Introduction to the Camera Sony NX5 :

SONY NX5

The Sony NX5 is a digital camera which was launched on the 11th of May 2010 . It is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the body of a common point and shoot camera but fortunately has a sensor size . After discovering how to slide the camera onto a set up tripod as well as placing the battery and memory stick into the camera , we then started creating our own opening sequences , so firstly we set up a simplistic  concept of two girls greeting one another to which  then they make contact through a hand shake and then exit , through this extremely simplistic routine we decided to shoot it through a variety of different angles and shots , for example we decided to use a "close up shot" in order to show aspects of intimacy as well we wanted the audience to get an impression of the characters personalties as well as creating long shots and middle shots in order to witness the surroundings of the characters in order to set the mood and genre of this opening sequence . 

   

    

Analysing The Opening Sequence Of The Thriller "Seven" :

  In class we watched the opening sequence of "Seven" which is American neo-noir thriller film written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher , staring A list actors such as Brad Pitt,  Morgan Freeman , Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey .

  

  The trailer begins with a variety of images ranging from a books , to graphic images of hands as well as close up on words , this idea of presenting a variety of different images causes a sense of mystery and intrigues us to find out what happens next as well as why these images are represented in the first place . 

 Extreme close up shots are used continuously throughout the opening credits to allow the audience to recognise the detail in the shot; however a variety of other shots have been used in addition including high angled shots to create vulnerability on whatever is being filmed, for example every time a picture of a past victim is filmed high angled shot are used to represent their weakness. In comparison, when the hands are filmed a low angled shot is mostly used to show dominance, which lets the audience see a clear contrast in importance between the two. The editing used in the opening sequence is all extremely fast pace leaving the viewer enough time to see the shot but not too much of what is happening; which builds up suspension and allows the films to still feel mysterious. Fade to black editing and red, black and white and dull filters are also used to represent death, danger and mystery.The opening sequence provides information about the production of the film including the production company 'New Line Cinema' (which has produced other thriller/crime thriller/horror films such as the Final Destination series, the Rush hour series and Friday the 13th suggesting to the audience this film will be successful because of other hits they have created) as well as the director David Fincher and actors such Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow; all highly famous, skillful actors/director reinforcing the suggestion of the film being successful. Each set of text is the same size and style of font and is only shown once, however the title of the film flashes several times in a variety of different font sizes to ensure no viewers miss the name of the film. In between each of the shots the screen fades to black to create a sense of mystery, on each black out shot this is where the text with the information regarding the actors, producers and directors is shown, this is practical because it allows the viewer to read the text with ease. The text used has been edited so it has a scratched and distorted appearance which creates a mysterious demeanor and also links to the dark shade of colours used throughout.








                                   





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY

"The Devil Wears Prada" Opening Sequence :

 Opening Sequence Review on "The Devil Wears Prada"

 "The Devil Wears Prada" is a comedy drama which was released in 2006 , this screen adapatation stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a college graduate who goes to New York City and lands a job as a co-assistant to powerful fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly played by oscar winner Meryl Streep.

  The opening sequence is introduced with Andrea as well as multiple other different women getting ready for the stereotypical 9 to 5 city lifestyle , we know this due at the very beginning of the film we are presented with a landscape camera shot of all New York presenting all its iconic buildings such as The Empire State Building as well as The Chrysler Building over looking the Hudson river , this immediately represents to the viewers that this film is set in a urban atmosphere,which the viewers will expect to have a chaotic and busy environment due to the idea that it is set in the city that never sleeps . 

   The introduction to the film represents a strong contrast to the lead character (Andrea) and the other women which are being represented , due to the idea that Andrea is not represented in high fashion pieces unlike the other women who are covered head to toe in labels , this gives the viewers the immediate impression that Andrea is extremely down to earth who simply can't afford to wear high branded fashion labels,  as well is represented by portraying her own personal style in clothing which evokes strong ideas of independence and the ability to step out from the stereotypical image of having an obsession with labels . 

The photo above represents Andrea getting ready for a new day or as the viewers can interpret to be a new chapter in her life .

A significant shot would be of a close up of a glamorous woman kissing a man who is asleep in her bed . In the cross cuts and is followed by Andrea kissing a man who is a awake. This graphic match is again displaying juxtaposition and really shows a contrast between the two women's personalities , Both two shots show how there is an aspect of a relationship and interaction between the women and the men, expect the first women's man is asleep when she kisses him on the cheek , where there is more communication and affection with Andrea and her man due to him being awake and engaged with one another . 

     Authority is represented in the opening sequence when  Andrea has reached the gigantically tall building which offers a future career for her, this is shot from a high camera angle to present how the important and professional this location is , as well when the camera is brought down from landscape level to eye level it creates the aspect that the building is inviting you to discover what is in it . 

    In conclusion this opening sequence is clever as it creates the chaotic lifestyle of a city environment which intrigues the viewer to see what's lurking around the corner hence the location being incredibly spontaneous and full of interesting people and places . 

My Favourite Opening Sequence :

My favourite opening sequence 

The opening trailer which I will always admire in Baz Lurhmann's "Romeo and Juliet", this is because of the contrast at the beginning of the opening sequence with the screen display being extremly simplistic with a black backdrop with a small television placed in the centre, which is then zoomed in , in order to draw attention for viewing purposes . The scenario, placed on the TV , shows a middle-aged women reading the news , the women is represented as emotionless which intrigues the viewer to listen attentively to what she is saying , after this scene ends , it then goes straight into a chaotic scenario where the location is then showed where the film is based which is being represented from camera angles which are created to look like they have been shot from air crafts , in order to recieve a bird eyes view of the city known as Verona . 

   The sequence then introduces snippets of the lead actors know to us as Romeo and Juliet , representing there family household with the camera angles mainly focused at eye level , this is an effective technique as it gives the viewer a sense of what the characters personality's are like , due to there emotions shown in there facial expressions, as well it also characterises stereotypes for example the vulnerable and young Romeo, as well as the aggressive Latin American known as Tybalt. The seqeunce then increases the tension with the use of a classic chamber choir , which crescendo's throughout the sequence, a full orchestra is used in order to create that sense of uprising danger, along with snippets from crucial scenes throughout the film, this is shown to represent the diversity of themes in the film such as drugs , violence , romance , family rivalry as well as death , this then absorbs the audience to think the about what areas of the film interests the viewers on a personal level as well it gets them thinking about when certain scenes are taken place in the film , this idea of showing extracts of scenes is crucial as it absorbs the strengths of what the film has to offer .

    It finally ends with Shakespeare's written introduction to "Romeo and Juliet" displayed on the screen, which is then rapidly replaced by the following title of the film placed in bold white letters , which is extremely distinctive against the black backdrop, this immediately gives the viewer the idea to what the opening sequence is influenced by , as well the whole idea towards the opening sequence is created to look like a film trailer, which is a clever technique as it absorbs the strengths of the film and captures the audiences attention .

   In conclusion I feel this opening sequence is highly effective as it creates a strong appeal for a target audience of the age twelve and above . 

About Me :

Hello ,

My name is Christina Kane I'm 18 years old , and I am currently a student at Hurtwood House School where I am studying English Literature , Theatre Studies , Music Technology and of course Media Studies, I live in London with my family and two manic pug dogs and I am a musical theatre fanatic .

I am extremely fascinated by the film and television industry, particularly taking a strong interest to action movies , as I am extremely interested in film and stage combat , my favorite films would be "Drive" staring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan , directed by Nicolas Winding Refn , as well as "Fight Club" staring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton and finally "Divergent" , directed by Neil Burger and staring Shailene Woodley.

As well as action films I also greatly respect comedy- dramas such as "The Devil Wears Prada" staring Meryl Streep and and Anne Hathaway , romantic comedies such as "Pretty Woman" staring Julia Roberts as well as  Amy Heckerling's 1995 American comedy "Clueless".