FILM OPENING ANALYSIS 2

The second film I chose to analyse was Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) Guy Ritchie.

In the opening minutes we realise that Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a British gangster movie. We instantly recognise this when we see the first character on screen selling goods, we realise they are stolen when the police turn up and start to chase the characters.

The cinematography involves a lot of mid-shots, close-ups and point-of-view shots; this gives a perspective of the characters buying the stolen goods. When the police chase happens there is one continuous tracking shot to give the audience a sense of the length of the chase. After this, the footage cuts to a slow-motion shot of the characters running away from the police down a flight of stairs.

 

Initially, the sound involved features no music but only the introduction to the main character in the form of narration. This is until the chase starts and some music begins to play, removing the audience from the chase and reminding them they are an observer.

FILM OPENING ANALYSIS 1

For my first film analysis I chose to do the opening 3 minutes of The Shining (1980) Stanley Kubrick.

The whole of the opening 3 minutes involves extreme long-shots that show a car driving down a long, winding road in some rocky mountains.

It grips you in a way that is different to many modern films; this is because it isn’t fast-paced but creates an enigma because the audience wants to know where the car is going and who is driving it. The opening titles involve light blue, upper-case text saying “A STANLEY KUBRICK FILM” that isn’t bold but catches your attention as it scrolls up the screen and the audience cannot ignore it.

The soundtrack in the opening 3 minutes is of slow, continuous and changing in pitch music.

The shots are on screen before cutting to another shot longer than modern day films, this creates a slow-pace that coupled with the sound creates an eerie feeling.