Movie Opener Brainstorming & Research

1. The title of this film is, "Rise." The genre of this film was sports, possibly tying into a sort of combining of age type-feel. It shows a very talented soccer player being discovered by what can be assumed to be a coach or recruiter. Right from the start, the quality of their videos are very good, they have very clear images and clean movements. They are creative with their camera angles, using a variety of them. I loved how music quietly starting playing and as the main character put on headphones, the volume of the music increased -- as if we were hearing what he was hearing. Then the camera shots were on the beat with the music, which I thought was a really cool element and something that I would love to incorporate in my opening. The music shifts and a second song is added on top, it blends really well and keeps the feel of the opening very strong and intriguing. I didn't love the two ending chocker shots, but it was a good way to leave the audience thinking and wanting more. Overall, I thought this opening was really well done. 

2. The title of this film is, "Offline." They started off by having an introduction using typing and then proceeded to have titles regarding the production and actors throughout the beginning of the opening. The genre of this film is horror. It goes back and forth in showing a girl who is held hostage in a cage and other teenagers looking at her social media profile and her location -- likely wondering where she is. They added some spooky music to create more of a horror effect. The camera quality, specifically the lighting was not as nice in this film. However, they did try to be a little creative with camera angles, but overall they were pretty generic. In my film, I definitely want to be more diverse with camera movements, editing, and angles because I think it increases the overall quality and feel of a film. Yet, as a whole, I think this film opening was nicely done and works well with events that happen in today's society. 

3. The title of this film is, "Dear Lover." The genre of this film is a romantic drama. It starts with a short sequence, displaying the titles, including the production team, music, actors, and the overall title of the film. The setting is interesting for this one, I like how they used the outdoors, it makes it very pretty. Some quiet music fades and a voice-over begins. I believe it is narrating the thoughts of the girl being filmed. Personally, I don't think a voice-over is something I would want to put in my film, but I think it works nicely with this one. They are experimental with camera angles and editing, the flashbacks were nice touches. They include some talking between the two main characters, in this, it is a little hard to hear them. They clearly had a strong idea for what their story was going to be, it was very well throughout. I did like how they included a same-sex couple, I think that pushes boundaries and should be represented more in films, so I applaud them for that. 

4. The title of this film is, "Dare to Thrill." The genre of this film seems to be an action related teen movie. The characters seem to be on a virtual scavenger hunt where they discover the key to a car. A cool element they added was having text on the screen, it was what they were seeing on their phone -- their "dare." Additionally, they added titles, highlighting the actors and those involved. The camera quality, editing, and angles are nice in this opening -- they made them fit the feeling of adventure present. I definitely will try to use some of their techniques to make the opening feel very clean and professional looking. In the end, they leave with some suspense, having the actors see something that the audience can not. As a whole, the concept of being dared to find things is kind of overdone (there have definitely been many movies with this idea). However, they did make a very good attempt at reenacting this concept. 

5. The title of this film is, "Always Watching." The genre of this film is horror. It involves one actor being obsessed and jealous of another. This opening involves a lot of dialogue, which is fine but I'm not sure if that is how I would create an opening to a film -- I think it reveals a lot way too quickly. They tried to include some different camera angles, but it is a lot of the same. It goes back and forth from the one actor discussing his obsession/jealousy to flashbacks and maybe some flashforwards of the actor interacting with his "enemy." In that sense, they did a nice job with the editing. However, the ending was cut off. I think they were trying to make it suspenseful, but instead, it just looks unfinished. As a whole, I don't know how much I would use this example to help me improve my film opening. 

6. The title of this film is, "The Blue Boar." The genre of this film is musical. It shows a young girl who is under strict rules by her mother, and instead ventures out to the woods where she can feel free. The concept seems quite similar to the musical/film "Tuck Everlasting." If she was going for similar vibes and ideas, then I think it correlates nicely. I very much applaud this creator for writing and producing, and possibly producing her own music in this film -- I think that is incredibly brave and is executed very well. Additionally, her camera angles, costumes, and editing work very well together -- which increases the overall quality of this film. Her techniques are some of which I definitely would include in my own opening. 

7. The title of this film is, "White Coat." The genre of this film is possibly sci-fi, but it also has a very mysterious feel with it. The concept of this film seems to be a scientist creating some sort of medicine or liquid for a patient or being. It opens with a title sequence, which is done with very nice animations. The camera quality, angles, and especially the editing all look professionally done. It's clear this creator dedicated a lot of time and effort to their opening. The sound is interesting because they have suspenseful music, but then add sounds of liquids being stirred and poured together. Additionally, the lighting is very good -- they kept the lighting lower which helped the mysterious feel. Overall, this film opening was incredibly done and I would use their technical elements as ideas and help for my film opening. 

8. The title of this film is, "Stalker." The genre of this film is horror. It is very much a high school project. The concept of the film is a girl being stalked by someone -- somewhat of an overused idea. It does meet element requirements -- varying camera angles, titles, and some sound. Yet, it lacks strength and effort. The titles are minimal but were displayed for the audience. They included some sound effects; a phone alarm, a camera taking pictures, a beating heart, and some suspenseful sounds. Other than that, there wasn't much sound to accompany the images and videos. It ends with a suspenseful image. They made some good efforts and meet some requirements, but lack creativity and execution. As a whole, I don't think I will be using this film opening to guide me through creating my own. 

9. The title of this film is, "Nostalgia." The genre of this film likely a drama -- it is seemingly supposed to be quite sad. It shows an older woman looking back on her life. They recorded videos of a painting or a set of pictures and then would show the woman. a short title sequence is done in the beginning. The include different angles, but all pretty much show the same subject and there is a lack of creativity and movement throughout the opening. It is nicely done, but again the execution is not at a level where these films should maybe be for a media class. This film is nice inspiration, but I do not see myself using it for guidance very much when creating my opening.

After watching all these film openings I have a much better idea as to what is needed to execute a film of good quality to submit as my AICE final. Specifically, examples one, four, six, and seven I will likely look back on for guidance and inspiration.