I feel that my group should base our opening sequence on the Action/Adventure Genre. This is because I personally feel that an Action Adventure film is able to have a range of different stigmas within the opening sequence that the audience could deduct. This would make it much easier for the group to be able to come to a conclusion, as it would be more likely that most of our group ideas would be fulfilled.
Genre Film Case Study
Number 1: Scarface
At the start of Scarface's opening scene, a non-diegetic soundtrack is played. The soundtrack itself sounds very brute and dangerous, but also sounds as if it would be played during a time of defeat (assuming a battle is taking place). This makes the audience feel as if they are going to be introduced to a very striking main character.
The film goes on to show credits regarding Cuban refugees entering the US with the intention of drug trafficking, then plays a clip of Castro, one of Cuba's Prime Ministers during the Cuban Revolution. This reveals that the main character is essentially going to be a Cuban refugee, possibly a criminal looking for a way to make money out of illegal drugs.
The film goes on to show us boats of Cuban refugees, all looking very tired and cramped on these small fishing boats heading into the US. The soundtrack that is playing during this moment is very contrapuntal, as it seems to be playing a much more joyful audio. This could connote that the main character arriving from Cuba is going to be having a very good time in the US. or that the dangerous but excited refugee is going to be causing a lot of havoc in the US.
Number 2: Home Alone
In the opening scene of home alone 2, we are placed in a large house with people walking and shouting all over the place. The people walking around are all kids essentially, revealing that this is the house of a very big family. The fact that everyone is rushing to pack suitcases also tells the audience that they are planning to go on vacation.
We are soon introduced to Kevin, who judging by his height and the fact that he unable to pack his own suitcase is the youngest in the family. The way that the other siblings speak to him reveals to me that he might be seen as the "annoying child", thus causing his other siblings to ignore him.
As the opening scene continues there is a point where Kevin shouts and says: "when I grow up I'm living alone! You hear me?". Kevin begins to stomp his feet whilst saying this, but surprisingly the only person who takes notice of this is the policeman. This makes me feel as if Kevin's' presence in the household is completely ignored by everyone else who lives there. This could have been used to reveal that later on in the film Kevin will be dispersed from everyone else, in an attempt to make everyone realise that he actually is important.
Film Number 4: Ill manors
Because Ill Manors is based on the type of genre that I feel my own opening title sequence would be based around, I have analysed the opening to try and understand how a film of this genre would choose to represent the Genre itself, the enigmas they want to portray, the characters they want to introduce and how they use the micro features to give the audience an insight into what type of character they are.
Opening sequence:
At the very start of the opening, we are introduced to the production company for this film, them being Revolver Entertainment. This is important as Revolver is mainly known for creating films based around the urban crime genre, possibly revealing to the audience the sort
of genre for the film they are about to watch.
The first thing that the audience are shown is a person lighting a Cigarette. The shot of this image is an extreme close-up, possibly used to make the flame coming out of the lighter seem much more vibrant/expressive. I feel that the lighting of the Cigarette was used first to reveal to the audience that they will be introduced to an immediate problem/conflict (as a flame could connote an image of conflict). The fact that he is lighting a rolled up Cigarette could also be used to reveal to the audience that this person is from an urban area (as a rolled up Cigarette is seen as a cheaper item than something such as a Cigar). Furthermore, if this person were to be in a gang of some sort, we could use the type of Cigarette he is smoking to reveal that this is an urban gang, rather than a Mafia type gang (as a gang like the Mafia would probably smoke a Cigar). All of the possible ideas that are stemming from this brief image are the sort of enigmas that the audience (such as myself) would be feeling.
As we are first introduced to one of the characters, most of the enigmas that were introduced by the first image have been proved right. We are shown a man who, judging by his eyes, is slightly intoxicated. He also appears to be wearing a hat that reflects urban fashion, which reveals that he is probably an individual who lives in an urban area. The fact that he is intoxicated could also show that he is possibly from the darker/criminal side of the people brought up in an urban environment. The fact that the audience may be able to see what type of person this is could be important to see the sort of narrative that the film will follow throughout.
The camera then cuts to an establishing shot of the person's bedroom. Looking at the bed and the drawers that are there, it is clear to see how this person is from a lower class background. The use of this shot also helps the audience distinguish the characters entire outfit, which appears to be a pair of sneakers, and a full black tracksuit with a hoodie. This type of outfit is expressively used by those who could be part of some sort of gang affiliation or more specifically those classed as "marginalised youth". Due to the connotations of his outfit, the audience may be able to make the clear assumption that he is related to gang activity of some sort.
When the camera next cuts, it cuts to an establishing shot of an area, possibly the area that the man shown in the previous part lives in. I feel that this was mainly used to provoke a feeling of the continuous theme of lower class youth. However, I personally feel that the director was also trying to make the area seem as prestigious as a tourist destination, as the people who live here could feel proud that this where they are from, regardless of the connotations that it represents.
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