Conventions of Opening Sequences

Conventions of Opening Sequences

 

Below is a Prezi, which takes into account all the conventions of an opening sequence.

 

 

History of Opening Sequences

History of Opening Sequences 



              A History Of The Title Sequence                              THE FILM before THE FILM

The above video's go through the History of Opening Sequences, with the first video giving examples of the people who changed the way Opening Sequences were presented. The second video however delves more into the history side of the people mentioned in the first video.

Up until the 1970s, closing credits for films usually only showed a little clip featuring the cast members and their individual roles, or even simply just said "The End". The end credits did not contain the amount of detail they do today, and therefore a lot of films required the opening credits to contain all these details. For example, the title sequence of the 1968 film Oliver! takes up about three-and-a-half minutes, and while not listing the complete cast, it lists nearly all of its "technical" credits at the beginning of the film, all set against a background of what appear to be, but in fact are not, authentic nineteenth-century engravings of typical London life.

From the two above videos I have learned that even the simplest of Opening Sequences can still be powerful as seen in the embedded vimeo video 'A History of the Title Sequence' through the likes of Maurice Binder and Saul Bass. Also looking at the 'THE FILM before THE FILM' embedded video it shows multiple Opening Sequences, and one which caught my eye was the Catch Me If You Can one and in particular the titles used. When it comes to making my Opening Sequence I am going to need to put in titles of Director, Producers, Actors and the other usual titles which appear throughout the beginning of a film, so if I feel as if I am missing a certain title I can resort to the Catch Me If You Can Opening Sequence so that I can see if I have missed any. Not only that though, the video allows me to explore different ways in which a film can start and it teaches me that a film does not have to start in a specific way, it can start almost however you would like it to.

Synergy

Synergy

 

Media Institutions

Media Institutions

Media Studies has a lot of fairly difficult 'Key Concepts', one of these particular concepts is ‘Media Institutions’.

It can help to think about what it means when a concentration of media companies, those that can manufacture high quality media texts and products and distribute them widely and easily, lies in just a few hands. These companies are called ‘media institutions’.

An institution is something that plays a major role in people’s lives in society. This could include, family, NHS, and the School; these are all considered ‘institutions’. The media plays a big part these days in basically everyone's lives.

 

There is however a key difference between family, the health service, school, and media companies. The first three are there to 'serve' us; the last works to serve its shareholders.

 

It’s a fact that most of the media is owned by just a handful of companies and individuals. E.g. In the USA, there are five large corporations or 'institutions' that control nearly all the ‘visual media’ seen by the American public, such as television, films, etc.

An example of someone who owns such an Institution is Rupert Murdoch. Rupert is the CEO of the News Corporation; the News Corporation owns a series of Newspapers as well as a selection of other companies.

 

 

Concentration of Media:

 

Some critics argue that a having one individual/corporation have control over a wide range of media offers that individual/corporation a huge level of influence and power to whoever views their media. Concentration of ownership in itself can act like a media ‘gatekeeper’. For example, in the music industry there are just two or three worldwide corporations that dominate music sales worldwide.

 

Media texts are entertaining, and to some people, very persuasive. The question is, are they persuading us to believe that what they are telling us is the truth?

If one person owns a great deal of the media, that person then has the power to limit points of views which the media shows to the public to those that are sympathetic towards certain stories/values which are seen in the media; these values are prone to fit into the ‘way things are’.

Production Expense:

To create the kind of 'high quality' media that we know, a great deal of money is required. And it’s in the media’s interests to keep it that way, so we continue viewing that particular media text. They employ the best people and the best equipment to create the highest quality media texts.

 

Advertising:

A lot of media companies rely on selling advertising space to cover the high costs which goes into distribution and production. If a magazine loses its major advertisers, it goes out of business. This is because magazines/newspapers use advertising to make their money as the newspaper don't particularly cost a lot, they need to make money from some where else.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Audience Positioning

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Film Rating

Film Rating

 

All classification decisions are based on the4 BBFS's published regularly updated Guidelines. The Guidelines are the product of extensive public consultation, research and the accumulated experience of the BBFC over many years. They reflect current views on film, DVD and video game regulation.

 

• Ratings changing e.g. Blade Runner --> Directors Cut has a different rating to the main/final film.
• Rambo was also another film which did this.
• In the 1960s, the studio system began to fail, this was because movies were released with progressively more bold content. The decision was then made to implement a new ratings system. This informed viewers of what they would see and what to expect.

Different Types of Film Ratings:

• U - This was the first official BBFC rating, it stands for Universal and states that the film is suitable for everyone.
• PG - This was the second BBFC rating, and it stands for Parental Guidance. This is technically the same as the U rating, however they must be with an adult. A parent/guardian should consider whether they'd want their child to be watching the film unaccompanied.
• The third BBFC rating is 12A, those under the age of 12 are only allowed to see 12A rated filmed if they are accompanied by an adult.
• Next is just a 12, simply you need to be 12 or over to view 12 rated films. This is because it may include swearing, violence, etc.
• Fifth is the 15 rating this is the same concept as 12, you have to be 15 or over to view 15 rated films
• The sixth film rating is 18, these are usually very violent films, and could contain sex references or very strong language.
• Lastly is R18, which stands for Restricted 18. These films can only be shown at licensed cinemas or 'sex' shops. The content in this film are considered to extreme for 18 and has very strong violence and sexual activity.

Below is a picture from a website called Common Sense, it lets you know ratings of films and gives a parents point of view, for other curious parents..

Representation of Men in the Genre of Thriller

Representation of Men in the Genre of Thriller

 

When it comes to the Thriller Genre, the way gender is represented is stereotypical; for example in the majority of thriller films the male is depicted as the hero/protagonist, and the antagonist is often male also; whilst the female on the other hand is usually the victim or is someone in need of help, the damsel in distress (typical stereotype). In addition females are often represented as the hero's side kick, and are considered sex symbols/source of sexual attraction for the male Protagonist or Antagonist. 

 

Focusing on how men are represented in Thriller, a film which does this is a couple of the Bourne Films, e.g. The Bourne Identity and Bourne Legacy. In the embedded film trailer below this paragraph, we can see what I was talking about above. Especially at the very end of the trailer, where the male Protagonist is seen jumping from a rooftop to help the 'Damsel in Distress', and he reassures her by making sure she is ok. Another representation of men in Thrillers is that they are portrayed as being both physically and mentally strong, as seen in the clip where he is beating up everyone he comes across. Men also tend to take more active roles, the Protagonist, and come across as more of a team leader than females do. The male Protagonist in thriller films also tends to be brave and usually clever, as seen in a part of the clip where he puts together a make shift gun with what looks like a fire extinguisher.

 

The Bourne Legacy Trailer:

 

Male Protagonists are often stereotypically seen as the “lone hero”, and have a lot of independence. This is also true of Male Antagonists; they are often portrayed as isolated, a bit lonely, but have power. Males often restore the new equilibrium at the end of the film.

 

Another Thriller film which portrays men in this sort of way is Die Hard. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is an officer on the NYPD and after his wife and others are taken hostage at the Nakatomi Plaza, John attempts to save them.

In the Die Hard trailer below, we see Bruce Willis being the strong Protagonist attempting to save his wife who, fitting with the conventions of thriller, is the Damsel. Bruce Willis' character stays true to the typical representation of men in the thriller genre, as does the male Antagonist, he seems to be powerful as he has taken over the whole of the building. We also see Bruce Willis hurling himself down elevator shafts and running from explosions, which show he is both physically and mentally strong, as he is taking on what appears to be a squad of dangerous men.
 

Die Hard Trailer: