Main Task 5A- Macro/Micro Analysis of an Opening Sequence from Your Genre.

The first opening sequence we watched was from 500 Days Of Summer.
http://www.titledesignproject.com/2010/01/500-days-of-summer-main-title-sequence-by-imaginary-forces/

It starts with what looks like a dirty page with the title (500) Days of Summer written in white block capitals. Then drawings start to merge in, there's thin trees and fine line outlines of buildings. The camera seems to be in an establishing shot facing the paper. The trees then develop some light green leaves. The drawings then fade. The date flips backwards to (488) and on the right hand side a bench is drawn. This drawing then fades into a real image of the couple sitting on the bench from the film. There is natural lighting and it is a medium camera shot. It then sharp cuts to a fuzzy close up on a boy's eye which is in a picture type box with the actors name (Joseph Gordan-Levitt) appearing next to it on the right hand side. This then fades and a girls eye appears in the same style, but this time on the right hand side and the actress' name (Zooey Deschanel) appears on the left hand side. It then goes back to the sketch from the beginning shot and the date then roll back from (282) to (34). We are then shown a split screen, the left side is a medium shot of the young boy from behind sitting on a train and the right side is a close up of the young girl, the production managers name appears. The two clips have natural lighting. It then returns to the first sketch again, (35) rolls up to (303) and the lighting fades. It then goes back to the split screen of the boy and the girl. We see a close up of the boy and an extreme close up on the girl. The girls box then fades out completely, the directors name (Marc Webb) appears, still in the white block capitals. It then returns again to the sketch from the beginning, this time the lighting is different, it looks as if the drawing has been coloured in some more. The date counter is on (1) and the sun beams out and rotates, the trees also grow some flowers and there are birds in the background. This then fades to a blackout and the title sequence finishes. 

The music that they use in this title sequence is very well suited to the film and what we see in the opening sequence. The music is quite calm but hearing it when seeing the opening sequence, it fits really well. Looking at the young boy and the young girl, and seeing the couple sitting on the bench together, it makes you think that maybe their linked, it gives us a hint that the two young characters are the adults we see sitting on the bench and that this is what the film is going to be about. We don't see many special effects in this opening sequence, but from watching other opening sequence of romantic comedy films, i have seen this is quite a common re-occurance. The sketches are quite a common factor in rom-com opening sequences, quite a lot of them use drawings. 

Another film we looked at was There's Something About Mary.

It starts by 'Twentieth Century Fox Presents' fading up on the black background. It is written in a messy handwritten style in light blue and 'Twentieth Century Fox' is written in capitals. This then fades out as the music starts. The music is a slow acoustic backing beat with a man singing the lyrics. It cuts to a close up on the trees and pans across. We then see 'Cameron Diaz' fade in and fade back out. It is written in the same style and colour as the typography from the beginning. The camera continues to pan across, more names fade in and out written in the same style as before. The camera then goes to a medium shot of a man sitting in a tree hitting a drum and there is another man standing on the ground, nearer to the camera singing the song and playing a guitar. The title of the film then fades onto the screen in a sketch like font and the word 'Mary' is written in a love heart with a cupid arrow through it. It then fades out and the camera jibs down into a medium close up and another name appears in the same style as from the beginning. This happens again for other names. The camera then tracks down away from the man sitting in the tree and goes towards the ground and then tracks to a close up of a boy. The typography of the director's name then fades in and out in the same style from the beginning. The music then fades out and the film begins.

Throughout this opening sequence there is natural lighting and no sounds other than the music from the men in the tree. There are few enigmas, for example the men sitting in the tree may lead people to question why they are and what their relevance to the film is. Also you can see people walking in the background which may make people ask where the film is set. There is no special effects in this opening sequence as this film was made when special effects werent as specially developed as they are now. Although from watching other romantic comedy opening sequences, special effects doesn't seem to be very popular.