The Twentieth Day | Opening Pitch

"Treading through an overgrown, abandoned location, an apocalypse-ready character searches for an unknown individual amongst the run-down buildings".

Thanks for reading!

Opening Analysis | Oldboy

Oldboy is a Drama, Mystery and Thriller movie directed by Chan-wook Park in 2003. It stars Min-sik Choi as Dae-su Oh, a man who was imprisoned for fifteen year and seeks revenge on his unknown captors.

The film opens with a couple production company titles, starting with "Show East" and "Egg Films". These were the main companies behind the development of the movie, so it makes sense that these would be shown first. Text then appears in the native language of the movie, which, again, is the names of "Show East" and "Egg Films", before listing off several production companies in the same shot. By doing this, the movie quickens the time it takes to start, meaning they leave the audience losing interest to a minimum. There are also no titles of the actors who star in the movie, again, lowering the time it takes to start and possibly increasing the realism.

The opening shot of the movie is a low-angle close up of Dae-su Oh’s hand gripping a tie, before the camera pans up to centre his head in the shot. While the shot is lit naturally, Dae-su Oh is silhouetted out in front of the sun, which is very nearly blocked out behind his head. The shot does a very good job of making Dae-su very intimidating and scary. The low-angle makes him seem very powerful, as he is looming over the camera or the audience. Combined with the fact that Dae-su Oh is visibly shaking makes him seem unstable, and that instability increases the tension as it suggest he has the potential to do anything, be it violent or aggressive. Another connotation is shown through the fact that Dae-su Oh nearly blocks out the sun. It greatly emphasises his power, the fact he is able to obscure this thing that is everywhere, that gives us life demonstrates his strength or power. The lighting is also key, you can see Dae-su’s face or any details, it completely de-personalises him, and by removing that human aspect you remove the possibility of mercy or sympathy. Darkness is also commonly associated with the unknown which has deep rooted connotations with fear, making Dae-su far more intimidating. The shot being a close also makes Dae-su seem much larger and stronger.

The following shot reveals that Dae-su is holding a man over the edge of building. This next shot is created in contrast to the first. It is at a low-angle, looking down at the victim, making him seem smaller and weaker, especially in comparison to the previous shot and Dae-su. The character is also lit far lighter than the previous shot, again contrasting with the original shot, making this character seem far less powerful. The high-key lighting also allows the audience to see the fear in the actors face, whilst in the previous shot Dae-su showed no emotion, again, making him far more intimidating. The shot is also a mid-shot of the character, when, put into comparison against the close-up of Dae-su, makes this character seem very small and therefore weaker. The use of low-angle also shows the ground and floor below, emphasising the height and the apparent danger of the situation. The previous only shows the sky and removes this danger possibility. Dae-su is also situated to the far right of the shot. This isolates him from the danger of the ground below, again, increasing his threat and power. Finally, the addition of the character holding a fluffy dog has connotations of being weak, almost like grasping a teddy bear, similar to small child. This further contrasts with Dae-su, making him an almost omnipotent force in this scene.

The next shot is a close up of Dae-su's hand gripping the tie, before the shot pans across the tie to reveal the character hanging over the edge of the building. The fact the shot does not show Dae-su's face, again, strips him of emotion, and therefore fear or mercy, making him appear far more powerful. Also, his hand being at head level to the other character suggest he is looming over him; a powerful figure. While the shot pans left, it also slightly pans downwards as well, emphasising his smallness in comparison.  Again, the shot gives the threatened character space to demonstrate fear, which further weakens him in comparison to Dae-su. The buildings in the background, whilst being blurred out, are all the rooftops or the very tops of the building, emphasising the height and the danger of the situation.

The final shot is from the same angle as the first one, so it shares all the connotations. However, this shot eventually zooms into the darkness of Dae-su's face, possibly emphasising his lack of remorse or emotion for this character, increasing his potential for violence. The shot zooming in also completely allows Dae-su to block out the sun, massively increasing his connotations of power and strength, as mentioned before when analysing the opening shot.

 During the opening, non-diegetic music is heard throughout. During the titles, it is a quiet piece, however, when the opening shot is shown, the music becomes much louder and far more dramatic. This increases the tension of the scene, and emphasises the severity and danger of the situation. No ambient diegetic sounds are audible, making the scene feel far less natural, which could link to the character of Dae-su in this shot, who is stripped of a lot of human emotion. Diegetic voices of the threatened character can be heard, which sounds like pleading in a very scared tone, again, making him seem far weaker in comparison to Dae-su.

Overall, the opening of this movie is short but sweet. It only uses a few shots but the connotations derived from them are massive. It sets up Dae-su to be this powerful figure, as well as creates numerous enigma codes for the audience to eventually decipher, the main one being the context of this shot, as well as why Dae-su is shown as so powerful, all through the use of media techniques.

Thanks for reading!

Opening Analysis | Dredd

Dredd is a Sci-Fi and Action movie directed by Pete Travis in 2012. It is set in a violent, futurist city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner. The narrative follows Dredd as he aims to take down a gang within one of the many mega block flats who supply a reality altering drug: SLO-MO.

The film opens with four titles. Coloured red, the font used is very bold and large, the names of the production company significantly large than the connectives. The order of appearance is as follows: 'Lionsgate', 'Reliance Entertainment', 'Im Global' and 'DNA Films'. Lionsgate is easily the most well-know company above, hence why they appear first. The others, while not as notable, are still important and most likely would have invested in the picture. This movie, being directed by a mostly unknown director with a tiny amount of money in comparison with other films, does not feature the names of the actors or producers, etc as they would not be famous enough to gain interest from the audience. It stars no big actors or directors, and placing their name during the opening titles would only increase the length of the titles, with no positive reaction from the audience as they would most likely not be aware of who those people were. It is also important to note that the font appears very slightly saturated in colour, linking to the connotations of the movie taking place in a grimy, despotic future.

The first shot of the movie is an extreme long-shot, a city looming on the horizon, above an empty, barren wasteland below. The shot is mainly used for exposition, linking with the diegetic monologue taking place, however, it does offer some connotations of the themes of the movies. The fact the city is on the horizon could suggest that this future will be the same for the audience soon. This makes the whole film seem more plausible, it gives the audience the idea that is setting could be reality soon, which increases the realism and therefore tension throughout the picture. The shot also demonstrates the gritty, dirty aesthetic of the movie. A massive grey cloud can be seen floating above the city, which stretches from one end of the shot to the other. This gives a sense of pollution; the massive man-made structures above the 'nature' of the wasteland below, and the large cloud centred just above the city imply that the city has uncomfortable living conditions and, overall, is a grimy place. This links back to the overall tone of the movie being gritty and exposes the audience to this right from the start. The idea of pollution is also shown by a dense, yellowy fog layer obscuring the details of the city (it is seem more apparently in following shots). The also connects to the idea of dirty, gritty connotations of the movie.

The following shots are similar in effect, firstly focusing on the wasteland and the barren, isolated and empty feeling of it, (which could possibly link to the protagonists position in the film's setting, being a police officer in a city full of rioting and violence). The shot then pans up to reveal the stained bordering city walls and the tall mega-structures of the city. The fact it pans up, again, could suggest that this future is slowly creeping up on the audience, increasing the realism and tension of the movie. The movie continues with shots like this, connotative fodder for the monologue, the images all appearing with that yellow fog mention earlier and with slightly saturated colour, all linking to the dirty atmosphere of the movie.

A later shot is a POV of what appears to be some sort of flying drone. Layered over the shot is computerized imagery and centered is a long-shot of hundreds of small, slum-like houses, with dust clouds bellowing from the streets. The computerized imagery and the drone give the audience a strong connection to the Sci-fi genre, where they begin to understand the apocalyptic future the film takes place in. The slum housing and the dust clouds link back to the dirty connotations mentioned earlier, it gives the impression of poverty which, combined with the realism the movie creates, increases the tension greatly.

The film then employs cross-cutting to increase the tension. After the previous shot, the movies cuts to a close up of Dredd's arm, where the audience can see him wrapping a bandage around his fist. This whole shot provides significant information into the connotations and themes of the movie. The fact he is wrapping a bandage around his fist speaks volumes about the violent action that will be present within the movie, and also links to the gritty connotations mentioned earlier. Dredd also clenches his fist at the end of this shot, further linking to the action genre, and the gritty, violent connotations.

The film then cuts back to a high-angle shot of people rioting in the streets, throwing rocks and stones towards the city's bordering wall. The use of the high-angle makes the rioters seem more powerful or deadly, which makes the fight between the protagonist and these people seem a more difficult struggle, increasing the tension. The shot also includes the yellow fog and saturation for similar reasons as earlier. The movie then cuts back to a close up from behind Dredd as he places a jacket over his shoulder. The effect of this cross-cutting is almost what you would expect from a montage, the shots of violence combined with the gritty connotative shots of Dredd build up suspense in the audience, it makes them eager to see how these two powerful forces will clash. The following shots of the rioters are also clever. On both you cannot see the edge or end of the rioters, which leaves the scale of the violent protests to the audience's imagination, were they usually envision a much large scale of force, heightening the danger of the crowd. Layered over these shots are images you would see on a news program, which would increase the realism, and also the computerized imagery as mentioned earlier, linking back to the Sci-Fi genre.

An extreme-long shot after this emphasises the power of the protagonist's size, just to draw a comparison with the rioters, making both forces seem very powerful, which leaves the audience expecting an exciting battle. The shot has to pan up from the bottom of the tower to reveal the top, which is shot at a high-angle, making the building seem much more intimidating and therefore the police force far more intimidating. Also in the shot are no other tall buildings, which greatly emphasises the size of the tower in shot.

The title of the film appears at the very end of the opening, speedily moving towards the audience as debris flies away from it. The velocity and the debris during the title all link to connotations of the Action genre, engaging the target-audience.

During the opening, non-diegetic is also played. The song itself feels very industrial and heavy, featuring loud, metallic sounding drums. The heaviness and the type of noise it makes relates strongly to the Action genre. The song feels like it could be used in a big fight between two strong forces, similar to the ideas that the opening implies. It also feels very unnatural or robotic, possibly linking to the wasteland world of the movie, which, as mentioned earlier, seems to have very little organic life and seems polluted and dirty, ideas that are conveyed through the music. It also matches the rioting action sequences as well as working as good build up music during the 'montage' cross-cutting sequence, increasing the tension.

Overall, the opening of this movie is intended to hype up the audience. They are given context into the violent dystopia of this future, as well as the major powers in this world (which are built up greatly throughout the opening). It leaves the audience anticipating more, which any good opening should hope to achieve, all through the use of media techniques.

Thanks for reading!

Connotations Of Horror Openings

The majority of these genre’s openings are crafted to create specific enigma codes for the audience, usually relating to the villain/antagonist of the feature. Most of these movies will either open with either the antagonist performing a killing or similar action, or with the result of the antagonist’s action. Basically, the audience is shown the danger of the antagonist, or given numerous unanswered questions relating to the antagonist of the narrative. For example:

The opening of The Ring is a prime example of this. The audience is exposed to numerous unexplained shots, such as the static on the TV or the very end in which the woman is killed by seemingly what is the television. The opening provides zero explanation, just slowly builds up the tension, which keeps the audience engaged, yet provides nearly zero context into the story, just creating enigma codes. The shots are feature a blue hue throughout and overall a visually dark tone, mainly to fit in with the connotations of horror. This usually contrasts with a following scene in which the tension is alleviated and the shots usually brighter.

A similar example of this would be the opening of The Conjuring. Again, the shot has a blue hue throughout and the brightness of significantly lower. Another feature not mentioned earlier is that many shots throughout these openings are stretched out, longer than the average shot length. This could be done to, again, increase the tension. The stillness of the shots could also contrast with speed of a jump scare, a connotation of many horror movies, which the audience will be expecting, also increasing the tension. To go back to the original point, however, the opening provides little context into the story. The conversation towards the end only creates more enigma codes for the audience to decipher as the movie continues. The unanswered question only grab the audience's interest and further develop the tension, which plays a key role within horror movies.

Connotations Of Horror Genre

Unlike other genres, many Horror movies follow a formula that are very similar to each other. Genres such as Drama or Sci-Fi or even subgenres of these all allow for a variety of combinations or differences that can change the connotations. If you compare Star Trek and Mad Max, both films offer VERY different expectations, yet both can easily be placed into the Sci-Fi and Action genre. Horror movies, however, differ from this. While the settings and environment can be changed, the audience's expectations are usually very similar. Most feature an entity, be it human or not, that preys on protagonists, who usually are young adults. Basically, the antagonist is something that hunts on the protagonist and has considerable power over them. Their appearance or costume is usually unnerving, even if it is sometimes standard clothing. Something will bring up the creepiness factor on them. For example:

The first image is a more generic looking monster. Pale skin and deformed facial features. A good way to create a scary looking antagonist is to hide/deform facial features, the eyes being the best idea as this where people will interact with the characters. You can see this with the first image, and a similar idea with the second picture, obscuring Hannibal's mouth.

Another key idea used in horror movies is that the audience is usually not exposed to the antagonist until the later half of the movie, OR during the opening. This is done for a similar effect as the opening, it keeps the audience guessing and interested, as they want to see the villain, who usually command power, as shown by their workings throughout the first half, be it in the form of killings, like Sinister, or other-worldly events like Paranormal Activity.

The most essential part of horror movies, however, is the horror. Many modern horror movies use jump scares to scare the audience, building up the volume and tension and then either using a fast cut or loud sound, either diegetic or non-diegetic to catch the audience off guard and make them jump, which then keeps them guessing when the next one will occur, increasing the horror of the movie. Other films within this genre tend to focus on disturbing imagery to make the audience uncomfortable, like Silence Of The Lambs. It focuses on the psychology of the antagonists to make the audience disturbed, rather than jump scares. While this is a more natural form of horror, it usually does not provide the same level of excitement as jump scares. The choice of which one to use depends on how realistic and immersive you want the movie to be. I believe the latter will be more effective for my opening, as I plan to make the setting as immersive as possible, and shrill, non-diegetic music and fast cuts will hinder this effect.

Thanks for reading!

Production Company Logo Ideas

Part of our course involves creating a logo for a production company that would of helped produce the movie we are creating the opening for.

The initial idea for my company was 'Bell Tower', however, I felt this name seemed too generic and uninspired, as well as the fact that this was already the name for numerous companies. I settled on 'Fire Exit', mainly due to the fact that I felt this to be more original and memorable in comparison to 'Bell Tower'.

Below is my first concept design for the logo:

 The background being black works great as it can easily be blended into dark/black segments within movies, the white contrasting this, making it clearly visible. The font in this version is more true to actual fire exit signs, however, I felt it looked too weak and did not catch the audience's eye, as well as not fitting in with the boldness of the logo. Below are two later versions:

The first image above was headed in the right direction, but I still felt that it lacked that eye-catching impact needed to make it memorable. It also, again, seemed out of place in comparison to the thickness of the image. The second one fixes that issue, but leaves a large empty space on the right. Not only this, but all these images leave a blank space below the text, making the logo feel less cohesive.

I tried to solve this issue by creating a border around the image and text, however, this still left a blank space below the text, even if it did make the logo feel more cohesive and professional.

I revamped the design of the logo in my next version, moving the text below utilized the space better and made it look far more professional. The font now matched the boldness of the image and also lined up correctly with it. 

In my final version I added a border to make the logo look far more professional, however the way the image is created leaves an empty space next to the image, which takes away from the professionalism. I decided to revert this step and return to the previous version, which I believed looked far better.

Final version!

Thanks for reading!