Dawn of the dead and Four Lions (opening credits)

The opening credits in 'Dawn of the dead' is dragged out because they have made it last the song by Johnny Cash-The man comes around, which is 2 minutes 25 seconds.

During this they have a lot of credits which start important and gets less important, then the end few are important again. Each credit slithers of the screen like a liquid, suggesting a virus, which fits in well with the rest of the film. They range from 'Director' to 'Director of photography' showing they just added in as much as possible to build suspension, because in between the credits are little clips which are of zombies and viruses. This ellipse is used well to make you tense and ready for the the horror themed film.

Although some clips are real like the news reports of violence showing the reality, making the audience worried it could happen. Though the filmed by them clips are short and jumpy to scare the audience, one clip is off people abounding the white house which is generally connected to when they leave people really are in trouble.

So the opening is effective to set up the genre and the plot, however at the same time it builds suspense because of its long opening of scary clips.

Four Lions opening is completely different and still works, this has only four lines of credits. They only included the important credits like the title and producer. This is because they don't need to introduce the theme unlike Dawn of the dead. During the credits are played you see a mosque and they are playing a non-diegetic Pakistani music showing they want to be there and they're religious. Which the whole film is about so you get a slight understanding of the characters.

So the main differences are that 'Dawn of the dead' has a far longer opening credits and the song plays throughout. Also the credits are displayed on a black screen, where as in 'Four lions' they are displayed during the pictures. The most important difference is that there's only a few lines of credits unlike 'Dawn of the dead' which plays just to build suspense and finish the song.

I have learnt that the start of the film can be useful to give the audience a feel for the genre like Dawn of the dead did, however i also learnt that using only a couple with meaningful pictures works to set up the plot slightly. However for my opening i will have mine more similar to Dawn of the dead because i like how they made the audience feeling slightly tense just but some rioting quick shots.

Pretty woman opening

Pretty woman is about a prostitute and a well respected business man falling in love and getting into a relationship, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

The first words you hear are "No matter what say, it's all about the money." this ironic because Edward is very rich where as Vivian is not, yet they still fall in love...
Then you see a magician doing some tricks but you only see his hands, there's a similar scene like this later on, the mirror shot is of a drug dealing going down as they are introducing Vivian. This shows he is in a friendly environment unlike her.

As they are introducing Edward, the mise-en-scene is very important because it's set in a rich mansion high up in the mountains and all the guests are wearing smart suits or formal dresses. This tells the reader he is wealthy and respected.
As the camera goes round the guest's you hear them all speaking about Edward showing he is high up and most probably more rich than them.

Then you see Edward higher than them in the building showing he is superior and more important,although you hear him on the phone talking to his ex-girlfriend. Surprisingly he doesn't look like he is bothered that he's splitting up with her. She mentions that she spoke to his secretary more than him suggesting he puts his business before his life.
As he walks down the stairs he sees someone that works with him and orders him to do something in a harsh manor, this shows he is the boss but doesn't worry about his employees feeling and just wants his work to run well.
He then speaks to one of his old partners and she seems to flirt with him showing he is good with woman but cant keep them, probably due to him being addicted to work.
All the furniture is white and expensive telling the audience he is very rich.

When he goes out he gets in his friends car because he is normally driven around but the limo was stuck, the fact that he can take his car with out asking shows he is in control and people don't dare answer back to him.
As he leaves the house he drives like an amateur because he is normally driven around, this tells the audience he is very rich and doesn't have to drive for himself normally.

It then cuts to the mirror shot of the drugs being dealt showing the next character is the opposite to Edward, also you hear a ambulance which suggests crime so you realise this is a dangerous and run down place. The camera has a master shot of the hotel so you see how run down this place is, although there's a little joke because her dirty hotel has 'hotel' lit up along the side however only the 'h' and 'o' are lit up showing its poor also Vivian is a prostitute and it says 'ho'.

Vivan woke up by the alarm at night meaning she must work nights instead of a usual job. she is in a lower class room ripped pictures on the wall showing she has had her heart broken which makes the audience feel sorry for her, also you feel that she is a good prostitute and only doing it for the money.
You see her colour in her boots where they have been scuffed showing she is not rich enough to buy another pair.

Another way they got the audience to like her even though shes a prostitute is by making her look honest, because she went to pay the rent but her room mate took it. The money was hidden in the toilet showing its not a nice place and very untrustworthy to leave money around.

As she walks to see her friend she saw a dead woman in a bin showing this is a very dangerous area. Another thing that shows how different Edward and Vivian are is the music because during meeting him they played a calm 'im over you' song where as she had a song about being a 'wild one'.

Finally she is on her street and another prostitute tells the audience she is new meaning she only just became a prostitute for extra cash, also they say they don't want a pimp as they like to control the money. this shows she is smart and likes to be in control even if the customers a low.

So you see how different they are and what different lifestyles they live, but the disequilibrium come in and they meet as he asks for directions which sets up the rest of the film.

Ive learned from this that the location of where the characters are situated can do a lot, like show a characters background and suggest their way of living, lifestyle, money, class etc. Also that props are very useful like the money in the toilet, because this helps us understand what the characters are like and how they live.
By Steven Meadows

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone

(I reviewed the first 4 minutes)


The opening picture is of the street name with a owl on, this sets the scene. Straight after you meet all the main characters, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and of course Harry Potter(as a child). You realise it is fantasy straight away as Professor McGonagall transforms from a cat, Dumbledore absorbs street lights in a flask like object and finally Hagrid flew there on a motor bike. You realise that Harry is going to be a main character because the teachers all talk about him and how he is famous. Dumbledore is in charge of the teachers suggesting he is head straight away. They are wearing cloak's with stereotypical wizards hats which helps the reader understand which genre this film is(magic fantasy). They mention he will be living in a different world and he has to live there with his only family members, so you realise later on in the film he will be introduced to the other world. Also you wonder what happened to his parents which are both good enigma codes. And at the end once again you see his address to show you he is in our world and not in the magical world yet.
Finally Dumbledore says his name and it zooms on to his scar, which you wonder how he got (another enigma code) and then is comes up with the title of the film. through out the ending of the opening scene the theme tune is played (sound motif).

This ending works because it introduces character by what there wearing and they call each other professor other than Hagrid. Also the genre by their costumes, and it shows the name of the street which you see later, as well as the owl at the start ... as there is owls throughout Harry Potter films. And another good thing is they show his scar as all Harry Potter films are about him getting that scar and surviving the death spell. However it does set up some enigma codes which lures the audience in even more.

I chose Harry Potter because the start has to be remembered through out the 7 books/8 films. As he lives in both worlds, has that scar, very famous, known by the teachers. Also the books had high reviews so the film had to follow that. And in my opinion even though its fantasy, it is enjoyable for all ages.

Ive learned from this that the dialogue can essentially be used to build up the reputation of a character. Also the special effects used of the appearance of Professor McGonagall is used to introduce the theme. Which has helped me understand the appearance of characters can set up more than just their character.

By Steven Meadows