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Task 3; What are the conventions of a film opening?

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On this page I have chosen 3 film openings and I am going to deconstruct them using detailed timelines.

Psycho Opening

Video

Audio

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Psycho opening credits (video)

  • 0.00 Starts with Black screen 

  • 0.01 Paramount logo appears

  • 0.03 Logo fades out

  • 0.06 Dark background with black bars wiping across the screen appears.

  • 0.08/0.14 Alfred Hitchcock is the first credit to appear. His name appears to be central and the colour scheme is black and white

  • 0.15 Name of movie appears in the same way as first credit

  • 0.19/0.21 Name of movie starts glitches then screen gets filled with bars with look like sound waves before being wiped off.

  • 0.23 More credit names appear in a similar style as the rest of the text 

 

Skip to 1.45 for Psycho opening scene (video)

  • 1.45/1.55  The screen dissolves from credit scene to establishing shot of the city.

  • 1.55/2.04 The camera pans across the city 

  • 2.04/2.07 Texting saying Phoenix, Arizona appears on the screen. It is placed central and the movie is in black and white

  • 2.06/2.07 A noticeable cross cut in the editing.This may indicate the passing of time. When the camera cut crosses the camera has also zoomed in.

  • 2.15 A date appears on screen - Friday December the Eleventh.

  • 2.17 A noticeable cross dissolve happens, the camera again zooms in.

  • 2.20 Date fades off screen

  • 2.21  The camera suddenly zooms in faster

  • 2.25  A time appears on screen- Two Forty Two p.m.

  • 2.28  The camera noticeably cross dissolves to another establishing shot to a building.

  • 2.30 Time stamp wipes off the screen and the camera is still panning 

  • 2.34 Another noticeable jump cut is included to provide another angle of the building. The camera is zooming to the apartments blind

  • 2.34 Apartment blind lifted up while others are closed.

  • 2.40/2.50 The Camera goes through the apartments window as if the audience were ‘climbing through’.

  • 2.50 The scene shown is considered as voyeurism.

  • 2.52 Close up of untouched sandwiches 

  • 2.55 Medium shot of a man talking

  • 3.00 Camera follows man has he sits down next to a woman

  • 0.00 Close up of food/Pizza is half eaten/Cup of M&Ms

  • 0.01 Camera tracks and moves to slowly reveal the protagonist

  • 0.10 Eye line match close up of ‘cyber chat’ to understand characters actions 

  • 0.11 Point of view of chat room 

  • 0.14 Medium close up of main protagonist 

  • 0.17 Extreme close up of ‘talk’ button 

  • 0.23 Point of view of chatroom 

  • 0.24 extreme close up to an angel icon 

  • 0.27 Close up as if the audience are the computer looking at Angela

  • 0.34 A quick extreme close up track of the chat room as if the audience are Angela reading.

  • 0.38 Goes back to point of view shot of computer 

  • 0.41 extreme close up of the computer screen revealing a message

  • 0.42  The shot cuts out to a close up showing the whole chat between angela and another person.

  • 0.51 Another shot reverse shot as the camera cuts back to angela. This shot makes the audience feel like they are the computer. 

  • 0.49 The camera begins to zoom  into Angela's face

  • 0.56 Camera tracks around to show Angela's work space

  • 0.58 Cuts to an extreme close up of Angela's lips whilst she talks about her dream man - this can imply that her dreams aren’t reality.

  • 1.05 Camera shows a close up of the chat room, specifically focusing on the message Angela is writing

  • 1.11 Shot reverses back to the Pov shot where the audience can watch Angela's face whilst she typing her dream man message.

  • 1.18 Reverses to the close up of screen, yet again focusing on the message Angela is writing

  • 1.24 Close up of Angela's face. She is speaking aloud of the message she is writing.

  • 1.28 Extreme close up which fast tracks across the screen to reveal the message sent back by ‘Cyber-bob’ another person on the chatroom.

  • 1.32 The camera is placed almost behind the computer showing Angela’s expressions from another chat-mates 

  • 1.36 Extreme close up of a chat-mates icon

  • 1.37 Extreme close up of another chat-mates icon

  • 1.38 Extreme close up of Angela’s icon - the close up may indicate who is chatting with Angela in the chatroom

  • 1.39 Extreme close up of a face icon

  • 1.41 Extreme close up the words ‘one of us’ which suggest that Angela is a frequent visitor in the chatroom

  • 1.42 Camera cuts to a POV where it is as if the audience is the computer watching Angela

Psycho opening credits (audio)

  • 0.04 Harsh,Dramatic non-diegetic starts to lay abruptly. It seems discordant and painful to listen to. This music plays throughout the opening

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Psycho opening scene (audio) 

  • 1.45/ The music calms down however it is still non-diegetic.

  • 2.51 Dialogue begins

The Net Opening

Audio

Video

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Panic Room Opening

  • 0.01 - 0.10 Diegetic ambient music in the background & Diegetic computerised voice

  • 0.07 Diagetic typing sound

  • 0.10 Diegetic cyberchat sound effects

  • 0.17 Diegetic sound effect 

  • 0.18 -Diegetic computer voice

  • 0.25 -Dialogue from Anglea 

  • 0.57 Non-diegetic music & diegetic voice

  • 1.23 Diagetic keyboard clicks

Video Link: https://youtu.be/D01cKQMu5Ew

Video Link: https://youtu.be/zuQBtgmB7bY

MV5BNmY4ZGFjYTYtMDNmYi00ZDM4LWFjYTgtNmNl

Video Link: 

https://youtu.be/sqIclb4qsJI

Audio

Video

  • 0.00 Black screen

  • 0.01 Columbia pictures industry video fades in and plays.

  • 0.20 Black screen

  • 0.22 Establishing shot of city. Columbia pictures appears again, central and matches city colours.

  • 0.24 tracks into the city.

  • 0.26 Cuts to establishing shot further into the city. Text is production company.

  • 0.30 Cuts out of city, shows top of buildings, introduces another company and colour matches building.
    0.33 Camera focuses and pans to reveal the actress’ name, which is blended into the building.

  • 0.37 Cuts to reveal actor name, same colour scheme.

  • 0.41 Changes location, actors name appears.

  • 0.45 Focuses into actors name which is blended into the background.

  • 0.48 Camera tracks to reveal the name of the movie.

  • 0.56 Pans to reveal an actress’ name.

  • 1.00 Cuts to another establishing shot of city, shows two actors names.

  • 1.04 Cuts further into city, two more actors names are revealed. Cars move.

  • 1.08 High angle tracking to show the casting director's name.

  • 1.12 Pans to reveal the costumer designers name.

  • 1.16 High angle shot showing who the music is by.

  • 1.20 Tracking up shot of film editors names.

  • 1.25 High angle track down shot of the production designer.

  • 1.30 Low angle shot, shows more names of people who worked on the movie.

  • 1.32 Pan shot of producers names.

  • 1.38 Low angle shot of the script writers name.

  • 1.41 Establishing shot of central park showing the directors name.

  • 1.46 Tracking down to reveal the actors

  • 0.00 Low rumbling ambient noise.

  • 0.19 Black screen with relatively calm music playing while siren faintly play in the background, assumed to be of police before fading out after a few seconds.

  • 0.23 Violin music is added presumably non-diegetic.

  • 0.26 Car horns are added on top of the audio already and can be heard in the background the car horns are presumably diegetic.

  • 0.39 Police siren is added back in as background noise before fading roughly 2 seconds later.

  • 0.47 More car’s honking in the background alongside the violin.

  • 0.49 Ominous tones come in along side the violin as background noise fades which we can assume is non-diegetic.

  • 0.55 Slow violin fades and is replaced by a faster violin with a noticeable rhythm along with a rapid ticking. It is likely the clicking is non-diegetic however it could represent events in the movie.

  • 1.00 Some ambient traffic noises return however they are much quieter than the music or ticking.

  • 1.06 A whistle is added alongside the traffic noises, ticking and the violin.

  • 1.09 Footsteps are added for about 2 seconds, they sound like they could be from high heels.

  • 1.22 Return to the slower violin music but the ticking is still present.

  • 1.42 Dialogue of a woman comes in and after a few seconds the non-diegetic music fades and we can only hear diegetic traffic noises and her voice.

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51OK6NrwY5BevTRyHZHG7F36pel-4.jpg
download.jpeg
MV5BNmY4ZGFjYTYtMDNmYi00ZDM4LWFjYTgtNmNl
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