Analysing
Film Openings
Nicholas
Gonzales
During class, we were asked to choose a film
pertaining to our specific genre that was chosen, and to analyse the opening of
that film. Here is the opening to the film I chose and the analysation.
Film: Interstellar (2014)
- Genres: Drama, Science-Fiction, Adventure, Mystery
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5NPGC0jlRc
Who’s the main character?
-
The main character is
seen to be a man. It can be inferred that the man is a pilot, considering he is
maneuvering a vehicle in the air. A woman and child can also be seen in the
beginning.
If there is none defined,
what’s the hook? Even if there is a main character, what
hooked you?
-
The hook I noticed in
the movie was part of the story. When the woman that opened the movie started
speaking, she spoke about her father. The man (her father) is then shown as a
pilot, setting up the storyline.
What do you notice about camera
framing and mise-en-scene?
-
The camera framing
involves a lot of single shots. This shows a lot about the individual character
and might let the audience predict what is about to happen to the character by
showing the specific emotions each character feels related to the single shot
frame.
If there are opening
credits, what does the font style tell you
about the tone of the film?
-
In the very first
frame of the movie, the title “I N T E R S T E L L A R” is flashed across the screen.
In a slow fade, the title is shown, with space in between each letter, which
could be used to symbolise the science fiction aspect of the movie and its “space”
theme. In addition, the background during this shot is completely visible, foreshadowing
a scene that will be played during the movie and a signifying object (the
spaceship). This, in addition to the lack of sound, sets the tone to be ominous
with a bit of possible emotional sadness.
