Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Director: 

Mike Leigh

Writer: 

Mike Leigh

Storyline

Happy-Go-Lucky gives an insight into a young women's life, Poppy Cross. Poppy is a primary school teacher in London, we see her take up her own hobby's and we also see her help to deal with some trouble children. During the story we see her Happy-Go-Lucky attitude towards life. 

Enigma codes

As soon as we see a picture some questions in the audiences minds are raised. Firstly we ask why she is travelling by bike? This then leads the viewer on to ask where she is going? Is she going to meet anyone? If so, who? We also ask who is the lady we can see? It soon becomes clear that she is the main character because she is the first person we see and she is also the main focus of the camera. However before this becomes clear another question would be is she the main character?

Mise-en-scene

From the first shot of Poppy we can see that she is in a city. It doesn't take long for the viewer to see that she is in London. The opening sequence for this film is quite different to the other social realist films I have looked and so it doesn't seem very conventional. Due to the small shots, quite quickly moving shots it is difficult to see much in a lot of detail. As the opening sequence nears it's end we can see in a lot more detail where she is and what she is wearing etc. The area she moves into doesn't look extremely nice however it is not as run down as your conventional social realist setting. She doesn't dress extremely smart which would suggest that she doesn't have as much money as some however she dresses colourfully and as you would expect for someone with a Happy-Go-Lucky attitude.

Lighting

It appears to be quite a nice day in the opening sequence of Happy-Go-Lucky and so the lighting is quite bright. This reflects the attitude of the main character Poppy and it also makes the audience feel happier and more relaxed about watching the film.

Characters

We only meet one in the opening sequence and that character is Poppy. Unfortunately we don't learn much about her character at all during the first few minutes and I think it's very difficult to tell much of her personality too. We know that she has a Happy-Go-Lucky attitude from the title of the film and her clothing also suggests this as does her actions. Throughout the whole of the opening sequence Poppy seemed to have a smile on her face which obviously shows she is happy!

Shot types

Whilst the titles are running we see a series of long shots and close-ups of Poppy on her bike.  The long shots give the viewer a sense of geography as we can almost make out where she is and it also allows us to see what she looks like, how she's travelling and what she is wearing which is enough to raise some questions within our minds. The close-ups allow us to see the emotion on Poppy's face which also allows us to ask questions but it also gives us a bit more information about the character as we can see that she is happy. 

Editing

Also whilst the titles are running the shots only fill half of the screen. They slide on and off screen leaving the rest of the shot space for the opening credits. I think that this is effective because it allows you to see what Poppy is doing but you can also see the titles. The action isn't too much and so it doesn't detract from the titles. As we get to the last shot with the titles it then spreads across the screen so the audience can now see the action full screen. The camera seems to allow Poppy to walk into the shot rather than already being focused on her. This is effective as it allows the audience to see where the location is and also makes the shot more interesting.

Sound

The sound during the opening sequence is almost all non diegetic sound. Most of the sound heard can only be heard by the viewers and it is soft, cheery music that we can hear. This sound fits in with the personality of our character as she is also very cheery. The sound fits with the pace of the editing of the shots because it's not too racy but it isn't too slow either. The only piece of diegetic sound we hear during the opening sequence is right at the end when the music becomes quieter. We hear the bell on the shop door and, to me, this signals the end of the opening sequence. 

This is the opening sequence to Happy-Go-Lucky. 

In my opinion the opening sequence ends at approximately 3:54 minutes in. I think that the bell on the door ends the opening sequence!

Kidulthood (2006)

Director: 

Menhaj Huda

Writer: 

Noel Clarke

Storyline 

Kidulthood is a social realist film. The film follows a day in he life of a group of 15 year olds growing up in west London. The film highlights the gang culture and bullying problems many society's have a problem with. 

Enigma codes

One of the first questions raised within the opening sequence of Kidulthood is raised very quickly. As the shots flick between the action they flick to one of the characters making something. As an audience member you find yourself asking what is it he is making and why is he making it? Once he has finished he hides it very carefully, why does need to be hidden? Other questions asked are why is one of the girls being bullied so much? And one of the characters, Becky, asks her friend if she will go to the party with her if she gets some money for them to get an outfit each, we ask, how is she going to get the money for these outfits?

Mise-en-scene

The beginning of Kidulthood is, I think, in the playground of a school in west London. I think it's a playground or playing field because they are all gathering here in school uniforms and some children are playing football.It is quite a small playground which is full of kids from different ethnicity groups, class and gender. There are big fences all around the school which reinforces our ideas that they are in a very rough and deprived area. We can't see much of their location because the playground is so busy. The camera only really shows us the action and there is a lack of establishing shots.

Lighting

Throughout the opening sequence the lighting is quite dark and dull, possibly in the winter season. This gives the film quite a dark feel and makes the audience feel quite glum about the  events to come. The dark lighting also reflects the characters lives. 

Characters

Each character holds a different story. This is shown very early own as the camera flicks between the action on the playground. I think this is an effective way of opening this film as it allows the audience to have more of an idea of how things are going to pan out throughout the film as we get more of a feel for who is who. We see immediately who the more dominant groups are and which friendship groups there are. 

Shot types

Kidulthood begins with a series of quite quick medium close-ups and close-ups. The medium close-ups allow the audience to see a bit more of each character showing us what they are wearing, who they are with and what their position is. This is good for the audience as it gives us more of a feel for who each person is and it allows us to build up a character profile. The close-up shots come when a boy is building something. These shots give us a clearer picture picture of what he is doing however it doesn't give the game away. There are more close-up shots when there is dialogue between the characters. This allows the audience to see the emotion of each characters face which allows us to feel emotion for them, which makes you feel more part of the film. The camera follows the action and tracks characters. For example, when some dialogue is finished between some characters and they walk away the camera follows them until it reaches the next scene. 

Editing

I think that the editing from shot to another is very effective during this open sequence. There are some clean, straight cuts but the camera also pans from one piece of action to another. This is good as it runs slightly more smoothly and also gives the audience the impression that they are watching the school children as if they are surveying them. This would connect to the storyline and location of these children as we get the impression that they are from a 'rough' area and come from a 'rough' background. The camera also zooms in and out occasionally which also gives the impression of someone watching them. It also allows the shot type to change from a long shot to a medium close-up in one shot and it moves in closer to the action so the audience feel more part of the film. The camera also never really seems to stop moving, the pace of the shots depends on who the camera is focusing on and what they are doing. This subtly lets the audience know who the bigger characters are and who maybe have the bigger ego's etc. 


Sound
Before any of the dialogue starts we hear some quite eery music which builds a suspense for the audience. The first shot we see is of the boy making something, we can hear him putting all of the parts together instead of just seeing it. This is really effective as it makes it seem more real. Once the dialogue properly starts it is over the eery music in the background. The music is non diegetic sound and the dialogue is diegetic. All of the sound is really clear and sharp. This is really effective as it's clear what's happening and it also makes the audience feel more emotion when things are happening. For example when Sam spits in the girls hair we can hear it very clearly it makes you feel disgusted. I think without that sound it wouldn't be so clear what he was doing and so it wouldn't make the audience feel anything. 


This is the opening sequence to Kidulthood (2006) 
I think that in my eyes the opening sequence finishes at approximately 4:36 seconds in as it shows the beginning of the school day and therefore the beginning of the film. 

IT (1990)

IT is a film by Stephen King. The opening sequence for IT isn't too scary! I'm not petrified of clowns and so I managed to watch a whole 10 minutes of it! Even though the first time I watched it was with my hands in front of my face!

IT is set in 1960, when seven outcast kids known as "The Loser Club" fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. 30 years later, they are called back to fight the same clown again and this is where the story begins. 

The mise-en-scene of this horror film isn't what I expected. It is during the day in, what looks like a town. There is a storm which always means bad news in any film! During the opening titles lots of pictures are shown in black and white and then one of the pictures becomes the first establishing shot for the film. The storm approaches and lots of shots are shown of the washing being blown around, the rain is also shown which helps show that the storm is nearing which builds a suspense for the viewer. During the opening sequence lots of enigma codes appear to arise. Firstly, why are these pictures being shown? Then, after the little girl is murdered you find yourself asking why was she murdered? And what happened to her? As the film progresses we meet two young boys. One of the boys gives the other, Georgie, who's picture has turned up at the murder scene of the young girl, a paper boat. We ask ourselves what the significance of the boat is and why the film has now flicked into the past?

It is daylight for the majority of this opening sequence however it is a dull day and the storm is approaching which makes the sky dark and therefore the lighting dark. This creates a mood and an atmosphere for the following events to take place. As the story moves on and the location changes the lighting does too. As we are shown our second establishing shot of a house we are shown that it is now dark outside. This sets the tone for the viewer as you can predict that something bad is going to happen whilst it dark. Then as the location changes again and becomes daytime again the lighting also changes and becomes lighter however there is another storm and so the lighting is dim and eery which sets the mood again for the events to come. 

To begin with many of the shot types are long shots. This allows the audience to see where the action is taking place however at this point it limits the audience to feeling any emotion during this time as we can't really see how any of the characters are feeling as there are no close-ups of their faces. The close-ups begin as the young girl picks up her dolly. And then a close-up of the young girls mums face is shown to show the emotion on her face. This allows the audience to feel sympathy for her as we can see how upset she is. The camera follows the action a lot which lets us as the audience feel more part of the film which makes it more scary as we feel as though we are part of it. After the young girl has been found dead the camera zooms out of the action and moves into a high angled shot which makes the people look vulnerable and less powerful. Match-on-action and the 180° rule are used quite a lot. These types of continuity editing are used in order to orientate the viewer and give the film a sense of continuity and pace. Eye line match is also used. This makes the audience feel more of a part of the film as it shows you what the character is looking at straight away as if it is from their point of view. More close-ups are used to show the emotion of the mans face when he finds a picture of Georgie at the scene of the crime. 

The editing for IT's opening sequence is sharp and clean. This makes the film move more steadily and allows you watch it at more ease which makes it more scary because it all flows. There is a cross dissolve as it cuts from present to the past. This shows the passing of time quite nicely and also fits in with the music well which is quite soft and smooth.

A lot of the sound during this opening sequence is diegetic sound. We can hear everything all of the characters say. This is good as it makes the viewer feel more part of the film which creates more of an atmosphere for them. I am surprised at how much non diegetic sound is used during this opening sequence as in the other opening sequences I have analysed there has been very little if any. When the characters are writing we are given voice overs which let us know what is being written. This also makes us feel more part of the film and we feel as though nothing is being kept from us. Also the music is non diegetic sound as the characters within the film can't hear it. This music adds to the tension and atmosphere of the film because when the music builds the tension does too!

This is the opening sequence of IT (1990)

Just a thought

The other day I was walking my dog and I walked through our field and past what will be the villages new play ground. The metal fences around the outside of it made me think about what I am going to do for my coursework. Although it hasn't made me decide which genre i am going to go with it did make me think about it. If i were to do Horror, where would I film it? And if I do social realism, what could be my location?
I know the metal fences won't be there when I come to my filming but something like that could work for either genres? It could look quite scary in the dark for horror, or it could make the be used to show quite a run down place for social realism.
Anyway it was just a thought that crossed my mind and I thought I had better blog about it!

Scream (1997)

Scream is a film produced in 1997 by Wes Craven. I hated this opening sequence. It was very effective as it built lots and lots of suspense making the experience very scary. The first time I watched it was threw the gaps in my hands as they covered my face!


 Scream begins one year after the death of Sidney Prescott's (Campbell) mother. Two students turn up gutted. When a serial killer appears, Sidney begins to suspect whether her mother's death and the two new deaths are related. No one is safe, as the killer begins to pick everyone off one by one. Everyone's a suspect in this case.


The mise-en-scene couldn't be more scary! A house in the middle of nowhere, at night. A young girl is on her own in this house, it's dark outside and the lights are on inside. This creates an atmosphere as it exaggerates the reflections in the windows and makes it more scary as it builds more of a suspense while you wait thinking something is going to jump out at you! The house is also very big with open spaces which gives you the sense that the girl has nowhere to hide. 


For the whole of the opening sequence the lighting in Scream is very dim which adds to the atmosphere and makes it a very scary watch! The lighting is so dim because the house is lit by lamps only and outside is pitch black. As i said earlier having the difference in the lighting inside and out creates the spooky reflections which build on the suspense. As the young vulnerable girl goes into smaller, more cramped spaces, the lighting becomes dimmer and there is less of it. This makes the viewer feel more on edge as there is less light which obviously makes the viewer feel uneasy but also there is a sense of being trapped as she walks through the smaller spaces. When the camera shows you the outside from the girls point of you the garden is lit up with blue lights showing a light covering of fog or mist. This makes the atmosphere very eery. 


The shot types during this opening sequence seem to vary quite a lot. This makes the audience feel uneasy because the shot types keep flicking which seem uneasy. There are lots of long shot which show the young girl on her own in the big house making her look more vulnerable. When she is on the phone and the voice on the other end seems to become more intense and keeps ringing even after she had said to stop the close-up shots begin. They are quite consistent and they show the audience the worry and fright on the young girls face which makes you as a viewer feel more frightened for her as you can how scared she is. The camera follows her down the small, dark corridor which makes the audience feel uneasy because it makes them feel like they are following the action like the bad guy! There are a number of zooms as well. The shot type will start off as a long shot and then quickly zooming in on the girl to a close-up shot. This happens quickly and not very steadily which also makes the audience feel very uneasy as it was so unsteady. 


All of the editing within the opening sequence of Scream are straight, sharp cuts. This makes the editing clean and the opening sequence move more steadily and quickly which builds on the suspense.


Most of the sound used is diegetic sound. We can hear everything that the people within the film can hear which makes us feel more of a part of it, which makes it more scary for us as we feel like we are there. We can hear the phone ringing and we can hear the voice on the other side of the phone line. The non-diegetic sound we hear that the characters can't is the eery, ominous tones, or music, playing behind the dialogue! This music creates tension and builds a suspense. 


The character we meet straight away is a young, blonde, vulnerable girl. This immediately makes us feel on edge because it is clear that something is going to happen to her as she is seen as an 'easy target'. The telephone constantly ringing builds a tension for both us and the character within the film. 


This is the opening sequence of Scream (1997)

Dog Soldiers (2002)

Dog Soldiers is a film produced in 2002 and directed by Neil Marshall. I am not a fan of horror movies and so watching this opening sequence was good for me as it wasn't too jumpy or gory within the opening sequence. 

Dog Soldiers is about a British Squad who have been sent on a training mission in the Highlands of Scotland against a Special Operations squad. Ignoring the childish "campfire" stories heard about the area, they continue with their mission and come across the bloody remains of the Special Ops Squad. With two mortally wounded men, they make an escape, running into a zoologist by the name of Megan - who knows exactly what hunts them. What began as what they thought was a training mission turns into a battle for their lives against the most unlikely enemies they would have expected - werewolves.


The mise-en-scene for Dog Soldiers is quite typical to a conventional horror film. They are on a training mission in a forest in the dead of the night. They then move so that they have the 'shelter' of an abandoned house. The opening sequence starts with two campers in the forest which raises questions in the viewers minds asking what the significance of the forest is. The first shot we see is an establishing shot which shows a calm lake in between two forests. The audience ask themselves why this shot is shown and what it's importance is?


During the first few shots of the opening sequence the lighting is subtle. It uses a dark daylight to reassure the audience that nothing will happen as yet but it also lets you know that the forest is going to become scary. When the action moves into a more claustrophobic space, the tent, the lighting is very dim. There are lanterns which create the atmosphere for the characters but they also highlight the expressions on the characters faces when the werewolf attacks. Whilst the zip of the tent is being opened it is pitch black apart from the circular torch light which follows the zip. This is important as it builds a suspense for the audience whilst we watch and wait for something to happen. 


After the establishing shots I spoke about earlier there is a series of medium close-ups and close-ups to show the characters facial expressions throughout their conversation. There is then a close-up of the knife that is given as a gift. This helps to show to the audience the significance of this knife and also raises more questions in their minds. As soon as the location changes so do the shots. When the characters are in the tent the shots move from medium close-ups and close-ups to extreme close-ups which really show to the audience the emotions and expressions of the characters. There is also an extreme close-up when showing the knife again, this reinforces the importance of this knife. Also whilst in the tent the camera is on slight tilt making it a high angled shot, the characters are also laying down which shows them to be vulnerable and less important than the creature which is opening their tent.


The first piece of editing we see is a cross-dissolve. This is between the calm lake in the middle of two forests and one of the campers taking water from the lake. This cross-dissolve is quite slow which gives the viewer a sense of calmness. The next few shots are plain cuts which use the 180° rule in continuity editing. This allow the audience to follow the conversation at ease without confusing you as to where the camera is. Match-on-action is also used during the opening sequence to show the character opening the box containing the knife. 


All of the sound is diegetic sound. The characters in the shots can hear everything which makes the audience feel more part of it rather than feeling as though they are watching it at home. As the sound builds the tension does too which creates more suspense and makes the audience feel more uneasy. It also gives more of an 'on the edge of your sofa' watch. 


Blood is used for the gore factor in the opening sequence however not too much blood is used. It breaks the audience in gently and only gives them a snippet of whats to come.


This is the opening sequence of Dog Soldiers (2002)

The finished product

This is mine and Holly's finished preliminary task. Filmed, edited, completed.

This has been a bit of strange process as Holly and I have had some successes and some failures. And although some of the product is OK overall I am not overly pleased with the finished piece. There are small things that I think definitely could be improved and I think that with slightly more time they could have been perfect. I think that because Holly and I rushed our filming due to certain things that went wrong our finished film has suffered as some of the shots look messy and just aren't quite as clean as they could have or should have been. On a more positive note I feel that this has definitely been a learning curve for both me and Holly and i know that next time all of the things that went wrong for our preliminary task wont go wrong again!