This is our initial Idea for our film opening. This statement of intent was a collaborative effort by all members of the group.
Statement of Intent
Genre
Action/Thriller / comedy
Target Audience
Demographic
Men , teenagers
Psychographic
Gamers
How we will appeal to this target audience
To gamers, we will use aspects seen in a video such as pov shots and action-packed scenes in a cinematic context.
Main inspirations
John Wick for its incredible and intense fight scenes
Johnny english especially for the comedic elements
Video Games especially the Yakuza series and other such action games, have a great blend of martial arts and fighting scenes.
General Synopsis
An Ex-ganster returns to his clan to take revenge on those who have betrayed him. It follows him as he is sneaking through his old headquarters seducing guards then ending with a climactic fight with the head of the clan. Does he win?
Character
Protagonist: someone who has been wronged by the antagonist
Antagonist: A boss of a powerful crime organisation
Goons/Guards: The goons are devoted to protecting the boss
Representations
Protagonist:Will be seen as ambitious and naive like he will be overestimating his limits
Antagonist: Well dressed respected and powerful as he is the leader or boss of the organization
Dominant Reading
What comes around goes around, You get what you deserve.
Typical conventions from the Action, Thriller, Shooter genre:
Films from this genre usually include . The narative is normally about a conflict between 2 opposing parties either due to fighteing over a mguffin or due to the antagonist doing something to the protagonist such as killing their loved ones. The films opening is often used to Introduce the characters or inrtuduce the conflict
John Wick 3: Parabellum (2019)
Produced by: Lionsgate & Summit Entertainment
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Genre / Sub genre:
Action, Thriller
What conventions does it conform to?
The convetions that the opening conforms to are the shots of the protagonist John Wick running through a busy street bloodied and bruised this shows that he had been in a fight beforehand aswell we dont know at first what hes running away from. In terms of props he is holstering a gun which is a common weapon in modern action movies. The mice en scene such as the rainy weather and night are also convetions within this genre as they help build tension adn create an intense atmosphere. The non-diagetic song playing aswell is thumpy and discordant which again helps build the suspense and is a conforming to conventions. Another way it conforms is by using establishing shots to set the setting and mood in this example it shows landmark such as the statue of liberty showing us that were in new york city.
What conventions does it subvert?
One way this movie subverts is by not showing us what John wick is running away from this creates hermeneutic codes and is unussaly of a film like this as they ussualy show they're atangonist this leaves john without a purpose exept to survive. Another way this opening subverts is by cutting away to a vintage call center which is a perculiar setting/location as this film is set in modern times although they operate as a bounty agency which bounties can be seen as a conformity.
What representations are there? (people/places/events) What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
The scene begins with an establishing shot of the statue of liberty then diagetic sounds of rain and thunder which set the scene and atmosphere of gloomy and moody. The statue of libery could also act as a symbolic code of how john wick wants to be free from his past and liberated from the orginazation. The extreme long shots and push ins of the city makes the audience get lost witin the sheer size of the city and the bright lights help create beautiful imeragery especially within the reflections from the puddles created from the rain. Then the camera zooms in onto a clock which puts the readers attention and focus towards the clock which creates hermeneutic codes about the importance of the clock.
Then the camera cuts into a medium close up shot of john wick running; The medium close up shot puts the audiences attention towards John Wicks wounds such us bruises in his head and a gun shot would above his hip it also brings attention to movements which looks like hes tired and injured not really running smoothly. John wick is aswell wearing a suit which gives us the idea that John is a proffesional. As John is running the camera aswell is very shaky using a handheld camera which empahasis the action and the tension. In this scene aswell it rapidly cuts between John wick and the dog which not only puts more focus on to them but also makes the scene feel more fast paced. Next the camera cuts into a close up of another clock again signalling the importance of time in the movie.
The score of this scene is discordant which creates this tension and helps fill up the noise whilst diagetic sound such as rain and ringing phones and cars help immerse the audience into the world.
Bullet train (2022)
Produced By: Columbia Pictures
Distributed By: Columbia Pictures
Genre / Sub genre:
Action, Comedy. Even though it is an action comedy it has various action scenes which peaked my intrests and would be useful to research.
What conventions does it conform to?
The opening is more of a character or relations opening so it does not have the typical action climactic conventions although it does conform as it introduces the antagonist and his motives and the constume he is wearing is dirty and messy as well as his hair and facial hair is unkept this shows that he might be unwell.
What conventions does it subvert?
The way this opening subverts by actually not showing the main protagonist instead opting to show an antognist and his motives. Another way it subverts conventions is by giving a heartfelt background to the antagonist whilst action movies tend to have 2 dimensional antagonist where they're evil just because it creates a polar opposite with the protagonist.
What representations are there? (people/places/events) What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
The scene opens in a sunlit hospital room which gives the room this nice warm ambiance which gives this contrapunctal lighting effect where though warm lighting ussualy means something happy for example summer but in this context it's not a happy scene where lying in the hospital bed is an injured child. On the floor there is a fallen flower this could be a symbolic code of how the child fell from the roof. The scene then cuts to a close up with a slight push in to the childs face, from here we see that he is injured bruises on his head with a diffribrilator. The use of the close up and push in is to make the audience focus on the childs injuries and feel sympathy towards him. Then it cuts it cuts into a close up of the father crying the cut is used to empahsis the reaction and makes this moment hit harder with audiences and shows the relationship between the Child and the father and how he blames himself for what happend to the child.
Later The heartfelt moment is disturbed by diagetic sounds from the japanese comercial and a close up to see a childrens cooking show episode about bad luck this again could be symbolic of how bad this situation is. The father then switches into a news chanel about a stolen venoumous snake from the zoo the boomslang this could be forshadowing as maybe in the future fight scenes the use of venom will be used effectively especially since the Boomslang is a very lethal snake. Next another close up on the flower as the Father is picking it up and uses a low angle to show the father face it feels as if the flower is looking back at the father. This all shows the father as being vanurable desperate and afraid for his son and that he would do anything for his health.
Then the scene introduces the grandfather with a close up on his face from which we can see a scar running down his face under his left eye this shows that he maybe a retired fighter maybe a mercinary or millitary and creates a hermeneutic code about how he got his scars. He then cousels the son about the duty of fatherhood which shows the relationship between the characters and highlights the importance of family in the story.
Then the scene flashes back to the scene of where the son was pushs off the building and by using camera movements such as handheld and shakey shows a desperate scene of the father trying to get into the crime scene which then cuts back into a close of the child which creates empahsis then a match cut into a close up of the father crying the flashback scenes aswell have a darker more cool lighting total contrast to the warm lighting of the hospital scene this creates a striking effect of the dark lighting creating more mystery. Especially as the camera frantically pans to the shoes of the son.
Here are some texts that I will look at a little more broadly to see how they appeal to audiences and how they can inspire me.
A target audience for this film might be adult men who maybe into video games especially the Hitman Series of video games. The way they appeal to gamers and fans of hitman is by using iconic weapons from the franchise such as the fiber wire which he used to incapacitate the bodyguards aswell as his iconic suppressed pistol which was use to shoot the target in the head, although this movie was heavily critisized for being unfaithful to the game as Agent 47 in the movies unlike the games tends to kill people (which are heavily discouraged in the games) rather then knock them out. Towards Men and adults they appealed by using alot of mature elements such violence and intense fight scenees and blood
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I liked how agent 47 is portrayed as a mysterious figure always being shown in flashing blue lights which makes it harder to see him and his actions aswell they introduced him by lunging at a guard in complete stealth and incapacitating them with a wire. I will use the idea of dark lighting and keeping our protagonist mysterious in the film opening.
Another thing I would use is the choreography. I beleive the choreography of this fightscene to be very instresting and exciting as whilst fighting what seams to be an endless flury of guards agent 47 practices very cool moves such as throwing someone of a balcony or even roling to dodge guards then reloading but especially when he dual wields his pistols.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
The one thing I disliked from this opening was the flashing blue lights I felt as if they were disorenting and added little for the scene i wish instead they kept the dark enviroment with a few static lights such as flash lights or even artificial moonlight that enhance the mysterious tone.
John Wick 4 (2023)
Produced By: Lionsgate
Distributed By: Lionsgate
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
This film also targets adult males they do this by making the main character an adult male which can help the audience reflect with the character. Also like other action movies the protrayl of violence and actions also tend to pander towards males.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
From this opening I would like to use the dark and gloomy mise en scene which was done by using dark lighting and underground settings. Another thing is the way they introduce the protagonist; at first we only get too see him bpunching a wooden plate with his fist until it bleeds this shows us how powerful and dedicated he is aswell not instantly showing us that this is john wick makes the audience ponder bout who this is.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Produced By: 20th Century fox
Distributed By: 20th Century fox
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
They use violence and fighting to pander towards adult males they also have hightech gadgets that may also appeal to fans of Spy movie
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like the fight coreography of this scene and how choatic everything is and how action packed every move is. I love how he uses the enviroment such us books to block knife hits aswell i love the use of pov shots as it helps us be more immersed into the character.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
1 Thing I would like to avoid from the opening is having multiple protagonist I believe it would be easier and better to flesh out one specific character rather then a team filled wth dynamics aswell it will make the individual protagonist look much stronger like super human.
Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
Produced By: Blackbear
Distributed By: Lionsgate
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
History buffs: They appealed to history buffs by using historical figures are parties such as Nazis as well this movie is based on a historical event.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like how they incorporated humor along side their action with jokes and especially waving to the ship with the dead body. I may also want to experiment with contrapuntal music such as in the opening. Their use of suppressors is also interesting as it gives the guns a satisfying sound and helps lower down the costs of effects.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
1 Thing I would like to avoid from the opening is having multiple protagonist I believe it would be easier and better to flesh out one specific character rather then a team filled wth dynamics aswell it will make the individual protagonist look much stronger like super human.
Max Payne (2008)
Produced By: Abandoned Entertainment
Distributed By: 20th Century Fox
Target auience, and how are they appealed to?
Gamers ( fans of the max Payne franchise): They are appealed to them by referencing characteristics and tropes from the games such as the inner dialogue and his motives and values which for the most part stays true with the source material.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
Max Payne's costume is very cool and interesting and makes him look tough and grizzled with the long leather coat and all black color scheme. I want to incorporate this mise en scene to make my main character look more tough and powerful.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
As we are now doing an Action comedy I would like to avoid the darker tones from the inner dialogue as well as the setting of dead bodies sinking under an icy river. We want to be more comedic and light hearted.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Produced By: Columbia pictures
Distributed By: Columbia pictures
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
History buffs: They appealed to history buffs by using historical figures are parties such as Nazis as well this movie is based on a historical event.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like how they incorporated humor along side their action with jokes and especially waving to the ship with the dead body. I may also want to experiment with contrapuntal music such as in the opening. Their use of suppressors is also interesting as it gives the guns a satisfying sound and helps lower down the costs of effects.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
1 Thing I would like to avoid from the opening is having multiple protagonist I believe it would be easier and better to flesh out one specific character rather then a team filled wth dynamics aswell it will make the individual protagonist look much stronger like super human
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Produced By: Universal Pictures
Distributed By: Universal Pictures
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
History buffs: They appealed to history buffs by using historical figures are parties such as Nazis as well this movie is based on a historical event.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I like how they incorporated humor along side their action with jokes and especially waving to the ship with the dead body. I may also want to experiment with contrapuntal music such as in the opening. Their use of suppressors is also interesting as it gives the guns a satisfying sound and helps lower down the costs of effects.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
1 Thing I would like to avoid from the opening is having multiple protagonist I believe it would be easier and better to flesh out one specific character rather then a team filled wth dynamics aswell it will make the individual protagonist look much stronger like super human
This is a video that helped me with generating the idea and defining what a film opening is
This video showed examples of different film openings and types of film openings, this helped me figure out the right film opening idea and type I want to create. Overall this video helped me make a more effective film opening.
I want my video opening to be quite niche as I want it to be unique as well niche productions are lower budget and have a smaller audience.
I wish for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. to produce my media text because they are the producers of john wick which is a really exiting shooter action thriller movie which was praised for its realism and attention to detail and our movie will be similar to that I wish for realism and authencity to be a priority.
Another one is Thunder Road Films which is a film and television financing and production company founded by Basil Iwanyk. They were also a producer for john wick as well as other thriller action films. Their typical
What are your thoughts on the video you have just watched?
Film
Genre/Genre Conventions
How did this scene introduce characters, settings and create intrigue?
What did you like/dislike about the intro?
ExtractIIon
Action
Fight, explosion, vehicles, action
The scene begins in action where the character is repeatedly shot and falls into the river this creates a pneumatic code of will the character survive. The setting as well is in a middle eastern country with alot of war and the character is a westerner so we can guess it was in the war on terror and other such wars involving westerners and the middle east.
I liked the action scenes though I hated it when it would keep cutting to the title screen which ruins the immersion.
Pamali The corpse village (2023)
Horror
Scary, dark, supernatural paranormal
The scene uses a genre opening to pull the viewer into the horror movie giving them a sense of fear and unease. The scene also uses zero dialogue which asks the question about what is going on. The scene is also set a night with the only light source being a lantern this again adds to the fear factor and the unknown as not a lot is being seen.
I liked the atmosphere and the suspense. It really pulls you into the horror feel. What i dislike was the gory bits
Uglies
Sci Fi
Lazers, futuristic tech, robots
This introduces the world in the far future where to fix human nature people are given surgerys to make them perfect. Though it was a bit of an exposition dump but the plot points and world building was intresting
I hated teh social commentary on human nature and the reliance on fossil fuels
I liked the idea and plot points.
500 Days of summer (2009)
Romance
Kissing, Couples, Wedding,
The scene uses a narrator to introduce the characters and hints of their future relationship creating intrigued and as well the flashback shows us the values of the characters which stick with them to the present
I liked how the narrator introduced the characters and their values and traits.
I like the montage of their childhoods as it creates a deeper connection between teh viewer and the characters and invokes a sense of nostalgia
I dislike the slow pace though ill allow it as it is a convention of teh genre
Johny english (1003)
Comedy
Jokes, Slapstick comedy, laugh
At first the character is introduced as a professional spy going in to a royal mansion defeating guards and docs and swaying women to achieve his goal but we findout he is actually dreaming and is infact just an office worker that works for an intelligence agency. This shows that he is not the sharpest tool in the shed but due to a cataphrofic event he is made to be an active duty spy which creates intrigue on what hes going to do.
I loved all the jokes and witty acts as I found it amusing though I found it a cit cliche when they said it was just a dream.
This my Weekly Progress + Plan for the COMP 1 Semester 1 term 2
WEEK:1
I Setup my blog and began research on industry and do that by answering questions about who would theorectically produce our movie and thus my group decided to base the producers and distributors on the production behind movies such as John Wick and The Raid. I'm excited to begin the project about the 2 minute film opening my ideas was to create a body cam shooter similar to the Video game Unrecorded.
WEEK:2
Today we were supposed to be beggining our research into genre but due to connection issues I was unable to begin and had to scribble a few notes on a peice of paper.
WEEK:3
In week 3 we had our first research assignment where we had to do 2 Big researches and 6 small researches about film opening where we analysed technical elements aswell as how they target their target audience. I wasn't able to fully finish my research plan which lowered its score I hope to improve on it and finish it.
WEEK:4
This week we began our statement of intent and when we put our minds together and came up with the plot line and story for our film aswell as our target demographic and psycographic and chose our final genre. We also had seperated our jobs and delegated roles to each other.gbp;;[//gg;///;p;/[[/asddp;;;
WEEK:5
We began our roughdrafts on the story board aswell as the playscript and we had for the mostpart finalized our plan idea and sequence. We also watched a video on how to properly story board which helped ease and standarised the process and well show us how to actually do it so we can imrpove from our previous attempt.
WEEK: 6
In week 6 we had 3 project lessons which were used to finalise our preproduction which included our statement of intent, story board screen play screen test ETC. Though we did learn how to create a proper storyboard aswell how to write and format a screen play and how to conduct a screen test . This will be the basis of our productions. Though many things are incomplete so we need to work overtime im a bit worried if my team is up to it though they seam distracted.
This my Weekly Progress + Plan for the COMP 1 Semester 2 term 3
Week: 1
This week we were told to recreate a scene by our teacher. We chose to recreate a scene from john wick chapter 4 specifically the card scene. This acted as a great warm up and welcome back to the class after the week long holiday and gave us some experience on how we will shoot our scene.
Week: 2
We practiced continuity editing and learnt how to minimise errors and mistakes with editing. This gave me a new prespective on ediiting as I had rarely done it recently. The way we practiced is by the teacher giving us clips of a man standing up and walking out of a room. Overall it was pretty fun and we were allowed to be very creative with our edits.
