Research into opening sequence of a Horror film

                                                              Horror opening scene

Directed by Steven Spielberg, "Jaws" was released by Universal Pictures in 1975. The film stars Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and more.  

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to a group of teenagers having a party around a bonfire on the beach. One girl leaves the campfire to go swimming, and a drunken boy chases after her, but is ultimately too drunk and lies at the shore as the girl swims out to sea. The girl is pulled into the water and begins to scream. We assume that the rest of the film will follow the discovery of the girl's death and the impact that this shark has on the other people who swim in the sea, unaware of the danger.

The film begins with an eerie non-diegetic soundtrack that sets a foreboding tone. The opening establishes the film as a horror by following various conventions of the genre. Firstly, the lack of lighting makes the dark setting and the first victim is a young blonde woman, typical of horror films. Additionally, although the scene starts with a group of people the beach appears  desolate and isolated. The young woman leaves the gathering and swims into the dark waters making the audience feel fearful for the young girl. We are introduced to a gathering of young people. They smoke and drink around a campfire which indicates that they are care-free and blissfully unaware of the dark turn that the night is about to take. We are also introduced to a young woman called Chrissie who catches the eye of one of the young man in the group. The young woman appears free-spirited due to her spontaneous idea to go out to sea. The young man's unstable running and diegetic dialogue in which he states: "What's your name again?" suggest that he is foolish as he decides to follow her despite clearly being drunk. 

The scene opens with a group of young people gathered round a campfire drinking, smoking and kissing, indicating that they are relaxed and here to enjoy themselves. There is scant light available as the only source of light is the campfire. This sets a slightly eerie atmosphere. In addition, the diegetic sound effect of harmonicas, guitar and chatter add to the happy and care-free atmosphere. A tracking shot is used to capture the movement in the scene before focussing in one one individual who sits turned away from the group, letting us know he will be important to the narrative. 

In the next key moment, we see the young man follow the young woman as she runs off for the sea. We can now only see the character's silhouettes and the man's drunken state as well as their isolation from the group sets a cautionary tone. A wide angle shot is used to show how small the figures are in amongst the vast beach.

The man struggles to get undressed so he can join Chrissie in the water leaving her swimming out to sea in the complete darkness. It is at this moment that a parallel non-diegetic soundtrack with a sinister tone plays. A low angle shot is used which creates the impression that something lies beneath the waters and the shots are long and drawn-out creating suspense. Suddenly, Chrissie is pulled from the water, confirming the audience's suspicions. She treads the water desperately and through her diegetic dialogue we can hear her screaming, creating a sense of panic. She puts up a fight but is pulled under the water for a final time. These shots are juxtaposed with the next shot where we see the young man lying on the beach blissfully unaware of the horrors that have just occurred. 

I believe this is a successful opening as it establishes the setting immediately and hints at the narrative in only a matter of minutes. Although we are never told that there is a shark, the filmmaker makes skilful use of camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound so that by the end of the scene the audience is aware that there is a shark swimming in the dark waters.

Research into opening sequence of a Sci-Fi film

        Sci-Fi opening scene 

Released in 1982 by Universal Pictures, "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" was directed By Steven Spielberg. The main cast includes Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton.

In the opening sequence, it is night, and a space ship has landed in the middle of a forest. We can hear and see small creatures, whom one can assume are aliens moving about around the space ship. We follow a lone alien through the forest and as he looks to observe the lit-up landscape of a town below him, several cars pull up from which multiple men emerge, led by a man with a large torch. The creatures prepare to escape in the space ship, leaving the lone alone hidden in the bushes who lets out a scream as he runs towards the space ship. However, it leaves and so the creature hides in the bushes again. From this opening sequence, the audience will expect to follow the journey of this creature and how it connects with the household that we are shown at the end of the scene. It appears from the opening sequence that the film is targeting a wide audience, both male and female, and ranging from children to adults. This is because the film seems to have quite a lighthearted tone that seems appropriate for a young audience. It has a fantastical element that is likely to appeal to small children and adults alike. 

The film establishes itself as a Sci-Fi film from the very start. A common convention of the sci-fi genre are extra-terrestrial creatures and a the appearance of objects or activity that would not normally be seen in our normal, day-to-day lives. The opening follows this convention by introducing us to a space ship full of extra terrestrials, making it clear that this is a sci-fi film. We are introduced to several characters. Firstly, we witness a number of extra terrestrials in and around the space ship. We are also introduced to a group of men who search around for the creatures, but we do not gain an insight into their individual characters. However, the opening sequence, focusses largely on one particular extra terrestrial who goes out on his own discovering the forest. This creates the impression that he has a great amount of curiosity and enjoys exploring his surroundings. However, when he is left behind by the space ship we get the sense that this creature is a little inexperienced and foolish. The creature also attempts to steal a small pine tree which suggests that he might be a bit mischievous. The tone of the opening is quite mysterious which is emphasised by the mystical diegetic soundtrack and the dark setting. The shots slowly reveal the setting and the space ship, little by little, rather than revealing everything all at once which also contributes to the mysterious tone. 

The scene opens with a shot of the dark night sky lit up by stars, which pans slowly down to the setting, a forest. This may symbolise that these extra-terrestrial creatures have arrived to earth from somewhere in the sky, emphasising that they are foreign creatures. The space ship is hinted at slowly through a series of tracking shots which circle around it, creating intrigue as to what the glowing object is behind the pine trees in the foreground. After the space ship is revealed, we transition to the inside of the space ship. 

After witnessing several of the extra terrestrials briefly, the scene shifts its focus to one particular creature. We follow him through the woods. The pleonastic sound-effect of the creature grunting reminds us that the creature is from a different planet and it gets louder at certain points which is paired with a low angle shot, creating the impression that we are experiencing the world from the creature's point of view. The trees appear large from the low angle which emphasises the largeness of the human world in comparison to the smaller creature.

The tone of the soundtrack shifts as a group of cars, the first sign of human life, arrive. There is a close-up of the car exhaust and the men's feet as they trudge through the dirt. This is paired with the diegetic pleonastic sound effect of keys. This immediately presents these characters as powerful in comparison to the gentle, non-threatening grumbles that the extra terrestrials make. This creates a suspense, as the audience watches to see if the humans will be able to find the creature. During the chase, the soundtrack picks up pace and the creatures growls quicken while the non-diegetic ambience of rustling bushes can be heard. There is a brief POV shot which helps the audience to feel the creature's panic. The shots are edited in quick succession, adding to the tension.

I believe that this is a successful opening scene as it introduces the setting, characters and the story line without telling us what will happen next. Despite the lack of dialogue, the use of other non-diegetic and diegetic sound, paired with mise-en-scene and a variety of different camera angles and movement make the story line easy to follow. Additionally, by following a number of Sci-Fi conventions, it is made clear to the audience that this is the genre of the film.

Research into opening sequence of a thriller film

Sicario opening scene 

"Sicario" was released in 2015 by Lionsgate. Directed by Denis Villenueve, the film's main cast include Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin and Victor Garber.

 

In this thriller opening sequence, we see a team of FBI agents break into a house in Chandler, Arizona looking for hostages and shoot two individuals to death. In doing so they discover something very sinister; Multiple bodies are hidden inside the walls. The agents continue to search the house before one of the agents finds something that sets off an explosion. The scene ends with shot of a bloody arm without a body attached to it. The opening makes it clear that this is a thriller movie by following several of the conventions of this genre. This includes the fact that there is a very suspenseful tone, which is emphasised by the use of a parallel non-diegetic soundtrack creating a dark tone. Furthermore, the opening follows a group of investigators who are dealing with murder which is a common thriller convention. We expect that the rest of the film will follow an investigation into who is behind these individuals and why this has occurred.

Due to this film being a thriller, we know that the target audience is a mature audience as this is quite intense subject matter for a young audience to view. Due to the representation of both genders in the opening sequence, I believe that this film is attempting to target all genders. We are introduced to a range of characters. Firstly, we are introduced to a large group of FBI investigators. We also witness two individuals inside the house that the FBI team are investigating, but we gain no insight into their characters as they are shot dead almost immediately after the audience first witnesses them. From the opening it appears that the protagonist is a female FBI agent, who appears most often and is captured in a variety of close-up shots which suggest that she is important to the story line. 

One of the key moments is when the agents are inside an unknown vehicle approaching their destination. The characters have serious expressions on their faces which suggests that they are dealing with a serious situation. This is emphasised by the use of a non-diegetic soundtrack with a suspenseful tone and the lack of lighting which creates a fearful tone. This causes the audience to experience high anticipation as to what might happen next. This is disrupted as the vehicle begins to speed up. The pleonastic sound effect of the vehicle crashing through the house, disrupts the anticipation as the FBI agents enter the house which appears to be an abandoned property being temporarily used. This is suggested by the prop of a car seat being used as a chair and the walls which are only partially parted. The man is shot and told to get down on his hands and knees. The tense tone suddenly switches to an action scene. It takes only a minute to do so which is effective as it draws the audience into the plot line before they might potentially lose interest. 

In the next scene, the FBI raid the house. Short shots are edited in quick succession and hand-held camera is used to mirror the action. This is followed by some longer shots that create suspense as the audience wonders what might be found in the next room. Finally, the main female agent enters a room and quickly shoots the man standing in the room dead. Shortly after, a man standing in the back of the room spots a large hole in the whole. At this point, the Diegetic soundtrack plays again and becomes louder. It creates an eerie tone as the camera moves closer with the hole occupying the entire frame. The agents begin tearing the wall apart to reveal dead bodies wrapped in plastic behind it. This pulls in the audience, urging them to continue to watch to find out why these bodies have been put there and who is behind it.

Following the horrific discovery, one of the agents is urged to step outside. Outside, a close up shot shows a man fiddling with a locked trap door with his hands and feet. An eyeline match shows the distressed agent watching this. The soundtrack continues to build up, causing tensions to rise once again and a voice can be heard shouting, alerting others to the trapped door. As the main female agent steps outside to investigate. The shed blows up suddenly and is set on fire which is emphasised by a pleonastic sound effect. This shocks the audience, acting as a jump-scare that makes them anxious to continue watching. The mise-en-scene of a bloody arm lying on the ground adds to the frightening atmosphere. 

I believe this is a successful thriller opening as it creates a suspenseful and compelling storyline without revealing too much. In addition, though we get an insight into the character's job, there is still a lot about the individual characters for the audience to learn. 

Research into opening sequence of a war film

 War opening scene 

Directed by Christopher Nolan, "Dunkirk" was released by Warner Brothers in 2017. Its main cast include Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard and Lee Armstrong. 

The narrative presented to us is one whereby French and British armies have been driven to the sea by the enemy and are trapped at Dunkirk. The soldiers wander around looking for water and cigarettes when suddenly a shot is fired and they are sent running. All but one of the soldiers is shot dead, and the survivor runs for safety, eventually finding protection with a group of French soldiers behind sand bags. However, he is only here briefly before he leaves and runs to the beach to join large crowds of soldiers there.  From this, we might expect the film to follow the journey of this British and French troops fighting at Dunkirk. Since the opening focusses particularly on one young, British soldier, the audience might expect the opening to focus on his story and whether he is able to survive in the end. 

From the opening, the target audience could be for anyone interested in this battle. However, the subject matter is very dark, meaning that this film is most likely meant for a mature audience, and not for children. The diegetic sound effect of guns and the non-diegetic parallel soundtrack help to create the harrowing tone of the opening. From the very first shot, it is clear that the film can be categorised as a war film. This is made clear by the army uniform costumes worn armed with guns as their props which establishes these characters as soldiers. Throughout the opening, the film follows many of the conventions of a war film. As well as the text that appears on the screen mentioning the British and French armies awaiting their fate, conventions of war films are used in other ways to show that this is a war film. Firstly, multiple gun shots can be seen and heard which cause lots of destruction as we see the soldiers shot dead and the a gate battered from the impact of the shots. It is also very clear that the soldiers are fearful as they can be seen running for safety as gun shots are fired. Furthermore, the young man whose story we follow can be seen panting with worried expressions on his face which shows that the characters are experiencing fear. The audience also witnesses camaraderie when the French soldiers take in the young British soldier, which is another key convention of the war genre

 Although multiple characters are introduced, many of them are killed within the first minute and we mainly follow one character, the young British soldier that finds safety with the French troops. The opening scene establishes this character as someone who is fearful and lacks experience as a soldier. We can see this when he struggles to handle his gun and breathes heavily indicating panic. Additionally, the character displays worried facial expressions throughout, emphasising his fear which suggests he is inexperienced. We are briefly introduced to French soldiers who allow the young British soldier to find safety behind the sand bags. However, their body language and facial expressions appear quite hostile which communicates the level of distrust and suspicion that occurs during a war. 

The first scene focusses on indicating the desperateness of the soldiers. The use of props is important in emphasising that the Germans are currently in the lead. German propaganda showers down from the sky which is followed by a close-up shot of one of the posters which is held in the hands of a soldier and states: "we surround you", suggesting that the soldiers are close to a defeat. The sky appears almost colourless perhaps which connotes dreariness and a lack of joy, perhaps emphasising the mood that the war has brought upon the soldiers. There is then a close up shot of one of the soldiers attempting to drink water from a hose-pipe outside a house in the street. This close-up shot shows that in this moment, the soldiers are so worn-down and desperate that they are struggling even to find the necessity of water. This is emphasised by the use of a close-up shot in which a soldier attempts to use a burnt out cigarette found in ash try by a window. This shows his hopeless state as he is attempting to make use of things that are clearly already used. The hand-held shot used suggests that the state of the war is unsteady just as the movement of the camera is. 

Another key moment is when the young British soldier is granted refuge with a group of French soldiers. Diegetic dialogue is used in which the soldier states: "I'm English, Anglais". This is the only point in which dialogue is used. This emphasises that the atmosphere is very tense and so there is almost no time for conversation. The soldiers must be careful with what they say. Furthermore, the action of him running towards the sand bags shows how there is not a moment to spare or any time to experience relief as he must carry on in his journey for survival.

After briefly finding protection with the French soldiers, they begin firing shots and the young soldier runs at speed and arrives at a beach where large crowds of troops have amassed. A long shot is used to emphasise the dramatic scale, highlighting the quantity of troops needed. A close up. A mid shot is used to focus back again on the young soldier. This is a very dramatic moment as we have just witnessed a snap shot into his tumultuous experience, and we are shown that this is the experience of just one of the masses of soldiers who are sure to have experienced the same fear that he has.

I believe that this is a successful opening as it clearly establishes the genre of the film as a war film. Though just three minutes long, the opening captures the audience interest as to where the soldier's journey will take him, and how the rest of this moment of the war will unfold. It also gives a clear insight into the miserable atmosphere of the war which is sure to have a very moving effect on the audience.

What is genre?

         GENRE           

Genre is a way of containing or categorising a media product based on its conventions. 

Genre is important to institutions because it helps them to identify their audience and market the film. This allows them to target the audience effectively as they know what conventions are needed in the film. This is done so that the institution can fulfil the expectations of the audience effectively.  

 

 

Genre is the main umbrella of categorising a film. An example of a genre is action, such as a comedy. This keeps the potential audience relatively small as a specific genre, such as romance, has a stereotypically mostly female audience. 

Sub-genre contains a category within the category of that genre. For example this might reveal the comedy is a dark comedy. Thus, making it even clearer to the audience what they can expect from the film. An example of this is the dark comedy Parasiste.

A hybrid-genre is when two or more main genres are merged together. This can be very effective in pleasing more than one audience. It can also make films more unpredictable which keeps films interesting as the audience is less sure of what audience they should expect from the film. This might have the ability to target a wider audience as they won't be sure of what emotions will be revoked.  For example, the horror-comedy film "Shaun of the Dead" offers the conventions of both horror and comedy films. A trailer for this film can be seen below.

 

With each genre, comes expectations from the audience. For example, if the audience is watching a horror film they may expect the setting to be a large house in a remote setting or to be set in a dark forest. They might also expect the victim to be a young girl or child. Above all, the audience wants to experience jump scares and experience suspense. On the other hand, if the audience is watching a comedy, they might expect to see an everyday situation that has been over-exaggerated to create a humorous effect. The audience wants to laugh and find a light-hearted escape in the film.

Research into a big institution

 Walt Disney 

Walt Disney studios, named after its creator Walt Disney, was started up by Walt Disney and his brother Roy in the rear of a small office based in Los Angeles. Here, the brothers created multiple short films, both animated and live-action. After four months, the company relocated next door in order to gain access to a larger workspace as the number of staff employed had grown significantly. At this point, the studio was known as “Disney Bros. Studio”. In 1925, the studio relocated again to the Silver Lake District, Los Angeles. In this new studio, over the next fourteen year many of the world’s beloved characters. Mickey Mouse, after which Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy were also created. Today, the Walt Disney Studios are located in Burbank, California and has been formally named “The Walt Disney Company” since 1986. 

On 25th February 2020, it was announced that Bob Chapek would take on the role of Chief Executive Officer. The Walt Disney Company is not owned by one person, but multiple corporations and individuals. The largest current shareholder is the Vanguard Group Inc. Individuals with significant ownership include Bob Iger, the previous Chief Executive Officer of the company, as well as the CFO, Christine M. McCarthy and the general counsel, Alan Braverman. However, The Walt Disney Company owns other companies as well as their own. One of these companies is  21st Century Fox, which they have owned since 2019. Other companies include National Geographic, Marvel, Muppets Studio, ABC and GoPro. Moreover, they own significant shares in networks such as ESPN.

Walt Disney has enjoyed a number of successes in the box office since 1937 when “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was released. Their top five biggest box office successes include “The Avengers”, “The Lion King”, “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Star Wars: Episode VII - The force Awakens” and the highest grossing of all: “Avengers: Endgame” which generated a total of $2,797,501,328. In 2020, the highest grossing films produced by Disney included “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, “Onward” and “Frozen II”. The budget for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”. The budget for these films ranged between $150 million and $275 million. 

Disney has employed a number of directors to work on their films, however there are some directors that have worked on a number of their most successful films. For example, Jennifer Lee, who directed “Frozen”, “Wreck it Ralph” and “Zootropolis”. Many of the same actors appear in a number of Marvel films such as in the “Avengers” franchise where many actors play the same character in multiple films. These actors include Robert Downey Jr who plays Iron Man and is also the producer of these films. Currently, Disney has thirteen movies in pre-production, eight in production and six in post-production. 

Being such a large institution comes with a number of advantages for The Walt Disney Company. The most significant of these is that the company is allowed greater creative freedom as they have bigger budgets and a great deal of financial security to rely upon if one of their movies were to be less successful than expected. It also means that they can use this budget to work in synergy with other companies and generate more revenue.

Research into a small institution

 Belstone Pictures

Belstone Pictures was started by the Chief Executive Officer Finn Cardigan Bruce in 2016 who gained an interest in film-making whilst studying at Hurtwood House. After leaving school, he wanted to continue his passion and this resulted in the creation of his own company, Belstone Pictures. Before setting up Belstone pictures, Finn Cardigan Bruce worked in London on a number of films and TV shows including “Top Gear” and “Downton Abbey” and then working as Executive Assistant to Shaun Redick and Ray Mansfield in Los Angeles. Belstone Pictures is currently based in Chelsea, London and is owned by its CEO and founder, Finn Cardigan Bruce. 

As of 2021, Belstone Pictures has released four films, one TV show and three short films. These films include “Tank 432”, “Tucked”, “Tracks” and “Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break”, however none of these have been released in cinemas. The most recent of these films is “Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break”. The actors that star in their films are usually unheard of actors, some of which have starred in several of their films. For example, April Pearson stars in both “Tucked” and “Tank 432”. Nick Gillespie was the director for both “Tank 432” and “Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break”. They currently have a total of nine films in pre-production and production.

Despite the limited budget that smaller institutions such as Belstone Pictures experience, there are several advantages. For example, since films released by smaller institutions usually star actors who are less recognised, this can be a great opportunity to launch their career, which helps the studio gain recognition in turn.