Coursework - three existing professional films

coursework; our coursework task is to create an original music video or short film.
when planning and preparing ourselves for the coursework we are going to undertake in a couple of weeks, my class and I watched three 2 minute openings to films, all of which were different in there own ways.

 

Amores Perros

an overview of the film;

A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.

I haven't seen this film before, and so when we were researching feature films, out teacher have us this one to look at. 

Looking at the opening of Amores Perros, the audience are straight away thrown into a chaotic car chase, with two characters shown – possibly the main characters. Within the back of the car there is a dog which is bleeding out, which automatically leaves the audience with a million and one questions.

I personally think that the opening two minutes of the film is very effective as it makes the audience want to carry on watching. There is no music within the first two minutes however there is fast dialogue in Spanish with English subtitles which ultimately leads to the crash. There aren’t any credits in this opening, perhaps the audience will be focusing on reading the subtitles that quickly appear.

The location appears to be in a large city, most possibly in a Spanish speaking country but there is no indications of whereabouts.

Within the opening, there is a variety of different camera shots and angles from within the car and out.

Compares to the opening of Juno, much more is revealed in the opening two minutes of Amores Perros, perhaps due to the genre of the film.

Juno 

An overview of the film;

Juno is a 2007 American comedy-drama independent film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her.

The opening two minutes of Juno is very unique and intriguing as it is portrayed in an animation, where the picture still remains looking a little like live action film as we see a character, presumably Juno, as a sketch, with the background more like a cartoon. The plot starts by a character (presumably the main character) walking around the area (several locations but all in a seemingly close area e.g. Probably a town) and carries on after the opening into a live action film. Also, within the opening two minutes only the lead actor is shown, no other characters, which could ultimately suggest her independence and loneliness.  There is an upbeat song played within the opening two minutes of the film which fits the film well, and sets a good mood for the rest of the film. The credits are displayed throughout the opening, often portrayed as signs and are created in an animation hand writing style to fit with the opening. however, there is no dialogue. ­­­­­­

Forrest Gump

An overview of the film;

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The story depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump, a slow-witted but kind-hearted, good-natured and athletically prodigious man from Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States; more specifically, the period between Forrest's birth in 1944 and 1982. The film differs substantially from Winston Groom's novel, including Gump's personality and several events that were depicted.

When watching the opening, I personally think that not much of the plot is introduced but the audience can guess certain elements in the film, just from these opening two minutes. The credits, are shown in white text which are clearly visible however, not too dominant. The feather moves towards the names on the screen to draw focus. This draws attention as the feather is the only individually moving object the screen. As well as keeping focus on the feather, the high angled shots allow us to get a glimpse of the location, a large town, which seems bleak in comparison to the delicate and light feather. A character is introduced (perhaps the main character) picks up the feather whereas other ignored it, this may suggest that he is different to the rest of the society.

Together with his appearance (with the exception of his shoes) the props are a tidy and neat suitcase suggesting he may be off to work but also that he appreciates and takes good care of his belongings. There is no dialogue in the opening two minutes, yet I believe we can already say a lot about the character. For example, his shoes are extremely muddy, whereas the rest of his clothing is extremely smart and presentable indicating that they usually are very clean and tidy, and that his muddy shoes have something to do with the plot. The opening ends with a bus stopping in front of the character that we assume is Forrest, which could be seen as an effective way of leading the audience on to the rest of the film, as we join the character on his journey.