Thursday 9 September 2010

Opening 2 minutes of a feature film

Characters


"American Beauty" - Lester Burnham


42 years old, wife called Carolyn and daughter called (?), both if which think he is a total loser. They live in a large suburban house, with neatly primped roses. It's all very neat and tidy, because his wife is very particular (she has matching gardening clogs and pruning tools). He has gay neighbours, both of which are called Jim, who own a jack russell. It's a very stereotypical american suburban neighbourhood where neighbours praise each other's achievements on their roses over a white picket fence.
Lester says he's got 1 year to live, but he doesn't know it yet. I'm assuming some sort of illness.


"Jerry Macguire" - Jerry Macguire


He's the man behind the scenes, we see the athletes, but he's the guy behind it all. He's a sports manager. He does all the business deals, meetings, etc. On average he takes about 264 phone calls a day. He has an extremely busy lifestyle, but he's not known publicly. But lately, things a taking a turn for the worse, he's not seeming as cocky and self assured as he is at the very start of the introduction, but he's beginning to look anxious.


Comparison - Lester vs Jerry


They are both completely different people. Jerry's life revolves around his work. There was no insight into his home life, whereas Lester's introduction was all about his life at home, introducing us to his family, neighbours and how he feels about them. But we found out nothing about his job, other than he needs to wear a suit and carries a briefcase.  


"Early Doors" - Ken


He's getting ready to open his pub. We first hear him singing, before we see him, and when we do, he is filling up an empty bottle of brandy with a fancy name on it, with brandy from a cheap and cheerful bottle. This shows us that he likes to seem all expensive, but in all honesty, he's a bit of a cheapskate. He sings a bout not losing his dignity, whilst giving the toilets a quick once over with a toilet brush, and puts his homemade sign back up on the wall, reaffirming his cheapskate-y ways. He leaves the toilets, due to a banging at the door, one of his regulars has arrived and is gagging for a pint, filling him on all the gossip. There is no indication of Ken having a wife or family in the introduction.




Opening Sequences


"London To Brighton"


It starts off by getting straight into what is happening in the film, there's no introduction of what is happening and why. Instead, we follow the brief moment of a woman and a girl, trying to escape from somewhere, with blood and bruises all over themselves. It entices the watcher to keep on watching so they can find out why the characters are in this state, and what they are running away from.


"The Graduate"


It's very simple start to a film. It's just him going through an airport, it's very dull which might represent his life - a dull, boring life. You don't learn anything significant about the character. there is no dialogue, other than the over head speakers of the captain on the plain and the airport telling people to keep to the right.


"Naepoleon Dynamite"


It's very clever and original. They use all sorts of different ways of introducing the cast and crew, for example; using ketchup on chips to write the name of the director, or going through all the cards in someone's wallet. It was very engrossing and you wanted to see what else they would use to introduce someone. It then ended with the top bun of a hamburger being slapped over the name (which was written in mayo on the burger itself) and then went straight into the film.







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