Since my film opening would have the genre of a romance, I began watching examples and analyzing film openings of other romantic films.
The first opening that I analyzed was The Notebook (2004), directed by Nick Cassavetes. Cassavetes created an opening which is the present-time of a story that happened in the 1950's between two characters, which is the couple that the movie revolves around. The opening scene allows the viewer to recognize important aspects about the film, from the start, such as genre, setting, and most importantly, characterization.
GENRE- The director at first shows the male protagonist of the film, Duke, and then later shows the female protagonist. This contrast between characters, and how they meet at the very end of the opening sequence allows the reader to assume that they are a couple which would lead to the genre of a romance. For my film, I want to do something like this, as they never explicitly stated they were a couple, but showed it through dialogue, camera cuts, and characterization.
SETTING- The male is located, at first, in a room which appears to be his bedroom, with light blue walls that give the impression that the man is in a hospital. Then, the nurse walks in and talks about the man's pills. The humorous dialogue between the patient and the nurse indicate that they are located in an elderly care home. Without showing any establishing shots of a hospital or care home, with mise-en-scene and dialogue, the director accomplished the task of making the viewer figure out what the setting and situation is. For my opening, I want to do something very similar to this as I want the viewer to assume everything through mise-en-scene, visuals, and dialogue.
CHARACTERIZATION- The very first thing that the viewer sees is a close-up of a man. By his over-sized glasses, as well as the stretch marks on his face, the viewer can quickly note that the man is a third-aged man. The viewer could also tell that the man, and the woman who is later displayed, are or were in love by the way the man shows interest about her through dialogue. This specific shots and dialogue allow the viewer to get background knowledge about the character from a very early stage in the film. For my opening, I want to mimic this idea as I want the viewer to know as much as possible about my two characters from my two-minute opening.
Watching films that fall within my genre and analyzing techniques within their openings give me a better idea of what to do with my film opening as well as note my target audience's preferences. There is plenty of more to come with my research on romantic movie openings.
Digital image. The Notebook - WarnerBros. Web.
GENRE- The director at first shows the male protagonist of the film, Duke, and then later shows the female protagonist. This contrast between characters, and how they meet at the very end of the opening sequence allows the reader to assume that they are a couple which would lead to the genre of a romance. For my film, I want to do something like this, as they never explicitly stated they were a couple, but showed it through dialogue, camera cuts, and characterization.
SETTING- The male is located, at first, in a room which appears to be his bedroom, with light blue walls that give the impression that the man is in a hospital. Then, the nurse walks in and talks about the man's pills. The humorous dialogue between the patient and the nurse indicate that they are located in an elderly care home. Without showing any establishing shots of a hospital or care home, with mise-en-scene and dialogue, the director accomplished the task of making the viewer figure out what the setting and situation is. For my opening, I want to do something very similar to this as I want the viewer to assume everything through mise-en-scene, visuals, and dialogue.
CHARACTERIZATION- The very first thing that the viewer sees is a close-up of a man. By his over-sized glasses, as well as the stretch marks on his face, the viewer can quickly note that the man is a third-aged man. The viewer could also tell that the man, and the woman who is later displayed, are or were in love by the way the man shows interest about her through dialogue. This specific shots and dialogue allow the viewer to get background knowledge about the character from a very early stage in the film. For my opening, I want to mimic this idea as I want the viewer to know as much as possible about my two characters from my two-minute opening.
Watching films that fall within my genre and analyzing techniques within their openings give me a better idea of what to do with my film opening as well as note my target audience's preferences. There is plenty of more to come with my research on romantic movie openings.
Digital image. The Notebook - WarnerBros. Web.
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