Production name decided

I'm happy with our choice for our production being hollow as I think that the fact that it is one word makes it much more memorable and catchy. Longer names could've been too long-winded, for example my first suggestion "Two ducks full" which would've been a complete change of mood to what the films mood. Instead of being ready for a dark opening they may have expected something along the lines of comedy.

Film Title

Me and my group have finally come up with the title for our film. We first though that we should go for a title that represented the narrative of the storyline, such as "I Love You Too" but we found that a single phrase would be much more catchy. In the end, we came up with the title "Possession" as we thought it would best symbolised the frame of mind that the murderer had. That he regards the woman as possession that her lover can't have.

Children of Men Essay

"How effectively does the opening sequence from 'Children of Men' use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?

The movie “Children of Men” is a science fiction film that was released in 2006 and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The film is set in the United Kingdom during 2027 and focuses around the population not being able to give birth to children. The opening scene of the film uses forms and conventions effectively to influence the reception from the audience. 

At the start of the opening we hear a voice over that sounds like a news reporter describing the worlds affairs. Starting at 0:33, the editor uses a black screen instead of showing the audience the source of the voice. This is because the director wants the audience to focus on the sound rather than the visuals on the screen. I believe that this is effective because the sound details a lot of the setting and describes what kind of place the world is at the current time. Straight away, this gives the audience an idea of the narrative, captivates their interest and provides enigmas that the about the things that the news reporter says that leave the audience hungry to find answers for.

During the opening we also see a title used that gives the user more information about the time and place that the film is set in. At 1:50 we see the outside world for the first time as well as the time period and the location that the film is set in. This is effective as it feeds information to the audience and presents more questions to them. The audience now knows that the film is set in the near future and is currently suffering from crisis.

The colours used in the opening are mainly filled with dark and gloomy colours that add to the atmosphere of the film. We see at 1:54 that the editor has painted the world in reflection to the state the world is in. We had heard from the news reporter that there is a lot of trouble in the world and the colour of London encourages this. This is effective as the audience sees the capital of a country as grimy and dirty, which shows the audience the kind of state the country is in. The colour of the costumes follows this trend as it may show the feelings of the citizens of London. This is effective towards the theme of misery as it adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the city as there are no bright colours to contrast with the dull colours.

The pace of the camera during the opening is very slow until the end when it begins to pick up in pace. At 1:37 the camera begins to follow Clive Owen out of the cafe into the streets. This may represent how slow the main characters life is going or it could represent how slow humanity is going with its people becoming older. This is due to the fact that no more children are being born. It slowly follows him without any cuts until 2:14 where an explosion takes place in the cafe he was just in, the camera then begins to speed up in contrast with the slow movement it had done before. This is effective as it represents how suddenly the mood can change from being slow into a quicker pace. It also brings us closer to the scene of the action as we can clearly see a woman without an arm. By doing this it captivates the audience’s interest as this is the first act of violence in the film and it comes in strongly with an explosion, followed by a women screaming, which can be an icon of the horror genre, while holding her arm. It also begins to present enigmas about who could be doing this.

Sound plays an important role in establishing the mood in the opening sequence. Non-diegetic music is begins at 1:23 which overlaps the voices of the reporters who are documenting the death of the youngest man alive. This is effective as the music is also very slow and pensive, which matches with the pace and colours of the setting. It helps create a miserable atmosphere. Non-diegetic sound is heard during the music from the news reporters as well as a women sobbing at 1:28 which only adds to the sadness in the atmosphere. It can also be shocking to the audience as a woman is brought to tears due to the death of someone who may have no connection to him. This music is quickly drowned out by the diegetic sounds of the streets of 2027 London. Sounds range from bike horns, cars and helicopters which is slightly similar to the London of today. This is effective as the audience can relate to the setting in which it is set in; this makes the opening more powerful because the audience may feel that this is a possibility for the future. 

The introduction of the main character is not the most important feature of the opening; instead it focuses more on the narrative. This is shown as the main character is not seen until 1:02 where the audience has already been introduced to the world and its problems at the beginning. The main character does stick out from the rest of the characters though because as he enters the cafe he is not fazed by the death of the youngest man in the world but simply carries on with his life. We also know he is an important character because the actor is clearly seen as Clive Owen who people will recognise.

In my personal opinion, I think that the opening of “Children of Men” is very good because it is able to present a lot of questions to the audience and engages their interest. I also find it easy to identify and relate the 2027 London with the London today. This is because at 2:09 we can easily see a red double decked bus, which is an icon for London, which has a moving advertisement on the side of it. This is relatable to today’s London buses as they also have advertisements on the side but it is also believable that in the near future we will have moving adverts. The moving adverts are also seen at 1:50 where they are spotted on the sides of buildings. I think this was clever and effective of the director as he purposely showed this to the audience to try and make them feel connected to this London that he has created.

 I also found that there were a lot of questions and enigmas that were created just by watching two minutes of the film. There are a lot of subtle things that I found that made me question what is happening in this world. For example, at 1:50 we can clearly see a helicopter in the sky above London. This confuses me as today helicopters would not usually fly over London if there is no emergency. This could represent the kind of disaster that the country is in. Another question that I found was the way the youngest man had died. During the news broadcast at 1:06 where we here he was killed by a fan and the fan was then beaten to death by the crowd. This shows just how bad civilisation has gotten that crowds of people aren’t policed and that people can be killed on the street. 

In conclusion, I think that the opening sequence of “Children of Men” uses forms and conventions effectively to create a gloomy mood to the film right from the start. I also found that it was effective in the way that it engaged the viewer’s interest and presented questions that the audience needed answers for.

Harry Potter Marketing cont.

 This is the cover of the new Harry Potter game that accompanies the film once it's been released. The game raises awareness of the film to teenagers as the film is rated T and the cover is very action-orientated. It seems action packed as the main character Harry Potter is running towards the viewer with his weapon raised, ready for battle. The dark forest that surrounds him could connotate to the danger that he must face during his journey while his the eyes of his enemy are above as if suggesting that he is watching and observing him. 

This is a movie poster that was used to promote the upcoming release of the new Harry Potter film. The poster uses the iconic Hogwarts castle but differently from the previous films. This time it shows how the franchise has become dark, sinister and much more focuses on action as the old, fantasy Hogwarts castle has now been set ablaze. It excites the audience who grew up with the film as they are now more used to action films as they have aged with the franchise.

Film analysis 2

(I couldn't get the whole opening sequence only when the woman is attacked, even though I talk about the opening credits, sorry about that)

The opening soundtrack of the movie Jaws is the iconic music of the rest of the film franchise. It is the first music played in the opening as it is combined with the POV of the shark. This is to familiarise the audience with the soundtrack and connect it straight away with the shark being on the move. During the attack on the young girl the music begins to build up as the camera becomes closer to the girl. This builds suspense in the audience who know associate the music with shark on the move. There is practically no sound during the attack as the opening relies heavily on the diegetic sound of the girl screaming and the water splashing. This makes the audience feel fear and horror as the girls screams are piercing and the trashing in the water tells the audience how violent and savage the attacks are. The audience also knows just how desperate and fearful of death the woman is as she cries out to God to save her. The first person to be attacked is a young girl who is having a party with her friends. It is clear they have been drinking and when the two run off from the group it is clear they are having relations together. They are completely unaware of the danger that is in the sea which has become such a natural thing for humans that are oblivious to some of the dangers in the sea. This represents the vulnerability of humans towards the shark. The colours used in the opening is mainly dark as it adds to the suspense of the danger that the opening is building up too. It also represents a sense of evil that the shark brings with it as the sea itself seems almost black.