Analysing opening sequences of films.

I studied a collection of opening clips from a variety of different film genres. The first film I analysed was ‘Love Actually’ which is a rom-com. The first scene fades in to show a crowded airport and uses depth of field to focus on the relationship between the two people. Soft instrumental music is parallel and played to underscore the scene. The voice over sets the scene and explains the theme of the film. The large crowds of people add verisimilitude to the scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_saCHD4Wzqk
Cliffhanger is an adventure film that begins with a fade to show the scene of a helicopter. It uses canted angles to look up at the climber and often a pan to show the movement of the helicopter. It combines wide angel shots with close-ups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKqlwKfH8R4
The Ring, a horror film, begins with a shot of the outside of a house. The opening is filmed at night with stormy weather. It uses a sound bridge of the rain and the girls voice to link to the inside of the house. The slow zoom on the two girls shows the focus on them and adds to the eerie effect. The flashing lights from the television are reflected on the girls to add verisimilitude. The motivated cut to the television and the speech concerning it shows its importance. Over the shoulder shots are used to follow the conversations of the girls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e4DBZ_eeGg
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is from the fantasy genre. It uses wide angle pans with zoom to make the audience feel part of the scene and the slow fade adds fluency. The shot of the extra characters then the mid shot of Harry shows he is the main character. The empty, spinning roundabout reflects his loneliness as does the dry, blank landscape. The laughter alerts the audience to other characters that are approaching. The boy in red is featured in the middle to show he is the leader of the group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hGywZnH3qc
Step up is a musical film that sets the scene by showing the contrast of classical ballet and street/hip hop. Each screen fades to black then fades back in to show the segregation. The music is parallel to the hip hop scenes but contrapuntal to the ballet scenes. It uses close ups of the dancers feet to show the difference between the two groups. The ballet scenes are much lighter, with them wearing official ballet uniform and hairstyles. They are shown in a dance studio with mirrors to reflect the light. The hip hop dancers are show at night time, in a dark alley. They dance in street clothing, wearing red and black contrasting with the peach coloured ballet uniforms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCsl4JgveVg