Directors are the creative leads of the film, they hold the vision throughout the whole production process from the start to the final edit. They have the role of instructing other crew members. An example of a famous director is Steven Spielberg who is famous for directing big films like Jaws and Back to the Future.
Editors play the role of looking over unseen footage and picking out scene into a full finished film, they also determine which camera angles to use. One example of a famous editor John Ottman who is responsible for editing the X-men.
Camera operators play the role of operating equipment and assembling them also, a camera operator is responsible for following camera scrips, controlling lighting and planning and preparing scenes. One example of a famous camera operator is Peter Lyon Collister who has filmed in movies like Alvin and the chipmunks, Spongebob movie and Bad Boys.
The Director of photography (DOP) play the role of the heart of production, looking over the scene and making sure they're usable or not as well as overseeing the lighting of scenes also. A famous DOP is Roger Deakin, who is responsible for Blade runner and Skyfall.
The producer this is the person responsible for finding and releasing an idea for the film, they play the role to look over the movie in pre-production to post-production. A famous producer is Stan Lee who recently died, but was the creator and producer of the whole Marvel franchise.
The role of a sound producer in film is responsible for composing songs, and creating sounds as well as arranging vocals and instruments. One famous sound producer is Brain Eno who's famous for sound creating soundtracks for movies like Dune and Se7en.
In the opening title sequence of Grease the genre is conveyed by the high energy non-diegetic soundtrack, this brings the musical element to this opening scene due to the song also being named after the movie. Furthermore, there are comedic elements throughout which are shown through positioning. On the other hand, looking at American Horror stories the genre is presented as horror, this is suggested through the effective use of iconic horror imagery which include skulls, blood and old photos of children.
Some of the key titles that appear in this title sequence are the names of each main characters, some of these main characters are. John Travolta - 'As Danny', Olivia Newton-John - 'As Sandy'. Additionally, we are shown the producers, film directors and sound engineers through billboards in the city. The key titles in American Horror stories appear fast and the letters are bold and sharp, relating to the tone of the sequence. Some of the key titles that appear are the actors and who the producers are, 'created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.
The tone is shown in Grease by the use of light hearted characters and energetic soundtrack, whereas the tone in American Horror stories by a scary non-diegetic soundtrack, fast pace editing and the dark and violent imagery.
The setting of Grease is in a high school, this is shown by the fade from cartoon to real life. The time period is shown to be in the 1950s, this is shown by most elements of the sequence including the music, tone and the clothing of the characters. In American Horror stories we can see the location is in a haunted house, which is shown that it's haunted by the use of dark imagery, furthermore, the sequence stays in this location the whole time. The time this is set seems to be a mix between old and modern, this is because of the use of older pictures that are dirty and are in bad condition, it is presented as modern because of some of the newer props used, like ladders in perfect condition.
The some of the narrative of grease and the relationships between characters is a hint of romance, this is because of juxtaposition, and solo characters. Also it is hinted that there will be different groups of friends as well as the movie being about teenagers and their high school problems. There is also a suggestion of rebellion this is due to the police chase and their behaviour, as well as the classic 'bad boy' leather jackets. The narrative hints given by American Horror stories is that there will be supernatural throughout the movie, this is because of the unknown darkness and abstract imagery. Furthermore, we know that the narrative will be around the haunted house, and there will most likely be a focused character exploring the place.
In grease we are introduced to the 'main' characters this is because of them getting their own cartoon intro. Whereas in American Horror stories we are not introduced to any of the characters and their is only frames of supernatural characters.
Overall both of these movies are very good at establishing their genre, but I think that American Horror stories establishes this genre more affectively, this is due to the tone being a lot clear and overall horror elements are easier to establish. This is because of the abstract creepy imagery used as well as the dark setting, and the location being in a house which seems to contain supernatural elements.
Titles are key information that are incorporated at either the start or end of a film, they are shown to be credits at the end of a film, whereas if they are used at the start it is called a title sequence.
Titles are used to establish who the director is and the key institutional and creative names, this involves the people who funded, made and produced the film.
There are 21 titles found in a opening title sequence, appearing in a set order, some of these titles are;
Money
Production
Directors name film
Main star
Film title
Actor 1 (end of main section)
Actor 2
Actor 3
Actor 4
Actor 5
Casting
Costume designer
Music
Edited
Production designer
Director of photography (DOP)
Executive producer
Produced by
Based upon
Screen play (writer)
Director
Title sequences can be used to establish the tone, location, time and genre this film is based upon. Title sequences can be used to hint towards the narrative and also suggest the roles of characters. The tone and genre can be established by the style of the writing, creepy writing establishes horror, bubbly writing suggests lighthearted/fun dramas.
Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes, this 24th James Bond movie was created by the studio Pinewood Studios.
Looking at the title of this movie I can tell that the narrative will be about an organisation, spectre has a meaning of ghost, means this organisation will be hard to track down and will not be an easy task. This an opening scene from a series of movies, which means that the narrative will be focused on the main actor James Bond, and the series of events of him investigating and eventually finding the main protaganist of this organisation.
The opening scene starts of with intense non-diegetic sound over a title, the scene then opens up with a parade called The Day Of the Dead, the Diegetic sound effect of the music sets the tempo as fast for the scene. This then becomes a sound bridge, and carries on into the hotel to a non-diegetic soundtrack, increasing the intensity of this opening scene. This then becomes a tracking camera shot on his way up to the window with his gun out, this is a very fast paced scene with long screen time but the intensity is kept because of the action music. This shows that this movie has the genre of action, with the tone being set as intense.
This opening scene is set in Mexico, Morocco. This movie is set in 20th century, this is shown by the use of elevators and the modernised style of the Hotel room. Furthermore, James Bond wears a modern suit with modern military guns.
The whole of the this opening scene uses a tracking camera technique on the main character, this character is known as James Bond. This character is shown to be successful as he clearly has a healthy relationship with woman, and he is confident as he walks out of the window of his hotel room without hesitation. This shows that he has done this stuff before, he is a professional.
The audience are engaged because of the action element of this opening scene, this genre is established straight away, the music is fast paced as the scene opening up in a festival environment which draws the audiences attention in. This makes the audience want to watch more as the movie has a fast paced intense element to it, furthermore, the audience can speculate what happens next in this movie, there isn't much told about the characters which would make people want to watch on, especially James Bond, questions are asked if he carries out this kill successfully, or does it all go bad.
This opening scene is very effective due to the fast paced nature of it, people are drawn in straight away which causes a more involved cinema experience. The genre is also established very well and it is easily shown by the fast paced tempo of the non-diegetic sound track, in my opinion if I was to see this movie without knowing anything about it, I would be drawn in straight away. This character is also presented as a professional showing that he knows what he is doing.
The director of this movie was Mike Flanagan, this direct is well known for many horror and thriller genre movies. Hush was created by the studio Blumhouse Productions Intrepid Pictures.
Looking at the title of this movie 'Hush' I can see that the narrative will be about a quiet killer, this character will be about a psychopath with a real motive for killing. There is likely to be one main character who possibly has bad social queues and struggles to react to the killers deeds. Overall this movie will be a quiet, intense movie with little diegetic sound, and will have long scenes that create suspension because of the quietness of the environment.
The opening scene starts with a non-diegetic deafening soundtrack, this sound effect causes suspension as it is not a natural noise. This sets a darker tone to the start of the opening scene, with pleonastic diegetic sound effects also this creates further tension. The scenes are long are camera seems to be focused on this character showing that she is the focus of this movie, these long scenes creates suspension for the audience as although the genre isn't shown fully in this opening scene we can tell that this is a thriller, due to the intense pleonastic sounds as well as this opening scene feeling more natural.
This opening scene is set in a modern 20th century time, as shown by the electronics and the modernised feel of her house, furthermore, this house is located in the forest, which creates an eerie atmosphere to this opening scene.
In this opening scene we are introduced to a female character, due to the lack of narrative and her use of sigh language I can see that she has a hearing disability. This character seems to be positive and living her life normally, she is presented as a kind character because of her interaction with her friend, she seems to be a liked person, additionally this deaf character we are introduced to wears a pink top which connotes to her kindness and prosperity. Due to the natural camera shots of this character, we start to get to know her better, and we can tell that the movie is going to be about her and the problems she faces. These problems will most likely challenge her deaf disability.
The audience were engaged this scene by because of the suspension created by the pleonastic sounds, furthermore, the camera technique used gives us a more personalised relationship with the main character. The opening scene flows naturally which makes the narrative unpredictable, this makes the audience want to watch more and figure out the plot of this movie, this hooks our attention. Additionally, the audience can tell this is a thriller due to the tension that is created.
Looking at the entirety of this opening scene I think it is successful to an extent, the opening scene keeps the audience hooked because of the natural flow and the unpredictable nature because of the little we are told about the characters. Overall, the genre is hard to make out to a casual audience, this is because of we are not given any hint on what's going to happen later on, but this opening scene does engage the audience and makes me as a consumer want to watch more, and find out what is going to happen next.
