Breakfast at Tiffany's opening scene

Breakfast at Tiffany's opening scene analysis

Shot No:	Description	Shot Type	Visual clues to help communicate the idea
Shot one	There are rows of shops and buildings on each side of the road and the scene consists of dull colours	A establishing shot of a city.	Big tall buildings and long boulevards
Shot two	A yellow taxi driving down the road until it gets to a building and stops. The background colours are still dull but the taxi is not	A tracking shot of a yellow taxi passing on the road and then the camera shot turns into a close up of the taxi as it gets closer the camera.	This could symbolise America with the yellow taxi Bright taxi could symbolise a special character within the taxi
Shot three	A woman with a long black dress and her hair done up. She is not facing the camera which suggests mystery	A long shot of a woman wearing a black full length dress	Well-presented woman could suggest elegance.
Shot four	The woman is wearing a pearled necklace and her hair done up in an elegant way.	The camera cuts to a low angle shot of the back of the women’s head looking up to suggest importance about the building, even more important than herself.	This could suggest an important building and eventually belittling her.
Shot five	The character is side on to the camera looking through a window, she is wearing glasses which also makes her unidentifiable	The camera then cuts to a medium shot of the side of the unknown character glancing through a window	This could suggest desire into something that is not hers -the window could symbolise the divide between the character and what they want
Shot six	The character wales away from the shop window and walks down the street	The director then uses a panning shot to show her moving away from the window essentially turning the shot into a long shot	The shop frame was made of marble to suggest wealth  the character is wearing pearls to suggest wealth
Shot seven	You can see the woman’s reflection through the window vaguely	Then the camera cuts to the reflection of the shop window , which is a close up	The woman reflection is on the side where she wants to be suggesting even more desire in wanting what is behind the glass.
Shot eight	As a audience we are looking from the shop window at the main character which gives a connection between the audience and the character	The camera uses a medium shot to show the front of the woman for the first time	This empowers the audience by allowing us to be on the side that the character wants to be on. This allows the audience to spy on the character.

Sound analysis of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

Throughout the whole first long shot we are introduced to soothing and classical music to suggest wealth and class, then when the shot cuts onto the window scene the sound is bridged, remaining classy and elegant, illustrating that it is the same scene, but it is a different tune to enable the audience to acknowledge the importance of the window, and what is within it. The pitch also becomes higher to create a sense of fulfilment when looking thought the window.

Throughout the window scene and her walking away, they keep the same sound and use this to bridge the two cuts together so the audience does not recognise the change in cuts, making the film flow evenly with elegance. Even though in some cuts they have changed the sound to make the audience notice the change, they have still used similar pieces of non-diagetic sound so that the sound was subtle and not garishly different. 

Cinematography
The opening shot is an establishing shot. This is used to introduce the audiance slowly into the film. The next shot is a low angle shot of the back of a character, this presents mystery to the audiance and also shows that the character has status within this shot. The panning shot down as the character walks away creates a devide between the character and the audience, due to the audience not being able to see her face. In a few shots to follow there is a shot reverse shot of this character looking into a shop window, but what is cleaver isthe audiance (being the window) are now subjected to facing the character through the window, which, even though is presented as an imtimate shot, it is still keeping te audience at a distance due to the window.  In making the audience the window, we never get to see fully what she is admiring which creates enigma.



Mes-en-scene
The first shot shows a City like enviroment, but not grimy or full of poeple, but quiet and serene.  The lighting is natural. This City hasn't been represented as dull or buisy, but sophisticated and elegant. The sophistication is reinforced later when a lady in a formal black fitting dress appears. Her hair is neat, elegant and her posture and stance filled with poise. She is wearing black long gloves, accompanied by a small black purse and a white purl necklace. The items of clothing that she is wearing, suggests wealth and etiquette. The shops that she visits are all clean and well dressed, filled with what seems to look like diamond chandeliers. The colours used such as grey and black are all used to represent wealth and luxury.





What i have learnt from this

I have learnt that black and grey used in the right way can have connotations of sophistication and affluence. The simple shots and slow pace can give a peaceful tone aswell as an impatient tone.

The Boat that Rocked opening scene analysis

Shot No: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3vV2AUmFEKY	Description	Shot Type	Visual clues to help communicate the idea
shot one	A blank black screen with white text on it saying ‘IT’S 1966 THE GREATEST ERA FOR BRITTISH ROCK AND ROLL’		This is giving the era a ‘cool’ ‘edgy’ look that would make the audience desire to be in that era
shot two	A 60’s house with a tree in front of it with the lights on.	This is a long shot of a 16’s house to initiate the era and to show where the opening scene is taking place	A house , which looks plain and nothing special.
shot three	A black background again with white text Saying ‘BUT BBC RADIO PLAYS LESS THAN 45 MINUTES OF POP MUSIC A DAY’		This is introducing the ‘radio station’
shot four	A man in a leather arm chair wearing a beige cardigan and a white shirt and tie. The Colours around him are brown and green.	This is a long shot of a man reading his newspaper contently.	The setting does not seem as exciting as what the words are portraying which suggests some sarcasm for the time being. With a middle age man sitting in an arm chair is not very ‘rock and roll’ as they stated this era to be.
shot five	The child is in what looks to be like her pyjamas with a dressing gown on	Camera cuts to a child saying night to their dad which suggests because of the green wall beside her it is the same scene as the dad reading the paper.	This implies that it is night and a normal family’s child is going to bed.
shot six	The man is replying to the child in a nice tone suggesting a connection.	The camera then shots back to the farther reading the paper, which is a shot reverse shot to show conversation between two characters.	This shows a platonic relationship between the two characters
Shot seven	Everything is normal and what you would expect a family to be like but when the child goes to his room and lies in bed he has a radio under his pillow. The room is dark with the light off suggesting mystery to what the boy is doing as it is not made apparent strait away	The camera cuts from a long shot of the boy having something under his pillow to an extreme close up of a man speaking into a microphone, this could imply that he is taking to the child, but then the camera cuts back and forth to different children in bed listening to what is suggested as a radio, then cutting back to the extreme close up of the man speaking it creates a bridge between the two scenes. These multiple shots allow the audience to be in two places at once, and is showing the contrast between the quiet children who are supposed to be in bed and the loud mouth individual, and how he is having a influence and corrupting what is expected of them.	The room is dark to suggest the boy is supposed to be tired and asleep but when it cuts to a lively room with a man speaking down a microphone this is setting a completely different environment for the audience
	The colours are light and bright	The there is a medium close up and tracking shot as the camera follows the man turning on the music.	When this happens everything comes alive and the tension is released into what would be the ‘Rock and Roll’ era. I believe that the director purposely made the beginning normal and boring to give it more hype when everything kicked off.

Sound analysis of the ‘BOAT THAT ROCKED’

Before the audience even gets to see the scenery there is a sound of what seems to be a television changing channels, they have used this sound bridge to link the opening scene with the title and to give the audience an idea on what the scenery will have within it. This is dialogue.

The second sound that we hear is non- diagetic sound of a relaxing tune that is far from the "swinging sixties", this is also a sound bridge from the outside of the house to the inside of the house; they have done this so that the audience do not notice the cut.

Then there is diagetic sound when the two characters are speaking and the shot consists of a shot reverse shot, the reason they keep the diagetic sound is so the editing remains invisible.

Then there is no non-diagetic sound for a bit as it is only diagetic dialogue to make the scene more intriguing. Then there is a bang of noise and someone is speaking loudly with music in the background to give a contrast between the two scenes, then the two scenes start to collide with the sound bridge of the man and the other characters as the camera is constantly shooting between the multiple scenes

The band called the ‘kinks’ then get played really loud to introduce the film as being 60’s as they were a renowned band from the 60’s. This is another sound bridge where the camera does multiple shots of different scenes to show the link between music and the 60’s generation.




Cinematography
The opening shot is a establishing shot of a man holding his newspaper in what seens to be his home. This vertical shot indulges the reader into the film, making them apart of it, but by the man sitting down it empowers the audiance. The second shot is a medium close up of a young boy ( the protagonist). The third shot is again a shot of the father (shot reverse shot). This has been done so that the audiance are now the viewers instead of the character. To follow there is a high angle tracking shot of the boy as he makes his way though the house. This shot makes the audiance feel superior to everyone else in the household and also presents us to have more of an insight to the narrative than the other characters. This shot creates a distant connection with the character and audiance due to the feeling of following the character and his movements.The next frames are multiple quick shots between juxtaposed scenes, but the sound bridge connects these scenes together.These shots create a climax within the opening scene and create a mesh of thirll and exitment due to the collision of scenes. The different angles and shots such as a highangle shot of a girl watching her radio and then a horizontal medium shot of someone else, propose the idea of different areas and scenes internationally.These thrilling shots that are juxtaposed to the initial shots keeps the audiance on the edge of their seats.






Mis-en-scene

Initially the lighting was low key with only one primary light at the side of the scene. The colours within this scene are browns and dark greens which signify affluence. The props are carefuly and neatly placed. This tells the audiance something about the man and inpliues that he is well educated and organised. The paper he is holdinf presents him as an authoritarian character. The dark natural lighting in the bedroom suggests calmness oppsed to the strict lighting that was depicted beforehand.


What i have learnt from this

I have learnt that the variation of pace and shots in an opening scene can engage the audience and create a climax or anti-climax. The change in pace cal also represent a characters moods.

The graduate opening scene analysis

	Description	Shot Type	Visual clues to help communicate the idea
Shot one	A man with a serious look upon his face	A close up of a man’s face on the right hand side of the screen	His eyes and lips are motionless.
Shot two	The man is sitting on a white seat and the colours are quite plain.	The camera zooms out into a long shot of the man’s head	He is say down on a white seat which suggests, purity and the man could be a contrast to this.
Shot three	There are rows and rows of people sitting on plain white seats with one singular isle down the middle	The camera angle at this point is an extreme long shot to show the scenery	The colours are bland and all the seats are the same to suggest conformity, this is a very structured setting
Shot four	There is a man in a business suit walking undistracted alongside a white wall	There is a tracking shot of who seems to be the main character walking alongside a blank white wall, this is one long tracking shot ( mid shot)	By the uniform and the use of plain colours this could suggest a business environment. The tracking shot is to symbolise the journey the characters make.
Shot five	The luggage is grey and the background is dull and not eye grabbing, but the luggage has a red tag on it which could suggest an element of danger about either the content within the luggage or the owner of it.	Then the camera cuts to a tracking shot of a luggage bag moving forward by what the audience could only assume to be a conveyor belt.	Red symbolises violent or danger Grey is very dull business like
Shot six	A man in the grey suit which matches the colour of the luggage picks the luggage up from the handle	A close up of a hand coming into the scene to pick up the traveling luggage	The character is unidentifiable who has picked up the luggage which suggests mystery. (the suit could be a cover for the characteristic dangers that are underneath)
Shot seven	The man who picked up the luggage in the suit walks away into the crowd until he is unrecognisable	A long shot of the anonymous man walking away with the luggage in hand.	This suggests that the man is blending in to the environment given so that he is not ‘suspicious’ in any way. This shot creates a scene of cleverness to the character
Shot eight	A crowded area and the man is the only one to walk out the door on his way out. The scene is dull but his expression is happy. (showing a contrast between the character and the scene)	The next shot is of the man walking towards the door in a long shot.	This scene suggests freedom and escapism

Sound analysis of ‘The Graduate’

When the close up of the man first appears for the opening shot there is diagetic dialogue to show that the voice is relevant and is essentially talking to the audience and the character, creating a connection and introducing the audience into the movie.

Whilst the camera is zooming out and the voice is still talking this keeps the audience engaged but detaches them from the environment and is now just spying on what is going on rather than being in the scene.

The second sound we hear is a non-diagetic sound which is music as the man is walking beside the blank wall for a long period of time, this gives the audience time to establish the changing environment and to acknowledge the change in shot, the reason for doing this is to take the attention away from the man walking and move onto the text that is by the side.

As soon as the main text has gone there is a sound bridge between to two scenes with the man and the luggage, this is so the audience do not notice the change in cut and it makes the scene flow evenly, but as well it also suggests that the man the camera has been following is the same man that picks up the luggage. This sound bridge continues onto the next cut so that the editing is unnoticed and also so we establish as a audience that it is in fact the same man from the very first shot. Thus making this a invisible edit.  

Cinematography

The opening shot is a close-up of a man's face. I believe this has been used so that the audience have an instant connection with the protagonist. The framing of this shot depics an intimate opening scene that the audience is subjected to. The second shot is a zooming out, establishing shot to distance the audience from the character, thus making the audience a spectator rather than a character.This following shot detracts mystery opposed to the initial shot. The shot to come is a tracking medium shot of the man in his suit, this shot reveals his attire,  presenting ideas to the audience on who this character could be. This shot makes the audience have a distant connection with the character due to it displaying a side  profile of the character rather than a front profile. This shot goes on for 30 secconds.


Mis-en-scene
The audience is firstly subjected to a man infront of a white backround, this being so that the audience isn't detracted from the main protagonist. The audience can only see his face and no pieces of clothing at the begining to create enigma. The second shot depicts people sitting down in columns of chairs, but again you cannot see their clothing. I believe this has been done so that it creates suspense  for the audience. The audience has no idea who these poeple are, but all we know is that they are all congregated together in what seems to be a plane. I believe they are made to look all plain and unidentifiable to create a distance between the audience and the film. In the shot to follow the audience can now view the protagonist's attire. He is wearing a grey suit with a white shirt. This character yet again is placed behind a white background; in doing this the audience is forced to watch this character. The colours used thoughout seem dull and uninteresting, to create a generic environment. These shots present a lack of individuality due to the dull colours and generic facial expression, alongside the placement of structured props to reinforce this idea.








What I have learnt from this

In analysing the above, i have noticed that subtle tones, colours and placement of props can hint to the audience genre and theme. The shots used were simple yet effective, to attract the audiance into and out of the film.

The opening analysis of Elizabeth

Shot No:	Description	Shot Type	Visual clues to help communicate the idea
Shot one	A contract that says ‘in the name of god amen’	close-up of a letter	A formal letter with religious aspects, suggesting that it is a contract that someone important is reading.
Shot two	Letters on the page written in formal handwriting to suggest empowerment to the text	A tracking over the shoulder shot to follow the characters eyes across the page, so we see the whole contract	This gives the audience an over view of the contract, but at this stage we only could assume it is a contract.
Shot three	Red ink on the paper to suggest blood and violence, then when the ink is stamped this implies that someone is confirming the violence	A close up of a hand coming into the picture from the side, which stamps the letter in an old fashioned way, this makes the audience interact with the character as though the character Is manoeuvring their way around the audience to stamp the letter, this visually brings the audience into the film.	Red ink to communicate violence And the paper being stamped suggest conferment of some religious act because of the title of the paper, which was shown in shot one.
Shot four	You see a dull room with chains in them and a sound bridge between the last shot and the current shot to show a connection between the piece of paper and the confinement of a merciful woman, whose voice is pleading.	Camera cuts from the stamping of the letter to a panning shot of chains on a dirt floor, in a dull and dreary room.	-The chains suggest confinement and implies that someone’s freedom has been taken away   -Merciful cry is suggesting restriction in human rights.
Shot five	Shot of the chains on the floor to the chains on the table, then next to the chains is a bowl of clean water.	Tracking shot to follow the different chains in different places to create a journey from the contract to where the chains lead the audience. And then from the tracking shot there is a long shot of a bowl of water.	The clean water suggest cleanliness and purity, where something is untouched and not ruined
Shot  six	The man is dressed in armour and is using force upon the woman. The woman is speaking loudly about something religious and her voice echoes to suggest that they are somewhere alone.	This is a high angle shot of a guard cutting of a woman’s hair, to give the audience a feeling as if they were spying.	This implies that the guard is taking away the woman’s identity The guard is identifiable
Shot seven	There is a man on the floor who is tied up in chains looking up.	This is a high angle shot for the audience to look down at the man in chains. (canted angle)	I believe they have done a HAS so that it belittles the man and names him defenceless in comparison to the audience.
Shot eight	The man is wearing tattered old clothes and has his hands clasped together as he is reciting something.	A medium close up of the man’s face	His hands are held as he is saying a prayer.

Introduction to my project


I am going to base my project on the 1960's and with this, i am going to produce a two minute opening scene that is based on the 60's. To help me do this i have analysed three opening scenes of films that have either been filmed in the 60's or based on that era. From this i am going to analyse and acknowledge the conventions of a 60's film and look at the following;

.Mes-en scene

.Cinematography

.Sound

This will give me a clear understanding of what i would need to put into my opening scene to make it a 60's related film.
I am also going to analyse a film that is not based in the 60's to give my self understanding of how they would portray their film for another period, this will give me a understanding of the different types of periods and what not to include within my opening title.

21st nov
The social and historical context of the 60's era 


The 1960's, also referred to as the 'Swinging Sixties', because of the fall or relaxation of some social taboos especially relating to sexism and racism that occurred during this time, was a era where young people challenged the traditional values of their parent's generation and actively opposed the decisions of the government.
Feminism in the United States and around the world gained momentum in the early 1960s. At the time, a woman's place was generally seen as being in the home, and they were excluded from many jobs and professions. The 1960's was a time to rebel against social and political views that limited women. Women demanded equal rights and others called for racial equality and a new consideration for the environment. Many more demonstrated against the Vietnam War, conscription and the nuclear industry.