Analysis of Film Openings;

Children of men

During the opening sequence of this film we hear a news feed reporting the murder of the youngest boy who was 18. This already gets the audience wondering why the youngest boy in the world is 18. Many people are crowed around a small t.v in a coffee shop, the camera follows a man who orders coffee and walks out of the shop, as hes walking away a bomb goes off which admittedly made me jump, this then leaves the audience to wonder even more about why the bomb went off. This opening keeps us on the edge of our seats and definitely makes us want to watch on!

A History of violence

The opening of this film has three murders straight away, I think this is effective as it show the audience what kind of people the two men are as they kill the people very calmly , this shows that they have no remorse. There is very little sound in this opening sequence except from a screeching noise that is continuous until the little girl is killed and there is the ear piercing sound of a girl screaming; i think this makes the murder dramatic as the change in the volume of sound makes the audience jump. I like the opening of this film as it leaves the audience with great enigmas and makes the want to watch on to find out what will happen next and who the next victims are going to be.

Memento

The beginning of this thriller has a twist to it as it begins to tell the story backwards; there is slow non diegetic music playing throughout and this give the film a tense opening. The main character in the film has no memory of what happens in life since his wife died so he takes pictures of things to help him remember.He then kills a man with no explanation and this therefore leads the audience to wonder why he killed him, this is a great use of an enigma as it makes the audience want to watch on to find out the answers to the many questions it leads us to wonder.

Camera Shots;

ECU; Extreme close up
Long shot; when the camera is placed far away showing the whole of the characters body
Midshot; is when the camera is midway, showing half the characters body
Pan; when the camera is at a fixed point and moves horizontally following the action
Tracking shot; camera is on tracks and follows the action
Tilt shot; when the camera is at a fixed point and tilts either up or down
Crane; camera is lifted to a high angle.

Low angle; makes the character look big and powerful
High angle; makes the character look small and vunerable

Sound;

There are different sounds within the film;
Diegetic Sound - This is the sound that is linked to the film. It can be on screen or off screen. e.g. sounds of making tea.
Non-diegetic Sound - This is the sound that is not coming from the film itself. For example: backing music or narator.  
Parallel sound - this is music that fits into with the mood and atmosphere of the film.
Contrapuntal sound - this is when the music doesn't fit in with the mood and atmosphere of the film
Sound bridge - when sound is carried from one clip to the next.

Lighting;

In lesson we look at the different types of light that are used in films. These include;
-Key lighting
Giving the image a natural effect
-Back lighting
Creates a silhouette, giving the character a mysterious effect
-Top lighting
Creates a glamorous effect on the character
-Low key lighting
Creates high contrast between the shadows and the light 
-Filler lights
Softens the shadows

North By North West;

North by Northwest is a classic thriller produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Carrie Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The film is a tale of mistaken identity of an innocent man, Carrie Grant, who gets caught up in organization of agents who want to stop his interference with their plans to smuggle microfilm containing government secrets.North by Northwest is a highly exciting, Fast paced, action thriller filled extreme scenes of suspece, tension a mcguffin and cliff hangers, literately as the end of the film has Eva Marie Saint literally hanging off the edge of a cliff; this final scene of the chase sequence across the faces of Mount Rushmore is an extremely exciting and tense scene and definately kept me on the edge of my seat!
A famous scene in North by North west is the crop-duster scene;
This scene is best know for it's brilliant use of tension and suspense, and is viewed as the best sequence in the film.The scene begins with a high angled, extreme wide shot, setting the scene. This infoms and gives the viewer an idea of where the action is taking place; a desseted place, where only a few cars pass occassionaly making it seem eerie. Instantly, the audience become suspicious, and gets us asking questions such as- 'Why would our protagonist meet someone at such a strange, deserted place?' This therefore makes the audince want to watch on to find out whats goin to happen next.