ‘Jack’ The Pumpkin King. All of the characters are from Halloween such as witches and ghosts and are quite scary but they are all smiling which gives the film a happier more light hearted feeling making it appeal more to the target audience of children.

The atmosphere of the opening sequence is very creepy; the mise-en-scene contributes to this greatly as does the music and appearance of the characters. However the music does have a happier undertone which lightens the atmosphere slightly from its darker origin. The atmosphere does appear very mysterious and strange even with the happier tones.

The only special effects used are, the CGI which is very effective and of a very good quality and the dialogue which matches up to the movements of the characters mouth excellently. As you can see from the picture below the characters and their surroundings are very detailed and the quality of them is high.

Happy upbeat music is the main sound in this clip, it is made up of a melody and singing from the characters in the sequence. This music contrasts to the scene as one is upbeat and happy whereas the other is creepy and dark. At the very beginning of the clip before the singing starts there is narration to introduce the narrative to the audience. There are few sound effects on this sequence there are only ones within the scene for example, pages of a book turning and doors closing.

The continuity editing within the sequence is immensely smooth and is easy for the audience to follow, which is good as the audience will mainly consist of children. There is also linear editing present which makes it clear to the viewer and the sequence is then in chronological order making it easier to understand. The only other apparent piece of editing is the one fade in aclip near to the beginning.

The shots that the camerawork consists of are:

• An establishing shot which tracks downwards spiralling


• A pan


• Tracking forwards which is the majority of the clip with a few winding parts to it


• An extreme close up


• A 4 shot and many other multiple character shots of a similar fashion


• Medium shot


• Long shot


• Tracking side wards to the right

Most of these shots are very short and quick and just an introduction of one or a group of characters so they have to more on to the next one immediately.

If I was to freeze the second from last frame it would be called the mise-en scene which is everything within that frame. So this frame consisted of all of the characters introduced previously the town itself including all of the buildings, fire torches and a pond.

Overall I think this opening sequence gives the audience many clues to the narrative and it is a very good introduction to the film. However I do think that the main theme of the film is too scary for the younger children that would be viewing it. But again this is balanced out with the happy upbeat characters.

Our Childrens Film Opening Sequence...continued...

We have almost finished our childrens film opening sequence now, os we have decided on most apsects. The title of our film is 'Finding Halloween' and has three main characters: a pumpkin man, a witch and a robot. The film is based on these three charcters going on a mission to find halloween after it was lost many years a go and the children were very upset.

The opening sequecne consits of the three main charcters being drawn on a piece of paper by a boy then thrown into a path. thw charcters themm come to life from the page and the titles roll on pieces of paper which are screwed up and then unscrew.

We feel that this film will appeal to chidlren as it follows the three charcters on an adventure and the majority of popular childrens film follow this theme. As this story is set in the autumn and with halloween charaters it will be released at halloween.

We have yet to edit our sequence,by cutting the parts we do not need and adding music and some effetcs.

Find Nemo Analysis

Analysing The Opening Scene Of Finding Nemo

I have chosen the opening clip of the children’s film ‘Finding Nemo’ to analyse. This film is completely animated and uses CGI (computer generated imagery) extensively. It was very popular with younger children because of its enticing storyline.

I looked very carefully at the camerawork during the 2:04 minutes opening of this film and it introduces the setting with an establishing shot that takes the form of a pan of the surrounding area, which in this case was a coral reef. Surprisingly there were many shots in this short scene with just two characters in it. One of the most commonly used one was a two shot of the two clown fish having various conversations. The clip also included other shots such as: long shots, mid long shots, point of view shots and also an over the shoulder shot which was very effective as it showed the point of view of that particular character so the audience could see what they were seeing. I didn’t think that it would be used in an animated film. The clip ends very suddenly with a abrupt blackout.

The sound in this particular clip adds to creating a calming atmosphere as the music is very mellow and peaceful. It creates an ambience that you would expect under the sea, in a coral reef. I think the instruments in the piece include a flute and a piano. Accompanying the music are sea sounds such as bubble and watery sound effects, these help the viewer to see that this film is based under the sea. There seem to be different sound effects for every movement that the character makes. The body and mouth movements in this clip are very synchronous which makes it se much better quality. Most of the sound in this clip is diegetic apart from the music which is non-diegetic. About a quarter of the way through the clip there is a sudden silence in the music creating tension. This is when the whole mood of the clip changes and the music begins to play again but it is eerie and unnerving music which causes the viewer to expect something bad to happen, which does so this shows that it generates the right effect. In this part a shark enters and as it attacks, the music changes yet again to a very dramatic piece and the sound effects are very sharp to coincide with the vicious movements of the shark. This piece ends very dramatically and as it does the music and sounds slowly fades out.

The editing in this film clip is linear meaning it is very straightforward and easy for the viewer to understand, chronological order. Linear editing is very important in a children’s film because they need to be able to understand it, to be able to enjoy it. The cuts are very good from shot to shot as you hardly notice they are happening. The film has continuity editing which is extremely smooth making the clip easy and enjoyable to watch.

The only obvious special effect in this clip is CGI which stands for Computer Generated Imagery which is the animation so this is used throughout the whole film. This particular CGI is of high quality therefore makes the film better in the eyes of the viewer.

Mise – en – scene is everything in the frame, when analysed it is of a still image so this makes it quite difficult to analyse the mise -en- scene in a film clip. I was to freeze the opening image of the clip in the scene would be part of the coral reef under the sea, and the two clown fish.

This film clip is a very good opening as it introduces the setting and the main plot of the storyline. The variation in it is excellent and the fact that it has such a dramatic change. The music used in incredibly appropriate and the synchronisation is also of a high quality. I like this clip very much and think that the film would definitely appeal to children of all ages.

Childrens Film Idea's

After a quick brainstorm we came up with a few potential ideas for our children's film opening sequence. Here are some of our ideas:

Narrative
The main theme of our children's film is mixing live action and animation together which would take place on a piece of paper (only in context not literally). Josh and Fil masterminded an idea to create a film based on a dog in a bin, the initial idea, while simplistic, did not seem to be the adequet storyline for a film. We have not yet decided on the full storyline, but we have the basic idea of a child creating drawings which come to life on the page.

Genre
We discussed many different genres, including: comedy, fantasy and adventure as all of these would be appropriate for children. Although horror may not seem suitable for our target audience and this is why this idea could go one of two ways A) spotting a niche in the market and then filling it with a new genre of kids film or B) the idea could go horribly wrong and scare the children leading to many complaints and the film not being recieved well.

Characters
As a group we breifly talked over this subject, but not in much detail. We have decided that there will definitely be a child, male or female, appearing in our sequence as one of the mian characters. We are just not sure on the animated charcters as yet.

Inspiration
We had thought of having our title seqence as animation and had a few ideas but weren't really sure on how to put them together. So once we had found this clip we could see more clearly in which direction we should go with it.

This video, taken from youtube is also part of our inspiration for our opening credits, however after reviewing it we came to the conclusion that it would be to complex and time consuming to produce to a good quality.



Another idea that was thought up by Lydia was to have pencils rolling acorss the frame and the words could follow after as the film will possibly be based on drawings.

Paths Of Glory, 1957 Staney Kubrick

Paths Of Glory, 1957 Staney Kubrick

Film Langauge;
The language in paths of glory is multi lingual, including speech in English, French and German, although this gives the viewer a few headaches trying to work out what the German army is planning, it adds to the realism of the film and without it the film could also grow confusing trying to work out who was actually English. The old fashioned text used also gives it that bit more of a rustic centruain feeling so close to the war.

Mis En Scene;
There are vast amounts of props used in this film and opening sequence,from the hundreds and thousands of firearms to all the officers diffrent badges right down to the nitty and gritty props like the sandbags used to re-build the trenches. This is important as it alows us to diferinate the diffrent armys by there uniforms or firearms. The setting is fantastic and looks as realistic as can be without actually re-shooting a war, this makes the viewer feel the real effects and at least try and get a glimpse of what the soilders went through.

Special Effects;
As the film was made quite some time ago and with a rather petit budget the film lacks a few blockbuster special effects that would add moe drama and likeness to it. Without these the fighting scenes dont seem as deadly and horrfying as the war films you can see now a days. But the effects that are used make a real diffrence and are still enough for you to wish you were never there. When a shell implodes, we see the real damage they casue as we pan left to see a toy tank and army truck blown to shreds. Ouch!

Sound;
The non-diagetic sound plys a big role in the film becuase if we take that away the film is left bare. The shell explosions are loud and create a vast impact as we jump in our seats due to scare fact it brings to the screen. In comparion to the general gunfire and explosions the speaking from the actors if rather quite but this is actually very clever becuase you cat imagine hearing everything thast being said in a warzone. So the director orders the actors to shout louder to get there point across just like they ould have done in real time.Bombs are not the only non-diagetic sound we hear, we have; screams of agnoy from dying soilders,heavy gun and artillery fire and the sound of water splashing as wounded and batterd soilders try to evade the onslaught falling into craters drownded in water. at the very beginning we also get the beat of the drums so the audeince know the war is on.The attention to detail is fantastic.

Research- Review - Elf

Analysing The Opening Sequence of ‘Elf’

I have chosen the Children’s film ‘Elf’ to analyse as part of my research. This film uses actors and some CGI and animation alongside them. The genre of ‘Elf’ is adventure with a hint of mystery, which makes it very appealing to children as they are able to follow a story and make guesses to what will happen within the narrative. From an audience’s point of view, the opening sequence introduces a large amount of the narrative and it provides us with information. This is that the storyline will include elves and another main character (not an elf) that will join the narrative very soon. The way that the narrative has been introduced is very effective as it engages the audience immediately, especially children because it is filmed in a storytelling fashion. This is created by the character ‘Papa Elf’ who is the narrator.

Only one of the main characters is introduced in the opening sequence and this is ‘Papa Elf’ who narrates all of the opening sequence. He is filmed sitting in a chair as if he is about to tell a story, this makes him seem a friendly character and this will make children feel comfortable right from the beginning of the film. The other characters that are introduced in the opening sequence are the elf workers who are shown making shoes, baking cookies and making Christmas presents. They all are very jolly and happy, with smiling faces, again creating a comfortable atmosphere for the viewers.

Jolly, happy, light hearted and cheerful, these are the words I would use to describe the atmosphere created by the opening sequence of ‘Elf’. From the very first shot you can tell that the film is going to be a happy one. The atmosphere is mainly created by the music as it uses bells, with a jolly tune. The target audience for this film is children and the atmosphere created would fit into this target very well.

The first scene opens with a dissolve from the title screen to an animated book which will be opened to reveal the story of the film. Continuity editing is definitely used in the first seven to eight shots of the opening sequence and it is very smooth, with sharp, clean cuts. As a viewer it would be difficult to recognise the transitions from shot to shot and they are so quick and well edited. Most of the sequence uses linear editing up until the point where chronology of the clip changes and goes back in time to when the elves are introduced doing their different jobs. This is when non-linear editing is used, however the order of events are still vey clear to the viewer because of the storytelling aspect, which makes it more understandable.

The sound plays a major part in this sequence, as it sets the atmosphere, gives clues towards the narrative, and helps to set the scene. Most of the sound is non-diegetic in the form of music which plays throughout most of this sequence. It is very cheery, with carol singers, bells and a light hearted feel to it; this connotates that the film is set at Christmas. The other sounds heard are all diegetic; laughing elves, toys being made and people talking.

There are many special effects used at the beginning of the opening sequence and these include

• CGI


• Floating snowflakes moving across the shot in the title screen


• The book in the first shot which opens to reveal ‘Papa Elf’ sitting inside the frame of one of the pictures, this then transits from animation to an actor.


• Elves appearing smaller than objects/people around them, e.g. Elves running out from a burning tree trunk.

These special effects contribute so much to the quality of the whole film and make it more enjoyable and much more appealing to the viewer, particularly children.

The establishing shot of the opening sequence is a shot similar to a track forward shot, but as it is animated it is as if the camera is zooming in onto the book and through the pages to the very first scene. This then cuts to a long shot of ‘Papa Elf’ the first character of the scene, who is narrating. The narration continues as the shot changes to a mid shot of him. The scene then changes completely with a 5 shot of elves and this quickly transfers to a long shot. A high angled shot is then used to pan down onto the working elves. It then cuts to a track shot that moves forward along the table to a smooth holt at the end. The transition between the panning and the track shot is incredibly smooth and is barely noticeable from the audience’s perspective. The next shot is a slightly higher angles backwards track shot away from the elves and then table and then it cuts to a completely different scene, where a simple pan is used. All of these shots are extremely complex yet effortless making the sequence flow. The sequence ends with the same mid shot of Papa Elf used at the beginning. By ending the sequence with the same shot it started with, makes the introduction seem very concise and clear to viewer so they now know, what they need to know to be able to understand the film.

If I was to freeze a certain section of the opening sequence, I would be analysing the Mise-en-scene (everything within that frame). I decided to look at one of the busiest frames in the clip (shown below) as there are so many things happening in it.

As you can see there are many actors within this frame, most of them being extras, like the ones pushing the wheelbarrows on either side. They are all elves and dressed in appropriate costume for this role which also makes them stand out from the colour of the scenery in the background. This focuses the viewers’ attention on them rather than their surroundings. This frame is set in the workhouse and you can tell because of the long table in the centre and the stacked boxes to the upper left of the frame. The elves are working on making presents and from their body language you can see that they are hard at work but enjoying it. This frame is positioned from a high angle.

The opening sequence to the film ‘Elf’ is an excellent one as it clearly introduces the narrative and sets the scene for the film. The way in which so many shots have been included in such a short space of time has been very cleverly edited which creates a fast pace and makes the clip flow very well. The music used connnotates christmas and this sets the atmosphere for the film excellently. I believe that from the clip I have analysed, this film would appeal to all children and seems to be a typical children’s film with a happy beginning, a troublesome middle and then a happy ending which most children love.

Blade opening scene.

The scene begins with people in a club dancing to the music, and much of the beginning is tracking shots over and within the crowed of dancers. The shot type mostly consists of closeups and medium close ups of various dancers, tracking within the crowed and use of slow-motion to show details in the crowed. Over all of this , the main credits of cast and crew flashes on screen and fades out regulerly.
After this has established the setting etc, two characters enter into the scene from diffrent points, and while the shots keep cutting to slow-motion shots of dancers, the shot will also more regulerly cut to medium closeups of the chracter, showing them wade through the crowed. After all of this the scene cuts to a shot of the hoses on the ceiling of the club, and then blood begins to pour from them, drenching the crowed of dancers. As the blood pours slow motiong is again used, and the shots cut rapidly from long shot to closeup, showing the entire crowed being drenched, and then individual people, and back again. Also during this interlude the shot will cut to the male character, showing his shock and horror at blood raining down, these reaction shots are compleltly closeups, and are all in slow-motion. after a few seconds of this, the camera begins to show close-ups of other people in the crowed, and they are enjoying the blood and are dancing more vigourasly than ever, but one by one they notice that the male is scared, and so begin to turn on him, the camera then begins to show extreme closeups of the peoples mouths and teeth, showing us that they are razor sharp and reveals that the dancers are in fact vampires. there are then several reaction shots from the male being even more terrifie, and suddenly the slow-motion stops and the male is trying very hard to free himself from the crowed. The initial struggle is a long shot but the camera suddenly cuts to a closeup of a vampire and his fist. Once the vampire has punched the man, the shot cuts to a long shot showing all the vampires beating him. the shot cuts again to a medium close-up of the man crawling on his hands and knees away from the crowed, untill he comes upon a man towering over him. We dont see this man, only his legs, and as this happend the music abruptly cuts out. the sequence ends there.

Fil.

Back To The Future - Storyboard

12/10/09

We watched the opening sequence of "Back to the future". We split our into 4 catagories, these were ; Camera movement, sound, character movement and significant images. We each noted what we saw in the film of our category.

Once we had sufficient notes we discussed various significant images in the sequence. Once that had been done, we able to transfer our information into a story board. In our storyboard we included each significant image, as well as camera movement, shot types and what sound was included in that clip. We also noted down the camera movement, using arrows to make it clear.

Our storyboard was then passed onto a diffrent group, for them to analyse and give constructive cristisism and feedback. We now know how to construct a succsesful storyboard for our coursework.

This is an image of our storyboard:

Chlidens Film Information

What is a childrens film?
A childrens film is simply a film amied at children. Children are the target audience and there is no effort to appeal to broader audiences. The age range for children in anyone under 12 years of age. These films must have appropriate themes and valuse, one to appeal to the younger aduience and two, to be suitable for this younger audience.

Define a PG Certificate (film Content)
A PG certificate is a film that is suitbale for children of any age that are accopmpanied by a parent. However the film may contain scenes that could be considrered unsuitable. Parents are advised to consider the conent before taking their child to the film. PG stands for Parental Guidance.


Define a U certificate (film Content)
A U Certificate is a film that is suitable for anyone of any age. However there is a restriction on the age children, they must be 4 years plus. Violence is acceptable in these films but it must be counterbalanced by a reassuring response. U stands for Universal.


Who are the BBFC?
BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. This is a non-governmental, non funding organisation which had been classifiying films show in cinemas for nearly 100 years and also videos from 1984. The BBFC was originally known as the British Board of Film sensors and its aim was to ' bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally.' (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/about/index.php)

Preliminary task

Josh's Prelim task:




PRELIM TASK (JAMES,LYDIA,FIL)

We reviewed a Lemony Snicket film , A series of unfortunate events:
Narrative

• Look as if it may be a happy film to start with
• Changes to unpleasant and eery
• The narrator prepares the viewer for the worst
• It portrays a mysterious storyline
• Revelations
• Characters each have a skill and you can predict that they will each have to use a skill in the film
  
• All inter connected
• Narrator introducting narrative/storyline

Characters

• You can tell that each character is eaqually importnt.
• The characters are violet, sonny and Claus.
• All introduced in beginning sequence
  
• Film will be about their lives\
• Seem interesting, unusual

Themes

• Family love
• The children have love for each other and there dead parents
• Adventure/investigation to search for the truth

Atmosphere

• Happy to start with makes viewer feel good about the film
• Turns to unpleasant story may make the viewer feel uneasy
  
• Atmosphere suddenly changes and may be a shock to the viewer
• Atmosphere for the whole film will be sad, eery and evil

This is what we thought of the film and our views on the opening sequence.

Welcome

Hiiiii!!!

Its Fil, Josh, James and Lydia!

This is our Blog wooo!

I like to blog, blogging is my favourite, if i could blog all day then i could blog blog blog my life away. - James Bursford (2009 6th October 15:45)

Blog me, beautifull!!- Fil Prokofjev (2009 6th October 15:46)

This is my blog baby!.....Lydia O'Dell (2009 6th October 15:47)

Once Youve Been Inside Youll Never Blog The Same Again - Josh Hughes (2009 6th October 15:49)

So welcome, :D x