Dialogue

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie.

Dialogue is not necessary in the opening sequence of a feature film as there's other alternatives that can be used to replace dialogue. In some cases, no dialogue or music is more effective or creates a better toned atmosphere than an opening sequence with dialogue.

Examples of where dialogue isn't used in the opening sequences of a film:

The Graduate

The Woman In Black

Transporter 1

 

Austin Power

Submarine (although there's a small bit of recorder dialogue)

Films with dialogue in the opting sequence:

Shrek

Legend

The gladiator

The Woman In Black Two

Pretty Woman

What are the positive and negative effects of dialogue in the opening sequence?

Using dialogue helps to entice the viewers and makes the story line more easy to understand as its often hard to tell peoples emotional through body language and facial expressions, therefore the characters are shown in more detail and we can also get a feel for the relationship between the characters through their dialogue and how they speak to one another. However, some audiences may feel the need to be drawn into a film with an urgency to find out character profiles rather than being told at the start.

What are the positive and negative effects of not using dialogue in the opening sequence?

Not using dialogue in the examples I have used provides a larger visual impact towards the audience. The audience become more attached and can associate with the characters leaving them wanting to find out more creating a sense of mystery of what the characters are like. Dialogue can be very difficult to write and takes a lot time to consider what lines work best, therefore it is useful to use silence or narration especially when there's little time to rehearse and film the film. Certainly in a non professional context the producer may consider music or narration as actors may not have the quality experience of performing affective dialogue. A negative would be not performing the appropriate skills required by a specific audience because to make up for the lack of dialogue you have to show really good clear facial expressions and body language to explain the plot also the story line may be really vague.

What issues do you think you would face in your own coursework by using dialogue?  

The issue I think I will face when creating my film is having actors who aren't very confident in speaking so the dialogue will come across unrealistic and there will be lots of stutters.

What issues do you think you would face in your own coursework by not using dialogue?

By not using dialogue my coursework may come across really confusing because the actors may not be very confident in using facial expressions and body language to communicate thoughts and feelings. 



Character

How important are characters particularly in the opening 2 minutes of a film?

Characters are usually important in the opening 2 minutes in a film because that's where they get introduced and the scene is set. The character are usually introduced in the opening few minutes of a film and help make the plot interesting and gripping therefore if the characters aren't interesting the audience will get bored and turn the film of within the opening few minutes.

Character profiles of  3 existing films

Hazel Grace - The Fault In Our Stars

Hazel Grace is very lonely after years of dealing with thyroid cancer and lung problems. She's sixteen and spends her day watching TV, reading or going to support group occasionally, where she is forced to go and communicate with other kids with cancer. Hazel Grace has a good sense of humour but keeps a lot to herself. She lives her life trying not to hurt others. She doesn't want to get to close to anyone so that when she dies no one will be hurt. Hazel Grace is very real with herself, she knows that she has cancer and that's the way that her life has to be lived. Hazel Grace is so iconic c because the audience can relate to her and give her sympathy because she is so kind and caring to other people despite the horrendous and drastic issues going no in her life. Hazel Grace add the narrative as she is the narrative and tells the story form her point of view so we understand her feeling's and emotions and the plot form her side of view. Also, in the opening two minutes of the film we are introduced to her and her everyday life struggles and the audience instantly gain sympathy for her.

Edward Blood - Big Fish

This character is very confident, popular and important to the whole film. The thing that makes this character so iconic is his personality and determination to marry this one girl he sees at a circus, and everyone can relate to him because everyone has felt love and wanted to be love in their life, so when Edward Bloom filled the girls garden with flowers it was heart warming.  In the first two minutes the audience finds barley anything out about Edward Bloom, other than him telling the story about the big fish as a narrator. You don't find out that it is him speaking in the first two minutes either.

Jack Sparrow - The Lord Of The Rings

This character is so iconic because, he is the main character in the pirates of the Caribbean. This character is a vital part to the whole film without him there wouldn't be a film as good as it would be with him in it. In the opening scene Jack is not in it because it is a dream of a flashback. But when the time is moved to the present then he is on a sinking ship and this shows the audience that he is important and will be in the whole film not just a random character.

My first idea for my coursework

Narration

Narration is when there is a voice over for a film that explains to the audience how the actor is feeling or telling them the story, it can be anything.  It normally isn’t used in horror films, more like romance, comedy and some drama. Narration can be helpful when the story line is really confusing because it helps the audience understand what is going on.
 
There is narration in quite a few films such as, Big Fish, Lemony Snicket, The Twilight Saga,  these films are all either drama's, children's romance or comedy films. 

Usually in film its the narrator looking back on their childhood, the narrator has to have a clear distinctive voice so the audience can tell when its the narrator speaking. The voice also has to be interesting so you can happily sit and listen to the them for hours. A good narrator is Don Lafontaine, he became identified with the phrase "In a world...", used in so many movie trailers that it became a cliché. Widely known in the film industry, the man whose nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God", became known to a wider audience through commercials for GEICO insurance and the Mega Millions lottery game.

I don't think I will use narration in my coursework because I want the storyline to be really confusing where nothing is explained so it will leave the audience wanting to find out more and leave them wanting to find out the answers.

Narrative

A narrative or story is any report of connected events, actual or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, or still or moving images. Narrative can be organized in a number of thematic and/or formal categories: non-fiction; fictionalization of historical events; and fiction proper.

The conventions if narrative in the following genres...

Comedy

Comedy films usually involve and unexpected plot twist that is far from reality. They usually have something to do with someone making a fall out of themselves ,being genuinely unlucky and silly because they are socially awkward. Such as in  Pitch Perfect a girl called 'Fat Amy' makes the film because of all her unfortunate events and stupidity,such as Pitch Perfect 2 where it starts with her clothes accidently ripping on stage leaving her stark naked in front of a massive audience.

Horror

Horror plotlines are usually very predictable. In horror films they usually involve some kind of psychopath who goes around killing people or other fatal events occur that usually end up in death. There also many horror films that follow hauntings form ghost or other spirits and it follows the families or people journey of being haunted and what happens to them.

Action

Action films are usually very gripping due to there fast pass action keeping audiences eyes gripped to the screen so they don't miss anything. Action films are often to do with goody and baddies with a set out mission that usually involve a massive destruction. There many fights involved, car chases out bursting in settings with crashes, bangs and outbreaks through windows and doors.

Drama

Drama's usually involve real life situations, with realistic characters , settings and stories, portraying journeys of character development intense social interaction with a dramatic story line made to emotionally effect the audience. It is common that the drama is based in conflict such as relationship struggles such as the death of a family member.

Romance

The scenario for a romance is more often than not 'boy meets girls scenario' with hints given throughout that there's a 'love math' that will lead to a 'happy ever after', although many romances involve a struggle the two people have to go through to be with each other such as a disagreement where they both go their separate ways, however they the usually always reunite.

Narrative Theory

Todorov's theory

Tzvetan Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory while also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium. Also chose to use 5 stages which are: a state of equilibrium, A disruption of the order, a recognition of the order being disrupted, an attempt to repair the disruption, a return of the new equilibrium.

Target audience

Target audience is the intended group for which something is performed or marketed; the specific group to which advertising is directed.

Target audience for the following genres...

Thriller

Someone into intrigue and mystery with a twist would be interested in a thriller. Someone who would like to try and work things out for themselves but never quite get there.
Thrillers are generally particularly popular with the under 25's and have a slight female skew because they usually have more patients to sit and work things out for themselves rather than get told everything that has happened.

Romantic comedy

Romantic Comedies tend to be directed at women aged 13-17 or potentially even older. This is mainly due to the light hearted nature of the films that are produced in this genre. The predominant market for Rom Coms are First World citzens such as teenage girls from America or Britain, so most the actors or actresses are from either of the two countries due to their versatility in film and their dominance in the film market. Traditionally less serious film fans go to Romantic Comedies due to their less artsy and more relaxed naturel.

Horror

 

A horror films target audience is generally those in the age group 15-25. It is mostly aimed at men as they are more likely to be able to interact with the characters on screen.

The secondary audience is dating couples. this is morel likely to be either very close but not married couples or first date couples because they cant watch if together without getting scared.

Action

I'd say the target audience for action film is usually men and tom boys because they tend to like fighting scenes and cars scenes etc all in which are faced past and generally interested men more than woman.

For my coursework I think my target audience will be teenagers and young adults because I want to do a horror/thriller which would not be suitable for young children as its not something you would let your children watch plus the dark colour scheme such as black and white wont grip younger children.

Teenagers and adults would have more patients to sit and watch the gripping film therefore I think my coursework will apply to them male and female.

If I was going to make my film for real I would

put posters out including the main characters with a dark and gloomy colour scheme to show the film is mysterious and that wanting interest adults and teenagers wanting to find out more. I would also make a advert to show the best clips of the film and making it gripping so they want to find out more If it was possible I would advertise my film on TV channels such as MTV where the audience of the channel is teenagers and young adults.

Breaking the fourth wall

The term comes from theatre. A simple one-room set on a stage has the back wall and the two side walls. The "fourth wall" is the wall that isn't there, so you in the audience can look into the room. In an ordinary play, the action on the stage never seems to be aware of what happens "behind the fourth wall". In other words, while the play is going on, the actors behave as if the audience isn't there.

Sometimes, an actor on the stage connects directly with the audience. This is called "breaking the fourth wall." It can be a mistake, such as when the actor is visibly startled by a cough in the audience. Or, it can be intentional, such as when an actor on stage walks away from the action and starts narrating for the audience.

Examples of "breaking the fourth wall": 

“Annie Hall”A classic breaking of the fourth wall comes from Woody Allen’s classic romantic comedy, “Annie Hall.” Allen’s Alvy Singer often breaks the fourth wall to comment on details of his relationship with Diane Keaton’s titular character. With the film earning four Oscars, maybe the fourth wall was meant to be broken?

“American Psycho”Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) is always breaking the fourth wall in the 2000 film “American Psycho” via his inner-thoughts, to give the audience a peak into his brain, and help understand his maniacal character.

Breaking the fourth wall is something I am considering in my own coursework because I feel like it engages the audience. As I want to do a horror or shocking drama I feel like having the bad person look into the camera will make the audience feel scared, as if they will be able to put themselves in the shoes of the scared person which will engage the audience and make the video more dramatic.

Genre

In class we looked at different movie genres - Sci-Fi, horror, romance, drama, fantasy and action. I came up with different settings, props, costume's, diegetic sound, non-diegetic and lighting that could be used in each genre. 

The Sci-Fi film Monsters (2010) - textual analysis

Monsters was made in 2010, it fits into both the alien invasion and mutation sub-genres of the sci-fi genre. The narrative of a crashed NASA space probe suggests the film include space travel however this doesn't end up featuring in the film. But, the idea of space exploration and alien life is a major aspect of the storyline.

There are many key sci-fi conventions in the trailer. The opening shots show the destruction that hints at the alien invasion and mutation narrative. The text flickers and the choice of font for the text on screen "Six years ago" also suggests this belongs in the sci-fi genre. The later text on screen referring to a "NASA space probe" reinforces these initial impressions. The shot from within the car of the sign saying 'Warning: Infected Zone' then introduces the idea of mutations and scientific experimentation; this is two key sci-fi sub-genres. Following these key opening shots, the editing shows glimpses of the creatures that have mutated as well as further evidence of destruction.


The target audience is difficult to judge.  According to the film website IMDB Monsters was given a 12A rating in the UK which would definitely open it up to a teenage audience. The film features two main characters, male and female, as well as the suggestion of a romantic relationship between them. It could be argued this would appeal to more male, than a female audience with an age range of 14-35 as men are usually more interested in Sci-Fi films than woman. The fact Monsters is a little known, low-budget indie film might also mean this film would be watched by a more educated or middle-class audience.

The horror film Saw III - Textual analysis

Saw III was made in 2006. Its a Canadian-American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. The story follows Jeff after his son is hit and killed by a car; he is put in a series of tests by Jigsaw in order try and let go of his vengeance on the man that killed him. Meanwhile a bed-ridden John Kramer has ordered his apprentice Amanda Young to kidnap a doctor named Lynn, in order to keep him alive for one final test before he dies of cancer.

The props being used are mainly mechanical machinery and metal that make the film really gory. and gruesome to watch. From these props, the location can be told of that the movie, it is filmed within a set up factory, the film is about teaching people who are in really fortunate positions in life but abusing there privileges, an evil life threatening lesson.
 
There many sounds that help add to the goriness of the film such as Sharp contraptions, with fierce metal killing blades, Rough Beat up clothing for the ordeal's the characters have endured, sweating and hard body struggle and lastly dark rusty surroundings.
The camera shots being used in the film trailer are that of typical horror film Genre with many hard Close ups and Mid Close Ups, to portray and make exemplar the fear and terror that is occurring within the film. Also, a lot of pans are used, the camera panning around the room as the characters are put in situations with objects to help them out.

The audience would probably be adults or old teenagers because the film is not something you would want to let your children watch because it would scare them and freak them out from all the blood and goriness. I also think the film would appeal more to men than woman because its quite a dark and harsh film that woman may be less interested in watching because woman tend to tend to be more squeamish.

A romance film Paperman - textual analysis

Paperman is a short animation romantic comedy film that was created by Walt Disney/directed by John Kahrs. The location is set in New York City around the time of 1940, and begins at a train station. A young man and woman are waiting for a train together when the young woman is hit by a flying piece of paper. When the man removes the paper from her face, he finds she has left a lipstick kiss print on the paper. Before he can say anymore, the woman has jumped on the train and all he is left with is this piece of paper. The man then pursues the woman after sharing the moment together, until he finds her in an opposite office block to his own. The paper with the kiss is the final paper aero plane he can flow from his desk to grab her attention. The paper stirs up all of the other aero planes he has thrown until they eventually lead him to her. The pair are then reunited and the film finishes with them facing each other at the same train station they met.

Paperman is firstly set on the platform of a train station and in the young man’s workplace office. These are both typical locations that the audience can easily relate to and have probably experienced themselves, therefore making the short film easier to relate to in general.

There is no dialogue in Paperman. This means that the audience have to closely watch throughout to follow the narrative of the short film and therefore the audience can interpret for themselves what the characters are feeling and use their imagination what they would say if they were speaking creating an active and engaged audience.  Additionally, there's lots of diegetic sound used throughout the short film, such as the paper rustling and train pulling off from the platform. This further allows the audience to feel as though they we are there in the character’s shoes, and also helps to set the scene.

The audience for the Paper man is for young women and older teenage girls, as well as perhaps young men, who both feel they can empathise and sympathise with the protagonist.