An example of split screen editing is this clip from 500 Days of Summer (2009).
This editing is effective because it gives an insight into the mind of Tom and so makes it more sad for the audience when they see that his expectations are not met.
Doctor Who
This clip is an example of interesting editing because it includes footage that has been sped up in post, which expands on the effect that the Doctor is very busy and completing all of the tasks really quickly. It also tricks the audience into thinking a lot of time has passed, when really, as revealed at the end of the clip, it has only been an hour.
Whiplash (2014)
This clip uses quick cuts to show the intensity of Andrew's passion for being one of the greats.
Up (2009)
This clip uses the editing technique of montage, in order to summarise a series of events quickly so that the audience is up to speed with what is happening in the lives of the characters.
This is the opening scene of The Usual Suspects, a 1995 film directed by Bryan Singer.
This was my first time watching this opening scene, as I haven't seen The Usual Suspects yet. My initial reaction was confusion because the film appears to begin with the ending.
Usually, I would think that this would not be a good way to open a film because of the inevitable spoilers, but I think that this film handles that well in that the beginning will only make sense at the end of the film, so the audience will have to watch the whole film to understand it.
However, I don't find myself caring for either of the characters, so I'm not invested in where their story is going, which I think is what you need in a film and in characters.
So, overall, I think it is an effective opening to a film, as it hooks the audience in because they want to be able to make sense of the opening. I think that must be why it is held in such high regard by the film industry as a whole.
My favourite film openings (in no particular order) are:
1. Pride (2014, Matthew Warchus)
Pride opens with archive footage from the miner's strikes of the 1980's and the song 'Solidarity Forever' playing behind it, this helps to set the scene of the film. In addition, within the opening 2 minutes, the main character, Mark Ashton, is introduced as a fun character, which gets the audience on his side from the start. The opening also sets the tone of the film well, as the solemnity of the miner's situation is countered by the optimism of Mark.
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright)
My next favourite film opening is Shaun of the Dead because it is an entertaining and humorous beginning to the film. The shots mirror those of other popular zombie films, such as Dawn of the Dead, however the people are not yet actually zombies, they're just living boring and repetitive lives.
3. Birdman (2014, Alejandro G. Iñárritu)
I really like the opening to Birdman because the first shot, after the opening credits is a wide shot of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) and it seems to be on a tripod but then the camera starts to move to follow the action and follows the action seemingly without cuts for the entire film. This is really effective as it sets up the kind of cinematography that will be used for the rest of the film. The opening is also very still and calm and then the drums kick in and begin to build the tension that will only increase over the rest of the film. It is the calm before the storm.
4. The Social Network (2011, David Fincher)
The opening scene of The Social Network is a conversation between the main character and his girlfriend and is very fast-paced. I really like this opening scene because the dialogue flows so well and it is refreshing to have a film open with dialogue rather than big cinematic scenes. The effect of the opening is that the audience is plunged right into the fast pace that the film has, and it feels like you are being swept along by the very intelligent and quick thinking mind of Mark Zuckerburg.
5. Whiplash (2014, Damien Chazelle)
My final favourite opening scene to a film is the first scene of Whiplash. This is because
the first shot is a long wide shot, moving towards Miles Teller playing the drums. This long shot, with the fast drums in the background, builds the tension very nicely, and this tension is maintained throughout the entire film. In addition, J.K Simmons' character is introduced to the audience stepping out from the shadows, which already implies to the audience that he is an intimidating and threatening character.
My favourite film is Little Miss Sunshine (2006), directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and starring Steve Carell and Toni Collette. It is based around the story of a family trying to get their daughter to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant finals and so have to take a cross-country road trip together in their old and barely-working VW, culminating in the best dance scene on film ever. I think the film strikes a near perfect balance between comedy and real human drama, and by the end you are genuinely rooting for all the characters. The trailer is below.
My favourite male actor is Eddie Redmayne. This is because he is able to play a wide range of characters really well, from the challenging role of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which he played very realisticallyto the equally difficult task of singing live for the role of Marius in Tom Hooper's Les Miserables, whilst managing to maintain the suspension of disbelief.
Eddie Redmayne in Les Miserables
My favourite female actor is Imelda Staunton because she is able to switch seemingly effortlessly between the lovable and funny character of Hefina, who she plays in Pride and the harsh and unfair Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Imelda Staunton with Bill Nighy in Pride
My most memorable childhood film was Bob the Builder: A Christmas To Remember because I was obsessed with Bob the Builder as a child and so would watch this film at all times of the year.
As a child, I read the magazine Aquila because it had a new theme every month and I enjoyed learning about some of the historical things the issues were based around. Also, it had really good jokes on the back page.
Nowadays I don't tend to read magazines or comics but if I do, it's either a Marvel comic as I enjoy how diverse they have become or Radio Times because I'm interested by the interviews and reviews in it.
The most memorable line from a film for me would be "I am sick to fucking death of poor people!" spoken by the character of Alistair Ryle, played by Sam Claflin, in The Riot Club. This is my most memorable line from a film because it was a shocking line that was a catalyst in the scene and wound the other characters up even more, which had dramatic implications. I don't agree with the line at all but I think it was acted incredibly well by Sam Claflin, as shown in the clip below.
My most frequented website is YouTube because there are some very good short films and webseries such as Carmilla on there which I like to take inspiration from. Below is the trailer for a short called Septem directed by Hazel Hayes and uploaded onto YouTube, which has inspired me hugely to make my own short films.
The film location which I would most like to live in is Avengers Tower, from The Avengers because it is full of cool technology and all my favourite Marvel characters. It's also built in the centre of New York, which would be very convenient if I were to need to pop to the shops or Broadway. Finally, it is very spacious and would have stunning 360 views of New York, as well as easy access from the sky, which would be very useful if I needed to spot potential HYDRA trouble from afar.
The best opening to any film I've seen has to be the opening to Pride (2014). It was an upbeat opening that hooked me into the film. It also introduced the audience to the main character, and made him likeable, meaning the audience had sympathy for him from the offset.
The character of Mark Ashton in the opening of Pride
The gadget that I would most like to own would be a drone because it would enable to me to get aerial shots, which I think would improve my videos and films greatly as it adds a whole new potential point of view for the audience.
