Opening sequence analysis

Submarine Opening Sequence Analysis

In the opening scene of Richard Ayoade’s ‘Submarine’ the audience is introduced to the films main character, Oliver Tate. We see him sat next to his window at what seems to be the early morning. He is gazing outside as if he is trapped in his own room and longing to escape.

The very start of the opening scene we are shown the 4 Films and the UK Film council logos. These companies are mostly related to British gritty realism films. Just a couple seconds later we change to a blue screen with white text reminding us that the film was made by Film 4 and the UK Film council. The use of the blue background can be linked with the title as the blue could symbolise water. 

Just after this we see a shot of what seems to be Oliver’s bedroom. The camera is moving in a slow pan around the room. We can see some of the decorations in Oliver’s room. He has 3 small desk lights around his bed, this can be used to show the time as he would not want to be blinded by a big light early in the morning. It gives a relaxed tone tot the room as it is a medium brightness. The camera pans onto the window which displays the top of a tree and what appears to be a large hill in the background. The sky is grey but with a small hint of blue. This tells us that it could be autumn or winter as the blue indicates cold icy weather. Across the window appears to be some vines. This could enhance the feeling that Oliver is trapped in his room and the vines are keeping him inside.

We are then met with another blue screen. This time it tells us who is associated with the film. It was associated with optimum releasing and protagonist pictures. The white text on top of the blue gives a bold look to it and makes it really stand out. This could suggest how Oliver’s character could be different to other people.

In the background is the sound of seagulls, this could suggest that Oliver lives near to the sea. There is also a model of a seagull hanging from the ceiling of his room. This can be classed as a diegetic sound as the sound of the bird is used to envision that the model bird is real.

The camera continues to pan around the room however it is in a different part of the room and did not continue from where it left off. We see that on Oliver’s wall he has stuck pictures and other pieces of paper and card. We see Oliver’s desk which appears to be laid out in a very orderly fashion and is not messy.

We are again met with another blue screen. This time it tells us who the film is further associated with Red hour Films. It also tells the audience that it was a Warp film Production.

We cut back to Oliver’s bedroom and it shows a model skeleton with a Red Indian hat on. This could give us an insight into Oliver’s interests. This could suggest that Oliver has an interest in human biology. However the hat could show that he enjoys history. To the right we see a telescope and a model of the solar system. This shows how Oliver might find the universe interesting. The camera continues and we meet Oliver. He is sat on the floor gazing out of the window. We hear a narration from Oliver which could suggest that this is what he is thinking. Oliver is staring out of the window as if he is trapped or lonely. The camera then stutters closer to Oliver and it turns into a close up shot of his face. He then stares right at the camera as if he knew it was there. 

We are then taken to an extreme long shot of a hill side containing lots of semi detached houses except for one which is Oliver’s house. The fact that it is the only detached house could relate to Oliver being different to everyone else. As well as this the house is all on its own which could represent Oliver as being lonely. As this happens there is a very melancholy toned music being played in the background which gives a feeling of sadness to the scene. 

The camera then cuts to another hillside which shows the sun just about to rise over the hill. This gives a tired and early feel to the scene. It also tells us that it is early in the morning. We then cut to what seems to be a small dried up lake with the sun behind the clouds in the background. Another cut takes place and it shows the sea. This tells us that Oliver lives by the sea. We then see the title in white writing in front of a scene of the vast ocean. This makes the title stand out.

We then cut to a medium long shot showing Oliver’s back as he faces the sea. He stares into the seemingly ever lasting ocean in front of him. Again there is emphasis on the loneliness as there is no one around him. This scene gives a sad and emotional feel to the opening sequence.
 
The lighting throughout the scene in Oliver's bedroom is a very relaxed and a medium tone. The light outside the window is a light blue tone which gives the idea that it is early in the morning. This would explain the lack of light in the bedroom as Oliver is tired and does not want to hurt his eyes by having a blinding light on. 


Mean Machine Opening Sequence Analysis

We begin the opening scene by being introduces to the companies who created the film. The first of these is Paramount which is now one of the Big 6. One of the best production companies in the world. Known for producing Titanic and the Transformer series', these films have raised over or almost $1 billion each film. We then see the red scratch of SKA films.

We are now introduced to the main character, Danny Meehan played by Vinnie Jones. He is in an advert on TV. Wearing a black suit and holding a gun, this costume could be a spoof of James Bond. The camera is a medium long shot showing his chest and head and a silver car in the background. We then see a symbol for Umbro who were a major sports brand in the early 2000's.  This could tell us that Danny is a sportsman.

Then we cut to a British man in a lab jacket having a conversation with Danny. They begin to speak about the car that is in the background. This advert is a imitation of the well known action series, James Bond. The man in the lab coat then instructs Danny not to touch anything. However straight after the Scientist leaves, he begins to play around with the items presented on the table. This could show how Danny is a bad boy and does not listen to anyone.

He picks up a pair of football boots and a football, this shows that he is a football player as his profession. We then cut to a medium shot of Danny placing the ball on the floor and kicking it towards the car. The ball is hit very hard and explodes the car. This shows that Danny is powerful and a seemingly good football player. The explosion is very extravagant and we see it from an extreme long shot from various angles.

Over the top of the explosion is a narrator telling us more about Danny's character. He is the England captain and his nickname is Danny 'Mean Machine' Meehan. This name tells us that he is a good player as he is a so called 'Machine' and that he is the England captain. The Umbro logo is placed multiple times to emphasise the brand in this advert.

We then cut to a view from Danny's eyes looking down on his Umbro boots. This gives the audience the feeling that if they had these boots then they can do the same. We then see Danny with two girls on his side which shows how he could be a 'Lady's man'.

The music is a fast drum beat which gives an exhilarating feel to the scene. it also has a feel of action and power.

The advert is then paused and we hear Danny mocking the advert. The camera is panning around what seems to be his living room. There are lots of football decorations around the room which shows that he is a very good football player as there are also various trophies.

We then go to a close up of Danny as he drinks some sort of alcoholic drink. We then see him drinking a large bottle of what seems to be beer, just before he drives away in his red sports car. This provides more emphasis on the idea of him being a bad boy and disobeys the law.




Similarities of different opening sequences


We discussed as a group the similarities between the opening sequences of our chosen films. We first established that the text for the producers was normally white writing layered onto a dark background. We also discovered that all of our films were British made. We found this as our films were either produced by Film 4 or BBC. This also means that they are cultural specific to British people so American audiences would have trouble trying to relate to the characters.  Another similarity was that all of our films had a low budget. We could tell this by the lack of big actors, no special effects and it was all filmed on location. As well as this we found that the opening sequences often contained narratives. They also involved sound bridges to carry you into a different scene. We also discovered that they all had high levels of verisimilitude. We also found that they contained diegetic sounds. An example of this would be the seagulls in the opening sequence of submarine.