Opening title sequence analysis- 'Sexy Beast'

'Sexy Beast' opening sequence The movie 'Sexy Beast' (2000), directed by Jonathan Glazer talks about Gal Dove, an ex criminal who is visited by a gangster that forces him to take part of his plan to rob a bank in London. The opening sequence starts with a simple shot of the clear sky and sun as an establishing shot. This doesn't gives us much information in terms of the setting however by centering the sun right in the middle of the composition, it may suggest they are in a hot country. A voiceover is used during this shot by the film's main character, Gal Dove. In the short monologue we hear Gal's inner thoughts. He talks about how he currently feels and uses the words: 'roasting', 'sweating', 'boiling', etc. These words connote heat and reinforces the idea that he is in a warm/hot location. The following scene captures a high angled wide shot of Gal Dove laying down. The use of an high angled shot is to show he is right below the sun. The Director includes an interesting composition by the clever use of color scheme. He placed Gal in the center of the composition laid down on a white chair that blends in with the white floor and places certain objects such as a tanning lotion, beers and cigarettes near him. These objects have warm colors such as browns and yellows which create contrast when placed with cold colors such as white. The Director even gives the character a warm yellowish speedo to match with the objects on the floor. In terms of the choice of objects, it gives the audience a small idea of his personality/behavior by having him near beers and a pack of cigarettes. As well as giving the character a bad representation. Sexy Beast- photo link A wide shot continues to show his actions but most importantly the background, we now have a more clear idea of the setting as it shows a villa. This is used with the purpose to show his wealth. A non diegetic sound starts playing in the background as he stands up from seat. An upbeat, punk song plays, creating a "cool", chill atmosphere. Closeup shots are used briefly after as the man has a conversation with the pool boy. We start understanding Gal a bit more as a sketchy character by the way he treats the young boy rudely and by his attire and attitude. Another interesting composition is created by using a high angled wide shot. The organized and symmetric composition leaves the audience visually pleased. This time the character is placed on the far left side of the composition and a pool occupies most of the space. The reason for this is for the audience to focus on the pool with tiles shaped like two hearts at the bottom, a view that is unusual therefore suggesting a woman's touch in the decoration. A cross cut is used to show another action taking place. An over the shoulder shot is used to film a woman driving a car. This immediately suggests to the audience that she may be linked to the character as a possible love interest. Moving along, more to the near end of the sequence a sudden freeze takes place to reveal the title of the movie. The freeze captures the bottom part of the man's body as he stands up which creates humor. The title is in pink, bold letters. As the scene unfreezes the character wanders around the pool. His calm, careless attitude starts creating doubt in the audience and questioning how did he make his money. The scene cross cuts to a sudden point of view camera shot of a rock rolling down the hill. The slow paced shot of the rolling rock, lets the audience see from the far Gal standing by the pool, foreshadowing something will happen to him. A closeup shot is then used to show the rock fall in the pool and splash Gal. His reaction to this is quite unusual as he remains calm. This again makes him seem more like a sketchy character, as he perhaps doesn't "fear death"? Sexy Beast- movie poster link

Opening title sequence analysis- 'The Shining' (1980)

The Shining opening sequence This is the opening sequence to the film 'The Shining' (1980) by Stanley Kubrick. The film 'The Shining' is based off Stephen King's novel, published in 1977. It tells the story of Jack Torrance, a writer who takes a job as a caretaker of an isolated hotel and how he loses his sanity because of the supernatural activity that takes place there, putting his wife and son in danger. The opening sequence uses an aerial tracking shot as an establishing shot. The usage of this specific shot creates a smooth camera movement, showing the beautiful scenery which captivates the audience even more. Throughout the sequence we follow a yellow Beetle's journey across large mountains, lakes and forests, using only aerial shots. By doing this, we can only get a general view of the action which may suggest the destination where they are headed is important. The Director further reinforces this idea by making these shots long and slow paced. When sound is placed, the atmosphere quickly changes to a more depressing, or threatening even as an eerie, unpleasant music plays in the background of the occurring action. The Director's choice of background music creates a juxtaposition to the peaceful shots of the journey, leaving the audience confused. It also gives the audience an idea of the film being a thriller/horror and builds up tension. With this in mind the choice of camera shot as an aerial shot may be used to show the fact the car is headed towards an isolated area which foreshadows something bad will happen as it does in most thrillers/horror movies. The Shining- Movie poster link

About Me

My name is Luiza Aranha. I'm originally from Brazil, São Paulo but I've spent most my life in Portugal. I grew up in Cascais, in a beautiful condominium by the beach with my mother, father and younger brother. However I've recently moved and am now studying in the most exciting school in England: Hurtwood House. My A levels are: Media Studies; Art and Business. I first arrived with the idea I would taking Spanish rather than Media Studies. I was never offered that option as a GCSE subject, so I didn't know what the course was about. When I was shown all the projects the previous students had made I immediately changed my mind. I'm interested in working in the Film Industry, as a creative director or concept artist, some area where Media Studies and Art meet so I found this course perfect for me. Media Studies then became my first choice and is currently my favorite subject. My hobbies include mainly drawing on my sketchbook, listening to music and watching movies. While I sketch, I enjoy listening to singers like Frank Ocean, Rex Orange County, Daniel Caesar, Tyler the Creator, etc. In my free time, I also like to learn new languages. I currently speak Portuguese and English fluently and I have been studying German, Chinese and Korean for more than 3 years now. This interest of mine really connects to my love for travel and learning about different cultures. I'm more of an artsy person so sports like football or basketball don't really interest me. I did however do Taekwondo for a year and a half because of my trip to Korea, Seoul during the summer of 2019, when I discovered the sport originated there. (a painting of mine of a traditional Chinese outfit .) I tend to watch a lot of movies on Netflix or on the TV in my free time. I prefer to watch movies rather than series because I get bored easily, specially in series that have more than 5 seasons. The only shows I was able to watch until the end that were that long was 'Friends'; 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and 'That 70s Show'. My favorite show is 'Stranger Things', I love it because of time period it's set in and because the interesting and creative plot. In terms of movies, I enjoy mostly fiction and some horror ones just for fun. My favorite movies are: 'Harry Potter' (all of the 8 movies); 'Pirates of the Caribbean'; 'Avengers' and 'Joker (2019)'. Joker- Movie poster link