Film openings research

A film opening must not give away the whole storyline, but show some indication of all or some of the bellow:

• genre
• narrative
• character
• atmosphere
• themes
• setting
• sound
• titles

Film openings analysis


The Fall (2006 - adventure, drama)
The Film, The Fall was released in 2006 and produced by Googly Films and Absolute Entertainment.
In regards to the genre of the film, the opening doesn't give a lot away, but by doing this it captures the audiences imagination. The costumes the actors are wearing and the horse could symbolise a western theme, yet, enough is not even away to label the film this genre.
Setting in regards to showing what era it is set in, is highlighted well, but where it is set is kept quite secretive. The whole opening of the clip is in black and white, which of course has connotations to the past, showing to the audience how the film could look if shown in the era it is set. The period costumes all the actors are wearing is a huge indication of the time it is set. Large props such as the stream train, and the lack of large props in the scenery, such as cars and skyscrapers, all indicate the time period and the fact they are in the countryside.
The film opening does a good job of showing us what the characters look like, but it does not tell us anything else about them, such as the characters name, and why they are in the film. Whats good about how the film introduces us to the characters, it that we are shown to so many characters, more then the average film opening, the audience could find it hard to identify the main characters, but i think this is a good twist as it leaves the viewer thinking.
The titles in The Falls opening are quite discrete and not at all intrusive of the action happening in the opening, the writing is of a good size as it is big enough to read easily, yet small enough not to interrupt the scene. The titles are all in a readable, clear font, the font it very neutral and does not give anything away about the film.
The use of silence right at the beginning of the clip adds a sense of anticipation for the audience as they wait for the opening to start. The non-diegetic sound track starts a second before the films title is shown, the clip goes from being silent and not a lot happening, to then moving to a powerful sound track and the films name, the viewer is almost thrust into the movie. The slow yet strong and very interesting music track, plays throughout the film opening, no narration or diegetic sounds are used, so this track has a huge impact on the opening. As the whole of the opening is in slow motion, and the music is quite slow paced, both the action and sound work in sync with each other, this allows the scene flows smoothly.
overall this film opening poses more questions than it does give answers, making it intriguing for the audience.