Intertextuality

Intertextuality is a term to describe the visual referencing between films. Films 'borrow' from each other and as an audience we tend to recognise certain camera angles, aspects of mise en scene, sounds or methods of editing in some films that we have seen in others.

An example is the bathroom scene in Fatal Attraction that has been inspired by Psycho.
Many other films have adopted this scene, such as What Lies Beneath and The Stepfather.

Another example is the ice scene in Orphan and Skyfall. Both films have a villain and a 'hero' fighting on ice, they both fall in and in both films, the hero survives.

Parodies tend to use intertextuality. Scream is famous for the white mask and the phonecall scene and these both are in Scary Movie, the comical version of Scream.

More examples on intertextuality have been posted on http://www.toptenz.net/top-ten-famous-scenes-and-the-movies-they-were-inspired-by.php

Structure of film openings.

There are 3 basic structures of film openings; narrative, discrete and stand alone.

Narrative: the first part of the film is seen with titles either superimposed or intercut.
Films such as Law Abiding Citizen and Panic Room use this type of opening. Titles are superimposed, there are series of shots linked to narrative and the title sequence leads directly into film.

Discrete: shots/images/scenes that stand apart from the film with titles. It may contain elements from the films that could suggest the plot or genre, nut they are not part of the narrative.
Films such as Enemy Of The State and Se7en use this type of opening. There are a series of shots that are not linked to narrative, titles are superimposed and there is some stylised editing and special effects.

Stand alone: the title sequence is on its own and leads directly into the film.
Films such as Donnie Darko and The 39 Steps use this type of opening. Titles are alone, not combined with shots/scenes. There is no indicator of the plot/genre and the titles lead directly into narrative.

Another structure of film openings is 'stylized editing'. This is a more complex style where there is a lot more editing in comparison to the other structures.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 uses this type of opening. The editing is fast paced and indicates the genre of the film. Titles are superimposed and leads straight into narrative. The titles are on the same beat as the music in the background. There is also an indication of the plot of the film.

Breaking Bad Title Sequence

Although Breaking Bad is not a film, I think it has a very good title sequence.
Breaking Bad is a drama series about a chemistry teacher who develops lung cancer and to raise money for his surgery and his family (in case he dies), he begins to manufacture crystal meth with an ex-student of his.
The title sequence shows the periodic table and then adapts the elements into the names of the actors, directors, etc.
This could be an idea for a narrative thriller opening.
Below is a video of the title sequence.

Research: 'The Dark Knight' analysis (holiday homework 2)

The Dark Knight is an action-thriller movie based on the fictional character Batman who sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets of Gotham. This movie follows the codes and conventions of a thriller well.

At the beginning of the film, we are instantly met with the first convention of a film – the production company’s logo. This is then followed by introducing the audience to the first part of the film straight away; a narrative opening structure is used here.

The story which instantly unfolds in the opening of ‘The Dark Knight’ takes the audience by surprise, as they are met with a violent bank robbery, right after hearing several conversations about an unidentified man named ‘The Joker.’  At the end of the bank robbery scene, the audience meets the villain – The Joker – who is behind the mischievous and smartly planned daylight robbery, which he successfully gets away with. The Joker is wearing a black suit and a mask which connotes that he is a sophisticated and mysterious person. This leaves the audience in suspense about what will happen later on in the movie; as well as leaving them asking “who is The Joker?”

They are then introduced to the other main character – the hero – Batman who also remains anonymous.

The mise-en-scene of the film follows the conventions of a thriller. For example, dark lighting is used in the bank robbery scene. Clowns are usually associated with fear as a fake smile is painted on so we cannot see the truth – this associates with The Joker as he is feared by people and not known.

However, this may seem not follow the conventions as the hero is dressed in black whereas the villain is dressed in coloured clothes and make-up – we would expect this to be the other way around.

The sound used in the film is amplified diegetic sounds of the gun shots and people screaming whilst the bank is being robbed. There is also tense music being played in the background. Quick cuts and various camera angles are used in conjunction with this to help create the tension and fast-paced atmosphere.

Research: Film Opening Analysis 1 (holiday homework 1))

‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ is a thriller which follows the conventions of a thriller film opening (could be classed in a sub-genre of action-thriller). The film is about four men who hijack a train – Pelham 123 – and want money.

A stylized title sequence is used for this film.

It starts off with the production and distribution company’s logo – Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Pictures.

Camera

The film starts off with an establishing shot of New York’s skyline city, with panning around the tallest buildings. It then moves to a high angle looking down on different streets of New York, with taxis and crowds of people, moving to a close up of the subway sign, showing the location of the movie.

A range of long, mid and close-up shots are used; especially the use of sudden close-up shots of the men which shows their importance in the film and making them stand out to us. Along with these shots, the opening has made use of the fast-forward technique, and fast cuts, to highlight the fast pace and energy of New York City; but a normal pace was used when zooming into the men’s faces so the audience can establish that they are the main characters. This is accompanied by fast paced and exciting music which helps emphasise the life and energy of New York. 

Sound

At the beginning there is only the sound of a train moving and then a long beep. This then suddenly changes to ambient sound with quiet train sounds in the background. When the film goes to the crowds of people the soundtrack suddenly starts. It has heavy base sounds and fast tempo with some rapping; there are still sounds of trains moving.  The use of train sound effects was effective because it reinforced the main theme within the film.

Editing

The film uses a variety of editing techniques – mainly fast cuts and fast forward in order to show the pace of the city and reflect how fast the men need to work. The use of many fast cuts helped increase the pace of the opening, establishing to the audience that the film will be full of action. The scenes change quickly with cut transactions, however when there is a close up on Ryder's face the footage is slowed down, making our attention focus on him.  When there is a change in location there is a very fast montage of images that blur together before settling on the office. All of this is in parallel editing. To end they have a simple black screen with block white writing say the time '1.58 pm'
Lots of the editing is done to link or fit with trains, they do this to show the importance of the trains and to show what the basis of the film in based on.

Mise-en-scene

The setting and costumes used in the opening all contrasted with one another which reinforce the differences in characters and locations. The opening is set in the busy city of New York and in an office. The costumes of the actors do stand out from the crowd as they are dressed in black – how hijackers are typically expected to dress. The lighting in the office is lighter with a blue tint to it, making it seem calm and technical. The subway is dark, grey and slightly dingy. This helps to show contrast between the two locations.

The technical use of camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene all work effectively in order to set the scene and atmosphere of a busy and catastrophic day/event which will take place.

Analysis of Previous Student Film Opening

This task was to choose a previous student film opening and analyse it in terms of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene. I went to the Hall of Fame and chose the film opening called The List.

Analysis of: The List

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Sound, camera, editing and mise en scene are demonstrated in a variety of ways throughout the clip of The List. The opening starts off with a cooker being lit with the diegetic sound of the ticker to create an intense feel and to hold the audiences focus on the situation. Non diegetic sound of music starts to play, which consists of string chords which creates and eerie feel throughout. You then see someone start to cook and do things in the kitchen like chopping onions and pounding and cutting meat and you can hear the sound effects of these. Blood is also on the chopping boards and on the persons hand. Mise en scene is used throughout the clip as the area is full of props like utensils, food and objects like the cooker and kettle for example. 

Chopping onions

The cooker

Slicing meat

Pounding meat

This shot is a match cut of when the person was pounding the meat, it was edited to show a close up of the pounding which emphasises danger as it is a forceful action.

As you can see the the opening credits also appear whilst the audience watch the film.. This shows that it is a narrative opening.

Another match cut was made with the butter in the frying pan at a high camera angle.

You then see a close up of a wine glass with water in it, then 'blood' being poured in it, making a swirling motion of the blood in the glass. Bits start to drop into the glass as well which could be suggesting something. Slow motion is used when blood dropped into the glass, to show emphasis. 

A close up of the main character.

A cross cut takes places as she drinks the blood and then the victim is shown. She is dead with blood coming from her, showing that these two shots are linked. This goes back and forth a few times to show a build of tension.

The title appears.

An extreme close up is the last shot of the opening. The audience is left with a dramatic take on the characters intentions and attitude toward the situation, as the extreme close up shows facial expressions and emotion.

Structure of Film Openings

There are 3 main structures of a film opening:

• A narrative opening
• A discrete title sequence
• Stand alone titles

Narrative Opening: You Got Served

A narrative opening is where the first part of the film is seen with titles either superimposed or intercut. You Got Served is a great example of this, as it goes straight into the film and storyline. As it is a dance battle, this makes it more interesting and captures the audiences interest straight away.

As I am a dancer it was natural for me to choose a film that I know definitely captured my interest as well. *Dances*

The titles swoop in and out whilst the film continues to roll.

Discrete Title Sequence: Twilight - Breaking Dawn Part 2

A discrete title sequence is when the shots, images or scene stand apart from the film with titles. It may contain elements from the film that could be indicators to the plot or genre, but it is not part of this narrative. Breaking Dawn Part 2 demonstrates this with the use of scenery, flowers, weather etc.

Stand Alone Titles: Memoirs of  a Geisha

A stand alone title sequence is when the text is on its own and then leads directly onto the film. This is demonstrated in the opening  of Memoirs of a Geisha.

Stylized Editing: Sin City (2005)

A stylised opening is an opening that has special effects and is well edited to create a sophisticated look. Sin City uses a stylized editing to create a comic book/computer game look.