"How effectively does the opening sequence from 'Children of Men' (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?"

In Children of Men the director uses key methods and techniques to make sure the opening sequence is effective enough in captivating the audience. Children of Men is a science fiction film released in 2006.It stars Clive Owen and Julianne More. It's loosely based on P.D James Novel "Children of Men". It's set in 2027 London. The basic summary of the plot is every human has become infertile and there are no longer any children being born. No child has been conceived since 2009. This information is revealed in the opening sequence.

In an opening sequence the aim is give a snippet of what the bulk of the storyline will be. But they must never give too much away.  From just the very few seconds of the opening sequence we can see that the world is a dreary, morbid place at the moment. We can see also see that although its set in the future the representation of it is not so far-fetched that the audience wouldn’t be able to relate to it. For example we can see cars, coffee cups and standard police uniform. Most futuristic films feature robots and or incredibly advanced technology. So far we don’t see that in the opening sequence.  Another one of the key components directors use in the opening sequence are references throughout the scene which give the audience a clue in what will happen next.

Firstly the scene starts off with a newscaster broadcasting the news while the audience can only see a blank screen. This creates the effect of confusion. The newscaster mentions that troops are now occupying mosques and the deportation of illegal immigrants will continue. Already the tone is set as negative.  It’s important to make it explicit to the audience from the start what type of genre it is. And this is evident by having the almost “doomsday” like newscast and the dreary tone throughout. People will know it’s a thriller. Next we see Clive Owen barging past some people in the coffee shop. The colours of their attire are dull, mostly composed of greys, and black. When he asks for some coffee we can see the sign “café”. Which shows the words in the future haven’t changed that much as the similarities between culture now and in that future aren’t that far apart.

We next see a news report on the youngest person alive at the time. In this scene we can see policemen, office workers and just normal bystanders. We can here diagetic sound coming from the TV screen and non-diagetic sound which was some ambience like music.  This shows that this must be a really important even if a diverse range of people off the street all submerge into a coffee shop to hear the news. The presence of police officers makes a strong impression that there is impending danger. And that assumption is correct as the POV camera starts to follow Clive Owen out of the coffee shop. The POV follows him for a couple seconds then it slows down and focuses on the surrounding for a moment.

Editing-Pillow Talk/Fringe

“How are the sequences from Pillow Talk´ and Fringe´ different? Discuss the differences in pace and style of editing as well as the effect the editing has on meaning/the audiences reception of the extracts”

In the extracts of “Pillow Talk” and “Fringe” we are able to see the contrasting styles in which editing is used to convey an ideology to the audience.  Firstly “Pillow talk was a romantic comedy film which was released in 1959 starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. The definition of pillow talk: the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners after the act of coitus, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, and other physical intimacy. It is associated with sexual afterglow and is distinguished from dirty talk which usually forms part of foreplay. Fringe is an American science fiction TV series which started in 2008, starring Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson. As films are shorter in length than tv shows the director must ensure that the editing is precise enough as scenes move at a faster pace. Tv shows have the benefit of having many episodes a season to portray storylines whereas films usually have a couple hours. This aspect is evident in the way both extracts show their editing.

Although this is the case most of the time, in Fringe the pace of editing is extremely fast. This is because it reflects the genre the tv show is in. Fringe is a sci-fi thriller tv show and it contains a lot of action. The effect of this on the audience is that they’ll feel more immersed in the overall experience of viewing the show as the camera angles and sounds make them feel like they’re actually in the show. There 27 scene changes in Fringe in about 4 minutes. This equates to about 8 ½ scene changes a minute. In the first 1 minute the camera focus alternates between the two men. It’s similar to watching a ping pong match in play; the audience’s focus is constantly being averted. This also creates suspense as; the viewer doesn’t know when the scene is going to change again, and doesn’t know who’s going to speak next and they don’t know. In the first few scenes a close up is used. This is used so the audience is just focusing on what they’re saying and not other influences e.g. body language. Then there is a quick cut to a computer screen in the table that one of characters was looking at. The next major scene is a pan of the Capitol Building and a blimp. There was a rapid flash of bright light that resembled an explosion. The juxtaposition between the two scenes are very explicit. The previous scene was dark, featured dialogue and little action. This scene was bright and contained an explosion.

But this scene is very short. The time in which the audience can see the bright explosion is short. The Segway between this scene and the next is short. So in essence this isn’t even really a scene. It’s a preview into what the audience will see later in the storyline. This is also because it’s such as short scene, the audience won’t really be able to read a lot of meaning into it. In the still we managed to print it also looks like the typical portrayal of “doomsday” or an Armageddon. Usually the bright light submerges everything in the scene and the camera starts shaking. Shaking like a bystander holding a camera during a mass explosion. This all contributes to the viewer’s experience.

In the next scene the audience’s attention is brought to a piece of paper.  We can see natural lighting allowing the piece of paper to be seen more easily. The angle of camera and the style of the text make it virtually impossible for the view to read what’s on this paper. This could show that the piece of paper takes up a certain amount of importance but that will remain hidden to the viewer until it’s revealed. In the next three stills the shots used are mid-shots and mid close ups. The camera focus is starting to zoom out and the audience is now being allowed to see more of the room. This is very clever editing because in the beginning we were not able to see much of the immediate surrounding which subsequently meant we couldn’t really get any more clues about the storyline other than the characters’ body language and voice/dialogue. As the camera starts to zoom out the audience is gradually being told more about the story.

The next couple of shots alternate between the two characters, both of them engaging in dialogue. This is the exact carbon copy of the first scene we saw. So it’s goes from showing the contrast in light and dark in that short scene to showing similarities in the last scene.

Overall, Fringe uses editing methods and techniques that are appropriate and reflect the genre it’s in. Also the main demographic of the tv show would 18-30. And the way editing is used in the scene also reflects the similar films that age group would watch. Films such as Armageddon and Independence Day. These films are mainly referenced in the short clip of the explosion.

Now Pillow Talk is a completely different thing compared to Fringe. Pillow Talk is a film set in the 1950s and start from the start we can already see the huge cultural difference between the two films. Technology was obviously less advanced in those times and when you compare the editing between Pillow Talk and Fringe, you can see how 50 years of technology advances can make a massive difference. Pillow Talk’s genre is a romantic comedy and editing in those films is always going to be slower as there is less action and most of the focus is on the character’s body language and voices. This is evident in the first scene where Rock Hudson is talking to another man and there is minimal camera movement. In fact the camera just follows the other character’s swivel and then zooms in on their conversation. The camera is almost taking the place of a bystander eavesdropping on the conversation. This similar to Fringe in that in the first scene the audience’s focus is on the two character’s dialogue. But the difference is that a mid shot is used and we are able to see their immediate surroundings.

One of the last thing’s the other character says is “you know that woman, Jan?” and then the scene fades into the scene where a woman is in the bathroom on the phone to Rock Hudson’s character. We are to assume that this women is Jan by the way the scene ends with the man saying “Jan?” and then the next scene beginning with “ Jan”. Then a split screen fades into the screen when Brad picks up the phone. The effect of the spilt screen means the audience has to focus on both characters, at the same time. No one will take more importance in this scene; they’re on a level playing field. This could reflect the cultural influences at the time because woman were starting to get more rights and taken more seriously. Now with about 40 seconds already gone we’ve only had about 3 shot changes. This shows the pace of editing is again much slower than Fringe.  Fringe had already had around 7 shot changes 40 seconds in.

Now the next scenes are set in a restaurant where Brad and another woman eat dinner. There are many shot changes. The camera’s alternate between both characters just like Fringe. The amount of shot changes in this scene could reflect the instability in their relationship. The woman had to ask Brad if he was interested in her. In a stable relationship you wouldn’t need to ask such a question. The shot changes could also signify the change in status, as in a conversation with two people there will always be a person he leads the conversation. In this conversation the woman leads the conversation but it’s clear Brad is the person in power. This is because whenever he speaks the camera focuses on him for just around half a second before he speaks. This slight pause gives him more power as the audience and the woman must wait for him to speak.

In conclusion Pillow Talk and Fringe how a different genre, age demographic and era can have a huge effect on editing. The editing used in both extracts are appropriate for their themes and the audience would feel that it makes them feel a part of the film as the sound, lighting and camera shot/angles make the viewer’s perspective vivid.