Hi, during class we were assigned to complete an analysis of film openings, I picked some of my favorite films Suicide Squad, Freaky Friday and ET.
Suicide Squad (2016) is an action, fantasy and adventure movie directed by David Ayer, starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot and Jared Leto as The Joker. Suicide Squad is about a group of felons, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, El Diablo, Katana and Captain Boomerang are assembled by the government to go on high-risk missions, they have a bomb implanted in their neck and is set to go off if they ever attempt to escape. The Joker hears about Harley's predicament and blackmails one of the scientists to disable her bomb implant. Enchantress, took over Dr. June Moone's body and send out her minions to try to kidnap Harley, after Jokers helicopter gets shot down trying to get her. The squad battle Enchantress together, they almost lost the battle until Harley got close enough to cut out The Enchantress heart.
The opening scene is four minutes and twenty-three seconds long, and starts with logos that appear littered with graffiti and has a dark background mimicking a dark alley often associated with crime and danger, which connotes that all the main characters are dangerous. Next it transitions to an establishing shot of what looks like a dingy, somber prison with a black sky, that imply evil and also shows where some main characters live. It introduces the character punching a punching bag rather aggressively, being disrespectful to the prison guards and kicking them away which doesn't give the audience an accurate insight on the role he plays in the rest of the movie he is rather sarcastic, pragmatic and sometimes compassionate as shown with the relationship he has with his daughter. The groans transition us with an L-cut to the next scene of Harley Quinn swinging upside down in a cage, symbolizing her lack of freedom, but her swinging shows how she's feeling care free in these circumstances. This gives us great insight on her personality and how she doesn't care how anyone thinks of her. In the next shot, empowering music starts playing while the guards walk in, the cage shocks her and a flash back of her sitting vulnerably on the ground and being abused by the guards start playing, she screams and slams her head into the bar. All of this emphasizes how crazy and unpredictable she is in the movie, and the effect being imprisoned has caused her. Next it cuts to a scene of two black cars pulling up to a building, with a body guard with a gun coming out and protecting the woman coming out of the car showing her importance to the plot, she starts talking about the death of superman then it cuts to the title with the same dark alley aesthetic.
The movie starts off with an opening scene that is one minute and forty-five seconds long of imagery of mothers and daughters together, the pictures go from ancient to more recent times showing the progression of the mother-daughter relationships like how in the film their relationship progresses from irritating to understanding it fades to the title of the movie and the music picks up. Establishing shot of the house, as she snoozes the alarm and the music get louder like her loud chaotic presence. Her room is messy, that has a connotation that Anna is disobedient. Her mom, Tess, comes in her room and tries to wake her up, but she refuses covering her head with a pillow and started yelling at her displaying her difficult personality traits. Tess meditates and does her nails, two both very calming activities highlighting two very different personalities. Tess attempts to wake Anna for the 2nd time the 3rd time instead of yelling at her to wake up, Tess pulls on her legs and Anna resists again, displaying her disobedience. Tess gets frustrated and storms out the room. Her little brother blows a horn in her face then Anna chases him out the room which shows how the annoying her little brother is and how short-tempered Anna is. When she slammed the door it reveals a sign that said to keep out her room in black and white displaying her rebellious traits.
The opening scene is 8:03 minutes long, and the film starts off with logos in a space aesthetic. The 1st shot is out of the world showing earth from space, ambient music starts playing over the title and credits to set the movie of the movie. In the next shot it starts at the sky and pans down to a forest during the night, a hand with two fingers reach towards a branch. It transitions to strange plants and pyramid shaped objects, a group of aliens walk towards to a sapling and take it with them in the spaceship. It reveals a city though the branches, an alien looks out on it. A car pulls up in the forest and spots the aliens, a group of men come out of the car and start chasing the alien far out into the forest. The men hunting the alien are frozen in place after seeing the spaceship leave, but the ship leaves an alien behind.
The main purposes of an opening scene, is to introduce the characters, grab the audience's attention, set the tone for the film. Suicide Squad introduces the some main characters, in the introduction alone we get to know Harley Quinn and Dead-shot, the film grabs the audience by using bright colors and appealing imagery and the opening scene sends a threatening tone throughout the rest of the movie. The main purpose of ET's opening scene was for the audience to know what the plot, and it introduces one of the main characters and the lore behind them. The main purpose of Freaky Friday's opening scene was to introduce the characters, the dynamic they have.
Compare / Contrast
All the movies I've chosen have very similar and different, all the movies have themes of rebellion, but all have very different aesthetics. ET has an outer space aesthetic meant for children unlike Freaky Friday which is make for teens with a rebellious aesthetic with a messy room, the way Anna dresses, Suicide Squad also has this aesthetic but toned up. The stereotypes between each opening scene differ, like all teenage girls are anger or rebellious in Freaky Friday and that all the guards are dumb in Suicide Squad. Based on viewing the opening scene, the one alien who got left behind in ET is important, the mom and her daughter are important to the plot of Freaky Friday and all the prisoners are important to the plot of Suicide Squad.
"It" is a thriller/horror movie that is about the town of Derry being terrorized by this shapeshifting clown. The titles of horror movies are typically in a big red scratchy font. the information you could tell in the title scene is some symbolism of the genre of the movie, and the title of the movie like in the movie "It" the title scene follows all the conventions of the horror genre. The dark mise en scene of the movie informs the audience of the genre, and sets it up as a thriller looking for the justice young boy (Georgie).
Shot 2 (3 seconds): This shot introduces on older protecting figure telling the little boy to be careful. His sincere tone of voice telling his little brother to be careful is subconsciously letting the audience know we should trust him. The dark room and overall monotone color scheme still represent the bleak tone of the movie and starts to solidify the movie's genre as horror.
Shot 3 (2 seconds): This shot is crucial for the opening scene of the movie setting off a chain reaction for the future of Georgie. This shot still captures the gloomy tone of the other two shots with the ambiance of the rain and thunder and the low-key lighting.
Shot 4 (3 seconds): This shot builds the tension, with the slow detailed progression of shots it creates a sense of anxiety for the viewers. Also, this shot has the same dismal theme, with the same ambiance of the rain and the lack of color intensifying the disquietude of the shot.
Shot 5 (5 seconds): This shot is forcing the audience to follow the paper boat through the shot's composition is set framing the paper boat, this is an indication that the paper boat will be important to the opening scene. Music of ringing bells start playing in the background accentuating the uncanny tone of the opening scene and is signaling the start of a pursuit.
Shot 6 (8 seconds): This shot starts with the camera panning down and is a tracking shot of Georgie starts running down after the paper boat, making the audience feel as we are running with him. There was eerie music playing in the back, and Georgie, the young child was laughing in the background and sustains the terrifying tone. This shot still captures the gloomy tone of the other shots with the ambiance of the rain and thunder and the low-key lighting.
Shot 7 (3 seconds): This shot is the same as shot 4 in the same regard that it used to build tension. With an extreme long shot of the little boy running after the paper boat. This shot is different, the shot is filmed in a bird's eye view and is spinning down this gives the shot a disorientated feeling while still sustaining the grim tone of the other shots with the ambiance of the rain and thunder and the low-key lighting.
Shot 8 (2 seconds): This shot is a medium shot of Georgie running towards the paper boat which focuses on Georgie and the background of the forest behind him. The forest symbolizes how isolated that Georgie is, and this idea is also reinforced by the lighting has got darker making the shot feel like Georgie was forsaken. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring.
Shot 9 (1 second): In shot Georgie facing his back to the camera in a medium shot running. The medium shot focuses on character and environment, In the background of the shot there is two barricade that looks like Georgie is about to run into. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring.
Shot 11 (2 seconds): Shot 11 is in Georgie's POV, only focusing in on the boat until the last second. This shot details how hyper focused that Georgie was on the paper boat that he did not notice the big barricade. The POV puts the audience in Georgie's eyes as a young child trying to have fun and catch the paper boat. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 12 (1 second): In this shot Georgie is pictured hitting his head at a different angle, the different angle symbolizes him being snapped out of the transfixion on the paper boat. The music suddenly stopping also reinforces this idea. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 13 (3 seconds): A lower angle shot of Georgie falling, this shot feels slower compared to the rest of the shots and making everything more suspenseful with the change in pace. The low-key lighting and the sounds of rain and thunder are still prevalent adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 14 (2 seconds): A long shot of Georgie on the ground, the composition makes the paper boat look bigger compared to everything else in frame and the rack focus of Georgie to the paper boat tell the audience that Georgie still has a hyper focus on the boat even after getting hit on the heads with the barrier. The low-key lighting and the sounds of rain and thunder are still prevalent adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 15 (3 seconds): Georgie is not hesitant and immediately gets up and chases the paper boat he stumbles a little after getting up and the tracking continues. The stumbling symbolizes that Georgie isn't in the right state of mind or physical health to keep chasing after the boat. The music picks up again showing that his venture is not over. The low-key lighting and the sounds of rain and thunder are still prevalent adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 16 (2 seconds): This shot is starts with a pan down and is a long shot of Georgie running down the dark road. The long shot emphasizes the gloomy neighborhood place, Georgie running down the street. The low-key lighting and the sounds of rain and thunder are still prevalent adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 17 (1 second): This shot is a medium shot of Georgie running towards the paper boat which focuses on Georgie and the background of the forest behind him. The forest symbolizes how isolated that Georgie is, and this idea is also reinforced by the lighting has got darker making the shot feel like Georgie was forsaken. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 18 (2 seconds): This shot is a tracking shot of the paper boat heading to a sewage system. This shot looks as if it is a POV from Georgie's perspective. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 19 (1 second): This shot is a long shot of Georgie running after the paper boat emphasizing the sewer that the paper boat is going t
o fall into nearby and Georgie running though the rain, The music raises adding to the menacing feeling. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 20 (1 second): This shot shows the paper boat falling into the sewer drain. The shot is a close-up signifying the importance that this paper boat plays into the plot of the movie. The music also intensifies as the paper boat falls into the drain also displaying the importance of the paper boat. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 21 (1 second): This shot is a medium close-up shot of Georgie screaming while running towards the boat. The medium close-up shot focuses on the fact that Georgie is screaming. The screaming indicates that the paper boat fell down the drain and how important that the paper boat is to Georgie. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 22 (1 second): This shot is over the paper boat falling down the sewer drain. The way the camera is positioned behind the sewer drain gives the shot a dramatic touch and Georgie running after the boat reinforces the suspense of the shot. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 23 (1 second); In shot 23 Georgie looks for the paper boat in the sewer. In the perspective we see Georgie he is surrounded in darkness symbolizing the evil living down in the sewer and the unfortunate circumstances that Georgie might experience. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 24 (2 seconds): This is a long shot of Georgie looking into the sewer. The long shot emphasizes the location of the sewer and the forest surrounding him, while showing the action of Georgie looking into the sewer. Georgie also exclaims that his older brother bill is going to "kill him" which gives the audience a reason on why he keeps looking for the paper boat. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 25 (4 seconds): This shot entails a slow dolly in into the sewer drain while Georgie is peering into the sewer. The slow dolly forces the audience's attention towards the sewer and builds anticipation within the audience. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot, but the music halts.
Shot 26 (2 seconds): This shot is a close up of Georgie's face. The close up shot draws the audience to the emotion Georgies intrigued facial expression. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 27 (1 second): This shot is a POV of what Georgie is seeing down the sewer. In the sewer there is bright green glowing eyes. This is very sudden for the audience essentially jump scaring them, which is also a convention in horror movies. This shot also successful introduces the main villain during the movie a clown named "It". The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 29 (4 seconds): This shot is close up of the clown, the clown slowly reveals himself by coming closer to the light. The light only hits the clowns chin giving him a sinister expression on the clown's face. The clown exclaims "Hiya Georgie" and proceeds to give him his boat trying to lure Georgie closer. This shot is at a slower pace compared to the previous shots to make his shot more tense and adding anticipation. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 30 (1 second): This shot is a close up of Georgie. The close-up of Georgies face successfully displays the flabbergasted expression that he has on his face, in reaction to the clown. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 31 (3 seconds): This shot is of the clown asking Georgie if he wants the paper boat back. The clown makes a blank start into the distance, when speaking to Georgie which gives an uneasy ambiance. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 32 (2 seconds): This shot is a close up of Georgie. The close-up draws the audience to the startled expression that Georgie is feeling responding to the clown. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 33 (4 seconds): This shot is over the shoulder shot displaying Georgies back and the clowns face. The clown said, "You look like a nice boy it looks like you have a lot of friends". The also picks up music. This shot is used for conversation and the continuity of the opening scene. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 34 (4 seconds): This shot is a close up of Georgie from the POV of the clown. The close-up draws the audience to the startled expression that Georgie is feeling responding to the clown. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 35 (4 seconds): This shot is a close up of the clown. The close-up draws the audience to the eerie expression that clown. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
Shot 36 (3 seconds): This shot is a close up of Georgie from the POV of the clown. The close-up draws the audience to the startled expression that Georgie is feeling responding to the clown. The ambiance of the rain and thunder is still occurring adding to the tone of the shot.
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