... This is the second rough cut put together Changes made:
Sound
the music has been changed to give it more variation, the last recording was a bit repetitive (the update post is here)
ambient sound of cars going past, dogs barking, and hospital background noise has been added for verisimilitude
the nurse's voice has been recorded over for better sound quality
the music playing in the car has now been fixed so it doesn't overlap with the jogging scene and make the continuity confusing
audio-bridges are also being used now
Editing
Now the training scene is cross-cut with the packing scene, this speeds up the pace, which was too slow before
Titles
the titles have been completely changed, both in wording, order, position, transition effect, size, capitalisation, names, and wen they appear on screen
this is to make it more resemble the genre conventions we noted in other examples, particularly Withnail and I and Journeyman
'71 is a 2014 British historical thriller film set in Northern Ireland. For our mock exam we analysed the opening of this film under timed conditions in a style similar to the summer exam format - I have embedded the essay (after typing it up) at the bottom of this post as it has lots of relevant points (many of which have been extracted and put in the bullet point format throughout this post).
This production is a Warp production, but it had a much higher budget than the majority of their films. It did receive grants form the BFI and Film4 - typical of indie productions. This ensures that films with more diverse/controversial representations are still made and the industry is not monopolised by conglomerates. This film lost a lot of money, and it was a big risk for art to have such a high budget in the first place. The hybrid aspect of it being a historical thriller/action/social realist film did give it a higher chance at being commercially viable than the majority of Warp films, and though Studio Canal is a well-established distributor it did not put much of a gamble into the film and marketing was limited. The film did have a week long theatrical release in America (to qualify for the Oscars), showing the ambition o this film in comparison to Warp's other productions, but the amount of territories it was related in was still a low number in compassion to WT films (and there was no distribution in China).
The 15 rating form the BBFC is interesting, as This is England got rated an 18 mostly due to cursing and the violent scene at the end (which is relevant to the moral values the film condemns), but '71 has extremely graphic and violent scenes throughout (when his friend is shot in the face when they arrive in Belfast, when a bar is later blown up with a child inside, the homemade stitching done o the protagonist etc.). This is an examples of how more commercially acceptable films are given more chance for commercial success than more controversial ones. Although the film was ultimately a commercial/financial flop, it was nominated for BAFTAs, BIFAs, and O'Connell won the EE Rising Star award. This shows how although the film was not a financial success, its' critical reception proved it to be a success in ways that many other Warp films are.
IDENTS/COMPANIES
Studio Canal
distribution and production company (mostly distribution)
Subsidiary of NBCUniversal (one of the Big Six)
co-production financing (that way risk is spread if the film is a flop)
can be part of meaning (has worked with WT and Warp)
shows range
Film4
tv channel (UK)
denotes low budget
BFI (British Film Institute)
gives grants to low budget indie films they think require subsidy (which do not need to be repaid)
government funded
previously known as UKFC (UK Film Council)
Screen Yorkshire is a regional branch - the film was not shot on location, and the extensive creation of the streets with houses in varying states of destruction show where much of the budget was spent.
TITLES
informational words are smaller than company names
small serif font (white on black)
signifies serious drama
'presents'
production and distribution
co-production between Crab and Warp
the Warp logo is also on screen - larger contributor
... MISE-EN-SCENE FOR EXPOSITION
blood, sweat, costume, hair
all wearing green military costume
all sweaty (including those not fighting)
all crew cuts (functional, military)
creates high level of verisimilitude
on the bus:
is not a sports car
signifies poverty
man wearing a flat cap and smoking
connotes Yorkshire
signifies film is set in the past (cannot smoke on busses now), hence the name '71
in the café
is not a fancy 5 star restaurant
run down, cheap looking place
signifies poverty
Is very similar to the sudden cut to the unappetising, greasy food in Withnail and I
Though not in the opening, when the locals bang their metal bin lids on the ground
metal bins are now out of date, so signify the time period (maintain verisimilitude)
preferred reading: it was a warning that police/army were approaching
signifies target audience (older, native to the uk/Ireland)
EDITING
fight scene:
no ELS (establishing shot)
fast-paced editing, short takes
action genre
cuts closer to protagonists face and cuts to see his reactions
anchors protagonist
centrally framed protagonist
Training montage:
quick fade from black (ellipsis)
longer takes
hand-held camera
documentary style of realist genre
sticks to 180 degree rule
morning scene:
almost a match cut done through the audio (the sound of the gun is similar to the lights turning on)
fade-up from black
shows ellipsis
Café scene:
fast-pan to reveal brother's face
shot reverse shot in the conversation
continuity editing
180 degree rule is used
match on action with the fork and food
... CINEMATOGRAPHY
fight scene:
no long shots (M/MCU)
no fade-up
cuts straight to action
impact
shows brutality
whip-pan and hand-held tracking shots (realist)
Barthes action codes
low-key lighting
brutal/grim
natural lighting?
shallow field of focus
protagonist in focus (and foreground), but can still see detail in the background
anchors protagonist
cuts back to protagonists reaction (and centrally framed)
Training montage:
ellipsis (there is an overall ellipsis, not just here)
tracking shots of protagonist
cuts back to protagonist
anchorage
morning scene:
begins with tracking shot of superior officer
becomes MCU
long take
lighting as man steps forward (lowkey and shows shadow on half his face)
signified as villain?
establishes power dynamic
protagonist is in the edge of the frame
sets up equilibrium with protagonist having very little power within his situation
...
SOUND; GENRE SIGNIFICATION
Fight scene:
audiobridge over titles
sound is unclear: basketball? fighting? shouting and hitting noises
creates narrative enigma (Barthes)
audio does not fade up - cuts in
impact
brutality
diegetic sound
ambient sound (crowd shouting and hitting)
only coherent speech is coming form the coach
Northern accent (Yorkshire)
all for verisimilitude
Morning scene:
audiobridge fade-up
music is sinister
foreshadowing
... CENTRAL PROTAGONIST/NARRATIVE
Anchorage:
the camera repeatedly cuts back to the protagonist to show his reactions
the protagonist is the first character we see in an MCU
As the fight scene comes to a close there is a tracking shot of the protagonist, form an MLS to an MCU of his face, showing the blood and sweat on it (verisimilitude)
Todorov's narrative theory:
the protagonist's equilibrium is established almost entirely through the editing of the opening:
he is established as the protagonist by repeatedly cutting back to show his reactions
in the training montage, there is always an establishing shot of the area, with the troops training, then it cuts to a close-up of the protagonist's face - this shows him as indiscernible from the rest of the men (a 'cog in a machine')
This is NOT a social realist film! We are, however, using this comedy (spy/action satire) to help us clarify the characteristics of social realist films: we'll contrast the media language of this with what we've observed is conventional for the social realist genre... PRODUCTION: Working Title, Big Talk, Village Roadshow [US partner] +2 others DISTRIBUTION: Sony (UK), Colombia (UK); [no China] 36 territories BUDGET: $35m BOX OFFICE: UK $7.5m, US $7m; World $25m
BBFC 15, MPAA R (quite high)
SOME CONTEXT: An example of the impact of the changed, reduced status of WT within its parent big six conglomerate, NBC-Universal. WT had been receiving $600m funding every 7 years, with clearance to greenlight any project up to a $25m budget - but that has been reduced to a 'first look' deal, meaning Universal can decide whether they want to 'pick up' a WT project or not. In this case they didn't, Sony (and its subsidiary Colombia) did ... and maybe Universal were wise, as it failed to even recoup its budget, never mind the 2-3 times budget generally accepted as needed to move into profit. The Gant rule obviously doesn't apply: its a very British film - so much so that the title had to be changed for US and international markets as the place name Grimsby has no recognition and is essentially meaningless and confusing outside the UK (unlike London).
...
IDENTS
Sony ident is the first
Big Six production
Very unlikely to see a Big Six name on a social realist film
Columbia
subsidiary of Sony
Village Roadshow Pictures
US production partner
virtually unheard of for UK social realist flick (unlike for comedy
WT did not get an ident
...
SOUND
Begins with famous song (R Kelly)
small indie companies do not have the budget to get copyright licenses
non diegetic well-known commercial track as an audiobridge over idents to main scene
social realist films do not usually start with music (often have incidental music)
lyrical music is also uncommon for social realist
e.g. Tyrannosaur, but This is England has some
OST features Ed Sheeran!
...
FIRST SHOTS
Not ELS establishing shot
MCU -back tattoo, sweat, beer can, football shirt
unusual choice of MCU
no fade-in (black screen before shot after ident 4)
Close-up of huge back tattoo ('ENGLAND' and 3 lions)
football tattoo
sweat
beer cans visible in background
Master shot
reveals scene to be a bed shop
Tightly framed shots for the opening sex scene are made comic by use of a master shot revealing the location
poverty is being signified by massive sale posters hanging all over the shop ('lowest prices in Grimsby')
very low prices $89.99 for a double bed
master shot - low prices, sale
...
REPRESENTATION
Stereotyping begins immediately
MCU (cropped) - facial hair, scruffy look
overgrown hair and facial hair
sideburns
ridiculous tattoo
football top
beer can
and then reveal of moronic antisocial behaviour
Comparison to social realist:
The realism of social realist films can lead to showing antisocial behaviour
e.g. Tyrannosaur protagonist is violent, racist and unemployed
e.g. This is England swearing throughout, violence, underage drinking etc.
Immediate heteronormativity
opening sex scene
idea of male provider (the male protagonist is the one to say "we'll take [the bed]")
though this also signifies that he is the protagonist as it cuts back to his face/reactions
...
Is very short for an opening scene - contrast with This is England and Tyrannosaur etc.
just 30 seconds into the opening sequence which is then followed by another famous commercial song (Blur)
...
TITLES
titles
Serif font
shot 1 is typical of a social realist though
grim street red brick terraced houses, heavily graffitied
many houses are loaded up
Mise-en-scene
contrast to This is England - Shaun leaves his bike outside showing the community of the working class neighbourhood as he trusts it won't get stolen
Grimsby only shows the decay (harsh 2 dimensional stereotype of working class)
After getting some audience feedback, they all agreed that the first font fits best for our social realist film. The sharp edges (serif-font) connotes seriousness. The second one fits better for a horror/slasher movie and the third one it too childish.
Budget:£750k Box Office:$299k (Worldwide) / $22k (US) Ratings:84% (RottenTomatoes) / 7.6/10 (IMDb) / 3.5/4 (Roger Ebert) Production Companies:Film4, UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire, EM Media, Warp X, Inflammable Films Director:Paddy Considine IDENTS:
No Idents. TITLES:
serif font
white font on black background connotes seriousness and drama
different sizing between the titles and names to distinguish the different roles
the main title is centered and all capitals
animated titles, fade in and out
different positioning of titles
for aesthetic purposes
duration of title sequence: 00:00:03 - 00:02:04
numbers of titles: 12
In the other Paddy Considine film we looked at (Journeyman) there were also no titles before names (other examples had "with" "starring" "introducing" etc.)
soft guitar sound with notes that are a few seconds apart has an impact on our mood
it connotes drama / seriousness
get the serious feel
makes us calm
ambients sound of radio to add verisimilitude
the incidental acoustic music is very conventional of social realist films
it kicks in just after he has kicked his dog - this encourages the audience to empathise with the protagonist, rather than see him as a villain
1st SHOT:
establishing shot
starts with a close up of a male character
narrative enigma because it's not very clear how the male character looks like due to shadows
using natural lights
lowkey lighting
...
...
CENTRAL PROTAGONIST + NARRATIVE:
the male character is in every shot
tracking shot when he is walking back home while having his dog in his arms
shot variety of him
he is always in focus
it cuts back to him
anchors he is going to be the central protagonist
he is coming from the working class ( track pants, white and dirty shirt, drunk, is desperate for money)
The music allows the audience to empathise with him, rather than see him as the villain who just kicked his dog to death in a drunken rampage
This is quite a controversial and dark theme, something more commonly found in social realists
the protagonist is an anti-hero: complex an din shades of grey, not a 2 dimensional stereotype
this is similar to what was found in the New Wave movements
MISE-EN-SCENE FOR EXPOSITION:
small room
squeaky floor
bland colours
anchors poverty
The beer cans are used to confirm that he is drunk
...
...
TRANSITION TO MAIN FILM:
The equilibrium is disrupted when the central protagonist kills his dog
Todorov's 5 point narrative theory:
establish equilibrium
the protagonist is a violent, alcohol drinking, swearing unemployed man
disrupt equilibrium
when accidentally injures his dog and realises he has to kill it so that it won't be in pain anymore, he later has a breakdown, and realises he must change something in his life, but has little power to change much
the rest of the theory is not seen in the opening, but is present throughout the film
Fail or Success?
From the ratings I can tell that the movie was quite a success. Paddy Considine even got an award for the best film and best debut director award. Olivia Colman who plays Hannah in the movie got an award for the best actress.
...
...
However, the movie didn't do well in Box Office. One reason is because it only got a limited screening in America in just 5 theatre. Also, Warp managed to get Tyrannosaur quite widely distributed on DVD and not so much in cinema which the Box Office doesn't count the sales of DVD's. ...
... It only grossed £299k (only the Box Office worldwide), whereas, the budget is £750k. The movie received a positive reviews and currently has a score of 83% on RottenTomatoes. Stuart McGurk of GQ magazine even called Tyrannosaur "The best British film of the year". This is very rare for Indie movies to win awards and get good reviews from companies such as GQ or RottenTomatoes. This also indicates that the movie was a success. But still in the UK the movie doesn't sell well due to it's genre "a brutal, frank, and ultimately rewarding story of violent men seeking far-off redemption".
For our film opening I took influence of the background music. It's a guitar with notes that are several seconds apart. For the font I like the serif font, it connotes seriousness. However, I am definitely including the white font on black background that anchors seriousness and drama.
WHAT I DISCUSS IN THIS POST:
- initial research: what are the numbers?
- precise wording and order
- companies
- auteur
- actors
- technical roles
- design: font size, animation, case/s, (sans-)serif, colouring; connoting genre
- timing, animation, transitions (how long stay on screen; varies by role? straight cuts or transitions?
- main title: any difference or same design as other titles? duration different?
MAIN FINDINGS: ...
...
a method where film credit production companies
about 20 - 30 titles
there can be exception, in the Mexican or The Wicked Man there we only see under 10 titles
at high end tentpole movies everything is pushed to the back so the titles start after the movie
usually about 3 mins long
in title sequence you find a lot of signifiers
exposition what the genre of the movie is going about
different positioning
different size font for titles
We started this process by individually researching a wide range of titles sequences, and analysing the basic numbers and trends behind these.
1: INITIAL RESEARCH - WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS??
SUMMARY: How many titles do we usually see?
I looked at 10 film openings from different genres which are linked in this post.
In film openings, we usually see between 25 - 30 titles
CONVENTIONAL EXAMPLES: - Sleepers (1996) - The Notebook (2004) - Mean Girl (2004) - Sherlock Holmes A Game Of Shadows (2011) - Lord of War (2005) - Spider-Man 3 (2007) EXCEPTIONS: However, there can be exceptions sometimes we only see a few titles (under 10). E.g. The Mexican (2001) or The Wicker Man (1973). In some modern tentpole movies, you find no titles at the beginning, everything is pushed to the end e.g. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The first title to appear starts at 01:55:32 (ending 01:57:37).
Only 3 Titles
7 Titles
Titles are 5mins long!
How long is the title sequence?
The duration from the first to the last title is usually about 3 minutes long.
In some cases, it can be considerably more or less, eg:
The Mexican (2001) the duration of the title sequence is only 23 seconds
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Marvel Studios, Laura Ziskin Productions
Numbers of titles: 30
Duration from first to the last title: 00:39 - 03:05
2: Precise wording and order
SUMMARY:
A title is a method where films credit production companies or Cast by visuals and sound (Stars, Editor, Director.....). The opening credits for production companies are the most important members of the production which are often accompanying by non-diegetic music. The aim of an opening sequence is to establish the mise-en-scene. Titles (Numbers): - About 20-30 titles (However sometimes only the companies and the director is mentioned) - The duration of titles is usually about 5 minutes long. (It can be shorter and a gap between them) - +/- 5 companies are usually credited (But it can be less) Main areas and order: 1. A ... production/presents/in association with 2. Film (Director) 3. Starring... / With... / Introducing... / Co-starring... (Actors) 4. Technical Roles (about 10): - Casting by... - Costume designed by... - Music composed by... - Editor... - Director of photography... - Lightning by... - Production designer... - Screenplay by... - Executive Producer... / Produced by... - Directed by... 5. Directed by... (Director) (Director is the only one who always gets credited twice)
... RESEARCH (mine): looking at 10 films (link to post here) from a range of genres I counted the number of titles in their opening sequences and the duration
there were usually 20-30 titles
in some films only the director/companies had titles
In older examples there were usually more titles on screen at once (4+) an in newer examples there were never more than 3
Submarine
Start/end time of main titles: 0:00-1:53
Submarine was co-produced
2 indie companies (uk- Warp, usa- Red Hour)
Film4 Productions - a subsidiary of Channel Four Television Corporation
UK Film Council (in this case funded by the National Lottery)
Film4 and the UK Film Council both have idents, and are credited in the titles
8 companies in total were credited
The full titles were all upper case, and are given below in order (prod/dist company x2) present in association with (prod comapny x2) in association with (prod comapny x2) in association with (prod company) a (prod company) production film title ... I was surprised at how few there were for Submarine when you compare these opening credits to how many people were involved on the IMDB credits, and the director/writer wasn't credited either. The sans serif font used is against a dark blue background - the seriousness of the font signifiessocial realismand coming of age - which this film has aspects of. However the extreme spacing of the lettering connotes a slightly quirky aspect - the film is a hybridised rom-com. In this example the font may also have been chosen as a part of the IP - it is the same font used on the cover of the book which the film is based on. The blue also links with the ocean theme and setting, so could be a combination of mise-en-scene and for aesthetic purposes.
... Baby Driver
Start/end time of main titles: 5:43-8:20 Running time of main titles: 2:33
Baby Driver was co-produced
America indie company Media Rights Capital
uk subsidiary company Big Talk Productions (subsidiary of ITV)
uk subsidiary Working Title (a subsidiary of NBCUniversal - one of the Big Six largest conglomerates)
The full titles were all upper case, and are given below in order (dist. company x2) present a (production company x2) production a film by (director & writer) film title (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) with (actor's name) and (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) x3 casting by choreography by costume designer music by editors production designer director of photography executive producers (x3 names) executive producers (x3 names) produced by (x3 names) written and directed by
There were a lot more credits given in this one compared to the indie film Submarine - this is probably because star billing is a large marketing/advertisement strategy. Actors agents often put a lot of effort into getting their actors names into billing blocks and having title cards to themselves rather than being one name amongst several. This is more typical of high-budget films made by conglomerates or subsidiaries.
There was an animation with these credits via GIPHY
The title for the film made the building look like a road and the orange of the font emphasised this (the colour of taxis and road lines). This has narrative connotations as the protagonist is a getaway driver.
The serif font is also an intertextual reference: the font is called Gunplay and was designed for the 1972 Steve Mcqueen/Ali McGraw film The Getaway (a neo-noir film) - This appeals to a secondary older target audience who would be able to pick up on the preferred reading
... Mean Girls
Start/end time of main titles: 0:00-5:12
Mean Girls was produce by Broadway Video, a production company founded by Lorne Michaels, who receives 2 credits
again famous actors get there own credits (Lindsey Lohan directly after the procurers name and before the film title)
it was distributed by Paramount - one of the Big Six conglomerates
The full titles were all upper case, and are given below in order a (producer) production (actor's name) film title (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) (actor's name) x2 (actor's name) x3 and (actor's name) casting by... based on the book ... by... music supervisors (names x2) music composed and conducted by ... co-producer... costume designer... editor... production designer... director of photography... executive producer... produced by ...
screenplay by... directed by ... The font clearly indicates a female teen target audience and signifies rom-com/drama: the serif fun tis almost bubble and lots of pink is used. There is animation with these titles: they slide in and bounce - this signifies the comedy aspect. ...
