Titanic - Opening 2 minutes

Titanic begins with close up shots of waves in the sea with inter titles over the waves. This immediately introduces the audience to the film and sets the scene of the sea. This doesn't particularly encaptivate the audience because nothing interesting is happening. However by 0:39 the words 'Titanic' have appeared on top of the waves in bold, red writing which tells the audience what the film the film is and encourages them to keep watching as they now know the film is about to start. There is then an example of superimposition as an old sepia coloured image above the waves. This captivates the audiences' interest as they want to know what this image has to do with the film and are intrigued to look at it in more detail. The superimposition also has the effect of linking this old image to the sea as it gives the effect of the waves lapping over the image. This image is then followed by a series of images, which the audience soon realises are pictures from the actual ship Titanic. This grabs the audiences' interest as these historical images make the audience want to find out more about this ship. Also, although the film is fiction, by putting in photos of the real Titanic it adds a realistic edge to the film which makes the audience more connected to the film. The photos shown of all the people boarding the ship also makes the audience realise the shocking reality of this event behind this fictional film. The dramatic music played with this opening scene gives the film a serious tone as it is played with photographs taken from 1912. Overall, the opening two minutes are very serious and is this way to show the audience that this film is based on realistic events. There are not many camera shots or effects and the opening two minutes is very simple compared to other Hollywood films.

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Research and Planning 16/20: A really good start to you blog. To improve your work even more you need to include some mindmaps and more pictures and youtube links. Also link your comment to target audience even more. A good opening to your blog page. Well done!

Action cliches

Action

Action is a popular genre among all audiences. Action films have many cliches which make an action film, and they wouldn't be the same without them. They are often predictable but that's what the fans of this genre expect.

Action films have cliche characters. The hero is almost always male, and the male will be masculine and will at some point in the film sweep in and save an un suspecting woman. This character normally appeals to both audiences as the woman will be attracted to him, whilst the men will wish they could do things like that. The villain is mostly always foreign, Germans and Russians are popular. The villain is normally a smaller man who dresses in suits and is commonly homosexual. The villain rarely takes part in any fights and has his masculine body guards to do his dirty work for him. This is a character that the audience will naturally despise and await his death with anticipation. Both the hero and the villain will both have sidekicks. The sidekicks can sometimes be useless or very useful. The heroes sidekick is often amusing and a character which the audience will like, whereas the villains sidekick can sometimes be amusing as he is normally useless which makes the audience laugh at the fact that the villain has no chance with him. There will always result in a fight between the sidekicks and a fight between the hero and villain.

One cliche of action is fighting scenes. There will always be a fighting scene between the hero and the villain. This is what the audience expects as the outcome usually determines the ending of the film. These scenes make the audience excited as to what is happening, but it is also quite suspense as they are hoping the hero won't lose, which he never does. Another cliche is there is always a chase scene. Car chases are commonly used and these scenes are usually fast paced and create excitement amongst the audience.

Huge explosions are commonly used in action films, where building are blown to pieces. This is when we see the hero dive out of the way just in time. Another common technique is when the hero disappears when the explosion takes place. There are a few seconds of tension where the audience worries if the hero has made it, but he always appears unscathed. There is normally often some self surgery at some point in the film, where the hero has to patch himself up halfway through an important scene. These scenes can often make the audience flinch at the reality of what they are doing to themselves.

A main cliche of action films is that the villains seem to have an incapability to shoot their target. No matter how easy the hero may be to hit, the villain will always miss. Also, if the hero is running and the villains are following with their machine guns, the villains will always miss even though the hero would be easy to shoot down. These moments do still build tension amongst the audience as they are watching and waiting to see if the hero will survive.

Die Hard

Die hard is a cliche action film. The hero in this film, John McLane (Bruce Willis) is a typical masculine hero, who runs around in his white vest to emphasise his muscles. His sidekick is not so cliche, he is a typical policeman who eats doughnuts, however he doesn't strike the audience as a particular heroic character. The villain in this film is a typical smart foreigner, with a camp edge. He has his big, muscly sidekicks to do his violent work for him. In this film there is a cliche explosion, which blows half the building apart, predictably, John Mclane reappears unharmed. However, he does have to perform some self surgery, which involves him picking the glass out of his feet whilst blood oozes into the sink. There is also a typical chase fight, which involves Bruce Willis in a room of 12 armed terrorists, however he remains unharmed as their guns fortunately seem unable to hit their target.

Horror cliches

Horror

Horror films are very popular among all audiences. Adults watch them and teenagers watch them of both sexes. Fans of horror look for the same techniques in their films and expect to get the same reaction from them all.

Most horror films have similar settings. They are set in houses in the middle of nowhere, houses where people have previously died and a new family has moved in because the house is so cheap, like The Amityville Horror or houses in the woods. These particular setting are used because they scare the audience more as the houses are normally big and old where you never know what could be hiding around the corner. A setting on a farm is also cliche, where machinery and tools can be used as murder weapons. These desolate settings also add to the scare factor for the audience as there is no neighbours around and nobody to hear the victim scream.

In many horror films the victims are often annoying, spoilt and mouthy. These kind of characters make the audience want them to be killed, and when they are nobody is particularly bothered as they deserved it. If there is a pretty, blonde model type character you can almost guarantee she will be the first person to be murdered, again the audience doesn't really care as they were jealous of her anyway. These kind of deaths break up the suspense of a horror film as the audience can find themselves laughing at there deaths. However, typically many horror films include children as evil beings. They are often possessed by the devil or evil spirits in films as this seems to scare the audience more because children are normally portrayed as sweet and innocent.

All horror films will use the discorded tension building music. This builds tension within the audience as they are expecting something to happen, but at the same time don't want it to happen but cannot pull themselves away from it. However sometimes this music is played and the moment elapses into
nothing. The moments are know as climax and anti climax moments. Horror films would not be complete without these moments as they create expectation among the audience.

Another cliche in horror films is the 'did you just see that' moments. This is normally when something may appear in the background of the main scene, but then disappear, or it may be a flash of something the audience sees out of the window. These moments add suspense among the audience and it makes them expect too see the 'bad guy' make an appearance very soon. The bad person is also not immediately introduced. Throughout the film we will see glimpses of them and as the suspense grows we are waiting for the big moment where he shows himself to the unexpecting family.

Lots of Horror films often have the cliche moment of bathroom scene. This can include a character putting their head down to wash their face in the sink and when the resurface and look in their reflection there is somebody standing behind them. Another cliche bathroom scene is when a character takes a bath or shower and the evil spirit visits them and tried to drown them, or something along those lines. Many traits in horror films focus on the fact of not sleeping at night as this is when they will be killed or going to bed is where they will inevitably be tortured all night. 'A nightmare on Elm street' focuses on the fact of not sleeping, you are safe as long as you are awake. Another thing you should never do is answer the phone as you find yourselves in a conversation with your potential murderer.. This makes the audience expect something to happen when these moments do actually come around in the film.

Jeepeer Creepers - opening scene


This film has an opening which is very cliche of the horror genre. It starts of with establishing shots of fields which shows the audience that this film is set in a desolate place wherre there is nobody around. There are two people driving in the car, we can assume these two are the mian characters. The main character says 'I haven't seen a car in 50 miles' this adds to the isolation of the situation. Although there is no music to build the tension, the drive where they are still the only ones on the road in a way builds tension as the audience are waiting for something to happen. When the strange vehicle appears and swerves around behind the car it builds suspense within the audience as they are waiting for something to happen and as the swerving around continues the suspension increases. However, as the chase turns into nothing it becomes a cliche anti climax moment. The car then later drives past a house where this suspicious vehicle is parked in the drive. Typically this house is a large country house in the middle of nowhere. This opening scene draws the reader in as they are still waiting for something to happen, but they have many questions they want answered. Such as where are they? and who is driving this suspicious vehicle?

Romance cliches

Romance
Romance films are very popular in the film industry as they appeal to mainly a female audience. All of these films have similar traits which sets the story line in each film. These films would not be the same if they didn't have these qualities as it is what the fans of this genre expect to see. They are made to make the audience feel good about themselves, and the predictability of these films is what makes them appealing.

One of these is the music played at the beginning of the film in the opening scenes. This music is slow, meaningful and the audience often feels happy and relaxed when they hear this. This music sets the genre of the film as it is associated with love and features in many films. 'The Holiday' and 'Notting Hill' both start with this music which immediately suggests to this audience that this film is about love. 

Another feature of a romance cliche is that the main character of the film normally introduces themselves with a narrative voice over of the opening  scenes. This draws the audience in and the character becomes somebody they can relate to as they normally talk about their failed relationships. This aspect of romance attracts single women who may have just come out of a relationship as it makes them feel better about themselves as they feel they are not the only ones.

In romance films the main character often has a faithful sidekick who is there to reassure them and make them feel better. These are often portrayed as humorous slobs, who may actually be holding the main character back in life. The film normally results in the main character going through a dramatic situation and the best friend surprisingly pulling themselves together and making the situation better. This adds a humorous side to the film which always attracts an audience, however when the best friend results in actually helping the main character this makes the audience feel affection towards this character. Main characters in the film often include the gay friend, who is helpful and knows what the main character is going through. This is often a character loved by the audience and he will be amusing but highly supportive which makes you think fondly of them. The parents in romance cliches are always portrayed in the same way. There will be the pushy mother, who will set up many dates and just wants her daughter to get married. The mother will always appeal to the audience as you can see she has her daughters best intentions at heart, but she never seems to get it right. The father is normally portrayed as sub-ordinate and just follows his wives decisions, whilst trying not to get too involved. This is a relatable character for most girls as many fathers don't want to get involved with all the drama of their daughters relationships.

Throughout the film you see the main character and their 'mr right' develop a relationship. At the beginning of the film 'mr right' often finds the main character initially annoying, this makes the audience want to keep watching the film as they want to find out what happens between them. As their relationship develops throughout the film, many 'will they, won't they moments' take part. This builds suspense within the audience as they wonder whether these two people will actually come together. However, as the film progresses the main character normally has to face an ex - girlfriend of her love attraction. This is when normally the background of her partner is bought to the surface and results in whether the main character can oversee his past. This makes the film more interesting for the audience as it adds a dramatic, but expected, twist. At some point in the film you often see the development of the relationship through a montage. This shows clips of the couple doing romantic things like going for walks in the park, going out for dinner etc. This makes the audience feel happy that there could actually be a happy ending to this film and for the main character.

Dramatic irony is often used throughout cliche romantic films as it involves the audience. It also makes the audience more emotionally involved as they feel themselves shouting at the screen telling the main character that shes with the wrong person. The film will always result in a happy ending which makes the audience look good about themselves. Normally, it results in a big fairytale wedding, where the best friend gets over excited and the mother becomes very controlling. However the wedding always ends up with the happy couple saying their vows and being together, which ends up with the audience feeling happy and pleased for them.

The Holiday - Opening scene

The Holiday starts with the cliche classical music which shows the audience that this is a classical romance film. However, the shot then zooms out to reveal that this music is being played by one of the main characters over the top of a film hes producing, this immediately adds a twist to the typical romantic film. However, this film is still cliche as we then go on to see the main character (Kate Winslet) at a work party. Her voice narrates over the scene as she explains her previous relationships and how they have all failed - cliche romantic opening. However, in the opening of this film she also describes different kinds of love and quotes Shakespeare, 'journeys end in lovers meeting.' This sets a romantic scene and introduces the audience to the idea of love. This makes her a relatable character to the single female audience. We  also see her friend in this scene, who is portrayed as supportive, but very loud. This also a typical trait of a romance film. Before this we are introduced to the other main character (Cameron Diaz) where we see a shot of her sitting awkwardly in a car with a man. We assume that this is her boyfriend, now ex boyfriend, which suggests she was with 'Mr wrong.' This film features all the cliches of a romantic film a person could want in its opening scene. The voice over talking of love and the music immediately shows the audience that this is a Romantic film. This opening attracts the audience because the characters are easily relatable and with the introduction of the loud, mouthy friend it also adds a humorous introduction to the film. In this opening scene we also see a shot of an old man which we later discover is the helping friend. This is different to a normal romance film as he is very old and an unexpected character to be giving a young woman advice on love, however this is still a cliche for a romance film as he is still a supportive, helping friend just older than expected.

                                                              

Well done Charlotte - a really good opening to your blog with some good uses of technical terminology. To improve your responses even more try to comment specifically on the text - what is said in the opening monologue and how does it make us feel as the audience. The opening two minutes needs to encaptivate the audience and it does it by introducing genre, narrative or character - be sure to comment on these areas even more. A really promising start to your research into film. Well done!

A Cinderella story - Opening 2 minutes

'A Cinderella Story' begins with an establishing shot of snowy mountains which comes onto a shot of a big fairytale type castle. This immediately engages the author as it is taking them to a different scenery. However the shot then reverse zooms to the castle being inside a snow globe - this makes it a different beginning to what most people though would be a typical fairytale. Along with the narrative voice over and the mid shot of two people, it shows the audience that these two are the main characters. The shot then goes onto an establishing shot of a city and then there is non - diegetic upbeat music whilst the camera follows an old - style american car. This shows the audience that this film is set in a typical american city and also indicates the time period it is set in. There is also another establishing shot of a diner, which again suggests the time period of the film could be in the late 1950's. All these shots show the audience that these could be the most important settings throughout the film as they are introducd to them straight away. With the narrative voice over throughout the opening two minutes it gives the audience some background knowledge of this girl we assume to be the main character. Also as the scene progresses we see her upbringing and her relationship with her dad, which tells the audience this father - daughter relationship is going to be important throughout.