Movie Opener Brainstorming & Research

 

Video Clip Observations:

• "Rise" 

    The opening scene takes place on a soccer field. This scene hints at a montage of moments of the course of the player's practice. The main character seems to be extremely in tune with his craft, executing each goal into the net. The different camera angles capture the player's skills and performance. Energetic music plays along with the sequence, simulating the upbeat melody the character plays through his head phones. I appreciate the connection made with this technique, allowing the audience to be thrusted into the main character's world, experiencing the almost tranquil yet heightening feeling he welcomes during this soccer practice. 

• "Dear Lover"

    Dear Lover creates a dramatic tone through a voice over to further the narrative of telling a story about fighting for love. The combination of the voice over and the transition of scenes between the main character's past and present self, it is evident that the film wanted to portray a story of reflection. This is a forbidden love story told by the main character as she reflects upon her trials; her relationship was split apart by the main character's judgmental mother. She goes on to explain how her and her lover would write letters to each other for 5 years. The opening ends with a somewhat intro and a cliffhanger to draw the audience further in. 

• "Dare to Thrill"

    This high paced sequence observes a joy ride with friends, but things take a turn when they discover something strange and disturbing in the trunk. The title Dare to Thrill is intriguingly displayed in an arcade type of font, introducing the audience into a genre of adventure and action. The story opens up with  energy filled music and a dare to "steal the key to a man's heart" which we later find out to be the keys to a Dodge Charger. I've seen this type of genre before in movies where the characters on screen are presented with multiple dares that will first be exhilarating and eventful but slowly become dangerous and almost criminal. And that's exactly how this opening ends, when the characters find something horrifying in the trunk of the car they were told to steal. 

• "Always Watching"

    Always Watching introduced various camera angles and transitions that not only furthered the storyline but complimented the suspenseful background track as well. I believe that the actors really went beyond with this project and added details to create a psychotic character and tell that character's disturbing thoughts and motives for wanting to essential be someone else. As the audio heightens so does the character's need to prove himself to the therapist and show how he should have someone else's life because they do not deserve it. The short takes and quick transitions evoke a rushing feeling as the audience wants to know more about this character. 

• "The Blue Boar"

    The Blue Boar introduced a genre that I hadn't seen before out of these eight films. Incorporating elements relating to music and the period genre this production was able to set a clear narrative through song and a display of European themes in relation to perhaps the Victorian or Edwardian age. I'm not exactly sure if the actor is the one actually singing or if it is a background track instead, but I think the execution of the music and customs together unfold a magical opening following a world set in a different time with different rules and guidelines. 

• "White Coat"

    This opening scene was especially interesting and detailed, showcasing a sci-fi genre. The lighting techniques used were absolutely supreme. This sequence is one of my favorites I have seen because it so accurately represents a lot of the shows and movies that I watch. The portrayal of intense color and slow motion help describe the film, a creation of sorts is taking place in a laboratory with several tools and instruments to perform the task. I really liked the camera shots and angles mostly because it compliments the desired lighting seen on screen. The lighting aspect plays a huge role as the opening sequence is set in low key lighting, aiding to the agenda of adding a mysterious tone as most of the scene is hidden in the dark abyss. 

• "Stalker."

    The classic stalker trope is proposed in this sequence, following the several conventions it offers, such as the main character growing increasingly weary the someone is watching her. We follow a young girl on an average day as she gets ready for school. As she is getting prepared she hears camera shots as if someone is taking pictures of her. The sequence using close ups to really capture the unsettled and anxious reactions of the actor. I liked how the project incorporated several different camera angles so that viewers have a sense of location and feel involved as the actor experiences unwanted attention. However, I noticed this opening uses clearly pre-recorded sound effects that throw off the balance of the clip because of how loud they are, but I understand why they were added to further the narrative of being stalked. 

• "Nostalgia"

    This opening sequence reflects on a grandmother's nostalgia of her home country. The camera continuously cuts to clips of mural painting of a country's shoreline. There are several close ups of personal items and photographs that reflect growth, culture, and home to the grandmother. It ends as the camera cuts from the grandmother to a young girl who is supposed to represent the grandmother when she was her age. 

Summary/Brainstorming:

    Each one of my observations and brainstorming sessions have led me to want to include some of the techniques performed in the above opening sequences. In the video, "Nostalgia" I appreciated the use of close ups to show the audience a collection of personal items to further the narrative of the video. I would also like to include close ups so that they can capture in vast detail the story I'm trying to portray. In "Dare to Thrill" the collage and energy packed scene of driving the car on a joyride was really impactful and I feel evoked a hefty amount of adrenaline into the audience with the combination of fast cuts and music. I especially liked this element because I feel that it would go smoothly in my project as I want to create two drastically different worlds where one is calm and peaceful and the other is unpredictable and energetic. Lastly, in "Rise" the use of camera angles really accented the main character's skills in soccer and appropriately encapsulated the player's techniques. I would like to strive to achieve the angles presented in all these videos as I believe they were done well to the best of their abilities. I would also like to leave my sequence ending on a note that propels the storyline just as well as it was done in, "Always Watching", "Dare to Thrill", and "Dear Lover". These videos left me grabbing for more, just as an opening sequence should.