Key elements of an opening film sequence

Made by: Jordan Crichlow Subject: Media Class: 12A/Me1 Teacher: Mr. Becker

Accepted Conventions for Mainstream opening credit sequences

Name of the studio

Name of the studio that is distributing the film and may or may not have produced it. For example:

Walt Disney Pictures Lions Gate Universal

Name of the production company

Name of the production comapny that actually made the film. Name of the investment groups or companies that financed a substantial part of the film.

Producer/Director Name

Directors' first credit, often "a film by XY or "a XY film". For example:

Steven Spielberg (Star Wars) Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)

Starring

Principal actors of the film. For example:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) Will Smith (Men in Black) Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Films Title

Name of the film.

Featuring

Featured actors.

Casting/Casting by

The person/people who go under the process of selecting a cast of actors for the film.

Music/Music Composed by

Composer of the music for the film. For example:

John Williams (Star Wars) Brian Tyler (Fast and Furious)

Production Designer

A production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of the film.

Other Notable Conventions

SET DESIGN COSTUMES or COSTUMES BY or GOWNS (older movies) HAIRDRESSER MAKE-UP ARTIST SOUND RECORDING (older movies) VISUAL EFFECTS DIRECTOR or VISUAL EFFECTS BY

Editor/Edited by

The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture.

Director of Photography

A director of photography is the chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film and responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The study and practice of this field is referred to as cinematography.

Produced by/Executive Producer

Film producers prepare and then supervise the making of a film before presenting the product to a financing entity or a film distributor. An executive producer enables and backs up the making of a commercial entertainment product. An EP also contributes to the film's budget, and does not work on set.

Based on the Book by

If based on a book or other literary work. For example:

J.K. Rowling J.R.R. Tolkien

Story by

Person who wrote the story on which the script is based, gets "story by" credit, and the first screenplay credit, unless the script made substantial changes to the story.

Written by

Screenplay writers.

Directed by

The director of the film.

Conventions for social realism opening credit sequences

Film 1: Scum

Main Overview:

Year: 1979 Genre: British crime drama and social realism film Country: United Kingdom Running time: 98 minutes

Conventions:

Title Sequence Copyright

(Scum)

Both of these are screened at the same time.

Film 2: London to Brighton

Main Overview

Year: 2006 Genre: Crime thriller and social realism film Country: United Kingdom Running time: 85 minutes

Conventions

Opening Production Logos (Vanity Plates) Funds from the National Lottery (government funding) Production Companies Super title introducing us to location and time. Title sequence (London to Brighton)

Super title comes before the film title.

Film 3: Made in Britain

Main Overview

Year: 1983 Genre: Social realism film Country: United Kingdom Running time: 76 minutes

Conventions

Film Sequence title Title sequence Writer

(Tales Out of School) (Made in Britain) (David Leland

The writer is given very big credit.

Comparative Analysis
Between the mainstream opening sequences, and the social realism opening sequences

Overview

Social realism film title opening sequences are very different to mainstream title opening sequences. Social realism film title opening sequences are very out of the ordinary opening credit sequences. Social realism film title opening sequences use such credits that are not seen in mainstream films.

Proof

Mainstream films give a huge amount of credit to the main members of the film production. Social realism films hardly give any credit to the members of the film production. The opening credit sequences in social realism films sometimes come after there has been some form of action or speaking in the film.

Social Realism film proof

In Scum, the title sequence is the only credit credited, plus the copyrights. London to Brighton gives credit to the production logo, but has funds from the National Lottery, very unlike mainstream films. They also use super titles, which is very unlike mainstream films. Made in Britain shows the production logos, and the film and title sequence, plus the writer, who is given a huge amount of credit, but that is it.

Timeline in seconds demarking:

The category of opening credit/titles. The order of opening titles.

How to recognize a social realism film through the opening sequence

How it is presented. What credits are in it. Introduction to a social issue. Production companies their titles. The actors in it. Mechanical conventions (directed by, etc.) How it begins (very quiet, serious, etc.)

Order of credits/titles

Film Title: Scum

0:28
Copyright for the film (Copyright Kendon Films LTD MCMLXXIX All rights reserved) comes up over live action, along with the title 0:00

1:30

0:28 Film title (Scum) comes up over live action.

1 minute

2 minutes

Order of credits/titles

Film Title: London to Brighton

0:08
Government funding (funds from the National Lottery) 0:17 Production Company (UK Film Council presents) 0:32 Super title introducing location and time (London 3:07am)

0:01 Opening Production Logo (Vanity Plates)

0:11
Production Company (UK Film Council)

0:27 Production Company (A Steel Mill Pictures & Wellington Films Production)

4:33 Film Title Sequence (London to Brighton)

Order of credits/titles

Film Title: Made in Britain

1:27
0:30 Title Sequence (Made in Britain) 2 minutes

0:03
Film Sequence Title (Tales Out of School)

1 minute

1:31
Writer (By David Elland)

2:30

Structure, Shape, and Content

Form = Structure, Shape, Content

Film 1: half nelson

Structure
Locations
1:14 In the car, on the street 1:52 School Classroom

0:45 Apartment

1:40 Stairway in the school

4:00
School hall/gym

Structure
Scenes of action

Apartment action School action

Two very different areas of his life. Domestic life vs. employment life

Structure
Length of title sequences/subsequent scenes of action
Fragment/episodic
Title sequences all occur in the intro of the film, before the beginning, titles come up with a the sound of a trumpet playing in background. Film title comes up, after a scene came into play.

0:06

0:35

1:05

1:10

Shape
Shot Types

Dominant:

Full Shots Close Ups Close Shots

Shape
Nature of Spaces
0:48 INTERIOR
(Inside) Closed Spaces Apartment is clustered and messy

1:50
Classroom is enclosed (Sense of imprisonment)

EXTERIOR (Outside) Open Spaces 1:12 Open spaces (outside) 1:34 Street is bare (lots of freely movable space)

Shape
Previous Factors Addressed

The factors produce a feeling of confinement, due to the high nature of the enclosed environment, and all the cluster everywhere.

Shape
Editorial Rhythm

There is a slow editorial rhythm throughout the intro, as there are very long clips/takes. It creates a slow languorous pace, due to the sound, for example, the slow playing of a trumpet, and also the slow movement, shown by Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) the main character in half nelson.
0:06 Slow trumpet sound 0:35

Content
Key Information

How Dans life is lived.

Slow paced Messy Boredom/tiredness Like a friend to students

Slow Paced Life (all of it)

How his relationships are (how he acts)

0:49 Messy

2:01 Boredom/tiredness

4:26 Like a friend to students

Film 2: Scum

Structure
Locations
0:35
Outside building

0:55
Inside room

0:00

Van

0:30

0:47 Hallway

Structure
Scenes of action

Van action

Building action

Distress Worry Despair

Power Violence Rudeness

Very different feel in both scenes of action.

In the van, they fear what may happen. In the building, they see and are victim to what does happen.

Structure
Length of title sequences/subsequent scenes of action
0:28 0:33

Film title comes up over live action.

Shape
Shot Types

Dominant:

Close Ups Full Shots

Shape
Nature of Spaces
0:05

1:00
Room is enclosed (Sense of imprisonment)

INTERIOR
(Inside) Closed Spaces

Van is enclosed (Sense of imprisonment)

No freely movable space

EXTERIOR (Outside) Open Spaces 0:36 Lack of open space even when briefly outside

Shape
Previous Factors Addressed

It produces a feeling of confinement, as there is a high nature of enclosed spaces, and a huge sense of imprisonment.

Shape
Editorial Rhythm

There is a fast editorial rhythm in the intro, due to the short clips shown, a sense of a very busy pace, and high action and movement, for example, the bullying inflicted on Carlin, the main character in Scum

Content
Key information

How the inmates will be treated.

Due to handcuffs Bullied

What type of film it is. What issues and themes will be involved.

Power Bad treatment Racism

Bad treatment (all of it)

0:24 Handcuffs

0:49 Racism

Bullying/Power 2:07

Film 3: Made in Britain

Structure
Locations
0:22 0:33 Hallway

2:09 2:35
Hallway/stairway

0:08 0:21
Room to sit in

0:34 2:08
Courtroom

Structure
Scenes of action

Hallway action Courtroom action

Similar feel to both. The skinhead, Trevor, acts the same in both the hallway and courtroom, seemingly not bothered about what may happen to him.

Structure
Length of title sequences/subsequent scenes of action
1:28 1:31
Film title comes up

Between this, there are scenes of action 0:02 0:06 Film Sequence Title

1:32 1:35
Who it was by comes up (The writer)

Shape
Shot Types

Dominant:
Tracking (moves with the person (Trevor)) Full shots

Shape
Nature of Spaces
1:20
0:47

INTERIOR
(Inside) Closed Spaces

Courtroom is enclosed

Trevor does not feel imprisoned or feel in an enclosed environment (slouching on the chair in the courtroom)

There is no outside or open space EXTERIOR (Outside) Open Spaces

Shape
Previous Factors Addressed

These factors produce a bigger feeling of spaciousness, as Trevor is not bothered about his surroundings, despite being in an enclosed environment (the courtroom).

Editorial Rhythm

There is a slow editorial rhythm, as the clips shown go on for a long time continuously. But, when the clips change, there is fast intensive music.
Fast intensive music

0:07 Start of the clips

1:27 Whilst the film title is showing

2:19 When Trevor walks out the courtroom

Key Information

What Trevors personality is.

Skinhead Nazi symbol on his forehead Does not feel imprisoned (not bothered) Racist Drama
Trevor does not feel imprisoned (all of it) 0:05 Nazi symbol

What type of film this is.

1:20 Slouches (not bothered)

(An instant thought of racism comes to mind)

Key elements of an opening film sequence

Made by: Jordan Crichlow Subject: Media Class: 12A/Me1 Teacher: Mr. Becker