Opening Credits Analysis (Research)

For your Component 1 project you will need to analyse:
 - 2 opening credit scenes in full detail 
 - 6 opening credit scenes in less detail. 

Here is an example: 

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
1997, New Line Cinema

The opening credit sequence for Austin Powers starts with a cold opening and then moves to a musical dance number. The intention is to introduce the movie's main characters and set audience expectations. 

Media Language
The cold opening introduces the villain of the movie which is a parody of Blowfeld from the James Bond franchise. Already the movie is suggesting that this is possible a spoof and doesn't need to be taken too seriously. This is an indication to the film's genre of parody, later we see the main character taking on a James Bond style persona. The use of the bright colours and goofy dance sequences tell the audience that this is a comedy movie. 

The opening credit sequence follows the conventions of other movies, the names of actors, production companies, and other staff appear on screen, as well as the title of the movie. 

Representations 

Stereotypes have been used to showcase the multiple villains, including the Latin American guerilla general, the Middle Eastern wearing a fez, and a tightly wound German "Frau". These archetypes have often been featured in American cinema, and a western audience can understand the message, that this is a bad group of people up to no good. Furthermore many of the villains have handicaps, conforming to the idea that a disability is a negative. 

The representation of London in the 1960s is very much in line with the swinging sixties aesthetic of the time. The clothes that everyone (especially the women) are very bright and fashionable. The main character, Austin, is well groomed, despite having the stereotypical bad teeth of the British.

Audience 

The audience for this text would be young adults aged 16-40, this can be determined through the comedy genre of the film, the light tone, as well as the actors used (Mike Myers at the time was a star on SNL, a popular comedy show for young people). Another possible audience that has been targeted could be older men who found the original James Bond movies entertaining. The opening features many parodies of these spy movies, and fans of the original may be inclined to watch this. According to Bulmer and Katz's Uses and Gratification Theory, the audience will consume this text for diversion. It is a fun film that can distract people from the stresses of their everyday lives. Another technique the opening employs to keep the audience engaged is through Hermeneutic Codes (Barthes 5 codes). The villains face at the beginning of the film is concealed, often using a medium shot up to the neck. This mystery as to who the villain is will keep the audience hooked, it will also be a great pay off when it is revealed that the actor for the hero, Austin Powers, is playing the villain as well. 

Industry

The film uses many practical effects and set pieces for the scenes. It is possible that the fire is a special effect, however because it is used sparingly and in a real set piece it doesn't break the reality of the scene. The dance scenes are well choreographed, and at one point a Texas Switch is used to replace the actor with a stunt double when he flips into the car. This looks a little obvious and silly, however the genre of the film (comedy/parody) means that this goofiness fits with the conventions of the genre. 

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

1971, Wolper Pictures, Ltd.

The opening credit scene for Willy Wonka & The Chocolate factory is quite mysterious. It features what appears to be the manufacturing process of a chocolate bar; from the ingredients to the final bar on a production line. This could be a Hermeneutic Code because if an audience member is not familiar with the movie then they will be wondering what the story will be. These scenes don't really give away the plot. Due to this process being shown, the colour of the opening scene is predominantly brown, giving connotations of richness and sweet taste. The audience's mouth almost begins to water at the sight of the delicious chocolate. The music used is quite upbeat and inspirational, an orchestra is used as the non-diegetic sound. We might be able to determine that the content will be quite light hearted, and coupled with the bright yellow, decorative typeface for the title we can guess that it is probably aimed toward children. 

I like this because of its simplicity, I think our group will not be able to do a high budget, sensational intro. This is more realistic and it still sets the tone of the film. Maybe I can find similar opening scenes to analyse. 

Here are the questions that you should answer in your analysis: