At the beginning of my project i was set the task to create a film opening that used the convention of the genre and the situation, to accomplish this task i have researched and used some of the conventions that were in the films i researched into and these conventions that i have found have shaped my final film video.
1. Introduction to the title of the film
In the first frame of my film opening there was a clip of the title of the film. The title is made in a hostage note fashion and this emphasises and follows the name of the film, which is Geisel (“hostage” in English), then the letters are swept away and it then fades into the beginning of the storyline, this is a convention of a thriller film as it shows the audience the present and then there is a change of scene to the past where it establishes the beginning of the film (the present) and then later on in the film there may be a scene where the shot at the beginning is played again like in American Beauty and then the story carries on from the point at the beginning of the film, this is one of the conventions that are in thriller / action films as it builds tension in the audience and makes them watch the rest of the story.
2. Setting and location
I have chosen the setting of a built up urban street because it gives the effect of a sub urban location. In the film there is not an establishing shot and this is because the area is built up and it shows the audience automatically that it is in an urban area as there are houses all around. This convention is mostly found in street chases or chases that are in built up area as there is no need to show the audience the location of the story, the only time where there is an establishing shot in an urban area is when the film is based in a capital city such as the league of extraordinary gentlemen where there is a shot of the Eiffel tower in the background.
3. Costumes and props
I have decided to follow the typical conventional costumes for the robber and the kidnapper, this is because this makes them stand out as the troublesome kind of person always making rash decisions.
For the kidnapper I have followed another convention and this is to keep their identity hidden for the time being as this can set up the story for a strange twisted ending or beginning this convention is mostly found in the thriller genre of films.
For the robber i have decided to go for the casual everyday look as this is what most robbers and criminals look like in real life and in most of the films, this means that the robbers costume fits in with the convention of the clothing for a robber.
For the police officer i wanted to give the look and impression that he is not really a police officer and this is breaking the typical convention for a police officer as they are in uniform and if they are not in uniform they have a bullet proof vest and radio’s, but i have given the police officer only casual street wear clothing and this is to confuse the audience as they will not know that he is a police officer and this is part of the surprise later on in the story.
4. Camera work and editing
For the camera work that is involved in my opening scene there is a lot of shots of the robber and the police officer running past the camera and this is to emphasise the action in the chase. I have used some panning shots in the film but mainly the shots are stills and they are close to the action, this increases the feel of the speed of the chase and this is a convention of a chase scene because it is enhancing the speed of the chase and making the audience sit on the edge of their seats.
For the editing that i have used in the film opening i have used mainly quick short and fast shots, which change with no effects, this is because it shows the recklessness of a chase and it also boosts the effect of the speed of the chase making it feel faster and this is another convention of a chase as the editing increases the speed of a chase with the fast paced editing cutting from clip to clip. At the end there is a cliff hanger for the audience making them want to watch on and this escalates into a flash back sequence which has the effect of flashing after every clip and it is in black and white to suggest a memory.
5. Genre and how the opening suggests it
For this frame i have selected the shoot out and this is most common in thriller / action films, this suggests that my film is of the action/ thriller genre as the chase turns into a shoot out and this fits into the convention of a typical action and thriller film as one of the main conventions in the genre of film is that there is a shootout in the story and some other elements of action (such as the chase), this means that my film is a cross between action and thriller.
6. Special FX
In this scene I have used FX and transitions to create a typical flashback sequence and to accomplish this perfect flashback sequence i have done a little research into how other flashbacks are used in other films and this can be seen on my blog and to improve the editing of the flashbacks i have researched into montage. For the flash back i have met the convention and that is to highlight all of the main events and to make it look like a flashback of the memory (not confusing the audience)
7. How the characters are introduced
This shows that all of the main characters are introduced by the previous character that has been introduced e.g. the robber in introduced by running, then the police officer is introduced by beginning the chase and then the kidnapper is introduced when the police officer is looking out for the robber with his gun drawn. This means that all of the characters are introduced in a sequence that is all down to the chase and this is most typical of a chase scene as there is always a introduction to the person running away and then the chaser is introduced moments after.
8. How does the music affect the video
The music that i have used in this clip is used to raise the beat of the chase and also make it seem faster, so i have opted for a heavy beat in the background music that is almost level to the sounds in the film (the running), this meets the convention for the music used as it raises the atmosphere within the audience and the beat of the music enhances the chase scene.
9. Title font and style
The title font and style that i have used in the introduction of all of the people’s names involved in this video is kept simple, this is to allow the audience to read the text fast and easily so they only then need to concentrate on the film that is being played and this is used in most action and thriller films such as Rambo, this is another convention of a action/thriller film.
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