Analysis of an Introducion

An introduction to a film is a huge factor when taking into account the effect it has on its target audience: it makes the viewers' mind up whether they are going to continue to watch the film or turn it off. therefore it has to be engaging and capture the attention of the viewer in a short space of time. I have analysed a number of different introductions to films that have the same genre to us; British gangster, and will be brekaing them down to gather up all the various media techniques used and use them as a base to apply them to my film to ensure it gives the audience what they are expecting to see.

British Gangster: there are typical codes and conventions used in this specific genre.

Setting: is urban-in the streets of London, reinforces the british genre.

Characters: Usually exaggerated and differ from the normality of the society they find themselves in, always wanting to better themselves, and trust no-one apart from their fellow gang members. Always a leader who keeps the group in line, usually a "hard-man"- the brawns of the group, compared to a smart one who is the "brains". A foreign character introduced, usually throws a spanner in the works for the gangsters; adds to the hype of the film.

Codes and Conventions: Material goods; the success of the group is portrayed through flashy cars, expensive clothing, big houses etc. Relatively fast paced non-diegetic music; this allows the audience to know that the film is fast paced and gives it a smooth, sneaky criminal effect. Quick camera angles are used to keep the non-stop action and narrative storyline running smoothly, this is reinforced by the transition from shot to shot, it is not just cut, it is sometimes runs striaght into the next shot or whirls into it (see snatch analysis 7-12 secs )


SNATCH (2000)- Guy Ritchie, 1.20 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-xNqj7S54E&feature=related

Thorughout this introduction Guy cleverly keeps a constant in the shot; whether it be a prop or a character, this again reinforces the idea that this film has a cool, smooth atmosphere about it and connotes to the audience that these characters are all in some way going to be linked to eachother as the story unfolds. This is engaging for the audience as they want to see how they are linked, therefore they watch the film and Guy has acheived his target of an engaging introduction. Also there is no dialogue in this introduction, this keeps some of the characters identity hidden, therefore the audience want to find out and keep focused on the film, it also keeps the attention focused on the action.

Right from the start of the introduction the non-diegetic music is played over a scene where there is already something suspicious going on. We as an audience feel as though we are there with the characters as we are placed inside the van, the use of the music icreases the tempo of the action and we as an audience believe that something dramatic is about to happen.

8 seconds into the intro we are shown a diamond - which is obviously worth a lot of money, place into the centre of the shot and the title of the film "Snatch" appears in white, bold writing on top of the diamond. This has a layers of meaning to the viewer; it could mean that the diamond is going to be "snatched" from somewhere and causes a dramatic hunt to find it, also it shows that the diamond is going to be the centre of attention throughout the film; as it is placed in the centre of the shot.

7-12 seconds is an example of the whirl motion used to move to the next shot, is clever as the audience is still focused on the diamond however we have changed location a nd character, this engages the audience as it is not just a simple boring cut to the next shot.

25 -27 seconds is an example of the smooth transition used to go to the next shot, this is again engaging for the audience as we follow a mini storyline whilst being introduced to the characters, this at the same time conveys to us that these characters are all connected in some way, however they are not aware of this but we as a viewer are, this dramatic irony engages the viewer to continue to watch the film as they want to see how the characters react when this exciting dram unfolds.

This is a still image from the introduction of "Snatch". Stephen Graham plays "Tommy"- the right hand man to "Turkish" who is one of the main character in the film. This mis-en-scene shows us the typical codes and conventions we expect to see in a British gangster film; the lighting and colour is reasonably dull, no bright colours are present, this is representing the urban area of London and maybe the "Gangster" environment in which they find themselves in. The clothing is typical of a gangster, the smart suit, and the positioning of the character-low on the floor, could be representing his status in society- again ties in with the idea that the gangsters are trying to better themselves. Additionally the setting-is also dull, and obviuosly a cheap place as there is no carpet or luxorious props-just a couple of weights which adds to the "hardman" idea of the rough, gritty gangsters.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) - Guy Ritchie. 0 - 2.13 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE7Jzod0Cr4

Once again Guy manages to capture the attention of his target audience with an introduction oozing intense drama and a typical British scenario backed up with a simple British song to add to the genre of the film.

We are introduced to two characters, who are wearing black, casual clothing this conveys that they want to conceal their identity, as we later find out that they are selling stolen goods. Again the typical conventions appear in this short but engaging introduction; we see the gangsters trying to better their lives-in this case by selling stolen goods to make money, also we see their struggle to avoid the authoriy-in this case the police. This creates tension and the audience want to discover if they get away so carry on watching.

The characters dialogue is a typical Londoner, cockney and rhyming slang, adding to the genre and creating an identity for the character.

In this particular introduction, the camera is placed in amongst the drama, in the same way as it is in "Snatch". This adds to the hype of the drama as we are placed in the middle of the chaos that is about to erupt. The panning shot (1.30 - 136) allows us watch the getaway of the gangsters and follow the characters as they try to evade capture in their daily lives. The production company and director are introduce whilst the voice-over is still speking and the dram is still continuing, creating again a smoothness and quick pace to the drama that this film will unfold.

The mis-en-scene is, in the same way as "Snatch"- the colour is full of duller shades e.g darker yellows, browns and greens. This can be seen throughout the introduction, this gives a more old feeling to the film, and makes it less predictable to the audience. The character is a typical Londoner, white, middle aged bald man, this is what we as an audience expect to see, therefore Guy is fulfilling our expectations of the typical characters in a British genre. The facial expression is exaggerated; just like the characters we see throughout the film.

Slow motion is used between 1.43 - 2.02 seconds. This technique is used so that the audience can focus on the voice-over as he is introducing the charatcers and giving us background knowledge so that we can immediately form a connection with the characters. Also there is graffiti on the brick wall, this reinforces the british setting and London environment, it also connotes to us as a viewer that this is a rough end of London, and the gangsters typically find themselves placed in this rough environment.

After analysing these examples of our chosen genre, I have dicovered that certain codes and conventions are needed for our introduction to be successful in capturing the audiences' attention and also representing the genre accurately by giving the audience what they expect to see of our chosen genre.

I have taken into consideration the variety of shots used and the transition from the different shots, I must apply these to my intro to convey to my target audience the quick-paced and slickness to my film. Also the voiceover; this must be in a harsh, cockney accent to replicate the characters identity, I may use this to introduce the characters. I believe this would work well as I will be able to give backgound knowledge to the viewer whilst the exciting drama is continuing.

RICKY BRONSON