Preliminary Research

Before choosing a genre, I decided to research on different genres. Here is my research. 

Table❁✿❀

Film	Genre/Genre Conventions	How did this scene introduce characters, settings and create intrigue?	What did you like/dislike about the intro?
Extraction 2, 2023	Action: Fight, explosion, gunshots, arguments, foul language, violence, explicit scenes, weapons	This scene introduced the hero and the genre, starting with the main character, a soldier who seemed to be in the middle of an ongoing war. He is then shown dying due to a gunshot. It creates intrigue by ending the scene with a clip of the soldier being rescued from the water with a chance of survival. It leaves the audience questioning about what will happen to him.	I like how the scene starts with a slow discordant sound, and then throughout the scene the sound becomes more intense and loud.
Pamali: the corpse village, 2023	Horror: Ghosts, haunted places, cursed objects, rituals, cult activity, black magic, murder, blood, organs, family, friends, death	This scene introduced the plot and genre, starting with the main character, an elderly male who was seen digging the ground. He was seen at the cemetery, alone in the dark, chilly night, burying a number of corpses wrapped in white clothing. It is then revealed that he had the same scar as most of the corpses that he was burying. Out of nowhere, he seemed to be whistling an eerie melody, and was then followed by more people in the village.	I liked the use of the discordant sound following the creepy scene. It created a chilly and scary mood. I also like how most of the camera work are close ups, highlighting the unsettling details like the pale corpse, the painful scars, etc.
Uglies, 2024	Sci Fi: Aliens, spaceship, weapons, gear/armour, secret hideouts, hybrid creatures, death	This scene introduced the plot, starting with a narration from possibly the main character, a young girl who’s always wanted to be pretty. The scene then introduced the backstory, the problem, the resolution, and then back to a new problem.	I liked how the scene used a transition from melodic sound to slightly discordant. I dislike how the plot didn’t really make sense. To me it sounds a little goofy.
500 days of summer, 2009	Romance: Couples, girlfriends, boyfriends, explicit scenes, foul language, arguments, crying, angst, death	This scene introduced the genre and relationship, starting with the two main leads’ plot and their potential relationship. The narrator tells both of their backstories, and how they relate to their relationship further on in the movie. The story told by the narrator in the opening leaves the audience curious, making the opening intriguing.	I like how the narrator lets us know about the two characters’ past because it subtly tells us about what kind of people they are. I also like the melodic sound that followed the scene where both characters were shown as kids, it created a positive mood and left us in awe.
Johnny English, 2003	Comedy: Family, friends, school, house,	This scene included lots of dialogues, mostly from the main character himself. It shows many different settings, like the office, the place in his dreams, the funeral gathering, etc. It introduced the main character as an imaginative individual with a playful demeanour, and this intrigues the audience.	I like how the opening scene started with a cool scene of the main character in action, and then revealed that it was all an imagination. I like how the imaginary scene represents a cool scene with an upbeat melodic sound which sets the exciting mood.

Youtube Video*ੈ𑁍༘⋆

We also watched a youtube video on opening scenes and the different ways to begin a film. I find it really helpful as it gave me ideas for my project. The technique from the video that I like the most is when they use flashbacks in a movie opening scene. This is because they grab the audience’s attention right away. By showing something important from the past, it gives a hint about what will become of the main story. For me, a flashback makes a movie feel interesting and exciting from the very beginning.

Reflection❀ᮬᰰུㅤ

I quite enjoy the process of making this blog in class because we got to watch 5 different opening scenes from each movie. The session felt a lot more relaxing and enjoyable compared to the other sessions. Reflecting and reviewing on those 5 different opening scenes also gave me a variety of ideas for my movie opening scene project. I also gained more knowledge about the ways in which the opening scenes introduces the characters, settings and attracts the audience.

Other than that, the video that Mr. Nick told us to watch above was also very helpful in adding more insights. It is also so much clearer and easier to understand as the narrator gave us detailed explanations on each technique. I'll be sure to implement some of those techniques on my project.