Film Opening Sequence that follows the Principles of Continuity

I have chosen to explain how techniques are used to establish narrative flow in The Hoax (2006). Set in the 1970s, the story is based on the life of Clifford Irving, an American writer who wrote a biography of a multi-millionaire which turns out to be a hoax. 

The typography is styled like a typewriter font that gives an impression of a writer or someone interested in literacy thus relating to the main concept of the plot. The titles generally appear on black. The film title comes in the same format as the opening credits. The transitions between the credits and the shots are fades or dissolves. This slows the narrative pace and causes the audience to understand that time has elapsed between the previous and following shots.

The first shot the audience see is a black and white mid close up of a man which zooms into a close up. There is another black and white tracking long shot of a plane taking off. The properties of these shots such as the black and white element, allows the audience to understand that this is from a different time frame from the actual plot line. This is further exerted by the slow title transitions.An aerial shot of Manhattan which becomes more saturated as the camera pans. This depicts the transition of the narrative into the time frame of the main storyline. 

There are close ups of the feet of the characters that we are following. The camera focuses on a man in a suit in a midshot. There are more close ups of shoes and of someone polishing a phone. There are cuts between these shots to create a montage effect. This also involves cross-cutting which has the effect of emphasising the buzz of 1970s Manhattan. There is a match cut and match on action of a close up of a woman polishing the table which transfers so a long shot of her finishing the job. The 180 degree rule is also followed through here to aid the audience’s understanding of the physical space.

The next shot starts at a high angle shot of the floor which moves into a room as if the audience is physically walking into the room. A well-dressed man’s desk in cleaned, he is seen as a rich individual. There is a low angle shot of the company board on the office. There is a high angle shot on the people of New York. A long mid shot of person outside office is seen. The buildings intimidate the audience and the characters. Shot order is followed through where the protagonist is first revealed through a mid-long shot of his back. A slightly titled side mid close up of the protagonist follows through with the 30 degree rule. 

Camera movement is featured heavily in each shot. This guides the audience through physical space to make the narrative appear seamless. The audience hence become engrossed in the film and feel as if their disbelief is suspended. The guitar music sets the mood as light-hearted and repetitive that anchors the audience into the confusing world of the setting. The voices over the office shots suggest that the atmosphere of the film is busy.

Techniques such as shot-reverse shot and eyeline-matching were not possible as there were no conversations in this opening sequence.

Film Opening Analysis: To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) — Art of the Title

The film I will discuss is called To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Adapted from a novel, this is a crime drama directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Universal International Pictures. Set in 1930s Alabama, this film follows the two year journey of a young girl learning about racism when her lawyer father defends a black man. The opening that I will discuss has duration of 3 minutes. 

The film opens to the production company graphic. This fades black to an opening with piano music and the sound of a young girl, the protagonist humming. The first object shown is a close up of a box. A hand is then seen opening the box to reveal items including crayons, keys and coins. The audience get an impression that the box is full of keepsakes. The first actor credit is displayed over this shot. The camera then zooms in to the box and fades to the angle of a crayon being picked out of the box. This clip fades to a big close up of the beginning of the title which is being formed as a crayon drawing. The camera returns to close up of the movie title. 

The camera then tracks the movement of the crayon drawing in big close up framing. This fades to a big close up of the pocket watch. Credits of other actors start to appear over these shots. Other pans are seen of other from the box. Coins with the year “1900” and “United” of United States, establish the setting of the film after which flute music starts. There are numerous close up shots of the protagonist drawing on lined paper with crayons. A rolling marble is then tracked by the camera building up to the “Introducing” of cast members.  After a child’s laugh is heard, the drawing is ripped. The credits end with the appearance of silhouetted branches on a low angle mid shot of a tree.

The notable technical aspects of this opening sequence include the domination of close ups. This allows the audience to focus on small visual details that hint at the protagonist. Also there is camera movement to keep the audience engaged by the point of view perspective. The child’s humming and laughing suggests to the audience that the girl has an innocent character. Her drawings cause the audience to infer her young age. I also noted that most transitions were fades which significantly slows down the narrative pace and are linked to the drama genre. It also creates the impression of looking into the past or memories of a character. 

The events in the opening sequence are fully connected however they encapsulate one moment over a longer period of time. The events seen here do not directly lead into plot, they are rather foreshadowing of the plot. Other characters’ appearances and involvement is deliberately withheld so the audience can focus on the main character. Only the hands and arms are seen of the protagonist here, causing enigma to build up. 

For my own film, I think the audience need a further understanding of the setting. I could use a similar style with introducing a character from the objects that are associated with him/her. I could use slow camera movement in conjunction with close ups to project a character’s point of view onto the sequence although I would cross cut these shots with wider framed shots to give the audience a sense of physical space.

               

Reflection on Shots

     1.       We chose the action genre for this still, a genre commonly associated with chase scenes, violence and guns. The expressions on the characters’ faces connote the seriousness of the situation. Their arms are positioned in movement, depicting running motion. This creates the sense that fast paced movement is common in the film. The actors are portrayed in different positions allowing the audience to understand that there is a chase. Chases such as this are iconographic to action films such as in the film, North by Northwest (1959).

     2.       I took this shot as a straight angled mid-shot with high key lighting to achieve the effect of the action genre. The camera has a sharp focus on the protagonist in action running from the antagonist. The background features a field which is situated near a suburban neighbourhood. This suggests that the characters are out of their natural environment and hence the setting becomes evocative of an action plotline. The effect of an action film still was further created using the framing and angle that resembles a tracking shot.

     3.       The framing centres the protagonist to focus so the audience can feel engaged by his presence. The angle that the shot is taken from places the audience in a window viewpoint. The antagonist’s expression creates a sense of character conflict between the subjects of the shot. The background of the shot has little clutter which makes this shot believable and more real. The dark colours of costuming direct the audience’s attention to the characters’ faces. The expressions on their faces allude to the seriousness of the action genre.

     4.       In hindsight, I would include props such as a gun to depict the antagonist as a possible threat to the protagonist. An increased use of weaponry props would further relate the film still to the action genre. I would also change the costuming such as removing the branding on the protagonist’s shirt. I would shift the camera so the protagonist is looking directly at the camera to further involve the audience in a participant viewpoint of the chase. I would also like to feature a wired fence or manmade construction in the background to avoid the connotation of a peaceful environment.