We went onto YouTube and watched a few examples of opening sequences from various types of films.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=opening+scene&aq=f&gl=US&hl=uk
One of the films we looked at was the horror film The Shining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw23KM3-Ry8
This was quite different to some of the other opening sequences we had previously looked at. It had different camera angles, for example the camera started offf low and then at one point it swtiched to a birds eye view. There was no dialogue or people, we just heard the creepy music and saw the yellow car driving along the roads. The location they used seemed to fit the genre as well, as it was quite open surrounded by mountains and water.
Another film we looked at was Reservoir Dogs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyR4RK0LA_E
This is again very different. It starts off with dialogue from the characters, even when we cant see them as the titles are coming up on the screen. It ends with some music, which again fits the genre of the film and we see each of the characters from the conversation with their name so we know who they are. This is a very different opening scene from all of the others we had previously looked at.
From watching these two opening sequences and some others from the first link, we have found that all opening sequences vary. All of them fit their genre, whether it be the music that they use, the typography, the location or the camera shots and angles. I think the location and the music are quite important as they help to set the scene and help the audience get a feel for what the rest of the film will be like.
I also looked on this website http://www.youtube.com/results?aq=1&search_query=saul+bass+title+sequence&search_type=&hl=uk&gl=US&oq=saul+bass and watched some more opening sequences.
All of the videos I looked at had quite an interesting choice of music to fit in each film. They each also used animated or drawn pictures instead of for example a human. They used quite clever ways of interpreting the titles and names of the crew. For example they fitted it into the pictures. They are all quite cleverly done as the images all relate to the individual film. These opening sequences are completely different from the other ones we have studied and looked at, for example The Shining was mainly the open location, and the scary music. Whereas these opening sequences were more upbeat, the music was more acoustic and the whole sequence was animated which I think would draw an audience more.
We also watched some opening sequences from previous year 12 groups from various other schools.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMv2X0gFsWE
This one was quite good in certain ways. For example the music was well suited to the genre of the film. Also at the beginning they used slow motion and changed the contrast of the picture which looked quite good. The running and heavy breathing as worked quite well. The way they chose their titles to appear and disappear worked quite well, apart from when it tells us who's staring as it seemed to appear twice and it had a picture over the writing which didnt work too well.
This is another that we watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBoSZfiQ5fk
I think this was quite a good opening sequence. They had a good choice of music and it fitted in with what was happening and we could clearly tell what the genre of the film was. They also used good locations, for example the park and the woods. They gave a good feel for what the rest of the film may be like. The way their titles and crew names came up worked well as well and the typography and colours worked well together and also fitted the genre.
From watching these two videos from previous years, it has helped us to see what could go wrong, and what can work well. We will be more careful when planning things like our music and camera shots, as we want them to work well and effectively. We want to use a range of camera shots, but also make sure that they fit in with what we are trying to show to the audience. We have a different way in mind to show our titles and our names, which we are hoping will work quite well. We also have a piece of music in mind, which we think will fit our genre of romantic comedy, quite well and it will fit in with the storyline we are trying to portray.
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