Film Openings - Considering Genre

When considering genres you have to look at film titles, the introduction to characters and characters types, the setting if the opening or film has a historical period. You have to look at the information that is given on the mood and tone of the film, if the opening plays the signature theme tune and if there are questions that the viewer finds intriguing.



 Star wars
- Sci-fi
- Space Ships
- Outer space
- Lighting = dark
- Loud fast pace music
- Action
- Drums and symbols
- Sound effects guns and lasers

The opening to Star Wars shows you that the genre of the film is going to be sci-fi and action, this is due to the use of the dark lighting of the scene to show that it is set in outer space as well as having space ships, and sound effects of guns and lasers. The use of loud fast pace music connotes the action in the genre of the film. The fast editing and action of the mise-en-scene also adds to this.



Intermission
- Action
- Physiological thriller
- Tension
- Open narrative
- Fast pace music
- Fast pace editing
- Hand held camera - tension and action

The opening of Intermission shows the audience that the film is going to be of a action and maybe even a physiological thriller genre. The opening really makes the audience think about what the characters and saying and what they could mean by it, the audience tries to think ahead to what could happen. The music that is used is very fast paced which shows the action of the opening, as well as the fast pace editing, the tension is built up the use of the hand held camera when running after the main male antagonist. The opening has a great use of open narrative as the character is introduced in the light that he should be probably seen through out the film but the opening doesn't tell as the whole story which keeps the audience interested.



Blade   0-2 minutes
- Dark scene
- Dancing
- Tension - loads of people
- Bright red titles
- Fast pace - tension
- Thriller
- Horror
- Blood / Death
- Flashing lights - tension
- Red spray - Blood

From the opening of Blade two different genres come across from it, thriller and horror. The scene is very dark and is set in a night club so that there are a lot of people all of which are in a small space. The use of the red pray and the end of the two minutes connotes blood which enforces the genre of horror. The flashing and strobe lighting and fast pace music and editing builds up the tension and the thriller side of the genre. The titles are in block capitals and are bright red giving connotations of blood and death this shows the horror side of the genre as well as the use of mise-en-scene when the red spray is used which also represented blood.



Ghost busters
Lighting is low key – sets a dark mood
Jingle is upbeat and comical – juxtaposition
Woman screaming diegetically – ghostly glows on her face
Red circle enclosing woman – connotations of violence
Setting – 1980s – hair, clothes, technologies
Editing – glow around film title
Ghost in the title – shows the theme of the film
Narrative – man giving cards protagonist
Shows romance – blonde female
‘Paranormal Studies’ – shows the genre of the film

From the opening of the we can tell the genre of Ghost busters is a comic horror, we see this from the ghost in the title, its a cartoon ghost so the audience can instantly tell that it is going to be comic. Juxtaposition is used with the sound, we here a short jingle which is upbeat and comical. The scene has low key lighting which sets a dark mood and the red circle that encloses on the woman gives connotations of violence, death and danger. They have edited the title so that there is a glow around it making it creepy to to with the themes of ghosts. Another theme we see is romance from having the character of a blonde female. Another genre that we see is paranormal studies from the costumes of the characters. The setting of the scene is in the 1980's we can see this from the hair, clothing and the technologies that are used within the scene.