AS Media Studies: October 2015

Prelim Task E-Maze

Prelim Task Introduction

On 5th October, it was announced to us that we was about to be given our preliminary task on which we was all very excited about. Our media class, 12D was given the task title which was that we had to produce an opening sequence on a genre of our choice. There were three stages of production we went through. The Planning Phase, The Filming and Editing Phase & The Evaluation Stage. We were given a three week deadline to complete our project and each phase was to take a week each.

Our process of deciding what genre we wanted to base our opening on was complicated but we finally came to a conclusion on producing an opening sequence to a "Musical". Following this introductory is an E-Maze I produced in which displays all of the processes we went through to construct our opening scene. We were also given a minimum requirement of shots needed in our scene. These shots included:

shot/reverse shot
180 degree rule
an establishing shot
at least two close ups of the characters
a tracking shot
high angle shot
match on action

Other Film Theorists

Reflecting on my blog, I noticed that I didn't expand too much on some of the other narrative theorists besides Barthes. There are three other key theorists that I researched into and these include Tzvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp, Aristotle & Claude Levi-Strauss.

Todorov believed that most movie scripts/storylines roughly follow the same direction. He explained that there are five specific stages in which the plot will follow which consist of: Equilibrium - This takes place during the opening sequence which normally displays a happy beginning in which everything is correct and in order. Setting will be revealed to us here. Disruption - It is revealed to us that the next part of the story is disturbing the happiness and the plot will swerve into another direction. Recognition of Disruption - Characters will begin to discover any existing problems, they may even become involved in the circumstance which will perhaps cause a commotion throughout the cast. Attempt to Repair Disruption - The forth stage of the story will consist of characters trying to recover from the issue in the plot and attempt to resolve and repair the problems caused. Reinstatement of Equilibrium - In conclusion, the movie will finish with the problem solved and everything will resume to the movies original state, peaceful and answered questions.
Propp's was a firm believer in the fact that certain types of characters are always used in movies. He concluded that in every narrative structure the characters as followed would appear: A villain that battles with the hero. The hero that is seeking something. The doner that sticks by the hero's side as is willing to prepare a hero physically or mentally. The dispatcher that will send the hero on his way. The false hero that will take credit for the hero's impacts made. The helper that assists the hero in some way. The princess which is awaiting him as an award or a source that needs protecting.
Strauss came up with an idea about movies involving binary opposites and how narrative structure revolved around their conflict issues. Some examples of this would include: The Old and the Young, The Black and the White, The Male and the Female & The Wealthy and the Poor.
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who in the early studies of film noticed the narrative to begin with. He identified that all types of narrative include a Beginning, Middle and an End.

Foley

A key word I feel is very important to go towards our projects is known as 'Foley'. During the Pete Fraser talk, we viewed some opening sequences that didn't receive full potential. This was due to the dialogue being drowned out by the surrounding of natural sounds such as wind, rain or other natural noises. Therefore, Fraser suggested that it would be ideal to use Foley which involves rerecording/reproducing sound effects such as footsteps or door opening to make the sound more effective. The term is used a lot in the filming industry when the quality of a sound effect doesn't sound particularly good whilst filming compared to the rerecording.

Pete Fraser Film Opening Talk

On Friday 2nd October, we was lucky enough to receive a talk from a British Film Institute ambassador, Pete Fraser. He gave a presentation to all of us media study students based around film openings and how we can produce and create an excellent film opening sequence as our main project for the coursework.

The first part of the talk consisted of us watching various opening sequences of different genres on the main screen and thinking of what type of hints symbolise the genre. We also looked about the way actors and production related jobs are portrayed during the opening scene of movies. One of the opening scenes we was given was "Napoleon Dynamite", a teen comedy. We could tell by the bright colours, cheerful font and high school related meals and objects the genre we was given. The order of names during the first scene is also important to consider. For instance, the first name to appear on the screen was "Jon Heder". Pete Fraser explained that certain actors pay money towards what position they display in the opening scene, as well as there importance in the movie. Therefore Jon, in this particular sequence, is the central character. We watched a variety of other movie openings alongside this one which we then analysed as a group as to what genre each sequence is displaying. The other examples included "Catch Me if you Can" and "Dawn of the Dead".

We also watched a variety of other students film opening tasks and textually analysed their quality and how good they were presented. We watched a wide range of terrible, bad, good and excellent openings. We was given very helpful advice on what makes a good opening sequence and how we can create it in a high quality format.

Do not follow the common film opening route and create something unique. The most common opening features that are included are:

Saw Opening: Victim tied up in a shed.

Scream Style Sequence: Male hooded killer stalks a female character.

Se7en Opening Style: Character sticks knife into a polaroid photo.

Lock, Stock: Gangsters playing cards which breaks out into a fight.

Waking Up Scene: Cleaning teeth, brushing hair, leaving the house.

Flashback or Flash-forward: ...Two Weeks Later...

Don't make a common error stated below:

Making it look more like a trailer than a film opening.

Don't have an insufficient amount of titles.

Always consider sound and lighting.

Remember to use suitable actors and costumes during production.

Try not to squeeze a confusing story in just the opening.

Follow the five stages of planning an excellent opening sequence:

Step One: Take Stock - Where is the task? What's the assessment? What's the timeframe? What's the equipment?

Step Two: Set up a Blog - make sure to keep evidence of every task I complete.

Step Three: Build up Skills - skills on sound, editing and camerawork.

Step Four: Investigate - What do film openings actually look like? What does other student work look like? What do you need to know about titles? How are you going to do something that stands out?

Step Five: Brainstorm Ideas - Possible Scenarios for pitches/treatments. 25 word pitch. Mood Board treatment. Peer and teacher feedback. Realistic Expectations.

Juno Opening Re-Creation Task

This week, we was given the opportunity to recreate the opening sequence of the movie "Juno". We had four lessons to plan, film, edit and final check the project overall. I was paired with Jack Bezant throughout the duration of the movie and we produced a storyboard of each shot in the opening scene. Unfortunately, the paper copy of our storyboard was misplaced during the making of the movie but alternatively I will briefly describe each shot in a table format used on Microsoft Word.

Planning

Filming & Editing

This was the final outcome of our project. Overall the filming was pretty successful however there were a few flaws and issues in our opening sequence.

You are editing your own footage - how did the filming go? The filming was the most successful part of the project. We managed to find all suitable scenes and we mostly shot them in time with the original clip. Some of the issues we faced was that we forgot to shoot a scene on one of the days therefore I am wearing different clothing compared to the rest of the scene so it looked really odd compared to the rest of the clip. The editing process was also successful, I used a "find edges" effect on my clip to make the video look more similar to the opening scene. The cartoon effect was matching to the original successfully. My most triumphant editing measure was when the effect changed behind the tree. I managed to match the timings up perfectly which means that it didn't randomly cut in between shots, the flow was very even which I was proud of. One editing flaw was that my knowledge wasn't very adequate on transitions therefore I didn't know how to create a diagonal wipe. Alternatively, I used a horizontal wipe but this is not used in the original Juno Opening Scene.

Was your storyboard accurate? Overall, our storyboard remained accurate throughout the opening sequence. There wasn't many flaws in this part of the design apart from that some of the timings were a couple of seconds out with the original sequence. Besides that, all of the camera shots were correct and the majority of the timings were right so overall our storyboard was precise.

What were your strengths and weaknesses in the group?

There were only two of us in the group, one actress and one camera man which did limit our options on certain aspects of the sequence. For instance, we could not feature the second pair of feet in the background walking past the van because we was filming in further destinations and there were only two members of the group. However, there were no team based disagreements on who would hold each role as there was only me and Jack in the group.

Did you get all the footage you needed? There were no scenes missed in the opening sequence which means that we managed to collect all of the footage that was necessary for the task. However, we had to make some of them on different days which meant that I was wearing something slightly different on the guitar shot. Unfortunately, this was a flaw in our creation as this particular scene looks odd compared to the rest of the project. Apart from this minor mistake, the rest of the filming was successful.

What technical skills either camera or premiere did you learn? How does it compare to the original? I managed to pick up some camera key words including tracking shot and straight shot which was what the movie mostly consisted of. Since I was participating in the acting role, there wasn't many camera techniques I managed to pick up however, I developed my premiere skills further and I have improved massively on the software. The use of the sketchy effects enabled me to experiment with other types of effects which I am now informed on for my next tasks. As well as this, I have developed my cut and cropping skills which is why the transition from normal to the sketchy effect behind the tree was generally successful. Our sequence compared to the original does match similarly match. The only problem was that some of our shots were out of time since the duration of the filming was for one hour so we were pushed for time. However, I dedicated time and effort afterschool to complete the uploading and editing processes.

What went well - What I learnt - What I will take with me to the next production? Overall, the project went really well. Our first filming attempt ended up a success and we managed to produce everything we needed. I have learnt some more editing skills on premiere which will thoroughly assist me later on in my future coursework to produce a high quality film opening. I also learnt some acting skills along the way which ensures that it might be a good idea for me to star in my future coursework. I will make sure I take my editing and acting skills into my next production. I will further improve my camera skills by trying to film my next task so that I have more experience with the camera.

Film Pitch Evaluation

In response from my film pitch, I asked members of my media class and other pupils what was good about my film pitch and what needs to be improved and advice on who should distribute my motion picture. I also asked what kind of directors or other actors should be involved in my movie.

Feedback from Other Media Students: I was told that I had a broad selection of actors within my pitch which is good, considering the budget of the movie may be low or high. I was further told that there wasn't much advertising information in my pitch which is a very important aspect of the project. Although my motion picture is produced by my own company, I was given advise to have distribution assistance with a member of "The Big Six" to help widen my target audience and advertising (eg. Paramount, Warner Bros).

I was also advised to influence a well known director who has experience but I must consider the budget for the movie most importantly. Huge director examples I was given included Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese etc.

Feedback from My Teacher: Since my movie was a family drama, I was advised to release it either during the summer so that it can receive a higher box office if it is popular. Alternatively, I could wait until an October/November release which means it could then come into the running for an Academy Award. It would all depend whether I am aiming for a critically acclaimed or audience acclaimed motion picture.

Strengths and Weaknesses of my Pitch: Personally, I feel as if my pitch was an overall success. I considered a wide variety of settings to broaden my horizons and feel as if the actors used emphasise the genre particularly well. Especially, Jessica Lange for her outstanding performances in American Horror Story. However, I could have also used more inspirations throughout my movie pitch. For instance, I didn't have much plot influence, it was purely based from my own knowledge and ideas. This is a good point since it's an independent, unique idea but I should have used a brief understanding of other family dramas to assist me.

Film Pitch

Today, I was given a film genre and a target audience and was asked to produce a film pitch based on what they would enjoy. I investigated what the target audience enjoys, how they consume film and what they would like to see in a movie. Unfortunately, I was absent when this task was set so I wasn't in a group, I have to create a solo pitch.

Dancing Animals Editing Practice

Today's lesson basis revolved around using premiere for the first time. We was given a task to create a montage of dancing animals by adding music, developing our video cropping skills and adding in transitions.

This is the final outcome on my first attempt of using premiere. This was vital practice as it will aid me to complete my future coursework. It was quite challenging to figure out all of the settings and features at first however I was soon able to find the crop, transition and effects tools.

The first feature I took advantage of was the the cutting tool. This allowed me to cut and crop the lengths of each clips so that they could montage smoothly with the music. I chose a rap song to have in the background of my clip which emphasised most of the characters movements in the scene. Especially when the tiger is moving on his own behind the palm trees from shot 0:14 - 0:18, his movements fit really well with the lyrics. I mainly used the same clips but using advanced tools to cut and move them, it looked more like they were in once scene. The reason I used mostly the same clip was because I wanted to display the characters most in the shots since they were the main structure of my montage.

Finally, I used an interesting camera cut when the artist said "lose my head" (shot 0:34) into the distance behind my frame. This was to reinforce the idea that their head was lost in something completely different by panning away from the animals. Directly after this movement, I applied the "paint splatter" transition. This was the most exciting scene movement I used. It took viewers away from the fence and back to the original scene so that they were back in the focus of my project. Overall, I found that this was a successful edit, however I didn't make the edit very long and I would have included more interesting clips of skyscrapers. I was slightly pushed for time which was what limited me to continue with a longer video.

Mainstream vs. Independent Film Presentation

Film Budgets, Movie Releases and The Cinema Industry

Today's learning objective was to research about film budget, best times to release a movie on a monthly basis and the cinema industry.

Film Budgets

A small budget movie basically means the movie was made on a tighter budget compared to a high budget movie. The maximum amount of money that tends to be spent on a low budget is $2 million. On the other hand, a high budget movie on average stand at about $150 million.

Movie Release Dates

The academy awards are roughly held every February, therefore critically acclaimed films tend to be released between the months of October and January. This way they have the right amount of time to be nominated. Take last year as an example. Birdman, Whiplash and The Theory of Everything were all released during winter of 2014. Each of these movies won academy awards in different categories as they hit the cinema just in time to roll in nominations.

Family and Christmas movies are also released during the October and Christmas period so that it will attract the younger target audience and families. September tends to be a very unpopular month for movie releases as it is after summer and before Christmas. Not much attention is attracted to the filming industry during this particular month.

Finally, many blockbuster smash hits are available to watch during the summer period. For instance, Transformers: Age of Extinction was released on July 4th of 2014 and resulted in entering the top five box office of that year.

The Cinema Industry

On average, millions of people visit the cinema a year. Mostly, the target audience consists of people aged 16-24 who visit the cinema. This is due to the fact that they can all attend the cinema without an adult to view high certificate rated films such as 15 or 18's.

This also tends to be a particularly social age therefore going to the cinema is specifically ideal for social groups who are passionate about film to meet up and interact.

The cinema tends to make most of its money from the refreshments they sell. In particular, popcorn and drinks. Popcorn is a stereotypical movie snack which many families or groups are willing to pay a price for to eat throughout the duration of a particular movie. However, some people notice the summiting prices which snacks go for so they tend to bring their own food to the cinema.

Film Production Logo

Taking inspiration from various production companies that I had learnt about today, I have designed and created my own film institute logo. Since the most iconic logos have a simple structure, I decided to use a flag to symbolise my film institution. I incorporated my last name into the first half of the name which makes the industry personally unique to me. To produce my logo, I used Microsoft PowerPoint, a simple but very effective software which allowed me to overlap and change the colour scheme of my images easily.

My last name is Alliston and the ending sounds like the term, stone. This is why I have used an image of pebbles within my flag. Stones and flags are recognisable images and the use of a flag tends to highlight importance therefore it is a combination of familiar images in which people will be able to recognise. My font choice was 'STENCIL'. This gives my logo an army based structure and the font is commonly associated with information printed on a dog tag. I wanted my logo to look bold and eye-catching, therefore using this font enabled me to give this appearance.

The colour scheme of my logo will be black and white. This is why I have included these colours only within my production logo. Both theses shades contrast against each other meaning that the logo is more likely to stand out compared to colours that are closely alike (yellow and white or blue and black). Both these colours are very formative which will also give my logo a much more professional and captivating appearance.

Institutions

The film industry was today's focus lesson in order for us to create a good quality film opening and what attracts the audience. The "Big 6" are the main American film companies within the filming industry. These are the top institutions and they have had involvement with some of the most successful franchises.

Universal: This is the second largest company in the world and universal have produced many blockbuster successes including Jurassic World, E.T and Jaws. All very iconic movies.

Walt Disney Pictures: Traditionally rivals with Universal however its the world's largest media combination. They are well known for blockbuster animation phenomenon's such as Toy Story, The Avengers and Monsters Inc./Monsters University.

Warner Bros. Entertainment: Another example of a major film institution which is subsidiary to Time Warner and has a revenue worth 12 Billion U.S dollars. The company has most recognition from the Harry Potter, The Dark Knight and The Hangover film franchises.

Paramount Pictures: Founded by W.W.Hodkinson, Paramount Pictures is another motion picture production based in Hollywood. Most famous for box office phenomenon Titanic, Transformers Saga and Indiana Jones.

20th Century Fox: This particular film co-operation produces both motion pictures and television. Having over seven divisions, it is one of the largest movie institutions in the world. It is internationally famous for smashing box office records with James Cameron's Avatar.

Columbia Pictures: A distribution of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group founded in 1924. Mostly well known for producing 1980's classic Ghost Busters as well as 21 Jump Street series and the Spider Man franchise.

Audience - Users and Gratifications

Today, I learnt about audience and I was given a questionnaire to answer based on how I consume film. Some of the questions asked included my favourite movies, where I go to watch film and how I know what to expect from a movie.

Answers

Representation

Today, our lesson was based around representations and how the media can control our opinions and views on people. One of the main forms of representations are what we call stereotypes. Typically, media institutions use stereotypes to help the audience understand what place in society/race/personality somebody has. The media often use stereotypes repeatedly that most people assume that they are what they are portrayed as but in some circumstances this may not be the case. We were asked to analyse a film opening of our choice and I have chosen Amy Heckerling's Clueless.

The character Cher Horowitz reinforces representations of class, age and gender. She is a rich, high school girl. The opening sequence of Clueless presents her as a stereotypical spoilt, Beverly Hills teenager in a number of ways. Firstly, she is seen socialising with friends, going shopping and having a pool party. All these interests and hangout spots are associated with being a "popular"girl. Cher states about halfway through the scene "you probably think this is some kind of commercial, but actually, I live a way normal life for a teenage girl". This quote implies that she is trying to convey to the audience that her life isn't extravagant. Additionally, the opening sequence gives the viewer insight into the lifestyle of Cher. She lives in a mansion, she has a maid and she uses a computer to pick out her clothes - none of which a "normal" girl would have! In the scene we are also introduced to her father who is a rich lawyer. This further emphasizes the rich kid stereotype as they normally have wealthy parents who spoil them endlessly. Later on in the sequence she explains how her 'daddy bought her a brand new jeep even though she doesn't have her driving license yet!' She also goes on to explain that her and her best friend Dionne are 'friends because we both know what it's like to have people be jealous of us'. This explores the notion that popular, wealthy girls like Cher and Dionne, are typically superficial, self-absorbed and disliked by others. Finally, the character Cher is also represented as somewhat of an airhead, which again is a typical trait of the stereotype. She is presented as a dumb blonde bimbo through her appearance and actions. For example when she is driving, she is very careless and smashes a pot on the sidewalk exclaiming that "it came out of nowhere" which clearly isn't true. Her reckless driving also reinforces the idea that spoilt, rich kids can do whatever they want regardless of the consequences.

Film Language

Today's lesson focus was film language which involved Mise En Scene, the way in which films are edited in a specific way to make them flow well and how sound is used. In order to have successful coursework, we must learn about each aspect of film language to create a high quality film opening.

Mise En Scene
What is put in front of the camera. There are five main elements involved which include:

Setting/Props

Costume/Hair/Make Up

Facial/Body Language

Lighting/Colour

Positioning of characters/objects within the frame

Camera Key Words

Frame: Extreme Long Shot (ELS), Long Shot (LS), Medium Shot (MS), Close-Up Shot (CUS) and Extreme Close-Up Shot (ECU)

Camera Angles: Birds-eye view, High Angle, Low Angle, Eye Level and Oblique/Canted Angle

Sound

Dialogue

Music - whether it is parallel or contrapuntal

Diegetic Sound - natural noises

Non Diegetic Sound - includes music, voice-overs or narration

Editing

Transitions

Order of Narrative - including past, present or future

The Pace of the Film

Special Effects

Editors put in a lot of effort to use transitions that make the scenes join together seamlessly for the audience. Editing techniques are important because they allow producers to manipulate audiences reactions to the media.

Boyz N The Hood Opening Scene

Using what I have learnt today, I will textually analyse the opening sequence of Boys N The Hood by looking at how sound, editing, camera work and mise en scene is used to convey meaning for the audience.

Boyz N The Hood is a crime drama that predominantly revolves around the representation of race. Therefore, it can be assumed that the sound, editing, camera work and mise en scene of the film will work to reinforce notions of racial segregation in America in the 1980's.

Camera/Sound/Editing Work

Most of the opening sequence consisted of medium shots. Perhaps this is trying to give us a realistic view on what is going on during the opening scene. However, there are a couple of close up shots of the two children before they get into a fight. Using a close up shot heightens the sense of emotion so this allows the audience to focus more on how the character is feeling.
The opening sequence automatically begins with foul and racist language. This makes the audience enter the action immediately. However, this could make viewers feel apprehensive to watch the movie since such explicit language is used. Only the sound at the beginning challenged the audiences assumptions on racism, are they black or are they white? There is a lot of diegetic sound used throughout the opening sequence as a whole, especially in the first minute. For instance, the gunfire, screams and revving engine. All these sounds are icons for a crime movie. This rises the intensity for the audience. Since there is only sound in the opening scene and no visual representation, this also reinforces the idea of challenging the audiences assumptions. Can the audience only judge by sound what type of people they are. The opening sequence lacks in non-diegetic sound which suggest that there is a lot of realism in the movie itself. You only hear music when the kids are at the crime scene, which is a build of suspense.
There are no special effects in the movie, this must mean that the movie is very natural and realistic and that it breaks the suspension of disbelief. Most of the transitions just cut from one camera angle to the other apart from the faded montage of pictures from the crime scene to the classroom. The classroom transition are overlapping photos of some horrific images including a funeral, a police car at a crime scene and a helicopter with a spotlight on the run. It is the only transition used in the opening sequence which suggest that the editors want the audience to specifically pay attention to this part of the film. The images also convey to us that their crime ridden environment has a huge impact on the children's life that it interferes with their education. They also reinforce the violent nature of the opening sequence.

Mise En Scene

The setting is revealed to us as a suburban neighbourhood set in the 1980's. This implies that crime can happen anywhere to anybody. The blood is also a key prop to a crime drama movie and both genres involve either a murder or a suicide.
All of the costumes are smart or casual attire for attending school. This reinforces the realism of the movie.
Most of the characters appear fairly innocent as they are children. However, they are all exposed to content that isn't appropriate for them. For instance, when the younger girl mentions about the gun fire the night before. It appears that they are so use to the face that they live in a crime infested area that they have adapted their lifestyle around it. They also appear very calm but also intrigued when they witness the bullet holes in the side of the building. The only character excluded from this category would be the leading boy. He is presented as a confident, well educated young lad, despite his bad temper. Unfortunately, it is revealed to us that his dad influences and teaches him things that are not appropriate for a young child. Especially that he knows why the blood has turned yellow and where the first dead body was found in Africa.
Most of the scenes are set in the daylight apart from the beginning when you cannot see anything. This is another way to present the harsh reality of street crime.
You can mostly see the characters faces in all of the scenes which is a technique used to highlight their importance in the film.

Symbolism and Racial Representation

The beginning of the opening sequence importantly states that "one out of twenty-one black american will be murdered". This statistic will stand out to the audience since it is theoretically real but it also only refers to the black community. This could imply that they are presented and stereotyped as violent people. This idea is further reinforced when another quote appears on the screen stating "it will most likely be done by another black male". Although segregation should have ended in this period of time, they are still being socially segregated by having them being portrayed in a violet way. It is also typical of the writers to stereotype them as gangsters due to their clothing in the scene where a fight is about to break out when the little boy is walking home from school.
There are two main symbols in the opening shots. For instance, the 10 second focus on the stop sign after the gang shooting. Perhaps this is a way to portray to the cast and the audience that gang violence must STOP. The younger generation cannot grow up in such a violent society so crime must come to an end. As well as this, there is one key segregation symbol used in the classroom. The teacher is white. The fact that the only white person is a higher figure of authority compared to everybody else in the opening scene suggests that there are still social segregation concerns. The teacher also questions the mother about her education in the last part of the opening scene. This further reinforces the idea that black people are still considered a lower part of society.
Judging from just the opening sequence, the movie racially challenges the audiences view on street crime. It makes viewers think about whether black people are the only cause of gang violence or not.

Narrative

Today's lesson was based around Narrative Codes. Theorist Roland Barthes argued that whilst film texts vary greatly, most are structured around five narrative codes. These five narrative codes are:

The Hermeneutic Code (HER) - refers to anything that is not explained, that exists as an enigma and is most likely resolved in the end.

The Proairetic Code (ACT) - applies to any action that implies a further narrative action.

The Semantic Code (SEM) - points to any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation.

The Symbolic Code (SYM) - a deeper structural principal that organizes semiotic meanings.

The Cultural Code (REF) - this code tends to point to our shared knowledge about the way the world works.

By analysing text with regards to these codes, we are able to identify patterns/conventions regarding narrative/structure/meaning. Additionally, Barthes theory on narrative highlights the important difference of closed/open text and audience reading.

I have examined the opening sequence of Disney's Up. Using these codes, especially the Enigma, Action and Semiotic Code, I was able to analyse the opening scene and identify key scenes and themes.

Key Characters: To briefly open this analysis, there are two central characters to the opening sequence. Carl and Ellie. We can spot that these are the names of them when they are painting the post-box with their names and hand prints.

Key Action Codes: There are two specific scenes in which a certain action implies a further action. For instance, when Ellie is sitting outside on the chair after she was given dreadful news by a specialist doctor that she couldn't conceive (based on my interpretation). Carl takes the adventure book outside in order to comfort her. The book is very symbolic as it gives them both hope for the future. Unfortunately, they couldn't live the typical lifestyle like everybody else since Ellie found out she was infertile. However, going on adventures was Ellie's ambition when she was a child as we find out by the childhood photo of her in the pilot hat later on in the sequence. The book enables them to move on with their lives, which further implies why they began to paint their idealistic vision of the two of them living on top of paradise falls in South America. Since the adventure book has given them so much hope, it allows them to begin saving up money to make it feasible for them to move away. There we have a narrative action caused by the dreams and ambitions the book supply's.

Another scene where one narrative action causes another action to occur is the hill scene from 1:07 - 1:19. Carl and Ellie are staring at the clouds and they both begin to visualise them as babies. Many clouds shaped as children begin to appear and this gives them both the idea of wanting to have many children. This idea is a prime example of how the action code is used in film. The scene then shortly cuts to the couple renovating a room for the child they wish to have. Here is the further action implied from the code. Without the first action of the idea of having children, both Carl and Ellie wouldn't be creating a room.

Key Enigma Codes: Here are a variety of questions that the audience may be asked during the opening sequence -

Wedding Scene: why are one side of the family thrilled and the other side more modest?

Hill Scene 1: Why is Carl struggling up the hill? What are the two talking about when the turtle appears in the clouds? Why is Carl smiling?

Reading Scene - What are the two reading about?

Hospital Scene: Why is Ellie crying? What is the doctor telling her?

The Tie Scene: What's the relevance to the ties? Why does he need help with them every morning? Why does he switch to bow-ties?

Dancing Scene: Why has the paradise falls fund been tucked away? Why did they never go to paradise falls?

Hill Scene 3: Why is Ellie struggling up the hill?

Hospital Bed Scene: Why is Ellie in hospital? What is wrong with her? Why does she had Carl the adventure book?

Funeral Scene: Why is Carl on his own? Where have all the people gone, where are his family?

Key Semiotic Codes: In the opening sequence, there are some semiotic and symbolic meanings I managed to discover throughout the scene:

The wedding scene - One side of the family are cheering and screaming for the marriage and wearing bright colours which connotes that it is a joyful day and they are happy. The other side of the family are straight faced, clapping and wearing all black. This could connote that they aren't particularly showing emotion towards the marriage and are unsupportive, disagree with it.

There are a couple of contrasts, opposites used to perhaps portray that opposites attract. For instance, the white wedding dress and the black suit. As well as tradition, this is also a key way to show how the both of them collaborate so well. The other example of this is the chairs they sit on. Carl's chair is very masculine, plain and straight edged. Ellie's chair, on the other hand, is more rounded, patterned and feminine. This is another symbolic code used to reinforce the contrasting attraction.

In two of the hill scenes, the clouds are very symbolic to what they are planning. For instance, the turtle image could imply that they want to have a pet. As well as this, the imagery used to present the babies mean that they are thinking about conceiving.

Renovating Childs Room/Hospital Scene - The colours change from bright and cheerful to grey and dull. Symbiotically, this suggests that there is some bad news arriving, or that the story will take a tragic turn. In the end, it does as Ellie finds out about her incapability to have children.

Finally, the adventure book and the paradise falls jar are key symbols of hope and ambition. Without them, the couple may not have been able to recover from the bad news. Although we cannot see the content of the book, we are able to see what the book may have been about judging from the display they create in the painting scene. Collecting money in a pot is one of the key methods of preparing for the future therefore this is very symbolic for their future.

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