Movie Opener Brainstorming & Research

1. Rise 

    -  One part of the film opening which I really appreciated was the strategic use of short close-up shots in creative ways. These close ups show familiar aspects which revolve around the main themes of soccer and athleticism.

    - I will definitely consider the use of close up shots throughout my group's comedy film to connect the audience with the main themes.

2. OFFLINE    

    - The film opening began with a distinct typewriter-style introduction and title sequence. As this set the eerie mood, centered around cell phones and danger. The contrast between the shots of a calm girl browsing through her phone, and the distressed girl locked in a cage is what brought this opening to the next level, eliciting confusion and discomfort.

    - Although our film isn't going to be dramatic, I appreciate the effective use of contrast in this film opening, and that is definitely what stood out to me the most. It is my hope that our opening will have a similar feature, which truly stands out, and draws in viewers.

3. Dear Lover

    - I really appreciated the consistent focus on nature in the movie introduction which transitioned into a focus on the main characters then immersed in nature after the title, "Dear Lover" was displayed. Hereafter, a narrating figure spoke directly into the camera, giving the film opening a unique aspect, which I will think about including in our comedy movie.

    - In the comedy field especially, it can be fairly effective to have the main character almost breaking the fourth wall.

4. Dare to Thrill 

    - The pixelated letters in the introductory scenes of Dare to Thrill were especially interesting to me, as they included the location. The shots were also quite shaky at some points, making viewers feel included in some scenes. I really loved the dolly shot as the kids ran towards the car, and the close-ups of the buttons. The intensity and energy of the car driving quickly through the parking lot were exhilaratingly displayed. Overall, the title font, types of shots used, and method of filming really made this movie opening outstanding.

5. Always Watching

    - The first noticeable part of the horror in Always Watching are the striking red letters shown before the camera closes in on a conversation between the main character and his therapist. As the events unfold, the conversation with the therapist and highly discomforting scenes of abduction become all the more horrifying. The ending could have been done slightly better, because the last words strike quite an important point, so slowing down the ending may have made this final remark all the more haunting. 

    -  The first couple shots, especially in this movie, and the formatting of the title are highly important in establishing a feel for the rest of the opening and following movie. We have to pay specific attention to ours in the comedy movie, and maybe even model off of some popular comedy movies. 

6. The Blue Boar

    - One striking aspect of this movie introduction is the elaborate misc-en-scene seen through costume, atmosphere, and even the actors. From details like the bonnet to the flowers and butterflies, the only aspect of the film which seems out of place are the braces. The close up shots of the main character and older woman talking are also quite dramatic, and add to the old-fashioned, dramatic feel of the movie. I also chuckled a bit at the ending title, where a stick figure boar was used to house the title, The Blue Boar.

-One somewhat interesting part that I think we'd be able to use in our movie could be the face expressions.

7. White Coat

    - To begin, the letters literally formed out of smoke. The low key lighting really built on the suspense, along with the selective sound effects. A pulsing and creepy background music is layered over the diegetic sound of the scenes in the lab, as substances and dyes are put in beakers under dark lights. The suspense building from the fog, low key lighting, offsetting music, close-up shots, tp the final shot where the man looks straight in the camera appeared professional. I am so impressed by this film opening and hope that our comedy movie will be of the same quality.

8. Stalker. 

    - The scenes of the girl waking up seem normal until a camera click is heard after which the opening transitions directly into the title, paired with eerie background music. The sound effects were really intense, and as the girl was shown at the school, I nearly jumped at the horrific and loud sound. This definitely added to the mysterious and horrendous aspect of the introduction, and improved the overall quality of the movie, as the acting wasn't the most convincing. One thing I will take into writing and editing our comedy intro is the effect that sound effects can have on the scenes.

9. Nostalgia

    - One thing this movie did that others didn't was shown a design for the production company name, and display the title first. I also really liked how a painting was used to reflect the housing in the movie and the atmosphere, rather than the real life surroundings. It was quite creative. The piano in the back made the clips shown flow together like the notes in the song. I loved the reference to history and family with the artifacts and close-up shots of the grandmother too.

Overall, there are a lot of takeaways from these example openings that I will be keeping in mind for my group's comedy movie.