Analysis and Genre Conventions in an Opening Sequence: American Gangster (2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co9XCOuE768

The 2007 film ‘American Gangster’, directed by Ridley Scott is a Gangster period drama, set in the ‘70s crack/cocaine era where crime boss Frank (Denzel Washington) rules Harlem’s chaotic drug underworld. When Richie (Russell Crowe) decides to take him down after his best friend dies from the drugs, both men face confrontation.
The film’s lighting overall is very low key, making the viewer sometimes turning the brightness up on their screen. The content is a typical film-noir content which I’ll be explaining and it is relevant to what our chosen genre for our film is planned to be.
I chose this particular opening scene, because it initially shows the type we may be looking for in our opening scene. One, it includes a man being tied down to a chair. Second, I believe the lighting is just what we should be aiming for and last of all, its film noir with two/three characters only in the opening scene and I believe it includes just enough to show the audience what to expect and it hooks them into wanting to watch the rest of the film.
At the start of the scene, the very first thing we see is the ‘Universal’ logo and then the ‘Imagine Entertainment’ with the non-diegetic, suspense music playing, giving a cold, and unsettling feeling immediately. For a brief 2 seconds, the screen is blank with the diegetic sounds of liquid pouring out and a police siren, setting up an expectation of a crime scene. Next, a close up of a mans head with the suspected liquid heard 2sec ago pouring over his head is now shown, with red streaks of blood going off from the liquid, showing the audience that violence has been used, also informing us of what to expect in this film. The scenery is dark, establishing the place and time of which is night time, preferably in the early hours and we can also hear the man saying something in foreign, maybe a prayer or curse of some sort before death or even a curse upon whoever has hurt him. I think the foreign language used is a typical act of a film-noir, gangster film, where the Gangsters are normally doing their dirty work everywhere, including in foreign countries, meaning dealing and killing every type of people.
Next, the shot is drawn back to a medium one, now revealing the two protagonists, Frank (Denzel) and his boss, Bumpy Johnson and the third person who is pouring oil out of a container all over the tied person, who we see jumping up and down his seat with blood all over him. We see that Bumpy is dressed very smartly, with the long overcoat, the hat, golden coloured scarf and tie and shirt, showing he’s the Boss, whereas Frank is dressed casually, with a crème coloured jumper, shown lighting a Cigar. All of the above mentioned are the typical characteristics of a Gangster, so we should know what to expect. This is setting up an audience expectation of which the person being tied is to be burnt alive.
When the camera shows a close up shot of Bumpy, we know this person is a very dark and powerful person, because of the side lighting being used, we barely see his face, except for the bottom side of his face and upto his tie and the outline of his hat, revealing is facial expression and his type of clothes. The golden coloured scarf could indicate he’s the boss, because it stands out to his grey coloured clothing. The very next shot, we see Frank lighting up his Cigar, Bumpy standing still and the 3rd man pouring oil, with the car lights behind them all, which shows they’re carrying out their task in a very rural area, keeping discreet, which reassures the audience of what they should expect throughout the film, in terms of the violence, the dark night, the flashy clothing and the casual murdering. And as a close up shot of Frank puffing his Cigar to start it, he casually throws his lighter onto the man, showing the audience no emotion, even after the victim falls to the floor and being shot multiple times. As the camera pans to the left side to where Bumpy was standing, the scene moves on to the black title shot ‘American Gangster’, leaving the audience rather shocked and unsettled, but giving us a taste of what we should expect from Frank and to maybe establish to what the old persons role is. The initial equilibrium I think is that Frank will eventually turn into the boss and he’ll rise to power and then eventually fall. I think, being a Gangster drama, we expect a ‘rise and fall’ storyline. We see Frank being the more dominant, younger and active one that the focus should be on Frank and everything is going to evolve around him. Notice how we are able to see Frank’s face more clearly than Bumpy’s too. The scene doesn’t introduce any new motifs and themes linked to the film noir/gangster ideology other than they’re black males and not typically Italian. I think the stereotype gangster on screen is normally Italian, so this being a film set in the black ghetto, evolving around a black protagonist is itself a hook piece for the audience, to keep us intrigued.
In reference to our chosen 2mins opening scene, I would like to adapt this sort of opening scene, from the non-diegetic score and the use of little editing, yet showing a very powerful and violent scene. The use of only one continuous dialogue is very real, because it shows the men behind this persons death are very ruthless and confident in what they do which links in to the film noir/gangster type and they’re don’t need to express themselves by saying anything, but into showing their actions instead which I believe, for our project, the little dialogue, the better. I think, the certain significant shots and expressions will show the quality in the scene and the potential the film would have.

Bilaal Saghir

Analysis of an Opening Sequence: Bad Boys (1995)

I have chosen to analyse the opening sequence of Bad Boys, because like the film I am making, one on the main genres that are evident is Crime.

Another reason why I have chosen to analyse Bad Boys is because relationships are also a key theme in the film, the two main characters are partners and best friends, they argue and fight like cat and dog, yet they stick up for each other like brothers. In my film how ever the two main characters hate each other they want nothing more than to annihilate the other, though their relationship is very different to the one portrayed in Bad Boys it is just as important. The blood lust and hate is a feeling shared by both men, it is what makes them very alike.

A typical convention of the Crime genre is police officers or any form of law enforcer, whether that be C.I.A, F.B.I, MI5 or even a lawyer, and some sort of criminal, whether they be petty drug dealers or armed robber or the head of a drug cartel or arms dealer. In the opening sequence of Bad Boys it is not made clear that the two characters are police officers. That is until they are being held at gunpoint and Will Smith says “right now you’re jacking a couple of cops”. The way they carry themselves is also a obvious way of figuring out they are police officers, like all police officers that are portrayed in American films they are cocky and over the top. How ever their African American ethnicity and the car they are driving makes them come across as possible criminals. Also their ‘Ghetto’ way of talking which consists of profanities and insults also makes them appears to be the ‘bad guys’. They like the police officer in my film challenge the stereotype of a law enforcer being a well educated white man.

The opening sequence of Bad Boys sets up audience expectations of it being a big budget film. This is because of the two main characters being played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Smith had already been in three films and the popular TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Lawrence who had been in six films. They were both already well paid actors, who were also household names known worldwide. The props used in the film also show that it is a high budget film, for example the black Porsche 964 (911) turbo 3.6, valued at $60179. This car shows that the producers had a lot of money to spend on the film so the SFX would be mind blowing and extremely realistic. The two protagonists are presented within the first forty eight seconds of the opening sequence of the film. Straight away we are informed that one is married and not very happy with the relationship. The other is proud and likes to show off his wealth with a $60,000 car.  How ever their differences aside, their banter and the way they treat each other shows that they are very good friends as well as partners, brothers in arms in a way.

The opening sequence doesn’t really set up any big enigmas. It sets up smaller ones, like what will happen to the men who tried to steal the car and whether the arguments between the protagonists will persist. The only initial equilibrium that can be disrupted is their relationship. The bond they share is the only thing that will bring them down. The key theme shown in the opening sequence is relationship between the protagonists. Their friendship and willingness to do anything for each other shows their love for each other and that they are as close as brothers. The palm trees lining the roads and the accents of the four characters in the opening sequence shows that the film is set in America, where in America though is unknown at this point in the film, though the palm trees lining the streets hint at the location being some where like Miami.

Shafaah Jaber

Feedback 28.1.11

Well done team! You are making good progress here although I need to see work from all of you (Dimitris).
You need a reflection on the prelim task - what did you learn, what worked/didn't, what would you do differently if you did it again etc? One thing I noticed is that there should really have been a close up on the door handle before Bilaal opens the door. There is a lack of close ups and perhaps, as the conversation last a while, you could have moved in to a close up during the shot reverse shot. It's not a problem, the task is fine but you could add these thoughts to the reflection perhaps?
Please ensure you've all booked into workshops for next week. You can book other weeks in advance too if you want to make a specific night regular but you must remember to contact Mike if for any reason you cannot make the night you've booked. Please complete the research for Mon's lesson then you can start to plan more thoroughly.

Mrs A

Conventions of a Genre and Analysis of an Opening Sequence

Clip displaying the genre conventions of Crime/Thriller opening sequences in "Kill Bill Vol.1" [Quentin Tarantino, 2003]



I have chosen to analyse 'Kill Bill Vol.1' in that it posseses the genre conventions that crime/thriller's typically contain, and provides an excellent source of study on how opening sequences cement an audience's expectations and outline the filmmaker's intentions from the most important moments in a film. We can detect that the film shows traces of an influence in 'Film Noir' cinematics and techniques, for example, the establishing shot, and the shots that follow are all shot in a low-key black and white style that give a nod to the German Expressionism Era of the 1920's. This style is commonly assosciated with Detective and Crime Noir as well as many other gangster films, thus being an excellent reason to incorporate this influential technique in our project, due to the genre that it conforms to.
Firstly, this sequence shows evidence of creating enigmas to entice audiences, for example, the first ever shot of the film is of Beatrice all beaten and bloodied in a close up, this allows the audience to contemplate straight away on the theory about how the protagonist got into the situation and what they have done to be subjected to that kind of abuse. Further enigmas that are produced includes the hint of who the antagonist is, this can be seen as the "villain" wipes Beatrice's face with a handkerchief adorned with the name "Bill" on it, suggesting to the audience that they will soon be greeted with the attacker later on in the narrative, whilst still  raising enigmas as to why he is inflicting harm upon the central protaganist.
Other genre conventions of Crime/Thrillers can be determined through the use of lighting within the diegesis. The use of lighting in the Mise En Scene can give an atmosphere of mystery and give the illusion of split personalities, as well as giving shots depth and compostion. Low Key articficial lighting is incorporated to give areas of high contrast and strong shadows creating a sense of .  Film Noir of the 1940's used Low Key lighting to great effect. If you want to create an atmosphere of tension, this is ideal.

Chelsea Bull.

Preliminary Task

Relection
Upon evaluating this task, we decided that a more sophisticated use of cinematography could have been incorporated into the shots. A series of close ups of the door handle and of the subjects engaged in conversation would have provided more information for the audience and created a sequence that would become more interesting to watch. Furthermore, due to the fact that there was only one person filming, the fluidity and continuity of the shots was inadequate, leaving the final project to lack a collection of coherent shots after editing.

Dimitris & Bilaal- Acting
Shafaah- Filming- Director
Chelsea- Editing and Reflection

Conventions of an Opening Sequence

The first convention of an opening sequence is reassuring the audience by indicating the conventions of the chosen genre. For our film the genres are Crime, Thriller and Film-Noir. These genres are exhibited through the use of props, characters and the style in which the film is shot. Our film is shot in black and white which is one of the main conventions of film noir. The use of a police badge and guns show that it fits in with the crime genre because one of the characters is a police officer and the other is a criminal, lastly the barbaric murder of the protagonist conveys the reasons behind the film being a thriller. Opening sequences set up audience expectations for the rest of the film. Because our opening sequence is actually the last scene the audience are still unaware, so the rest of the film is intended to shed light on their confusion.  The death in the first scene gives the audience a thirst for knowledge; they automatically want to know what has made these two characters hate each other.  Many enigmas are set up during the opening sequence of all films; this is what drives the audience to want to see the rest of the film. The confrontation in our film gains the interest of the audience and has them asking questions and being unable to wait for the answer. A typical opening sequence will set up an initial equilibrium that will be disrupted.  In our film we stick to Todorov’s theory of Equilibrium, Disruption and Re-Equilibrium, however we twist it slightly by starting off with Re-Equilibrium, but because this is the opening sequence the audience are led to believe that this is in fact the Equilibrium that will later be disrupted.

 Opening sequences always introduce any key motifs and themes that are linked to the dogmas of the film. In our film the main theme is revenge and law and order. These themes are shown through the violence; also they are presented in the key motif, the police badge. Opening sequences are also used to introduce the protagonist; our film does this by showing the protagonist stood over the body of the antagonist.  Lastly an opening sequence intends to establish a time and place, this is done through establishing shots and possibly through the use of narrative devices such as voice over’s, captions and dialogue. In our film the establishing shot is when the camera pans round to show that the main characters are in a warehouse.

Shafaah.

Initial Idea

The opening sequence focuses on two main characters. The protagonist is a Caucasian male in his late twenties, early thirties. This character is the head of a crime syndicate (‘Boss’); he runs organised crime such as drug dealing and extortion.  His business partner, and best friend, was killed by a police officer. The police officer in question is the antagonist of the story. He is an African American, also in his late twenties, early thirties. I have chosen to have the head of the crime syndicate as a Caucasian and the police officer as a African American to challenge the stereotype of the law enforcer being white and the criminal being black. This is because in reality a criminal and law enforcer can be any shape, size or race. The police officer is very ambitious when it comes to enforcing the law. A little bit too ambitious though, as he often takes the law into his own hands.  The police officer’s main goal, is to bring down the crime syndicate and he sets the ball in motion by killing the business partner of the ‘Boss’. Now that his business partner has been killed in cold blood, the ‘Boss’ has taken out a personal vendetta against the police officer. He wants him found so that he can avenge his friend.  The police officer fearing what could possibly happen to his family goes on the run, leaving no traces that would lead the ‘Boss’ to him.

The story is told in the point of view of the ‘Boss’, because of this he portrays himself as the innocent party, and of course the police officer is seen as a mad man who killed his best friend and partner.  The whole crime syndicate constantly refer to themselves as ‘the agency’ and all wear black suits, with white shirts and a black tie, because of this the audience is led to believe that they are part of a crime prevention organisation like the CIA, FBI or MI5.  The audience is under a false pretence as they believe that the criminals are the law enforcers and vice versa.  The story line draws to a close with the ‘Boss’ being made aware of the police officers where abouts. He finds him hiding out in a warehouse. They have a confrontation and the police officer turns his back on the ‘Boss’ and refuses to face him when the time comes for him to die. At this point the audience is made aware that the police officer is in fact the hero of the film and the ‘Boss’ is in fact the real villain. The film ends with the police officer on the floor dead, and a close up of the ‘Boss’ with a terrified expression on his face.  This back ground plot has only been outlined because the opening sequence is actually the ending of the film.  The film is a flash back told in the point of view of the ‘Boss’, the last scene shows him finding the police officer killing him, taking his badge and finally being able to relax after avenging his partner, where as the opening sequence starts with the police officer already dead and the ‘Boss’ already in possession of his badge.

The opening sequence it’s self is an enigma because it is the last scene and the rest of the film is a flash back of the events leading up to the confrontation in the warehouse. The two characters in the opening sequence are also an enigma as neither of them has a name and the audience has no idea as to who they are or why one of them is lying dead on the floor.  

The scene starts with the body of the police officer lying face forward on the floor. His back is full of blood and next to his hand is a hand gun. The focus shifts and behind him sat in a wooden chair is the head of the crime syndicate. The camera zooms into a close up shot of his hands caressing a police badge. Now because of this shot the audience automatically think that he is the law enforcer and the man lying dead on the floor is the criminal. The camera cuts to a close up head and shoulders shot of the ‘Boss’ shaking his head with tears in his eyes. He slowly closes his eyes and at this point the camera pans around one hundred and eighty degrees and stops with a medium close up of the police officer stood up with his arm outstretched and his gun in his hand.  He begins to laugh menacingly, the camera cuts back to the ‘Boss’ who now has his eyes open, a terrified look crosses his face. The camera cuts back to the still laughing police officer as he shoots several times. The camera then cuts to a high angle shot of the ‘Boss’ in his blood stained suit slumping forward, the camera cuts to his hand going limp and the police badge slipping from his fingers and falling to the floor. The camera cuts back to the ‘Boss’ falling forward out of the chair and landing on the floor. The camera then cuts back to a medium close up of the police officer, who has now lowered his arm and pulls the trigger once more. He is out of bullets so he grabs the gun from the barrel and beats the ‘Boss’ with the handle. The ‘Bosses’ body remains out of shot the whole time because the camera is focusing on the police officer laughing and screaming profanities. This is to show his decent into madness and the sheer brutality that he is capable of.  He eventually stands up and turns his back on the camera. He walks out of the warehouse leaving the body of the ‘Boss’ and most importantly leaving his badge behind. The badge it’s self is a symbol of the police officer realising that he should leave the whole ordeal in the past and let bygones be bygones.

The genres of this film are Crime, Thriller and Film-Noir. The reasons why I have chosen these genres is because of the murder riddled plot and confusing opening/closing sequence.  The opening sequence starts with and ends with a murder, also because of the police badge it is obvious that one of the characters is a criminal and the other a law enforcer, so this is a main reason for it fitting into the Crime genre.  The film is a Thriller because of the enigmas that are evident from the beginning and because of the brutality of the police officer. Lastly it is Film-Noir because I have chosen to shoot it in black and white, the reason for this being that I believe the sultry grey and black tones add shadow and mystery to the already enigmatic themes that run through the plot and are especially evident in the opening sequence. So far a soundtrack has not yet been chosen. I would initially like it to be some sort of classical music because the beauty of it is an oxymoron of the barbaric murder of the 'Boss'.

Shafaah, Chelsea and Bilaal.