Hello and welcome to my blog, this is for my slasher film opening, Liar. The blog includes all research and notes. Enjoy!

Friday 18 October 2013

FilmOpeningEG2: Love Actually

Love Actually 
, 2003
Universal Pictures ;StudioCanal ; Working Title Film; DNA Films  (prod.)

Budget: $9m; US box office: $40.5m

Opening duration: 2:30/4:41*
RottenTomatoes.com 81%; IMDB 6.6 ; Roger Ebert 4*.





SYNOPSIS:
A british rom-com starring Colin Firth, Hugh Grant etc. This ensemble film features a series of vignettes centred around Hugh Grant as prime minister.

IDENTS/TITLES:
3 Idents are used in this film.The titles are shown on the opening scene of people embracing at Heathrow airport. The titles are shown as one letter highlighted in red, followed by white lettering on the actors' names fading in after.This repeats as each of the actor's names are individually shown on screen -which normally portrays that these are the well known actors. This repeats throughout this scene with 8 actor's names which are then followed by a group of four actors' names on screen together at once, possibly showing the less well-known actors. Hugh Grant narrates as this then breaks down the film title which comes onto screen at the same pace as Hugh Grant's voiceover.

1 of 3 Idents used

Breaking down of film title with Hugh Grant's VO

representation of christmas in montange during titles

revealing  of London eye behind christmas tree, setting, comical





























Alan Rickman
..followed by four Actors at once
Bill Nighy
Colin Firth
Emma Thompson
Hugh Grant
Laura Linney
Liam Neeson
Martine McCutcheon



MISE-EN-SCENE:
A bright, white, stereo-typical british mise-en-scene is introduced, starting with the opening scene at Heathrow airport, with mainly British, white, middle-aged characters embracing in a happy atmosphere. This mise-en-scene is then carried on in the following montage of christmas. There is a "5 days to christmas" countdown and then scenes of snow, christmas trees, winter clothing,decorations etc. The theme of christmas and love is straight away representated through the titles, opening scene and montage. To start the montage there is a comic reveal of the london eye from behind a man carrying a christmas tree, revealing the setting of London before then going onto the christmas scenes.

REPRESENTATIONS:
Clothing; Male main characters wear shirts, suits and ties, christmas jumpers giving a stereo-typical white, middle-class, British actor. The majority of the main female characters wear jumpers, long skirts are generally covered- up giving a conservative look, also going with this stereo-typical London, British look. There are also a few binary opposite female characters later on for comic effect.
Gender; The opening scene and film consists of mainly white male and female  hetrosexual relationships, children, families etc.
SOUNDTRACK:
There is an audio bridge from the 3rd ident to the first scene at Heathrow airport of non-diegetic music.
Denotation; the piece has long, drawn out notes, from some sort of synthesiser.
Conotation; this music is emotional and sad  in contrast with the visual in this scene of people embracing and happy reunions with loved ones. Ontop of the music there is a non-diegetic voice over from Hugh Grant, speaking slowly, giving a moving and perhaps slightly emotional speech about love. This may get the audience thinking and feeling happy about love themselves. 
Hugh Grant finishes speaking and it then jumps to the next scene and into the  diegetic sound of Bill Nighy singing his christmas song. There is some slight dialogue inbetween the singing of Bill swearing (comical character) and his manager talking talking to him, also shouting and swearing at him. This is then followed by a montage in which the non-diegetic music starts again and is played throughought the montage until it has finished with the titles.

NARRATIVE, GENRE, EXPOSITION:
Opening introuduced to main character Bill Nighy- swearing, bad christmas song, producer "solid gold shit" -comedy introduced. Themes of love, christmas and comedy recurring throughout within opening titles, scene, music, film title, representations etc.

No comments:

Post a Comment