Further research - British film
Snatch - Opening Scene
The opening to ‘Snatch’ is defined by four distinct parts, which come together to create an interesting and exciting opening sequence that draws the audience in with compelling action scenes, but also does well in introducing the large ensemble of characters and starting to define the relationships between them that will keep a viewer invested in them throughout the rest of the film. Each section reveals a different part of the lives and plans of a criminal gang such as this, beginning with an introduction to comradery, followed by a glimpse of the more meticulous and complex stages of a job, then to the violent side of the characters’ work, then back to the idea of teamwork, and how every person has their part to play.
The first part of the sequence is a simple scene with two of the lead characters just sitting in what seems like an interrogation room. This sequence has a voice-over from the character ‘Turkish’ which is what gives the scene most of its meat. The shots themselves are nothing special, using either close ups on one of the two characters or a mid-shot of both of them together, but the voice over provides interesting pieces of information both about the characters themselves and ‘diamonds’ which we will later see to be quite an important factor to this opening sequence. The contents of the voice-over explains some of the backstory behind these two characters, such as their jobs and how they got their names, but mostly it provides the viewer with a sense of the kind of brotherly comradeship that is felt between the two characters (and you would assume some of the others as well) and therefore introduces themes of teamwork and partnership between those inside criminal gangs, and suggests that this idea of sticking together no matter what will be a continuous theme throughout the rest of the film. From this point, ‘Turkish’ then goes on to speak about diamonds, and therefore introduces the second theme of the film, criminality. From the delivery of the lines, we as a viewer can tell that Turkish knows more than he lets on, and so this first section is merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of where the film takes these criminals and what they end up doing, legal or otherwise, which compels the viewer to find out exactly what is going to happen concerning these ‘diamonds’, blending nicely into the next section of the sequence.
The next part of the opening is the longest and oddest in terms of what it actually shows. It consists of security footage of four ‘Jewish’ men entering some kind of building, walking through corridors and one telling a story of how the Catholic Church may have been formed from a mistake to the others. This sequence is where the cast and crew’s credits are shown, and thus it is quite drawn out, but is effective in making the viewer question what is going on and what might happen next, similar to the way the ‘Jewish’ man questions how the Catholic Church was formed in his story. The titling itself quite simple, but is effective in conveying certain other types of text. For instance, the white capitals on black plates is reminiscent of the plates that are held by arrested individuals having mug shots taken (even the font is very similar) which obviously connotes and foreshadows the criminality of the actions of these seemingly ordinary people, leading the viewer to believe perhaps they are not quite as they seem. The scene is actually one long camera shot, moving between different CCTV cameras to recreate the sense of movement felt by the characters, but also again foreshadows how this CCTV footage may be used against them if they were to commit a crime, again leading us to question the motives of these men. The music is slow and obviously inspired by the fact they are dressed as Jewish men, but also perhaps connotes the level of slow and meticulous planning that would likely have gone into such an elaborate plan, but also keeping the viewer relaxed yet quizzical before the next section erupts into chaos.
The next sequence bursts into action and excitement, with fast cuts and disorienting camera angles and movements creating a real sense of the panic of the whole situation. We get very fast cuts between different characters doing different things, often with the camera spinning and zooming to disorient the viewer and create the sense of pandemonium felt by the characters themselves. The editing and cinematography really helps to sell the action, with each action having weight behind it, and with jump cuts and disorienting camera motions giving a sense of shock and madness to the whole sequence. The music is fast paced and heightens the sense of panic felt in the scene, as well as giving the action a shot of adrenaline and excitement. At the beginning of the fight, the dialogue is pretty much incomprehensible, thus adding to the sense of panic in the room. Later, as Franky asks ‘where is the stone?’ over and over, getting seemingly angrier and more psychotic each time he says it, we get a sense of perhaps just how far these people will go to get what they want, and perhaps how their wanting of certain items can border on the obsessive, as shown in the increasingly patronising yet uncompromising tone at which he delivers the line. This sequence seems to primarily show how far these criminals will go to get what they want, and show perhaps the ugly side of their careers to juxtapose the earlier calmness and serenity of merely walking into the building in disguise. Both sequences together show the audience how a job with these people goes, and therefore introduces them to, and hints toward, potential points that may be exploited to hinder the group later on in the plot, or what kind of jobs we can expect them to take on later in the movie.
The last part of the opening is an incredibly effective sequence that formally introduces the characters already seen, as well as some who have not yet been glimpsed, all in a brilliantly edited sequence that almost looks like it could have been one long shot, which of course adds to the idea of these people being together as one. Each character is introduced by a freeze frame with their nickname on it, and each little scene leading into the freeze frame gives a little insight into who these people are, and what their function is in the group. For instance, when we see ‘Cousin Avi’ for the first time, we can clearly see that he is one of the ones in charge, which we can tell from his sitting behind a desk and inspecting the diamond that Franky has just stolen. Similarly, the freeze frame of ‘Gorgeous George’ shows us exactly how he got his name, and so we know a little more about his character because of it. The sequence progresses by using specific items as bridges between the different characters, for instance the playing cards link Franky’s section to the next section with Turkish, and it is this seamless progression between characters that creates the sense of these people being linked, of them being a team, rather than just individuals. With such a large cast, this scene is important to show the audience exactly who the main players are right off the bat, so as not to use up time later trying to explain who this new character is, because the audience already know something about him.
JF
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels- Opening scene
'Lock, stock and two smoking barrels' is a British Film that came out in 1998, which was written and directed by Guy Ritchie (also written by Peter Cattaneo, however uncredited). During the opening sequence, we see the protagonist making dodgy dealings to get by, and the viewer starts to get a sense that the film is going to be based around criminal activity in order to gain a living as well as status. Like many British films it explores the harsher more gritty sides of lives, rather than the norms of life commonly portrayed in films and especially in the media. In this opening sequence there are many elements that we feel as a group would help us to effectively create a British Film opening.
At the start of this opening sequence, we see the camera zoom into the protagonist, making the viewer feel closer and part of the dodgy dealers customer crowd. It puts you in the shoes of an on viewer that is being drawn into the protagonist making the sells pitch for his stolen goods. Also where over the shoulder shots is used, the viewer is placed behind the shoulders of the customer, giving relevance to the protagonist talking. Another camera movement we see in the opening sequence is a pan of the protagonists potential customers, which illustrates to the viewer that although the dealings may be illegitimate, it is still enough to make a living of and also gain a customer base from even though they know that his business comes from criminal activity. The fact that he has customers also presents that many people are always looking for cheap deals due to quite poor lives, therefore criminal activity is not seen as so bad.
The fact that the scene is set on a street corner highlights the fact the guy is not doing legitimate business and therefore first creates the sense of criminality in the opening of the film. The scenery of a street corner also gives the film a quite gritty and close to home feel, making the ongoings in the film seem very realistic as it's a setting familiar and close to what many people may already see regularly. By the director doing this it makes the protagonists character feel more relative to the norm, as his character can be related to real life people. Due to his character being quite common, it makes the viewer feel a kind of compassion for him due to the relativity of his character although he's doing criminal activity. We also see and hear the protagonist making his customers laugh in his sell pitch, making his character seem quite likeable regardless of the situation. It is therefore important for us a group to make our characters relative to the viewers so that they are liked for their characterisation rather than them being disliked due to their criminal activity.
The sound in this scene successfully portrays a gritty but relevant lifestyle. We first hear the protagonist speaking on his stall in a very cockney accent, which conveys the idea that he may have been brought in a quite common lower class lifestyle, who learnt his ways and picked up his accent from the people around him. The fact that the dialogue also highlights the fact to the customers that the things being sold are stolen, shows how the people are willing to disregard morals in order to get a cheap deal, which also suggests that the customers may not be in the best of financial positions themselves. We then hear a quite pacey score kicking in, which first gives the viewer an idea that action is about to kick in. The score then gets louder and clearer and we see them quickly packing up and the police chasing them. The score helps to create a rush feeling, and the need to get away, which also conveys the fact that they're living a very risky lifestyle in order to get by. The use of a score, with the right tone and pace to it at the right time in our British film, will help us to create an effective action scene, where we can successfully portray that the criminal life is a risky and a very fast of living. Towards the end of the opening sequence as voice over kicks in, giving a back story to the protagonist of the film. Voice overs are commonly used in British Films in order for the viewer to gain an understanding of the characters as well as to make a connection. Where the voice over in 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' is not coming from the protagonist but perhaps from a man wiser than him, in our British film we and plan for our protagonist to be the voice of the voice over, so it is easier for the viewer to like and have a connection with him, as well as making the voice over more personal to the action in the opening sequence of our film.
The editing used in 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' gives relevance to the subject of the voice over where we see the action go into slow motion on the protagonist. It points out to the audience, who the back story coming from the voice over is about, as the voice over is coming from someone who is away from the action. The editing also helps to create a sense of action and rush due to the use of match on action where the guys are being chased by the police through the streets. The use of quick cuts gives the scene a fast pace and ties in well with the score in order to effectively create the action. In our British Film using match on action and making the editing relevant to a fast paced score will help us to successfully portray a fast paced way of living.
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At the start of this opening sequence, we see the camera zoom into the protagonist, making the viewer feel closer and part of the dodgy dealers customer crowd. It puts you in the shoes of an on viewer that is being drawn into the protagonist making the sells pitch for his stolen goods. Also where over the shoulder shots is used, the viewer is placed behind the shoulders of the customer, giving relevance to the protagonist talking. Another camera movement we see in the opening sequence is a pan of the protagonists potential customers, which illustrates to the viewer that although the dealings may be illegitimate, it is still enough to make a living of and also gain a customer base from even though they know that his business comes from criminal activity. The fact that he has customers also presents that many people are always looking for cheap deals due to quite poor lives, therefore criminal activity is not seen as so bad.
The fact that the scene is set on a street corner highlights the fact the guy is not doing legitimate business and therefore first creates the sense of criminality in the opening of the film. The scenery of a street corner also gives the film a quite gritty and close to home feel, making the ongoings in the film seem very realistic as it's a setting familiar and close to what many people may already see regularly. By the director doing this it makes the protagonists character feel more relative to the norm, as his character can be related to real life people. Due to his character being quite common, it makes the viewer feel a kind of compassion for him due to the relativity of his character although he's doing criminal activity. We also see and hear the protagonist making his customers laugh in his sell pitch, making his character seem quite likeable regardless of the situation. It is therefore important for us a group to make our characters relative to the viewers so that they are liked for their characterisation rather than them being disliked due to their criminal activity.
The sound in this scene successfully portrays a gritty but relevant lifestyle. We first hear the protagonist speaking on his stall in a very cockney accent, which conveys the idea that he may have been brought in a quite common lower class lifestyle, who learnt his ways and picked up his accent from the people around him. The fact that the dialogue also highlights the fact to the customers that the things being sold are stolen, shows how the people are willing to disregard morals in order to get a cheap deal, which also suggests that the customers may not be in the best of financial positions themselves. We then hear a quite pacey score kicking in, which first gives the viewer an idea that action is about to kick in. The score then gets louder and clearer and we see them quickly packing up and the police chasing them. The score helps to create a rush feeling, and the need to get away, which also conveys the fact that they're living a very risky lifestyle in order to get by. The use of a score, with the right tone and pace to it at the right time in our British film, will help us to create an effective action scene, where we can successfully portray that the criminal life is a risky and a very fast of living. Towards the end of the opening sequence as voice over kicks in, giving a back story to the protagonist of the film. Voice overs are commonly used in British Films in order for the viewer to gain an understanding of the characters as well as to make a connection. Where the voice over in 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' is not coming from the protagonist but perhaps from a man wiser than him, in our British film we and plan for our protagonist to be the voice of the voice over, so it is easier for the viewer to like and have a connection with him, as well as making the voice over more personal to the action in the opening sequence of our film.
The editing used in 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' gives relevance to the subject of the voice over where we see the action go into slow motion on the protagonist. It points out to the audience, who the back story coming from the voice over is about, as the voice over is coming from someone who is away from the action. The editing also helps to create a sense of action and rush due to the use of match on action where the guys are being chased by the police through the streets. The use of quick cuts gives the scene a fast pace and ties in well with the score in order to effectively create the action. In our British Film using match on action and making the editing relevant to a fast paced score will help us to successfully portray a fast paced way of living.
SC