Film openings and genres

 Film opening components and genres

Key elements

*Establishing setting-Lets audience see the area where the scene is taking place and could give a meaning a what the story is about

*Misen scene-Which is basically what you can see and touch helps create a mood and emotion for the viewer(could include-lighting,costumes,makeup,props,decor,hairstyle,etc)

*Character placement-Can show a viewer the status/power of certain characters or the relationship between characters
*Representing genre-Show a viewer what genre is being used by using different genre conventions for different genres to create a meaning of the movie
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Main Auditory elements

*Dialogue-Expressing a story or a characters emotional state  by using communication between numerous characters(script is normally used but not always)

*Foley-Sound effects that are synced with characters actions(could include-walking, gunshot,door opening,explosions,rain,etc)

*Sound effects-Sounds that don't really sync with the characters actions but are in the background to provide realism to a scene

*Background music-To add more emotion to a scene(types of music-fast,loud,quiet,sad,etc)(Sometimes created for that movie specifically or taken from a artist that has nothing to do with the movie)
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Character development

*Internal-What's Happening inside a character like what they're thinking(goals,whats driving them,and what happens if they fail)

*External-Physical changes to the character as the story continues(how its changed them physically,do they have scars and do they give a meaning, and how has the physical change changed the character as a whole)

Plot introduction examples

*teaser

*flashforward

*Montage

*prologues

*A day in life

*Dreams

Representation

*Black people

*race

*gender

*age

*disability

Why are opening scenes important and what do they do?

                               Opening scenes give a tone of the story to the viewer to express a story.Without tone you wouldn't be able to determine the meaning or the genre of a movie. Different opening scenes have different ways of expressing a meaning  like backstory, flashforwards, teasers,a regular day, etc.For example an opening scene with a backstory would be to  explain why the protagonist is doing what they're doing later on in the story.

                                                        Every movie and opening scene has a genre whether its one or numerous genres. For a viewer to determine what genre is being used genre conventions are bring used. In the opening scene of some romance genres sometimes the lovers first meet eachother or the love interest is introduced. While in the genre action the backstory of a character may be shown so the viewer can comprehend why the protagonist do what they do in an opening scene. Either way  characters or a character is introduced whether its backstory or  lovers interest a viewer can still get an idea of a protagonists personality to get a better feel or thought of what the genre may be. In sci-fi and action there can be a hero or a villian shown in the opening scene to show a viewer a goal of the villian or hero.

Comparing and contrasting 3 different genres(action,sci-fi,romance)

• visual elements

*A difference between action and romance is wht they use certain shots for.for example a midshot or medium close up may be used when characters are kissing in romance but in action they may be used to show a character crying because of a comrades death

*A romance movie would differ from an action movie when it comes to misen scene because a romantic look could include flowers,suits, and makeup while an sction movie could include blood,fire,bricks, and broken buildings.

*A sci-fi movie could include a spaceship while an action movie could include a car(action movies can still have spaceships)

*A romance movie would use panning when a character is walking towards another while action would use a handheld shot to create more tension.

*An action movie and a romance movie could both use pov shot but a romance movie could use it to show someone holding someone elses hand while action could show someones bloody hands because they did something they shouldn't have.

• Auditory elements

* action and romance both consist of  dialogue but for different reasons action may be to settle a dispute while romance could be lovers explaining why they love eachother

*A similarity between sci-fi and action is in sci-fi the aliens don't always speak english so there is little dialogue between aliens and humans(aliens can be in both action and sci-fi movies)

*Sci-fi and romance movies could use different music to create different meanings for example action 

*off screen sound of music which is normally in every genre k

• Character development

*A similarity between action and sci-fi is when characters try to grow stronger physically to be able to defeat a stronger opponent whether its a alien or a human

*A similarity between romance and action is characters could be trying to get back with their lover whether its getting stronger to save them or finding a way to get back with their lover again

• Plot introduction

*A similarity between action and sci-fi is they will sometimes show backstory to give a better explanation on what's the reason a protagonist is doing what they're doing.

*A similarity between sci-fi and romance is another day in life could be occuring until something tragic happens to change that

*A difference between romance and action is they may both use backstory as an opening scene but for different purposes for example romance could be to show the reason he loves her and action could use backstory to show why they became a super

• Representation

*Characters in action are normally portrayed as enemies (good or evil) as in romance characters are portrayed as lovers

*Characters in sci-fi and action are sometimes portrayed or looked at by what they look like aliens or how much muscle they have

*In romance movies are based on love while Action movies are based on protecting something/someone sometimes

https://saffronleeas.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/main-features-of-an-opening-sequence/

http://www.filmmediaarts.com/blog/sound-elements-film-soundtrack/

https://nofilmschool.com/Character-Development#:~:text=Character%20development%20comes%20in%20two,they%20are%20on%20the%20outside.

https://whatculture.com/film/the-importance-of-film-openings

https://screencraft.org/2017/01/04/5-essential-types-powerful-opening-scenes/

https://medium.com/@Laurenwash/the-importance-of-representation-in-film-and-media-2d006149cac9