Opening Scene Analysis – Catch Me If You Can

Opening Scene Analysis – Catch Me If You Can

 

Summary:

The opening to the film “Catch Me If You Can” is an animation (unlike the rest of the film) that tries to give away hints to the storyline whilst giving away hints to the genre and themes portrayed in the film. Unlike other film openings it has no institutional logos and shows the names and production companies that help create the film through integrated titles. As well as this the opening sequence also tried to give the audience the idea of who is which character as it presents each the main characters in the animation and says the biggest actors names.

Genre:

The genre for this film is established by both the music and the main animated character. The audience can see this since the animated man is mysterious and looks as if he is trying to hide from someone throughout the whole.

Character:
The main character is shifty and moves from area to area seamlessly. He appears to be running from the other character, this is implied by the amount of transport in the animation since it shows he moves from area to area very fast whilst the other animated character follows him.

Narrative/Setting:

The setting throughout the opening changes this further emphasises the idea of running since the main character constantly changes and moves locations. The films storyline is established by the fast changing locations how the two main characters are constantly trying to chase each other.

Themes:

The opening titles give the audience an idea of themes through the mysterious music at the beginning. The mysterious music presents the themes of crime and drama.

Camera:

The camera in the opening follows a man that is changing clothing and jobs throughout the whole opening. This hints to the audience that he is the main character in the film and that the film is based around his story/journey.

Sound:

The music gives the audience a feeling of suspense and mystery. This helps to convey the themes and genres that are hinted in the opening of the film.

Titles:

The titles in the opening are “Integrated”. This means that as they appear they are part of the environment during the opening animation. The font is in an art style that matches the opening title animation and therefore integrates well with the environment.

How this will help me

This will help me by teaching me how to make an effective opening that hints at story and settings featured in the film and giving the audience an idea of both genre and themes.

The Differences Between a Film Trailer and a Film Opening

The Differences between a Film Trailer and Film Opening

There is a significant difference between a film trailer and a film opening. The main difference being a film opening sets and scene and give the audience an idea of the genre of the film. The film opening may also try and build up some sort of storyline or narrative. A film trailer is normally around 2-3 minutes and are previews to a film. They are normally composed of a montage of clips that give a small idea of the story, genre and showcasing the best/funniest moments of the film therefore enticing people to see it.

Film trailers are designed to make people want to watch the films. They consist of funny or memorable moments of the movie in a 2 – 3 minute montage. They will include actors, give an idea of the genre and release date. The title will also appear but this is normally at the end (unlike film openings where they are normally displayed within the first 45 seconds). These details are the most important for audience members in deciding whether they want to watch the film or not.  There secondary function is to raise awareness for the film especially independent films since they may not be as well-known or as popular as more mainstream films.

Film openings help set the scene and normally give a clear idea of the genre. They can be up to around 5 minutes. During this time they normally say the main actors and main people who worked on the film (e.g. director, producer). These jobs will normally be shown over a scene with music playing over the top. The title of the film will also be shown on screen normally within/around the first 45 seconds. These titles can sometimes be “integrated” which means they become part of the scene, but this is normally in mainstream films since these tend to have a higher budget and more staff to work on titles. Film openings will also display institutional names or logos at the very beginning, the majority of the time these are shown before the movie begins.

Preliminary Evaluation

Evaluation

Our short film has some continuity errors when you look at the characters and the backdrop of the scene. It took two one hour sessions to complete this scene and one of the actors had changed his hair as well as the background of the scene had been reorganised. These are very slight differences and can be missed very easily. These errors were almost unavoidable so we made sure to lessen any other errors that might occur.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

To ensure continuity we made sure each actor we had in our clip warn the same clothing so the scene we filmed in the two hours flowed nicely from one to the next. We also made sure the clips were in chronological order and added transitions to help the narrative of the clip move forward. We used other techniques to help continuity as well including 180 degree rule, match on action and a shot reverse shot. This helped the audience since it was easier to follow the story.

We used the 180 degree rule when the interrogator and the prisoner were conversing. To do this we ensured that the prisoner was always on the left side of the frame whereas the interrogator would always be on the right. This was to help with continuity and ensured the audience did not get confused and lose track of the storyline.

We used match on action when the interrogator opened a door. This helped with continuity was edited well since it helped the pace of the scene without confusing the audience. The audience see the character start to open the door but then we cut to the other side to see him coming through. These two different shots helps to make it seem continuous.

We used a shot reverse shot in our film in order to show that two characters were having a conversation. This made it easy to follow and easy to understand who was talking since one character would say something while on screen and the audience was able to see the other characters reaction almost instantly since it would change to them as they said their lines.

 

 

 

Our group incorporated transitions into our film. This helped break up longer shots and keep a steady pace. We had transitions during the flashback to help create a kind of dream sequence and make it clear to the audience the event they were watching wasn’t happening now. To give it a dream like feeling we used the fade through white transition.

While working in our group we found it would be best to split the work between us since we knew to complete the work we had to manage our time effectively. So Sam and I did the script while Tom and Nathan did the shot list. We completed this within one lesson and we were able to move on to the filming very quickly. After filming we worked together to complete the editing. We agreed that we all had equal contribution towards the project and I feel we worked well as a team.

To create the clip my group and I had to use basic editing skills in order for it to make scene. We also had to use the camera effectively while taking shots that would work when put together in iMovie and make the narrative clear to the audience.

In conclusion I think the task went well and the overall film was better than I had first expected it to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Film

 

The Film

 

 

The Filming Process

Filming Process

During filming we found using the equipment fairly easy. It took 10 minutes of testing before we understood how to use the dolly and tri-pod effectively. During the filming of each shot we took multiple shots of the same scene to make sure we had at least one good take of each scene and ensuring we didn’t have to re film the scene. We found one of the scenes hard to film (scene were we had to film someone walking at a low angle) during this we found the tri-pod would not go to the correct height so we filmed it by hand. During post production we found the camera shacked too much in each take. This lead to us re filming. We solved this by putting it on top of the dolly without support therefore it would pan smoothly with minimal shaking.

 

During filming we had to change a few aspects of our scene due to limitations and time. One of the biggest changes was that we had originally planned to have a knife as the murder weapon, but we only found a prop gun therefore we use this instead. After changing the shots and thinking of new ideas we found that using the gun was more beneficial since more shots could be used and it would look better overall.

 

When working together we found that to best manage our time we would split into two sub groups in order to complete the work quickly. While two of us did the script the other two would complete the shot list. This only took one lesson and during the next we found ourselves prepared to film. We all did filming and editing together and found that we had a few disagreements but nothing that would affect progress dramatically. While Tom and Nathan did the shot list I and Sam did the script. We all contributed to the rest of the aspects included in filming and editing.

Script

Script

Characters

INTERROGATOR    IN

PRISONER                P

 

Black screen, Foley footsteps. Fades to tracking of INTERRIGATOR’s feet, walking down a hallway.

 

IN opens door (match-on-action) and he stops to look at the PRISONER. OSS over P to IN. P starts to wake slowly.

 

IN        Why?                                                                                                  

 

Cuts to

 

P          Some people like to pay their debts.

 

Cuts to

 

IN pauses and then punches P in the face.

 

IN        I’ll say it again: why?

 

Cuts to

 

P spits in IN’s face.

 

Cuts to

 

P          Why do think I would tell you?

 

IN punches P in the face, triggering a flash back to the crime.

 

Cuts to

 

Extreme close up on P

 

Fades to black

 

Camera tracks out from the murderers back and then cranes up to an OSS as P kills the IN’s wife.

 

P drops knife and walks away as the camera fades to black and Foley footsteps can be heard.

Shot List

This is the shot list we used. This shows us what type of shot or angle of shot we need to use to create the film. It also shows equipment and actors featured in the shot as well as giving a brief description on what's inside of the shot. It main purpose is that by telling us the shots we can quickly film them within the timeframe we have been given.

Storyboard

This is the storyboard. We used this during production in order to help visualise both the story and shots that we needed to take. This helped us plan/organise the time we had to complete this film. This storyboard also shows camera angles which further helped us film the shots quickly and efficiently.

Preliminary Task Idea

Preliminary Task Idea

The clip will begin with a shot of feet walking from the left to the right of the camera. It will then cut to a match on action shot which will show a man (The Interrogator) opening and then walking through a door. After the man will enter a room and sit at a table with the prisoner. We then had the some dialogue and during this use a shot reverse shot in which the Interrogator will have more screen time. During this conversation also we must use the 180 degree rule. After this the Interrogator slams the prisoners head against the table triggering a flashback. During this flashback we see the prisoner kill walk through a door using a match on action and kill someone else (seen through a shot reverse shot). It will then fade back into the final shot where there is a pan of the table so that in one continuous shot you see both the Interrogator and the Prisoner.

 

Requirement	Yes or No?
Match On Action	Yes
Conversation	Yes
180 degree Rule	Yes
Shot Reverse Shot	Yes

 

Michael Jones 9193