Impression: The main pointer as to why a film opening will draw in an audience is because it is their immediate first look and impression of the film, if it is good, then they'll carry on expecting better things to arise from the film they are currently watching and continue watching, however, if an audience as a whole feels disappointed about the film opening, they may carry on expecting better things from the rest of the film, but then nothing ever arises. Setting up these first impressions is key; having a drawn audience is film promotion in itself. if the film is good and it keeps on delivering up to the standard of the film opening that the audience enjoyed, then more often than not, they will tell everyone they know about the film if it was that good. critics within the media are key, and are usually where these first impressions a really crucial and dependant. critics are harsh, but they are also truthful in most cases. a good critic would point out how the film is outstanding, yet also flawed. critics do tend to sway people from either seeing or not seeing the film, so making the film look good, nailing the first opening scene and making it appeal to the critics, as well as sticking to the desired genre, is always a must.
Promotion: promotion is also a key factor within film openings, such as promotions of actors and directors, which give the audience insight in to who created this film. if it's good, they will perhaps gain traction, especially if it's independent. if it is a mainstream films and people already know the actors within the film, then it's always good to show the director, and show the audience the "main" actor that they hired, mainly for media attention, acting talent, perhaps even publicity, also so it automatically appeals to a certain audience that revolves around that one particular actor. one further point about promotion is that it will promote the institutions that helped create this film, usually part of the big six, e.g, Warner Bros. Universal, 20th Century FOX
Establishing shot and location: The establishing shot is key when trying to define our set location and time period, as well as a small part about the film. To really engage an audience, the director may make use of Todorov's theory, and put the "disruption" within these first few key scenes. Although this may be too fast for the disruption to take place, it does ultimately draw in the audience, and sets the whole film up for the rest of it's screen-time. based on how the establishing shot is seen on screen, an audience may be able to define the key genre that the film leans towards, which also links to generic conventions. if my group wants to add an establishing shot to the film opening, we will need to consider the generic conventions of our chosen genre (Film Noir) so that the audience can identify this.
Mise En Scene: some audiences like looking for the hidden details within films and / or the connotations of things in some scenes. The use of props, sound and location can really be linked to the general quality of the film all together, and can lead to a better outcome than a film that is poorly planned with no relevant props, sound or location shooting, hence why it is good to look at Mise in all aspects of filming, as it will lead to a better outcome for our own opening sequence. One key thing mentioned here would be the use of sound. in film Noir compared to horror, we may use a sequence of jazz music (links back to generic conventions within the film Noir genre) to add an element of mystery or sophistication within our opening, whereas a horror movie for example would use a screeching violin to help build tension among their target audience.
Character: the film opening will almost always portray the main character, and will give the audience an idea of what this character is like. Seems the character will be the centre of attention throughout the whole of the film, it's a good idea to reveal a little bit about them at the beginning, especially if they're supposed to be mysterious. revealing little information draws the viewer in better than revealing no information, and more information about this mysterious main character can be revealed within events in the film, which would help layout the story-line of the film as well
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion:
The opening scene is key to all films, and this is probably the reason why we have a project based around it because it is that important. Combining generic conventions of our chosen genre with the elements needed for a film opening will result in a much better film opening as a whole, and the more research done in to how we can portray these conventions, the better.
No comments:
Post a Comment