Analysing Film Openings

 

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.