The Third Opening Analysis (Get Out)

Promotional Material for Get Out (2018)

    Directed and produced by Jorden Peele, Get Out is a horror/thriller film released in 2018 and outlines a weekend where a young man visits his girlfriends parents' place for the weekend. But, the place is not as it seems. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya and Allision Williams and covers serious issues like racism and discrimantion. The film was met with positive reception for its mature narrative and even won the 2018 oscar for Best Original Screenplay, among other awards. The positive backlash has made this film a very high standard for horror and thriller films alike.

    I feel as though the opening of any film is a part of film not many people talk about, but, is still extremely relevant to the overarching story. Get Out is no exception.

    The entire opening is a two and a half minute long take of someone getting abducted. But, through the use of dialogue, the audience is clued into the surrounding themes and tone of the narrative. At the start of the opening, the main character enters through the right of the frame and begins talking to his friend on the phone. We know this because he talks extremely relaxingly with whoever is on the phone through his wild pronunciation of "Suburdb". Even though we can't hear the other end of the phone, the main characters dialogue. He also notes how he "sticks out like a sore thumb", showing how he is not exactly comfortable being in the area, alluding to the fact that he does not live there. As he mutters to himself, a white car drives by, but the camera mysteriously follows the white car as it tracks the main chracter, showing potential foreshadowing into the importance of the car.

The Main Character Getting Ambushed

    Just a few seconds later, the white car takes a U-turn and turns around. The white car drives with the main character as he walks. The car plays an ominous song, which disturbs the main chracter. The main character tries to remain cool and turns around from the way he was walking to walk the other way, trying to shake the car off of him. He walks towards the street, and the camera is positioned in a way where the kidnapper cannot be seen in view. The camera is positioned towards an open door on the car, emphasizing how he has left the car. The camera then pans to the left to view a man with a black mask choking the main character until he is unconcious, where he drags his lifeless body into the trunk of his car. While he is dragged, the camera only focuses on his legs, showing how they are not working to get out of the current situation. The rest of the scene of shown in a wide-shot of the character being placed in the trunk and the car running off.

    The opening credits are displayed over this wide-shot. The opening credits take up much of the screen, which provides the viewer something else to view as the previous scene was intense for an opening of a film, providing the audience with a sense of relaxation before plunging into the horror right after the opening scene is over.

    The scene is displayed in low lighting, emphasizing how the scene is taking place at night, where it may be easy to get away with an ambush.

A frame that illustrates the low-key lighting of the opening

    The opening is extremely well made at establishing the tone of the film. Since it is a horror film, the tone should be offputting and uncomofortable, but the opening sets the standard for the film. In the film, the characters does come back, but the viewers are quite oblivious to this fact, since he is actually not the main character of the film. But, while seeing the film, it does set up his character, which is to be explored later in the movie.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/?ref_=ttawd_ov_bk

Sources: Peele, J. (Director). (2017). Get Out [Film]. Universal Pictures / Blumhouse Productions.    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/?ref_=ttawd_ov_bk

    

The Second Opening Analysis (Knives Out)

    Knives Out is one of my favorite movies I have ever seen. Unlike The Grand Budapest Hotel, I have actually seen this movie, multiple times. Every time I view it, I catch up on small little details that I missed, which tells me about clever foreshadowing and an increased depth of the chracters and plot, which is really makes the film fun to rewatch over and over again.

    Knives out is a Murder Mystery/Comedy film released in 2019 and is directed by Rian Johnson. The film includes multiple famous actors, including Daniel Craig and Chris Evans. The film received international praise after its released and even got nominated for the best screenplay at the 2020 Oscars. The opening sequence of the film is often an overlooked aspect of the film, but expertly sets up the tone and introduces where and how the victim was killed, jumpstarting the rest of the film as the characters investigate the motives and villains involved in this grand murder.

The Opening Shot of the Film

    The opening starts with a wide-shot and establishing of a mansion with two dogs running through the yard in front of the mansion. The mansion is portrayed as being eerie, which sets up the tone for the muder taking place. The shot lasts long, emphasizing the scale of the murder taking place. The next shot is a close-up which shows a cup with the phrase "My House... My Rules... My Coffee", with a lady(presumably a butler) picking up the cup and walking out of the frame. The next shot is a medium shot of the same lady walking away from the camera towards a doorframe, setting up the next sequence of shots to follow.

    The next shots consist of various close-ups of artworks of creepy dolls and masks, showing how rich the household truly is. The editing consists of quick shots, which emphasizes how a murder is about to take place and chaos is about the break loose within the family, which also relates to the tone of the overall film.

    The following shots are wide-shots showcasing the butler walking towards someone's room. The wide-shots emphasize the scale of the household, showing their luxury lifestyle. The wide-shot also illustrate an uncomfortable feeling as the audience anticipates there to be a murder.

    The butler then speaks to a Mr. Thromby, who isn't in his usual room. The audience knows this because the butler walks into the room, and the camera pans  to a bed, which has already been made and is empty. The following shots showcase the butler walking upstairs past his bedroom.

    A shot that positions the camera at the top of the stairs illustrates the butler walking up them towards the camera. She stops and her smile immediately becomes flat. The following shot starts wide and begins tracking onto a dead man on the couch in the room to a medium shot of his lifeless body. The next shot illustrates the butler dropping the tray on herself, showing her shock to see the owner of the house dead. A murder has been commited.

A Sketch of The Opening Title

    The title card then appears. The letters in the title seem extremely sharp, just like a weapon that could cause harm, which relates to the movie since it is about a murder. The title is also underlined, which adds increased style to the film. But, the "V" in the title also pierces through the underlined title, showing the danger of the knife, as the underlined section could refer to the skin of a murder, in which weapons pierce through the skin to kill.

    The opening is a perfect example of how to set up a film in terms of tone. The tone illustrated gives off an uncomfortable feeling. A feeling that something is not quite right, which leads perfectly into a murder that seems impossible to commit. It also sets up some of the characters perfectly. The audience knows who was killed, Mr. Thromby, the owner of the household. The audience knows this because he has a butler who brings him food with a cup that shows that the house is his. It also creates a sense of mystery. The illustration of Mr. Thromby's death arises all of the questions a murder mystery film needs to create, which follows the convetions of a mystery, where questions are presented, and, over the course of the film, the characters piece together the pieces of an elaborate puzzle, which inevitably gets solved.

    Overall, the opening of Knives Out is a perfect opening to research, as it presents typical genre conventions of a myster film and presents an offputting tone and the victim of the murder.

    Sources: 

        Johnson, R. (Director). (2019). Knives Out [Film]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378/

    

    

The First Opening Analysis (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

    The Grand Budapest Hotel is a dramedy film directed by Wed Anderson. Dramaties are subgenre that consists of  mixture of the genres of drama and comedy. The film released in 2014 and is about the owner of a well-regarded hotel, who tells a writer his story of how he climbed the ranks to become the owner. The film is very well-regarded and was nominated for 4 oscars in 2015, including the Best Motion Picture Oscar. The opening of the film brilliantly introduces the overall mystery and tone of the rest of the film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Poster

Shot with the girl approaching the
gravestone with keys

    After the initial credits, the movie opens with an establishing shot of the “Old Lutz Cemetery”. This cemetery resides in “The former Republic of Zubrowka”, as stated in the final text slide in the opening credits before the true film starts. In the shot, a woman who wears a beige jacket enters the cemetery. The audience then follows the character through a side-tracking shot of the character. The character does not look sad, as a typical character may feel when visiting such a depressing place. She moves with a purpose, which contrasts with other characters in the tracking shot, who are dressed in black. After that shot, the character enters a shot on the right third. A statue is on the left third, and it has keys all over his gravestone, which is extremely odd for someone who is dead. The shot becomes a wider shot, where a clear distinction is shown between this certain gravestone and the ret of the graveyard as nobody else’s gravestones are near this one’s. The right side of the shot has dark trees that give a more stereotypical feel of a graveyard. But, this stone is unique. It is an abnormality. The shot that follows moves the camera up the gravestone, were the audience can read the text on the gravestone “In Memory of Our National Treasure” “Author”. In this shot, the audience also gets to recognize a face on the gravestone, noting how this person is dead. In the next shot, the woman is portrayed in a down shot, where she pulls out a book named “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. She turns the book to the back, where it is revealed that there is a man on the back of the book. That same man is the one who was on the gravestone. That is where the opening ends.

The girl looking at the book "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

     Although the opening seems mysterious, that is the point. And, even in a short amount of time. The audience gets clues to the plot. From the opening, the audience knows that the hotel is important, because it was on the book that the girl was holding, as well as it is the actual title of the film. The audience also has time to recognize the dead author, who will also serve an important role in the narrative. The girl is still not necessarily told through clues as to whether she will be important in the story. This statement is further elaborated as there are many others just like her, who have paid their respects at the authors’ grave. The film also alludes to the overall tone of the film. The bright colors contrast with the overall feeling that a Cemetary evokes. These contrasting colors indicate that the plot may be taking place in a serious scenario, yet, the plot may also take things more lightheartedly, which shows how the comedy is built from the comedic nature of a dark setting. The dark setting also gives rise to the drama aspect of the film.

    Before the first shot is even presented, multiple slides of text are shown, indicating the crew behind the film. The text is shown on a black background, showing how credit sequences can be effective, even with no other consumption other than the text of how made the film.

     Overall, the film opening was great and I appreciated the contrasting setting and color palette the film presents. I may want to utilize some of the techniques in this opening with my own.

Source: Anderson, W. (Director). (2014). The Grand Budapest Hotel [Film]. Fox Searchlight Pictures; Indian Paintbrush; Studio Babelsberg; American Empirical Pictures.

Portfolio Research Genre #2

 The next genre I will be researching is the action genre, which I have found an interest in as of late.

The action genre consists of audiences who want immense spectacle and suspense. The people who crave this are typically on the younger side of the demographic, consisting of young adults and teenagers, but, older demographics may also enjoy action films. It is also important to note that the genre appears more towards the male demographic than the female one. Although, with recent times, modern action films are expanding to include more diverse representations to expand this demographic.

Car Chase from Black Panther (2018)

 The action genre typically consists of similar stories where a protagonist goes against a villian, usually a single person who controls an army to attack the protagonist. During the film, the protagonist goes through extraordinary feats to beat the villian, in which the protagonist typically wins. Throughout action films, many scenes of violence are displayed including the portrayal of car chases/crashes, gunfights, explosions, among other graphic sequences, which add to the spectacle of films of the genre.
Narrative structures typically include the use of revenge plots or escape plots, where the protagonist must escape from a group or place, like prison.

 Action films also use distinct filmmaking strategies to portray the action. Digital effects are used heavily throughout production to ensure that no actors are injured during the set. Physical effects are also used to portray a characters state without causing the actor harm, which can look real if done correctly. Strong framing is required in the genre, as action is typically fast-paced and difficult to follow. So, framing needs to be used to quickly catch the viewers attention on where to look.

 Action films focus on marketing towards the spectacle. Action trailers typically consist of moments on intensity and spectacle to get ticket sales, for example. Narrative images are also important for action films, which typically consist of superheroes or other prominent figures, like John Wick. Narrative images create an image of the plot for audiences and by tailoring specific heroes to the audience, a well established image can be made, which is great for marketing.

Here are some examples of Action films:

John Wick (2014)

John Wick follows a former hitman who gets revenge on the people who robbed his home and killed his dog. Directed by Chad Stahelski, the film is praised for its intense action sequences and directing, and includes famous stars, Keanu Reeves and Micheal Nyqvist.

The Avengers (2014)

The Avengers follows a group of superheroes who learn to fight as a team to stop Loki and his army from infiltrating Earth and taking its residents as servants. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film contains famous stars like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson. It was praised for its innovative action sequences and was nominated for the "Best Achievement in Visual Effects" during the 2013 Oscars.

Sources:

Whedon, J. (Director). (2012). The Avengers [Film]. Marvel Studios; Walt Disney Pictures. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_the%2520aven

Stahelski, C. (Director). (2014). John Wick [Film]. Summit Entertainment; Thunder Road Pictures; 87Eleven Productions.                                                                            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2911666/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_john%2520wick

Gilbo, S. (2022, February 15). The 10 things every action story needs. Savannah Gilbo. https://www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/action-conventions

Martin, B. (n.d.). Codes and conventions of action-adventure films. Brianair. https://brianair.wordpress.com/film-theory/codes-and-conventions-of-action-adventure-films/

the first post of many... ABOUT THIS COOL PROJECT

We’re starting our projects! I am very excited to be starting as this has been the project I have been looking towards for the entire school year. For this project, I am working alone, so I have full creative control and credit for what I make. Even if my film opening may be better if I work with others, I want to make something that is truly mine, even if the quality suffers because of it. I want to make a film opening for a comedy film that sets up two characters in a funny way. So far, I don’t really have an idea for my script, but, I am hoping I can make something I am proud of. AHHHH! I’M SO READY!!!!!!

Portfolio Project Genre #1

This blog post marks the very first post that directly relates to my portfolio project! I am very excited to be starting this project and am looking forward to what I can create. Starting off this project thought, I must research some genre conventions, so that, when I create my portfolio, I can match the conventions to make a product that everyone can relate to.

 The first film genre I wanted to research was Comedy, which I have taken an interest in when researching for this project.

 Comedy is a incredibly variable genre when it comes to who the genre actually targets. There are also many different types of comedy that target a large range of age demographics. For example, Dark Comedy may be targetted more towards teens or young adults, while slapstick humor may be more targetted towards younger audiences. The truth is, comedy is found within our everyday lives, so, the genre as a whole can be enjoyed by those of every demographic.

Many Comedy films use High School as a basic setting

 Many films about comedy are very similar when it comes to their content. Many comedies take place in everyday life, like bars or high school. By being in everyday locations, the audience can better empathise with the films and relate more to the characters, which increases viewer involvement, causing the humor to be funnier. Also, the content of everyday life is always prone to have comedic moments, so, by having a setting in commonplaces of life, writing comedic moments becomes easier. Many props
also appear throughout the comedy genre like alcoholic beverages, guns, and more, especially in comedic films geared more towards adults. These items make it easier to display comedy because the objects can be considered obscene, which opens the door to a multitude of comedic moments. The primary goal of comedy is to make the audience laugh or smile by highlighting the moments in our lives that may be funny and ridiculous.

A few shots from comedy films that showcase symetrical framing

 Many films about comedy are also very similar when it comes to the various filming techniques they use. Many films typically have similar editing techniques, where cuts are performed at the perfect time to maxmize the comedic effect. Shots are also designed to enhance the comedy through symmetrical
framing, wide-angle lenses, and more. It all depends on the type of comedy the film is striving for, and that dictates what type of filming techniques the director decides to use.

 The Comedy genre also is distinct about their conventional marketing. The marketing ensures a specific narrative image for viewers interested in viewing the film. Typically, marketing includes the use of social media and the use of funny advertisements that resonates with viewers. The type of marketing differs based on the promoted film, yet, they all still follow a similar structure when marketing their films.

  Here are some examples of some films with the Comedy Genre:

                                                                       Superbad(2007)

This comedy film follows two high schoolers who try to sneak alcohol into a party as they try to live the best lives they can before heading off to college. Directed by Greg Mottola, with famous actors, Micheal Cera, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, and Bill Hader, the film received praise for its raunchy comedy and the formances by Micheal Cera and Jonah Hill during the 2008 awards show season.

 

                                                                Dumb & Dumber(1994)

This comedy film follows two friends who set out on a cross-country trip to return a briefcase to a Women who lost it. But, by the end of the trip, the duo realize that, through their dumb actions, they have much bigger problems than a lost briefcase. The film released in 1994 and was directed by Peter and Bobby Farralley. The film stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, who won the best on-screen duo at the MTV Movie awards in 1995. The film received immense praise and has become a cult classic for many who enjoy comedic films.

Sources:

 Catling, R. (2023, April 10). Conventions of the comedy genre. Robin Catling: Write On. https://robincatling.com/conventions-of-the-comedy-genre

 Farley, J. (2014, January 30). Comedy genre conventions [Slide lecture]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/comedy-genre-conventions/31073230

Mottola, G. (Director). (2007). Superbad [Film]. Columbia Pictures; The Apatow Company.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/

Farrelly, P. (Director). (1994). Dumb and dumber [Film]. New Line Cinema; Motion Picture Corporation of America

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/?ref_=ttawd_ov_bk

Behind the Scenes of Music Marketing

 We finished our music marketing project! With that, our group had to create a short behind the scenes video documenting the music video process. The video is embedded in the link below. Enjoy!

Behind-The-Scenes Music Marketing Project.mp4