Love Actually opening two minute Analysis

At the beginning of the scene we hear a mans voice, belonging  to Hugh Grant, speaking over the top of the images on screen. Automatically we recognise the voice which draws our attention  to the film because we know a well- known actor is starring in it so we may be more inclined to watch it. Unlike other Rom-Coms there is no real intimacy in the opening towards the characters that feature in the film. There is however, intimacy featured in general throughout the opening of the film as it shows people meeting at the airport and being glad to see each-other .Rather than introducing the characters in the opening there is a voice over narration, belonging to Hugh Grant. This makes the opening feel story like and therefore engages the audience as they are being spoken to directly.
 
All the shots are short which follows the convention of fast paced openings to Rom-Coms. It also suggests that there is a lot going on at the beginning of the film, this should engage the audience as they will be drawn in in order to see what's going on. Whilst Hugh Grant is speaking we see a range of different shots of couples, friends and family at the arrival  gate at Heathrow airport. We see mid shots of families running up to greet one another. The shot switches to a close up of a member of the families face. We see she is smiling and her eyes are wide open. This connotes that she is extremely happy because her facial expression is happy.
 
This is conforming to the typical conventions of a love and romance film. Conventions of a romance film are love,happiness and friendship. Love actually adheres to most of these. This is effective because the audience expect to see these conventions in a romance so when they see love actually conforming to these they will be more inclined to continue watching.

 As the scene continues, we see more mid shots of people. They are conforming to the typical convention of love. We can see this by the use of close ups. We can see by their facial expression that they are happy and love the person they have approached. This links with the non- diegetic sound of Hugh Grant speaking over the top of the scene. He is talking about love and how it is all around and the scene is just showing shots of people exchanging love and happiness with one another.

The scene then changes to Bill Nighy. He is in a recording studio trying to record a song for Christmas. His character is subverting the usual conventions of a romance film because he isn't particularly good looking. Characters in a romance film are usually good looking so Bill Nighy, being old and not particularly good looking, is subverting the stereotype.
 
Bill's character is introducing a comedy element to the film. He continually messes up the lines of the song which leads to him swearing. This is a comedy element in the film because naturally, he is a funny character so him swearing at messing up the lines is showing the audience that the film is conforming to the genre of a Rom-com.

Skyfall opening two minute analysis

At the beginning of the scene we see a long corridor through the use of a long shot. About two seconds into the scene a loud burst of music appears and a figure steps round the corner and onto the corridor. This figure then slowly begins walking towards the camera. The figure isn't clear and at this point it is hard to establish what gender the figure is. This is effective because it leaves the audience with a sense of mystery. It isn't until the figure gets to the end of the corridor when we finally can tell the figure is a man. The man's eyes are then shown through the use of a small beam of light. His eyes are the only thing that can be seen. This is effective because we can tell that by the look on his eyes he is not sure what he is expecting and there is a look of uncertainty about him. Then he holds up a gun and points it up in front of him. From this i can connote that there is going to be some sort of action or danger because he is using a gun for his own safety and if there was no danger then he wouldn't have a gun on him.

  From the use of an over the shoulder shot we can see a room at the end of the corridor with the door open and light inside the room. This creates tension for the audience because usually when a door is left open and nobody is around it means there has been some sort of break in. As the man approaches the door he has his gun at the ready which puts the audience on edge because it means there still could be someone inside. We then see a shot of a man lying on the floor dead. The camera rolls to another man lying on the floor also dead with a pool of blood by his head. Instantly the audience knows this has been a murder. The man then looks around the room as if he is not surprised by what he is seeing. 

  The man then begins speaking to someone. The woman replies through a headpiece. The audience then can establish this man is on some sort of mission because he is reporting back to someone about his findings. The woman speaks and asks if it is still there, referring to something to do with a computer. When we realise that it is not there the audience can assume that these men were murdered for something which is clearly very important. A high angle shot shows a man slumped back in a chair with a bullet wound in his chest. Blood is spewing from his mouth but he is still alive. This shot is effective because it makes the man look very vulnerable. The man announces to the woman through his headpiece that he is stabilising the wounded man. The voice through the headpiece replies that they don't have time. This is effective because it shows the audience that this mission must be extrememly important as it means leaving a man to die in severe pain. 

  A two shot shows both characters looking at one another. The wounded man is lower down so he looks vulnerable and weak whereas the other man is higher up and is standing with a gun which makes him look powerful and in control. The man the walks out of the door still with his gun held high which could mean that the attacker could be anywhere near. As he walks down the stairs we see him from a high angle shot. For a short moment it makes him look weak and vulnerable because the use of the high angle shot. He then puts is gun away before stepping out into a busy town. 

  A truck then pulls up right in front of him and without hesitation, he climbs in. This is effective because it shows that the mission is well thought out because he expected the car to pull up in front of him. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opening two minute analysis

At the beginning of the scene you can hear the iconic music which is the Harry Potter theme tune. This relates to many of the viewers straight away as this tune is played in all of the Harry Potter films. There is a dark, misty background as the title appears. This is effective because it shows the audience that it is perhaps a dark, gloomy and thrilling film.
  An extreme long shot is then shown and then rolls into a birds eye view shot to show the location. This is effective because it establishes the setting of the film. We are then shown a low angle shot of Harry walking. The camera is tracking him which is effective because it makes the audience feel as if they are walking with Harry. A high angle shot is then shown of Harry's shadow. This outlines how lonely he is because the only company he has is his shadow. A long shot is shown of a lady and her son who is on the roundabout with other children playing in the background. This shows that Harry is very lonely because he is by himself and doesn't have the company of other people. A close up is then shown of Harry's face. This shot is effective because it shows Harry's facial expression which is quite miserable. Whilst this shot is being shown there is sad non- diegetic music playing in the background. This is effective because it makes the audience feel sorry for him. Two shots later we see a medium shot of a group of five teenage boys. They approach Harry with what looks like superiority. The denotations of this shot are a group of five teenage boys all with threatening looks on their faces. From this shot i can connote that they are superior to everyone perhaps because of the threatening look about them and also because of the way they are dressed. We then see another long shot of the group of teenage boys and Harry. This shot makes Harry look weak as he is lower down than them and there is only one of him. Whereas it makes the teenage boys look more powerful because they are higher up and there is five of them. We then see another medium shot of the teenage boys. From this particular part of the scene I can denote five teenage boys. One boy is further forward than the rest of them and they are all standing in such a way that makes them look powerful. From this, I can connote that the boy standing to the front of the group is perhaps the leader of the group because he is the only one speaking which suggests he is the main person.
  A couple of shots later medium shot of Harry is shown. The camera is zooming in towards Harry's face. This is effective because it makes the audience focus on Harry more and focus on his facial expression.

Indiana Jones raiders of the lost dark opening two minute analysis

The opening two minutes of Indiana Jones Raiders of the lost dark begins with non-diegetic music. The music is mysterious which sets a mysterious mood. The music starts as soon as the film begins. This automatically shows the audience that there is something going on because the music sets a mysterious mood for them. We then see a group of men walking through a jungle. Their clothes are torn and grubby which could show this is the final part of their expedition. One character however has pristine clothing. This lets the audience know that he is possibly the leader of the group- he makes others do his dirty work for him. The outfits the men are wearing tribal costumes which links with the exotic location they are in. We are shown a mid shot of the men which shows us their tribal costumes and torn clothing.
  We are shown a close up of a man turning to face the camera. By looking at his facial expression we can see that he is scared and it looks like he is looking behind to see if they are being followed. This introduces and element of fear and suspense as it shows us that this expedition could be dangerous because there is a chance they are being followed. The camera is following them as they walk through this exotic jungle. This is effective because it seems like we are walking with them which makes us feel more part of the film.
  In the background we can her diegetic sounds. We can hear birds chirping. This is effective because it shows how silent the atmosphere is in the jungle, it is quiet enough to hear the birds chirp. This means that their expedition is very important because they are silent as if they are concentrating or maybe don't want people to know they are there. From this point on we are shown lots of different shots. We are shown a medium shot of a man and his donkey. He is tying the donkey to a tree. He then goes over to what looks like a huge stone and removes the branches in front of it. It is a carving of a huge face. We are then shown a close up of the man scream showing he was startled by this huge stone face or perhaps he knows they have reached their destination.
  Bats fly out of the stone face which suggests the stone hasn't been disturbed in a while because bats have located themselves inside. This also suggests no one is brave enough to come near it which shows that there is possible danger that lies ahead of them. We are shown a two person shot from behind them. We can see clearly the stone face.
  Right at the end of the scene we see an arrow sticking out of a tree trunk. This is effective because it shows the audience that people have been her before and also that they must have come across some sort of danger because why otherwise would they of had to shoot an arrow?
  The typical conventions of an action thriller would be a long quest to find something important. Indiana Jones Raiders of the lost dark adheres to this convention because we can see a group of men dressed in tribal costumes trekking through a jungle on what looks like a quest to find something. This is an effective convention because it is something the audience expects to see in a action thriller. Another convention of an Action thriller would be weapons. We can see by the arrow in the tree that there are weapons involved. This is effective because it gives the audience the impression that there will be violence and danger at some part during the film.

Action Thriller Genre Mind Map

Target Audience:

• Physchological thrillers are more intellectually demanding, therfore the target audience is about 24-45 years old.
• Cross genres like Horror thriller and Action thriller which are less intellectually demanding attract a younger audience(teens) because they want instantaneous excitement.
• Romance thrillers and supernatural thriller attract a bigger female audience.
• Political thrilelrs are more likely to attract an older male audience.

Codes and conventions of a horror

Horror Genre

·         Split into sub genres- often hybrids

·         Primary target audience- male, 16-24

·         15 or 18 certification (promises of pleasure)- debates on passive consumption

·         Extensive use of Narrative enigmas

·         Slow pace of Editing, builds tension. Long takes

Codes and Conventions:

·         Three act narrative structure

·         Predictable narrative content (follows format)

·         Clear binary oppositions e.g. good vs. evil

·         Use of low key lighting, Use of CGI, FX

·         Dominant representation of gender: Male villain, The Female victim

·         Extensive use of close up, Point of view shots, Low angle shots

·         Young/ teenage characters

·         Use of hand-held camera: audience identification/realism.

Associations with a horror film:

• Isolated house
• Dark Lighting
• Murder
• Gore
• Scary music
• Villains and Victims

Target Audience:

•  Ages from 15-25
• Male audience if there are a lot of gory/ violent scenes
• Exciting and thrilling with dramatic scenes
• Pleasure of being scared
• Women often play victim which attracts the men

Jaws film opening two minute analysis

The beginning scene of Jaws begins with a young girl named Chrissie going for a night swim for another boy. The boy is drunk so ends up just lying on the waters edge unable to move because of the amount of alcohol he has consumed. This leaves Chrissie alone in the sea. We are shown a long shot. This makes the audience really see how big the sea is and how alone Chrissie seems to be. About 10 seconds later the shot turns to a low angle shot and we see Chrissie's legs kicking under the water. The camera then begins moving closer to Chrissie's legs, the camera obviously being the shark. This low angle shot makes the audience feel as if they're looking upwards which makes the villain- the shark, seem even more threatening. This type of shot makes Chrissie look extremely vulnerable and the shark very powerful.  The music playing whilst this is taking place is music that is letting you know something is about to happen but it's not quite yet about to happen- it's building you up for the big moment. This is a common convention of a thriller. Music that puts the audience on edge right before an attack of some sort. It makes the audience understand when something is about to happen to a character.
   The next low angle shot we see is again of Chrissie's legs but this time the shark is a lot closer and the music has changed. The music is now giving the audience suspense and they know the attack could happen at any time. The music gets louder and faster as the shark gets closer. Then just as the shark has reached her feet the shot changes to a close up. We see her facial expression before the shark attack then straight after. She is smiling at first then as soon as the shark makes contact she is ripped downwards and her face changes to a confused and scared look as she doesn't quite know what is happening yet. After she is dragged downwards underneath the sea she comes back up and her breathing changes. She starts panicking and she is breathing fast and heavily. Chrissie is then dragged under the water for a second time and when she comes back up she begins screaming as now she really knows what is happening. She is getting dragged around the water by the shark. The shot being used in this part of the scene is a mid shot. This is effective as we see a stretch of the water and Chrissie. We can see her being dragged around the water without having to change shot.
   The final part of the scene is when Chrissie is finally taken by the shark and dragged underwater. The music stops showing the audience that the attack is over.