Analysis of film openings

'Catch Me If You Can': 

Genre: biography/comedy/crime



From watching the opening of the film 'Catch Me If You Can' i could tell straight away that the film would have elements of action/comedy in it, but i also realised that there could also be an element of mystery in it as well. I thought this because the music at the very beginning was quite slow, and the actions of the animated men were also quite mysterious and had signs that it could involve spies/secret agents/chases, as it was a man spying on/following another man through a number of different locations.

I was able to get a good idea of what character types were going to be used in the film just from watching the opening credits as it used very good iconography to tell the audience about the main characters without giving to much away, and the during the opening credits, the story of the entire film is presented through the animated scenes. This allowed me to be able to tell that one of the main characters is some sort of spy who is following another person, and i could also tell that the other main character is the one who is being chased.

The opening credits of the film are very clever in the way that it tells you who is starring in the film, as it puts in the names of the actors as if the letters are part of the animations.This allows the audience to see who is going to be starring in the film, but it doesn't get in the way of what is on the screen, preventing you from not being able to see it properly. It also used iconography again to tell you who is going to be playing what role in the film. In the picture above this is shown as it used small arrows to point at the animated man, telling the audience who the character is being played by and what role the character has in the film. The picture below shows us that the man that will be chased is played by Leonardo Di Caprio, and the picture above shows that the man chasing him will be played by Tom Hanks.

From watching the clip i can tell that there are several different themes that could be used later and throughout the film. For example, spies, women and disguise. I found these themes thanks to the animations and music that is used. The spy theme is definitely used in the film, and this is confirmed by the story that it told in the opening credits, of one man spying and following another man. Identity/disguise is also definitely used in the film as on several occasions during the opening sequence, the man who is  following the other man changes appearance, in order to not be seen.

The opening sequence is very clever in the way how it tells the audience about the settings/locations used in the film, as it gives the audience lots of little clues throughout the opening sequence. For example there are lot of small planes flying around the screen throughout, telling us that one possible location is an airport. Another clue that is given to the audience is the use of classic yellow taxis, connoting the city of New York, telling the audience that New York is another location used in the film. Connotations of hotels are also used during the scene when the man is swimming in the swimming pool. There are also connotations of the 1950's time period as the music that is used is very old fashioned/retro and there is a scene in the opening sequence of people dancing at an old fashioned dance.

There are various different sounds that are used in the opening sequence to this film. For example there is old fashioned music, from many decades ago, some of the music has a mysterious tone to it, and some other music is quite upbeat. This is done to make the audience think and want to ask questions about the film before it has even started, and it tells the audience what themes are going to be used in the film through the music, but the audience often do not realise it is doing this.

The titles (integrated and personnel) have to come up in a certain order throughout the opening sequence, and this is the order they come in during the opening sequence to 'Catch Me If You Can':

• 'Institution' presents
• Production company 
• Production company
• Company/director
• Main actor/actress
• Other main actor/actress
• Film title
• Smaller actors

However, the director should be the very last credit that is shown, in order for the audience to have more chance of remembering his/her name more than anything else, as its the last name they saw. This should therefore give the director more recognition and gain a higher reputation if the film is popular.


Lord of war

Genre: crime/drama/thriller



From watching the opening sequence to the film 'Lord of War', almost straight away i could tell that there
would be lots of action involved in the film because of the fact that the opening sequence is the life of a bullet, and bullets usually connote war and action. I also detected that there could be some elements of politics involved within the film as we see some army sergeants during the middle of the film and some soldiers, showing the audience that they are in a war with another nation/political movement.


From watching the opening scene of the film, i was able to see that there is several types of characters used in the film. During the opening scene there is a shot of an army officer when the bullets are being loaded onto the truck, connoting that there are more powerful and authorative used in the film, for example more army officers and maybe police forces. I could also detect that there could be some manual labour workers used in the film, as the bullet goes through a factor, connoting manual workers. Also, there is connotations of fighters during the film as there are scenes of violence and gun shots during the scene.

Different types of possible characters - manual workers, officers, soldiers ^

From listening to the music played throughout the scene i can detect quite a jolly atmosphere within the opening scene, but this jolly atmosphere portrayed by the music juxtaposes with reality as the scenario that is taking place in the scene is war, which most people would say is not a jolly subject.

Multiple themes can be detected by watching the opening scene to this film; for example war, because of the story of the bullet, the people we see, such as soldiers and army officers, and scenes of battle at the en of the clip where the bullet is shot through the gun. Because there is so many things in the clip that have connotations of war and violence, is it easy to tell that this theme will be constantly used and referred to throughout the rest of the film. Another theme that is shown through the opening sequence is pain/misery. This is shown through the battle scene at the end of the clip where lots of men are in battle and being killed, referring to the topic of pain, and it is likely that this theme will be constantly used also in the film.

Bullet going for someone's head - theme of violence/pain ^

There are several clues in the opening sequence to what settings and locations will be used in the film. For example the opening clip starts in a factory where the bullet is being made, therefore that could connote factories/workshops and they could be a possible location used in the film. Another possible location is a naval ship, as during the scene where the bullets are unloaded onto the army truck, a big naval ship is seen, showing the audience that it is a possible location. One more location i found was that throughout the clip, a lot of the location looks like it is set in Africa, due to the people and the climate, suggesting that the main location used in the film is Africa.

Possible locations ^ (factory, naval ship, Africa)

The sounds used in the clip is very odd as the soundtrack being used juxtaposes with the mood and emotion felt by the people in the clip. The song being used has quite a light, jolly tune to it, and people could find it quite relaxing, however the mood of the clip is the total opposite as a war is going on, and war is not relaxing or jolly, however the theme of the soundtrack is about war, which is a big clue for the audience, and allows them to realise that the film's main theme is war, before the film has really started.

The titles that are used throughout the opening scene of the film have connotations of war and politics, like a lot of the other things that are used in the clip. The font used for the titles are very official, and look very professional, having connotations of political involvement, linking to war, which is the main theme throughout the film.


Panic room

Genre: crime/thriller



From watching the opening to 'Panic Room', i detected that there could be several different main genres in the film. One genre i thought could be used is action, as the film is set in a big, well known city; New York, and stereotypically most action films are set in major cities. Another possible genre i detected is thriller, as the music and the font all had an element of mystery, and the buildings that were shown in the clip all looked abandoned, and these all have connotations of horror/thriller films.

During the opening scene of the film, there were barely any clues as to what the characters are like, so it keeps the audience drawn in by doing this and makes them want to ask questions, however at the very end of the opening scene, you can hear a woman's voice.

Throughout the entire clip, i detected that there was quite an eerie, scary atmosphere. This is due to the fact that the music was very deep and had a mysterious tone to it, which made me think that the film could possibly be a horror film. Another reason to why i thought this is that the setting of the film. The whole of the city that it is set in looks very quiet, and like nobody there, giving it a haunting feeling, making it seem like a horror film.

Example of abandoned looking building. ^

As there are no people actually involved in the opening scene, it is hard to detect what themes are used, but because the film is set in a major city, this made me think that a possible theme could be work or city life, or possible businessmen/women. Another theme i detected was action, as New York would be a good place for an action film to be set as there are lots of people and buildings, so that is why i thought a lot of action could be used in the film.

It is easy to tell where the film is set, as the entire opening involves a camera pointing at different buildings with the cast/production names on them. It is set in Manhattan, New York City, which is probably the most famous city in the world, and a lot of films are set there, which is why it is difficult to tell what kind of genre the film is just from watching the opening, as it could be any type of film.

The music is a big clue for the audience to tell what kind of film that it is going to be. The music has a very deep, mysterious, haunting tone to it, and this could make the audience think that the film is some kind of thriller, horror or possibly action film. Another thing that happens is that when the titles are appearing on the screen, ticking sounds start to play, which have connotation of bombs, which connote war/disaster/action, and this could trick the audience into thinking the film is an action film, when really its a thriller/crime film.

The titles are very classic in the way they are shown as they come in the normal, stereotypical order that most other films use, as it starts with the institution, which is Colombo picture, then the main actors come up, then the film title, then smaller actors, and then the directors name is shown last. To make the rest of the film look more action-packed and to try and get the audience excited for the rest of the film, the font used for the titles has a 3D metal effect, in order to try and tell the audience that its an action film, but not giving away too much.

My Best Friends Wedding

Genre: comedy/romance



From watching the opening scene of the film 'My Best Friends Wedding', the first thing i noticed is that the film is going to be a romantic film. I knew this because all the women in the opening scene are wearing wedding dresses, and the name of the film has the word 'wedding' in it, making it obvious to the audience that it is going to have a lot of romance in it. After watching the opening sequence for about 30-60 seconds, i realised that there could be an element of comedy used in the film, as the song that the women are singing makes the audience laugh normally and the actions that the women are doing were also funny. Taking all this into account, i then knew that the film was a romantic comedy, and i think it is pretty obvious and easy to tell what genre the film is because it is presented to the audience in a very simple yet blatant way.

From seeing the name of the film and watching the opening sequence, i was able to get a good idea of what characters would be involved. There would obviously be a bride, groom, bridesmaid and best man, and normally in wedding films, the parents of the bride and groom play and big part. Most comedy wedding films have exactly the same style of characters involved, so i think this film will be exactly the same.

From listening to the tune of the song and looking at the facial expressions and actions of the singing women, i could sense that there is a very happy, jolly atmosphere, and it is all very cheesy in the way they are singing and dancing to a happy song in wedding dresses, so this makes the audience think that the whole film is going to be very jolly and cheesy.

I detected that there could possibly be to main themes used in the film. The main, obvious one is wedding themed, due to the name and the dresses that are worn in the opening sequence. The other theme i noticed, which is a lot less obvious, is disaster, due to the fact that when the bride chucks the flowers into the air and behind her, she catches them herself, which i think has connotations of disaster, telling the audience that the wedding is going to go very badly or a couple will divorce each other soon after marrying each other.

The setting of the film i believe is quite obvious from the opening scene as everything is wedding orientated, therefore the majority of the film will be set at a wedding, but most wedding films are also set in the bride and grooms home town, and sometimes the location of the honeymoon is shown, so that is another possible location used in the film.

The sound used in the film is very light toned, and the lyrics to the song connote happiness, and is a song that sounds like it could be played at an actual wedding, however the song is quite a slow pace, possibly having connotations of regret or unhappiness, suggesting that something could go wrong at some point during the film. The song is also very catchy, making the audience want to listen to it more, and it will stick into the audiences head, which makes them want to watch and enjoy the film, preventing them from walking away from the film.

The titles during the opening scene aren't specifically put in one place every time, they are based around the girls dancing and singing. This allows the audience to see who is starring in the film, but also doesn't make the audience lose attention from the women in the scene. The font used for the titles looks like calligraphy, and this is done to try and make it look like someone has wrote it like they would write a wedding invitation, so this is hinting to the audience that a wedding is definitely going to happen at some point during the film and to put them in the mood to watch the film.