I have chosen to analyse this film opening sequence because of the sylised way it is shot, as well as the time in the narrative the film opens, as well as how the credits are incorporated to the scene and narrative. It also has a vast variety which can help inspire me.
The film starts with one credit that fades on to the screen. it has a grungy , grimy background. Which suggest to the audience from the start that the film is going to be set in an industrilaised or urban area. The white text over the dark background links to the theme of innocence and children that face dark problems at home. In this case the character of Oleg, who has a violent father, who beats him and his mother. The splatters on the background also suggest impeeding violence or blood, from an innocent victim.
The screen then fades to black, and the writng Media 8 presents, warps and fades with it. Perhaps this warp is meant to signify that the opening to the film is warped in time, and is not from the beggining.
The scene then fades in, and Paul Walkers character Joey Gazzelle is pushing open a door with his shoulder, as he carries out an injured child, with blood on him ( Oleg ) . The camera here tracks forward and pans around Joey's face highlighting his fixed gaze to the distance. It is a smooth shot, and shot with steadycam.
The shot then dissolves ( to show that time has passed) and we see a long shot of Joey placing Oleg into his car. The camera then again tracks forward and pans around Joey as he rushes to get to the drivers side.
Another title then fades in. This time the background to it is a tyre tred, but it is green. THe green i think is to signify to the audience that it is a gangster film, so money is involved, and US money is green. The title itself says, "A Media 8 / Tru Grit Production" . The Tru Grit part linking to the tyre, and the tyre signifying speed may be impending as well.
The title fades out, and there is red on screen. This shot is infact an extreme close up on the red light from a set of traffic lights. But is there to signify the danger, and bloody violence the fim is about.
The next camera movement i think is extremely stylized, but really like. Suddenly we zoom out and and track a little bit from the red, and it is revealed we were seeing traffic lights, the camera then sharply drops down ( like a crane shot) and the car Joey and Oleg are in zooms right into centre shot from behind, and the camera then tracks behind them as if it is fixed to the boot.
There are then close ups, to show the emotion on teir faces, as well as showing signifiers of the genre, such as the magnum gum. It is also cut with quick cuts and fades to white, which i think is meant to show te danger, confusion or pain of Joey , as he may be almost passing out.
The remaining creadits then come in. These credits are different to other gangster thrillers, such as Layer Cake, as they are purely animation, and ar not superimposed over footage. The credits are animated in a style similar to cartoon drawings in a childs comin book, or fairy tale. The animation going on is infact parts to the story that have created the scene in the car. There are characters shown and events that take place in the narrative of the film, and i really like how the credits are done in this film, as it makes it more individual to other films in the genre and is less generic.
This Opening Sequence also impacts on the audience because it starts with immediate action, and someting that has gone wrong. I personally like films when they commence with some form of action, if it is used effectively. For example in Running Scared we have a boy who has blood on his clothes, and a man who looks in real pain. When i first watched this i was immediately gripped, because it made me question why they were in this situation, and what had caused it. Answers i had to watch the rest of the film to recieve. What is also good about the place in the narrative it starts is when you finally come to the resolution of the film, we pick up from this scene again and all is resolved in the following sequences. Which takes the film in a full corcle and makes for good viewing, and at the end a sense of accomplishment for the viewer as they realise what the significance to the opening sequence was.
The first part or shot of this scene is also slowed down, this is uncommon as it is normally used to show a resolution, and not normally at the start of a film. However i think it is effective here, as it shows the distress of the characters and the emotions they are going through. It also creates a sense of urgency and has a positive dramatic effect.
I also like the music as it is not distracting or overpowering of the scene.
This opening sequence has helped me develop some rough ideas. I am thinking of starting my film somewhere in the middle of the narrative, and using some form of action, or death to shock the audience, as it will be unexpected and thus hopefully increase teir interest in the film with unanswered questions.
For the credits i am going to use, i would also really like to have them similar in style to the ones in Running Scared, especially if i am going to use a grugny or grimy urban setting, with a gangster theme.
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