FILM ANALYSIS: Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

 FILM ANALYSIS: NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004)

dir. Jared Hess

BBFC PG , MPAA PG 

Opening Length: 5 minutes

Budget: $400k 

Box Office: $46 million

Theatrical Distribution: International

Production Company: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MTV Films

Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures

Synopsis: A listless and alienated teenager decide to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home. (IMDB)

LINKS: wikipedia , imdb , boxofficemojo, art of the title

Trailer: 

Possible Influences For My Film: The opening titles as inspiration for my ident, the high school setting. 

.......                                

Idents: 

All three company idents are seen, which is a conventional amount for a film. The first two are part of the big 5, and their idents last 20 seconds each, while MTV Films' ident only lasts for 10 seconds. 

Titles:

This is the opening credit sequence for the film, which I am taking inspiration from for my own ident. I like the quirky element of having the food spelling out the names, as it is realistic and reflects the comedy genre of the film. 

The main title of the film is scribbled in cursive onto a school desk. This fits with the high school comedy genre of the film, and with the aesthetics of the title sequence. It is denoted as the main title, as the camera stays on it the longest while the music fades, and the remainder of the film continues, 

Opening shot: 

The opening shot is an ELS of the protagonist standing outside his house. The house is a stereotypical American detached suburban home, with a large front garden. The protagonist is presented as a stereotypical nerd, seen through his curly hair, his baggy shirt tucked into his trousers, and schoolbooks under his arm. 

This low angle MCU reveals the protagonist to be wearing large, clear thick glasses, and ginger hair, further anchoring him as a nerd. This is a long shot, and the camera follows the protagonist's gaze back and forth, which ambient sounds of birds are heard. A car is then heard approaching and stopping in front of the protagonist. 

There is a high angle ELS at a slight dutch angle, further creating a sense of awkwardness. A bus door is seen opening. 

The wide angle continues this awkwardness, and the protagonist's head touching the ceiling denotes him as "the odd one out", as well as being surrounded by younger school children. The setting of a school bus is also immediately relatable for the primary target audience of the film, and allows them to personally identify with the protagonist and situation. 

This shot shows the protagonists sitting in the back of the bus, which is unconventional for a nerd stereotype. The look he receives from the younger child also creates humour, and binary opposition (Levi-Strauss). 

The final shot of the sequence reveals a defeated protagonist. His awkward and large teeth anchor him as an awkward nerd. The background reveals large and vast fields, denoting a rural area. 

Sound: 

The soundtrack over the credits is the song "We are Gonna be Friends" by The White Stripes, which attracts the target demographic. It is upbeat, and serves as foreshadowing for the remainder of the film, which follows an unlikely friendship. There is upbeat synth music playing through the opening shots, and it fades out once the main title appears to signify the transition to the main film. 

FILM ANALYSIS: Pretty In Pink (1986)

 FILM ANALYSIS: PRETTY IN PINK (1986)

dir. Howard Deutch 

BBFC 15 , MPAA PG-13 

Opening Length: 6 minutes

Budget: $9 million 

Box Office: $40 million

Theatrical Distribution: Internationally, 26 territories

Production Company: Paramount Pictures

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Synopsis: A poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy. (IMDB) 

LINKS: wikipedia , IMDB , Box Office Mojo 

Trailer: 

.......

Possible Influences For My Film: The opening narrative enigma and build up to the female protagonist, the setting of a feminine bedroom.                

Companies/Idents: 

This was the only ident shown, as the producer and distributor. The ident lasted 12 seconds, which is conventional for a main ident in a film. 

The use of a single ident is unusual, but not in this case as it was produced and distributed by the same company. 

Titles:

The titles before the opening shot show the production/distribution company. The font is sans-serif to denote a non-serious film, but the elongated and thin lettering excludes it from simply being a comedy. The linking words are in the same capitalised font, but are much smaller. 

The name shown is of the writer John  Hughes, who was well-known for the teen rom-com genre at the time, he also directed films such as 16 Candles (1984), and The Breakfast Club (1985). 

The first named title that appears is of the main star, in the same font as before and in the lower third centre in large lettering. In this film, the actress is the star vehicle (Dyre), as she was an A-List star of the time, and popular within this genre of film, 16 Candles (1984), and The Breakfast Club (1985). 

The main title of the film, is in the same sans-serif, simple white font. The placement of the title is in the central lower third of the frame, denoting its importance. It also appears in the first few opening shots, which is conventional for a teen rom-com of the time. 

Opening Shot: 

The opening shot is an (ELS) zooming out of a black part of the truck and creating a transition from the previously black screen. The mise-en-scene presents a run down area, seen through the cracked streets and pavements, and cramped, old houses. 

Mise-En-Scene/ First Five Shots: 

The shot cross-fades from the truck and pans over train tracks. This is a signifier for the remainder of the film and symbolises how the protagonist was born on the "wrong side of the tracks". This further presents the mise-en-scene of a working class community.

 

The camera continues panning and zooms into a house. It is denoted as the protagonists house as the camera remains on the house for a long time, before internal shots are seen. The use of a pink car outside also denotes this, due to the films name. The car itself is run down and old, further anchoring the preferred reading of a working class area.

This is the first shot seen of the protagonist. She is caucasian, which is a hegemonic representation, and conventional of the time. Narrative enigma is built up as there are only shots of her body seen, which arguably also caters to Mulvey's male gaze. The use of tights connotes wealth or a higher class, as this is a more elegant way of dressing, which goes against the initial mise-en-scene of the area. The ring on her finger could be seen as a signifier of a marriage, but as this is a teen rom-com it is unlikely. 

There is another shot of her body, but this time of her hand. The protagonist is seen grabbing a pink belt, another symbol tying to the films title. She does not have painted or long nails, which is unconventional for a stereotypical portrayal of a female. Once she takes the belt, the mise-en-scene of her messy room is revealed, which is relatable for the primarily targeted teen audience. 

This is the final shot of the sequence, and narrative enigma is still prevalent with the cryptic shots of the protagonists body. The shot of her bum is catering to the male gaze, as she is seen zipping up her dress. There is also a voyeuristic aspect as someone getting dressed is not typically seen by others, and the manner in which she is dressing seems unnatural and related to Berger's ways of seeing, "men act and women appear". Her overall portrayal is part of Butler's gender performativity, as she is presented as stereotypically feminine. The reoccurring shots of her getting dressed also symbolise the protagonists interest in fashion. 

Sound: 

There is an audio-bridge over the final named ident of upbeat rock music. This continues through the opening, and the lyrics begin once the protagonist is revealed. The song is "Pretty in Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs, which the film is named after. 

Film Analysis: Scream (1996)

FILM ANALYSIS: SCREAM (1996)

dir. Wes Craven

BBFC 18 , MPAA R 

Opening Length: 12 minutes

Budget: $14/15 million     

Box Office: $173 million 

Theatrical Distribution: worldwide

Production Company: Woods Entertainment

Distributor: Dimension Films

Synopsis: A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorised by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. (IMDB)

LINKS: wikipedia , imdb

Trailer: 

.......

Possible Influences For My Film: The opening characters being separate from the remainder of the film, having a party, a masked killer. Elements of postmodernism and genre irony.                                 

Companies/Idents: 

This was the only ident shown, and was on screen for 9 seconds, which is unconventional and fast for being the only ident. Due to the time of the film being made, it was common to only have one production company, and therefore only one ident. 

Opening Shot: 

The opening shot is of a telephone, which is heard ringing through an audiobridge over the title. This is unconventional to have the close-up of an object, as a typical opening shot is an ELS. This denotes the object as a signifier, and could be relevant later in the film. 

Titles:

The titles start out expanded, then zoom in to reveal the name in white. A red border appears around the title, then turning it red. The title zooms into the letters and the screen turns red. The sans-serif font and same case connotes humour, but the spacing of the letters creates a sense of unease for the viewer. 

Mise-En-Scene/ First Five Shots: 

The audience is introduced to the protagonist, a conventionally attractive, blonde, teenage girl. The blonde hair is a common signifier of a scream queen. 

The shots are fluid, and track her movements. These long shots are unconventional for horror, as it typically uses shorter shots (Barthes' action codes) to create suspense. 

A dutch angle is used here, to denote something is wrong. Following the rule of thirds, the scream queen is in the right third of the frame, with the window/door on the left third. This creates a vulnerability for the protagonist, also due to the high angle of the camera. 

The shot of the trees is used to show the dark and nighttime, as well as connote the supernatural or horror. 

The ELS of the exterior of the house shows the isolation of the character. The use of windows along the sides denotes vulnerability, and voyeurism. 

Sound: 

The titles include screams, and an audiobridge of a phone ringing. This is a clear genre signifier for horror. The protagonist is heard speaking to the caller, who is heard replying. When showing exterior shots, the foley sounds of crickets and leaves are heard, further creating suspense and isolation. The protagonist puts popcorn on a stove, which is heard popping until it bursts. There are sounds of slashing when she picks up a knife, which is another genre signifier. A non-diegetic piano chord is heard, which builds up and becomes a series of drawn out chords, increasing tension and audience heart rate. 

Film Openings Initial Vodcast

For this vodcast I looked at 4 films; Submarine (2010), Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), Tyrannosaur (2011) and Pretty In Pink (1986). 

I analysed 8 aspects; idents, titles, sound, 1st shot, central protagonist, mise-en-scene, transition to main film and audience representations. 

Film Analysis: Jennifer's Body (2009)

FILM ANALYSIS: Jennifer's body (2009)

dir. Karyn Kusama

BBFC 15 , MPAA R 

Opening Length: 3 minutes

Budget: $16 million 

Box Office: $31.6 million

Re-Release (UK): $55,000

Theatrical Distribution: US only

Production Company: Fox Atomic, Dune Entertainment

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Synopsis: A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specialises in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put and end to her horror? (IMDB)

LINKS: wikipedia, IMDB, Box Office Mojo, Art of the Title

Trailer: 

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Possible Influences For My Film: The flipping of final girl/scream queen tropes. The use of a female serial killer wanting revenge. The relationship between Needy and Jennifer. The locker scene and style of outfits.   

                       

Companies/Idents: 

I was unable to find a version of the opening including the idents, but as it is a large budget film of the 2010s, I would estimate it to have around 3 idents. 

Opening Shot:

The opening shot is a Medium Shot showing someone with long, blonde hair, and a hospital gown. They are facing a grated up window, and are surrounded by stuffed animals. This shot connotes a psychiatric hospital, due to the window and gown, and the audience assumes the protagonist to be female due to the long, blonde hair. This is counter-typical for an opening shot, as they tend to be ELS to reveal as much exposition as possible. 

Titles:

The titles are misty, and in a thin font. The only company name seen is Fox Atomic, showing it as the primary producer. The film's title is in a pink cursive font, connoting femininity and its primary female target audience. 

Mise-En-Scene/First Five Shots: 

The shot pans down from the window onto the floor showing a variety of items, such as letters, crosses, and stuffed animals. This is accompanied by the voice-over describing them, creating narrative enigma. 

The connotations of a psychiatric hospital are anchored in this shot, with the close up of the dressing gown, the protagonist knitting, and the nurse in the background. 

The protagonist begins undressing and revealing scars with the voiceover describing how they need to be "saved". This builds the narrative enigma further, and horror signifiers start to be shown, such as the scar. 

This shot shows the boarded window, as well as pictures framed and on the wall, which creates verisimilitude for a teenage girl, with her friends, family, and assumed boyfriend. 

This shot provides comic relief, contrasting the dark and eerie hospital, with her fluffily rabbit slippers. This also begins to reveal the protagonists personality to the audience. 

Sound: 

There is light, eerie, music playing, with long-drawn out notes to create a sense of unease and build tension. The unseen protagonist begins speaking through a voiceover, cryptically speaking of her location and the letters she receives. These continue throughout the opening scene, only interrupted by dialogue of the protagonist and a nurse.