CCR Preliminary Task 1

CCR Preliminary Task 1 

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PT1 Final Edit

The Bourne Identity Essay

The Bourne Identity Essay

The Bourne Identity is an action thriller, the seven core representations of media are shown in this clip through:
Ethnicity- Bourne is the stereotypical white American male who is shown as the protagonist in this clip as he takes on the government and tries to find his identity.
Love and Romance: Is not shown in this clip, but does exist in the movie when Bourne attaches himself to 'Marie' as she can drive him to where he needs and a bond forms between them. It turns into the classic 'boy help girl' storyline as Marie gets in too deep with Bourne and her life is out in danger.
Age: Bourne is around 30 years old in this movie. This adds to the verisimilitude of him being so good at his job as he has been very experienced in the past years.
Class/Status: For him he is unsure of his status, but by the unexplainable uncomfortability and opposition to the police offices, he could be on the run and fears that he himself might be the antagonist of the police.
Regional Identity: We are shown in the clip that Bourne can naturally. speak many other languages, and though, obviously his main language id English, he also is very familiar and comfortable speaking other languages.
Physical Ability/Disability: Bournes physical ability exceeds a regular persons as we are shown him fight and disarm two police officers in a matter of seconds.
Gender: Bourne is a male, this already gives the audience the view of him being powerful, strong, and unafraid.
The main fact that Bourne is represented as a 30 year old white male who is fighting against the government fits perfectly with Stuart Halls representation theory as the audience receives this information and interprets it in the way that the director has intended them to. These types of white American men are typically shown in the good light through the real life media as powerful business men, patriotic soldiers, and 'the good guy' in general. This helps the director to portray early on in the movie, before even Bourne knows who he is that he is most likely the good guy.

For Camera:
The first shot is an establishing shot of the boat and harbour, which sets the scene for the next part of the movie. There is a wide shot as Bourne moves closer and closer to the camera as it remains still until eventually he is standing in a mid-shot and we see the visible confusion on his face as he looks around to find the next direction to walk in as he furthers from the boat he had been on. He decides to turn down the road, an we see him walk into a wide shot again, and hen disappear completely from the shot behind a car. The next setting is also shown by the establishing shot of a moving train. We are shown next a close-up of Bourne looking at his reflection in a window on the train, his facial expression is shown as analysing his own face, mixed with confusion at his current situation as he tries to figure things out. The next shot is from behind Bournes arm, we are shown the tips of his fingers fiddling with the tracker previously pulled out of him in the movie- this signifies its importance in the plot of the movie, and the importance of it to find Bournes true identity. At the train station we are once again shown a mid shot of Bourne looking around for direction, with a puzzled look on his face. In the next shot, we are shown Bourne silhouetted in a tracking shot that moves from his feet to above his head to show an abandoned road with a blue haze coming from the lights. There is a three-shot of two officers legs walking towards a sleeping Bourne on a park bench in the middle of the night while it snows. The officer flashes a light in Bournes face and we see him in full light, yet the next shot is of the officer and the light hides his face as it hits the audiences eyes and his identity is hidden in the darkness- it almost creates the same effect as a mask does where people associate it with secrets and hidden identity, which links to evil and antagonists in movies. The next three shot shows Bourne still sitting and the two men in blue officer uniforms almost towering over him as they stand above him. It almost makes Bourne look weak and inferior to these two men. Bournes face is shown in a close-up once again as he shocks himself by speaking French, his confusion evident. A mid-shot of Bourne shows him get poked with a baton, his face almost automatically transforms from confused and helpless to determined as he grabs the baton and begins fighting back. Multiple wide-shots from different angles enables the audience to feel as though they are part of the fight and not missing anything as the shots show Bourne overpower these two officers.
The shot pans from Bournes surprised face to the gun in his hands, and the audience is shown his shock through his body language and his hands as he unloads the gun and throws it to the ground. A wide shot shows him running away and ditching his jacket- this action shows that he knows what to do in this situation, almost like its muscle memory as opposed to direct memory.

For Editing:
The start of the clip has slow cuts as it shows Bourne walking around the port. Editing is used to make him disappear instantly when a car and two guys walk in front of his shot. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as they'll wonder how he disappeared and where he disappeared to. Editing is used to show Bourne silhouetted in perfect blackness as he looks down a road. There is fast paced editing when the two officers and Bourne are fighting. This creates a sense of urgency and danger for the audience as they watch the wide shots and feel as though they are there and aren't missing a thing. While the men are fighting, the shots have been sped up to create the effect that Bourne is moving in almost un-human speed as he disarms the police officers.

For Sound:
The first shot is accompanied by non-diegetic violin-based music which creates a sense of wondering and confusion which is also shown by Bournes facial expressions. There is the diegetic noise also of the port and the people and cars moving around. The music gets more intense and a little eerie as an underlying bass noise takes over the piano as Bourne disappears behind a car which creates a sense of confusion for the audience. The non-diegetic music continues as Bourne looks at his reflection in the window and at his mysterious tracker. Sound helps develop the setting as the diegetic sound of a lady speaking French's voice is on a loud speaker in the train station. The soft diegetic noise of far away cars and the wind and lack of non-diegetic music is almost eerie and quiet as we are once again shown him looking for a direction to go in the blue, hazy, abandoned alley. When Bourne is sleeping the heavy tread of the officers boots in the snow is loud as they walk, making them seem powerful as they walk to Bourne in his vulnerable sleeping state. His confusion is shown as they begin speaking a foreign language, once again adding to the setting. When Bourne grabs the baton from the officer there is a loud, sudden non-diegetic noise that was added in with the sound of the baton being grabbed harshly that is sudden and may make a few audience members jump at the abruptness. The music builds slowly in the background as Bourne fights the officers and wins, and the loud diegetic noise of the click of the gun is heard before we see the gun which creates a sense of suspense as the audience members don't know if he'll shoot or not. The music dies down as Bourne realises what he's done, and there are a few more clicks as Bourne suddenly un-cocks the gun and drops it promptly to the snowy ground. There is a loud diegetic zip that brings attention to him ripping off his jacket and loud noises on the ground as he runs away swiftly from what he's done.

For Mise-en-scene:
The first establishing shot is cloudy and gloomy which creates a cold atmosphere. Red and Blue are significant colours in Bourne Identity- each time they show up it is because they are representing something important. Red represents who Bourne is becoming, and the decisions he makes to become that person, whereas, blue symbolises his past, and also it represents authority throughout the movie.
Bourne walks of the boat wearing a red jacket which shows that he is making decisions that are going to effect who he is becoming. The setting is shown through the port, and also the multiple french flags that show the audience Bourne is in France. Bourne disappears from the shot behind to men walking and a blue car, the blue of the car could link to the fact he disappeared as Bournes past was being an assassin and they are good at staying hidden and out of sight, so when he disappeared it was a hint to his distorted past. We are shown a blue train in an establishing shot which shows that Bourne is getting closer to a clue of who he is. The headrest inside the train is red, so though he's getting closer to his past by the blue train, the red shows it was his decision to go this way. Bourne looks at his reflection in the trains window, and his face is slightly distorted. The mirror is revealing and represents his soul and emotion as he looks at himself almost in an attempt to reveal to himself who he is. He knows he looks familiar as its his face, but he knows there's something different to the reality he currently sees as he looks at his reflectionHis reflection is almost haunting him as its so honest, yet so hidden and mysterious to himself at the same time. Bourne walks outside the train with a look of confusion and lostness. A red light on the front of the train reflects on his face as he chooses the next direction he is going to take. We are then shown a silhouette of Bourne standing in an abandoned road with blue lights at the end that create a blue haze that surrounds his silhouette. The blue hints to the audience that he is heading in the right direction to uncover his past. Bournes lack of connections caused by his lack of memory is again evident in the way that he is sleeping in a park bench in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night while it snows. This contrasts , however, to when the French police officers (who are wearing blue which represent authority), start to speak to Bourne in French and he sub consciously moves from speaking English to speaking French, and even surprises himself which is shown through the confused and surprised facial expressions on his face as he talks. He says ' I don't have any papers' to the officers at first which shows the audience he can understand the language and this is when he transitions between the two languages, and then he continues the conversation in French. One officer pokes a baton at Bourne, and Bournes face turns from concerned to determined and stern instantly as he grabs the baton- he suddenly realises what he can do and almost in a robotic like way turns from the confused man looking for his hidden identity to a fighting machine who knows exactly what move and counter-move to make almost like he was programmed to do. He knocks out both officers and then almost switches back to reality as he hears the click of the gun in his hand, we see his bewildered face as he realises what he just did, and we are shown a shot of him un-cocking the gun and dropping the gun to the ground, flicking his hands as he does so almost like he's in shock off what he just did and wants to get the gun away from himself as he moves away from the scene. A wide shot shows him ditch his red jacket- this is to not be able to be identified, but could also represent that he regrets the decision he just made that will influence his future, and who he makes himself to be in the future. He sprints off in perfect form and fast in the opposite direction of the officers.

The Hitman Rough Edit

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Opening Sequence Homework

Opening Sequence Homework

The purpose of an opening sequence is to set the tone and mood of the rest of the film. Characters are introduced generally during the title sequence which helps the audience to grasp what their role in the upcoming movie could possibly be. The opening sequence also shows part of the narrative/plot to the watching audience, this helps prepare and ready them for what they are about to watch and a sense of enigma in an opening sequence also helps to prepare the audience for the upcoming trials. It should also set the atmosphere of the room- this is usually done by the music played while the opening sequence plays- for example, a thriller would have eerie and creepy music at the start o set an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience, whereas, a rom-com would have happy, upbeat music during the opening to get the audience into a good mood. The opening sequences main purpose however is to show the audience what genre of movie they are about to watch.

In a movie, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or on top of action that is going on on the screen. A title sequence however, is the method in which a film presents its title, key production and cast members,  or both, and utilizing conceptual vision and sound. It usually follows the opening credits- the main difference is that opening credits are usually just overlaying images, whereas title sequences use visuals and audio to add to it.

Many different techniques can be employed in opening sequences. An example of one would be a discrete opening sequence. This is where there is a seperately edited sequence apart from the film- like a mini film before the actual film, this helps to get the audience ready and prepared for the film, and also sets the mood of the room. It also helps to show some insight into the movie thats about to begin.The next technique is to make a stylised opening sequence. This is where the opening sequence relies heavily on editing and effects to capture the audiences attention. This is a good way to use images to imply what the mood of your movie is going to be like, for example, if words on the screen or the images have sharp edges, the designer is preparing the audience for danger and possibly violence, whereas if the editing was soft, the designer could be showing the audience that the movie is going to be light hearted- like a romance or a comedy. The same goes for colours-  if the colour red and other dark and deep colours are used, it would represent danger and violence. Colours like black, dark blue and purple would imply that during the movie a main plot will probably revolve around a power struggle, and soft colours like yellow or soft pink would show that the movie would be light hearted for example a comedy or a rom-com. Another technique that is used is credits over a blank screen. This would mean that the conveying the mood and genre of the movie to the audience would rely completely on the music choice. If the movie, for example, was a thriller, eerie and creepy music would set the tone. A comedy would have up-beat music- usually a song that is or has been popular among people. A horror may use screechy violin based music to get even creepier than a horror, and a drama may start with drum based dramatic music. Another example is narrative openings. This is when the actor/actresses name appears on the screen at the same time as the character they play on the screen does. Movie designers will generally do this if they have mainly A-List actors in their cast. The audience will see one of the famous actors/ actresses in the cast list and think for example 'surely this is a good movie because Timothee Chalamets in it'- even if its not a very well done production, people are more likely to stay if they recognise the name or face of someone in the film. Some examples of technical elements that could be put into opening sequences could be: 2D or 3D styled graphics, motion capture character animation, freeze framing, having colours or blood leak onto the screen, movie poster styled typography, fast or slow editing, glitchy effects, and live-action close-ups. All of these examples add to a movie opening in the way that they individually add to the imaging and atmosphere of the movie.

The two movies opening sequences I have decided to research are: Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds, and Jonathan Demmes The Silence of the Lambs. 

                                                      

The Birds starts off with the Universal Pictures sign in black and white with blue words on the front. The only noise that can be heard is the sound of screeching birds and no music or anything to soften it, it doesn't sound like too sinister birds, almost just like a few birds on a beach. As the opening sequence continues, however, the noise gets louder and harsher. The noise of the birds contrasts with the more common stereotypical representation of the noise of birds in movies being happy 'singing in the morning' type noises or seagulls at the beach noises, whereas these birds have a creepy, uncomfortable screech that puts the person watching the film on edge, and waiting to se what other sinister noises might overtake what they are hearing. The Universal sign slowly disappears, and a low angle shot shows large black birds flapping around almost like they're circling around prey of somesort. The low angle shot looking up also suggests that these birds have power The sound of the birds doesn't sound very different from children screaming which makes the audience possibly wander if under these flapping, screeching birds there could be someone being attacked.

The opening sequence could link to the plot in the way that the bird noises start off sounding like they could be in the background scene- not sinister or angry. At the start of the movie, a rich socialite, Melanie gives lawyer, Mitch the gift of two birds and this strikes up their romance. Both start of calm and in no way dangerous or suggesting any thriller components, but the second half of the opening sequence links to the second half of the movie as the bird screeches get louder and louder and more and more eerie and creepy, the movies second half is also more eerie and creepy as birds start appearing out of no where and attacking people.

The editing of the words on the screen as shown below could mimick the harsh way in which the crows on the screens wings are flapping around. The letters of each word are broken up sharp and harsh almost as though they had been hit by the wings, or snipped at by he harsh beaks shown on the birds. The harsh cuts helps to represent the fact that there will be danger in the movie.

The Birds also has a dark background for their opening scene, the birds are black and white and shadows. The shadows could represent the fact that no one knows where the birds came from, and no one will know as the movie ends with the location of where the birds came from still an unknown mystery.

                                

The Silence of the Lambs begins with a lone shot of a tree, and the words 'Woods Near Quantico, VA'

                                          

The shot of the tree and the foggy background create a sinister feel to the opening, and this is added to upon the way in which the music quietly plays in the background. The violin based music adds a sense of mystery and adds eerieness to the foggy surroundings. Stereotypically, woods are the location of murders or body hiding as they are dark and hidden. People who know that the film is about two murdering psycopaths (one who's a cannibal in custody, and the other who is still on the lose who makes clothes out of his victims skin) wont know what is coming next and may be expecting a jumpfright as they see a young woman doing an obstacle course in the dark woods. As they watch, however, it becomes clear that the opening is dedicated to character development as we see the FBI logo on her shirt. The audience may start to piece together that this is the possible heroine of the movie. 

The casts names have been edited in thick black letters with white borderlines, this makes them easier to see and the black is able to stand out from the dark woods. The names stop appearing as Jodie Fosters characters face comes into view. This shows that shes an important character in the world of the film. As soon as she starts running and we see her back, more names appear on the screen.

The woman runs directly into a cloud of fog, this could represent the way in which she'll run almost blindly into her first case ever with Hannibal Lector. Character development is furthered by th way in which we see her speed and determination at the obstacle course. Her determination is also shown later when she says to one of her friends at headquaters after she gets sent back by a man wearing an FBI cap 'Hey, I got right to the end before they called me in' This could imply that it had been something she had been determined to do for a while.

The names of cast and crew is halted on the screen as the audience is shown an establishing shot of the FBI building. They then return after she gets to her superiors office. This shows the location is important to notice.

                                     

Both films achieve the purpose of the opening sequence which is to show cast and crew, and to set a tone and mood for the rest of the movies. 

Both of the films have dark colours that are used at the beginning to create a sense of darkness and mystery. They also both have moving backgrounds behind their credits which creates more interest for the audience to click into the film. The Birds focuses mainly on setting up the evil side of the movie- the birds are antagonists of the movie as they are the danger everyone is aiming to avoid. The Silence of the Lambs main objective that they are trying to do is introduce the main protagonist of the film. Although they are showing different sides of their movies, both are showing parts of the plot and character development, setting the audience up to understand the rest of the movie. Both openings have the names of cast and crew front and centre of their shots- most other movies would have the names at the bottom left or right of the screen, especially if the screen was showing someone, or something doing an action, however both of the designers decided to do large words that really stood out for both movies. 

The Silence of The Lambs has many more shots than the one in The Birds which helps the to get the story going straight away as opposed to waiting to show anything more than birds for the first 2 minutes of the movie. There is a lot more movement and action that has been incorporated into the opening of The Silence of the Lambs.

The cutaway of the words is the main focus on the screen for The Birds as the birds in the background have been shadowed and put behind. It also has a more interesting fade away with the sharp edges, whereas The Silence of the Lambs focuses more on whats happening on the screen as opposed to pulling focus to the words as they fade away more softly in Silence of The Lambs.

Although the two movies opening sequences varied, they accomplished what an opening sequence needs effectively in their individual ways.