Analysis of Space Jam Opening Titles

Analysis of Space Jam Opening Titles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjGPA64ZIY8

At the start it begins with a clear night sky and a shooting star crossing the screen, then the camera pans down to uncover the bright white full moon. Then the camera tracks down to a young boy playing basketball in his back yard. As the camera tracks down to the child, the song "I believe I can fly"- R Kelly starts to play. The next shot is a reverse shot, still showing the boy playing basketball with the words SUMMER 1973 fading into picture. This sets the scene, explaining the time period of the film and introducing the character. As the boy continues to shoot baskets a light appears from the house and a man is visible walking towards the window. Subsequently the following shot is a mid close-up of the man at the window. Then as the man opens the door there is a shot reverse shot, when the man says the boys name "Michael" and the boy turns after hearing his voice. Dialogue between the two quickly establishes that the man is the boys son. Character assignment begins, with the young boy being called Michael and his father. During the dialogue the father is trying to persuade Michael to come inside because it was late. Throughout the first two minutes allot has been explained, the theme of the movie has been indicated by the boy playing basketball late into the night. There is a great emphasis on basketball in the next two and half minutes of the titles. Following the dialogue between the two Michael goes for one last shot. In slow motion he runs towards the hoop and in mid air flashes of the actual Michael Jordan appears. Evidently Michael Jordan plays a pivotal roll in the film, and the rest of the titles depict flash clips of his basketball career while also rapidly introducing the cast with a flash effect.

Filming

Day 1:

Today we took the camera and tripod onto the long road site. We found our settings that we thought were appropriate for our film. 'Ben's Woodland' walk was the setting we agreed on. It was related to the film and was within the long road site. We also filmed in the corridor of C Block. It was difficult trying to find settings as we couldn't go out of the Long Road site. When we found the settings we had more of an idea about our opening sequence. We didn't really use the tripod and i think looking back it would have been better if we did.

Day 2 :

Today we found a box so we had to film all the shots that we couldn't do without the box. Our only difficulty today was change of clothing. Although there was nothing we could do about it the shots looked weird as the characters had changed clothes.

Day 3 :

Today we just had to make sure that all our filming was done and film any remaining shots that we needed to. It was the last day we needed to film. We had difficulties trying to film in the corridors today as there were a lot of people walking through.

Juno (Music Video - All I Want Is You):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20PQBtyfNZY

Narnia (Wardrobe Scene):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rWwpFAz-cg

Sony BRAVIA bouncy ball advert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_51UcmBbBY

These are some of the music videos we looked at for some ideas. Some of them had good animation that we thought we could use in our sequence and some gave us ideas on our plot. Many of them were not directed at children but had ideas that we thought we could adapt and use in our opening sequence.

Ideas for Opening Sequence

Ideas for opening sequence:

First Idea:
This idea would start off by giving the viewer an idea of horror with a main character running through a forest. This would then flashback and start telling the story, changing the mood to happy and relaxed. There would be four main characters as children in the film and the genre would be adventure.

Second Idea:
This idea would involve doing some sort of parody of the Ghostbusters. We would be running through the school with supersoakers attached to backpacks in the form of guns. We haven't really developed this idea, but thought it might make a good opening sequence for a funny children's film.

Third Idea:
Our third idea was along the lines of having a board game such as Monopoly, come to life and make imaginary creatures chase us around the school. Once again, this idea has not been fully developed so we are not 100% on it, but thought this would be another funny idea for a children's film.

Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRvR6zYmF54&feature=related

For the first two/three minutes of the film, there are animated titles. These are a direct clue that this is a children’s film. The animations and the music in the background work well to set the mood. The titles at the start of the film give the viewers minor clues to the narrative. The animations then fade out and into the first shot. This effect means the viewer is only shown part of the mise-en-scene but gradually expands to give the full picture. This is quite effective as in doesn’t give you the full picture straight away. The shot change after this drag on a lot longer as it is a pan of a bouncing ball. The narrator in the background introduces the story and relates to the viewers by talking directly at them. The voice of the narrator is child-like and he uses colloquial language. This means the audience (children) can relate to him more. He tells the story and talks about the main characters in the film, giving us clues to the narrative. The audience is then introduced to a character as well as his setting and surroundings. We are not introduced to the main characters or setting straight away which mis-leads the audience. The atmosphere seems to be calm. With all the clues form the opening the genre of the film seems to be adventure/ fantasy. There is a continuous and logical flow throughout the sequence. There are no quick shot changes and I think this helps the audience (children) understand the sequence easier. The narrator is also in time with everything that the viewers see. The music is also in time with everything that the viewers see, it goes from high to low remaining in sync with the narrator and the mood and atmosphere. This opening sequence is engaging and maintains a continuous flow through the sequence which I think we need to consider in making our opening sequence.

Storyboard Viewing

Storyboards:

As a group we watched Back to the Future to help improve our story boarding. After watching a short opening sequence of the film we had to storyboard it. This helped us to understand what type of shots we would need to use in a storyboard plan.

We took down notes, on the sound, camera shots, character movement and the significant images. After that we used the information we had obtained from the sequence and split it into significant sections using a story board planner.

Storyboard 1:











Storyboard 2:

Evaluation of Opening Scene to Aladdin

Evaluation of Opening Scene to Aladdin

Camera Shots:
The establishing shot shows a trail of wispy smoke appearing in a medium shot, and the credits start to appear.
There is then a fade and the shot pans across the desert and zooms in towards the rider.
Another fade to a long shot of the rider on the camel which then pans down to a medium shot of the camel's hooves.
Quick pan up to a long shot of the city into which the rider is travelling
Zoom shot down through the city streets to the fire breather.
Shot of smoke which fades to a panning long shot of the rider on the camel
Quick zoom to extreme close up of the face
Quick zoom back to medium shot of the rider, pans across as he runs
Snaps to long shot of rider's merchandise stall
Zooms in for medium shot of stall
Panning medium shot across the screen
Close up of the lamp, zooms in closer
Snaps to medium shot of rider holding the lamp
Close up of rider's face, goes to extreme close up
Snaps to medium shot of rider
Snaps to long shot of him throwing the dust into the sky

Characters:
In the opening sequence there is only one character introduced. This is the traveller that is riding on a camel. The whole of the opening sequence is this character singing the song 'Arabian Nights'. The actor who plays him is voice-over, as is everyone in this film, because it is an animation. He plays a stereotypical trader very well, and even puts on a bit of an Arabian accent for added effect.

Atmosphere/Mood:
The atmosphere in the opening sequence is one of tension and of apprehension. Because there is use of music, it creates a dark and forbidding mood, this is good however, as it keeps the viewer interested in the film and makes them keep watching to find out what is going to happen next.
Sound:
The sound in the sequence is really dramatic and gets the viewer interested in the film and makes them want to stay and watch the rest of it. By using a musical based film, that is common of Disney, it makes the young audience remember the catchy songs and make them want to stay and watch the rest of the film just in case there are some more songs that are better then the previous ones.

Costume:
The costumes in this film are designed perfectly to fit the place that the film is set in. The traveller is dressed in traditional Arabic robes with a turban on his head, this is a correct form of dress for the time that the film is set in.

Aladdin, like many films, uses a lot of iconography to reference the film to historical context that makes the film seem like it is rightly done and set in the right period of time.

What is a Children's Film?:

A children's film is a film that is made specifically for the viewing of under twelves. This means that the content of the film has to very mild and suitable for children. The film has to be appropriate and clearly separate from a family or teenagers film. This means that the film has to be classified as a U or PG film.






What is a U Certificate?
A U film is suitable for everyone, specifically anyone over the age of four. This sort of film should not have any horror in, but if it has, this should be corrected immediatly with something reassuring. There should be no discrimination or drugs, horror should be infrequent and language should be very mild. There should only be natural nudity and mild sexual behaviour, e.g. mild kissing.



What is a PG Certificate?
A PG film stands for parental guidance, this means that a child can watch a film with their parent's consent. The film should not disturb anyone around the age of 8 or older. Discrimination cannot be used unless for historical or educational purposes, Horror should not last for long and sexual reference can be implied in the way of an innuendo.



What is the BBFC?
The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification.They are an independent and a non-governmental body. It is the organisation legally responsible fro film classification in the United Kingdom. They are responsible for the current certificates like PG,U and 12 etc.

Analysis of Lemony Snicket

Characters
Viewers are mislead by being introduced to elves who do not play a part in the film. We are mislead to believe they are the main characters when in fact they are not integral to the storyline. The sudden change from the elves to the actual storyline unsettles the viewers, giving them an uneasy atmosphere.
We are then introduced to the three main characters, who are given a personal profile, which informs the viewer more about the characters. This makes the audience feel they can relate to the characters and the situation they are in. The children also gain sympathy from the audience at this point

Narrative/Themes
The main themes addressed in the opening sequence are; Family, Love, Sadness and Loss, Tragedy and Searching for Truth. There is also a dark and forbidding atmosphere throughout the opening sequence. It makes the audience feel uneasy and unsettles them. The sequence leaves us asking questions about what is to come. This makes the viewer want to stay and watch the rest of the film.

Hello

Hi

We are studying Media AS and our current project is the opening sequence of a children's film.

Firstly there is Ben .. the guy with the glasses
Alex .. the mute
Lewis, we don't know what he is
Londie, yeah well... enough said really

We are going to make the best children's opening sequence in the history of Long Road Media. Ever. Fact! :)