Joker (thriller)

Joker was made in 2019 and directed by Todd Philips, it has since received 16 awards. It had a budget of $70 million and made $1.074 billion at the box office, this has made The Joker not only the most profitable comic book movie but also the top R-rated movie of all time. The Joker consisted of an A-list cast, including: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Frances Conroy. Common conventions of a thriller are: realistic, suspenseful, and gripping. The opening sequence adheres to these stereotypes whereby we the audience are left on the edges of our seats wanting to watch more. The opening scene sets a serious yet mellow tone, whereby we witness the protagonist getting beaten up by young thugs in the street. 

We can assume the protagonist is going to be “The Joker” due to his prominent feature within the opening scene, additionally, we can gather he is going to be relevant due to the title of the movie alongside the man's makeup, hinting that he is “The Joker”. Although, Jokers are stereotypically happy characters that entertain children, although the Joker was presented with subverts to the common stereotype whereby not only do we see him cry we also gain the understanding that he is working to live, whereby he almost sacrificed his life for his work. The subversion of the stereotype reiterates the thriller genre, whereby the audience wants to watch possibly because they empathize with the protagonist, or just because they're left on the edge of their seats and have little understanding as to what is going to happen next. Joker has previously appeared in 12 movies whereby he is an established character, many fans will want to watch the jokers first solo movie not only because they're a fan of DC but because they want to see Joaquin Phoenix's rendition of The Joker, an antagonist they know and many love. Due to prior knowledge of the Batman movies, we understand it will most likely be set in Gotham, although the use of long shots establishes the American city, suggesting it could be set in New York. Moreover, the costume the extras are wearing alongside the billboards and shop fronts, suggest that the movie is set in the 80s, additionally the reference to Typhoid in the radio report further suggests that its set in New York in the 80s, as at this time Typhoid cases were increasing in NYC.

Furthermore, the use of a diegetic radio recording reiterates the realism in the storyline, as the negativity of the radio references real events that have happened. Moreover, the piano soundtrack starts out non-diegetic and contrapuntal to the scene whereby we see the joker shed a tear, although soon enough we see him dancing on the streets; the soundtrack is now diegetic and parallel as we see the joker dancing alongside a man playing the piano in the streets, the soundtrack is upbeat although the tempo matches the scene whereby as chaos is created the soundtrack speeds up and eventually stops as the joker is beaten up, suggesting a bad ending for him whereby non-diegetic violins play, suggesting sorrow.

We can assume from the opening scene that the narrative will be based around the Joker and possibly his revenge antics, we can gather that he is relatively unstable and lonely. The opening scene is effective at revealing the thriller genre, although there isn't a lot of hints at what could happen, this is effective within the genre as the audience is gripped by the storyline from the offset and are so intrigued in the unknown and want to continue watching.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (sci-fi)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the 5th Jurassic park movie; although Universal has confirmed that there is set to be the 6th movie in 2022. It was released in 2018 and had an estimated budget of around $180million, although made $1.31 billion at the box office. It was directed by J. A. Bayona and has an A-List cast including: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum, and BD Wong.

Common conventions of the Science Fiction genre are: “out of this world” whereby the story conveyed is supernatural, moreover, it's an unrealistic story that is made real to an extent. The opening scene conveys this supernatural science fiction genre clearly, whereby the opening scene shows a hunt for distinct creatures such as dinosaurs, with two men shown in a submarine exploring a specific location in the Costa Rican Ocean.

The use of modern technology suggests that it is an up-to-date or futuristic movie, although the lack of basic technology such as mobile phones or modern submarines suggests its set in the early 1990s. Additionally, we're told by the titles that it's set in Isla Nublar which is said to be an island off of Costa Rica. the opening scene radiates a supernatural yet serious tone, the fear portrayed on the character's faces reflects the inhumane troubles they're facing.

The Sci-Fi theme is also reflected through sound, whereby the use of pleonastic sound exaggerates surrealism, as well as creates a gripping scene for the audience whereby even the sound of the movement of the dinosaurs is over-embellished, forcing the audience to react to every move it takes.

The audience cant gather a lot from the characters as three of them die within the first 6 minutes, although we understand that they're some sort of scientists who specialize in extinct and dangerous animals such as dinosaurs. Considering this movie is the 5th movie within the series means that people are going to have prior knowledge of characters and this specific sci-fi genre. From the opening scene, we can gather that the rest of the movie is going to be about the new dinosaurs they’ve discovered and the dangers they bring to society and the world, considering the other movies tend to nurture the rare breeds we can guess that they'll try and protect these dinosaurs. 

Additionally, the use of the underwater location reiterates the science fiction genre through the use of mystery within the ocean as supposedly only 5% of the ocean has been discovered, this engages the audience as it makes extraterrestrial life appear more realistic through the use of CGI as well as their own imagination. Moreover, the use of dark lighting, as well as the horrific weather, creates an eerie vibe whereby we the audience don't know what's going to happen until brief flashes of light reveal to the characters the risk they're in, we (the audience) also are exposed to this risk at the same time as the character this gives the audience a more personal feel as we are able to share some of the emotions the characters do.

The opening scene is good at establishing the sci-fi genre. It hints at some narrative that will be explored in the rest of the movie although it doesn't reveal much at all, which makes the audience left on the edge of their seats as they don't know what's going to happen, therefore making them want to watch more.

Dunkirk (war)

Dunkirk was released in 2017 by Warner Bros, and it has since won 12 awards, this could be due to their A-list cast including: Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Fionn Whitehead, and Tom Hardy, or additionally because Christopher Nolan directed it. Warner Brothers had a budget of between $100 to $150 million although they made over $526 million at the box office. 

War films are often perceived as mellow and dark with lots of deaths and explosions. The opening sequence to Dunkirk adheres to the war genre, as it does indeed include lots of deaths and explosions. The first shot shows German propaganda being released in the air amongst British soldiers, this event did actually occur; in hopes that the British troops' morale would be weakened. The use of factual information alongside added fictional stories creates a realistic story that engages the audience whilst enlightening them to historical facts.

Director, Christopher Nolan put extensive research into making the costumes and props as realistic as possible, the use of accurate costumes not only highlights the time period it also reiterates the genre, showing clearly that the film is going to be about war, specifically the British troops in the Second World War. Furthermore, the use of location, as well as set building, highlights the genre of war, the use of the barracks and defences highlights the war genre, making the sets more representative of the time, helping the audience gain a more realistic perspective.

The opening scene encapsulates the audience through the use of action as well as drama, the use of pleonastic gunshots within the action sequence grasps the audience's attention as we’re fearful as to what's going to happen next, this is shown through a tracking shot followed by a mid-shot of the only survivor, the fact that he's the only survivor suggests that he's going to be the protagonist, although he appears to be extremely young and ill-prepared suggesting he most probably won't survive, as he didn't even know how to load a gun. The tone is set to be sombre yet serious, it's set in Dunkirk during the second world war. I presume the narrative of the film will probably surround the journey of the potential ‘protagonist’ and how he copes with the events he will face in the war. 

The final shot in the scene is a mid-shot, which shows the ‘protagonist’ looking out at onto the beach, this shot puts him into perspective whereby he’ll be known ‘just as a number’ as thousands of soldiers are lined up on the be

ach, later this would be called “the Dunkirk evacuation”, the use of the panning shot highlights his lack of significance in comparison to the thousands of others as they all wait for refuge. Additionally, the beach location used is the actual Dunkirk beach where the evacuation took place.

Dunkirk's opening scene is good at establishing the war genre. The balance of action, as well as dialogue, helps to play on the audience's heartstrings, as despite our pre-established judgment that there definitely will be lots of death, we don't want to see the innocent men die. Many people would have prior knowledge of the events that will be covered in the film, therefore the importance of portraying the film in a realistic, war tone is incredibly important. 

The Conjuring (horror)

The conjuring is a supernatural horror film directed by James Wan in 2013, it had a budget of $20 million and made $319.5 million at the box office. The cast wasn't too well known at the time and it was many of their breakthrough performances, although, since the actors including Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Joey King and Lili Taylor have earned their A-list names. There are now seven movies part of the conjuring franchise including the sequels Annabelle and the Nun, Warner bros have grossed $2.1 billion from the 7 movies while having a combined budget of $178 million, making them the second-highest horror-movie franchises.  

Common conventions of a horror film are: a chilling storyline, a brutal death early on, and lots of emotion. The opening scene to the conjuring suggests that it is going to follow most of these conventions. It's apparent that the opening scene is set in 1968 in the US, despite being told the date we can also tell that it's not modern due to the costume alongside the camera quality, the lack of technology makes the opening scene scarier as it appears more real to the audience almost as though it could happen to them. 

The first 7 seconds are a blank screen with a diegetic male voice speaking, the blank screen gives us no hints as to the narrative, although soon enough a hard cut reveals a horrifyingly scary doll, the doll alone highlights the horror genre through its scratched face alongside its exaggerated smile. The tone is pretty dark and chilling, this is necessary in order to scare the audience and make them genuinely scared. Were introduced to three characters who appear to be roommates, they are filing a case about the doll and how it has haunted them. The use of female characters creates a damsel in distress vibe while at the same time getting an emotional attachment to two best friends. 

Moreover, the dark lighting and pleonastic sound effects also enhance the horror genre. The dark lighting reflects the dark and chilling tone, whereby the darkness also connotes mystery and evil which allows more room for fear from the audience as well as engaging them as they are left on the edges of their seats as they are unaware as to what will happen next. 

The use of editing further conveys the horror genre, the repeated cutaway shots of the doll reiterate fear into the audience as paranormal movement is reflected through the doll. 

Moreover, the parallel non-diegetic soundtrack builds tension, whereby as suspense is heightened the music becomes louder and more chaotic instilling fear within the audience as scary moments are exclaimed, the soundtrack and the doll are directly linked with each other, whereby once the doll is supposedly gotten rid of the soundtrack stops, this reiterates the horror genre making the audience weary of the doll. From the opening scene, you can assume the narrative will either be surrounding the trio in the interview although this is unlikely due to the end of the opening scene whereby they appear to have been terrorized, therefore it's more likely that the rest of the film will be about the doll and possibly its next victims.

I think that the opening scene to the conjuring was successful at establishing the horror genre, the use of varied camera angles and movements add to the fear instilled into the audience, for example, the birds-eye view of the doll being disposed of followed by a zoom exaggerates the complexion of the doll. Additionally, the suspenseful soundtrack helps to enhance the horror genre.

The Dark Knight (action)

The Dark Knight was released in 2008 as the sequel to Batman Begins, and as of 2012, it became part of a trilogy, although Warners Bros have confirmed there won't be anymore. The movie had a budget of $185 million although it made over $1 billion at the box office. All three Batman movies were directed by Christopher Nolan and had Christian Bale playing Bruce Wayne who is indeed Batman, the rest of the cast was mostly all A-list, including Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Michael Cain, and Morgan Freeman. 

Action movie conventions generally consist of violence, mass destruction, and death. The opening scene to The Dark Knight does adhere to the action stereotype, whereby the first shot exposes us to one man holding a mask and a duffle bag, already we (the audience) can tell he's on a mission, the use of the clown mask suggests he and his men are the villains, as they don't want to be identified, although we later find out the clown mask represents ‘The Joker’, who bases his appearance off of the common court jester. We’re soon told that there are 5 men part of the heist, each with their own speciality that'll be useful for this specific heist, this suggests the main man behind the plan has been planning this for a long time due to the detail and people he has hired, furthermore the plan reflects his intelligent as well as his experience.

The use of the non-diegetic soundtrack creates tension as the bank heist unfolds before our eyes, the soundtrack is parallel to the scene whereby as tension builds the music speeds up, heightening the tension. Non-diegetic soundtracks are extremely common for action sequences as they enhance the action. The use of a suspenseful soundtrack in this opening scene helps the action flow, the pace of the soundtrack varies, the change in tempo exaggerates some of the action. 

The opening scene has a serious yet suspenseful tone, whereby the audience is gripped from the offset due to the violence and lack of knowledge of who the characters are and what they stand for. It appears to be set in the US, specifically Chicago, you can tell this from the bird's eye shot, where the city is established. Additionally, the technology within the scene suggests that it is set in the current day and the narrative of the story will focus on the Joker and his nemesis and will include many more fights and confrontations.

The use of the soundtrack within the opening scene helps to build up the ‘protagonist’. We don't know an awful lot about the characters or their backstory, although we can grasp who is in charge. The scene begins and ends with the protagonist getting into a car, the cyclical structure reflects the simplicity and childlike manner the joker obtains. his costume, in particular, his makeup also represents him as a child. Conversely, the dialogue within the scene represents his intelligence, as no one knows who he is nor that he is present. As the joker unmasks his face the music changes to a more evil and dark tone, highlighting that he is the villain. The Dark Knight's opening scene is really effective at establishing the action genre through the ruthlessness of the joker, as within the opening scene all four of his accomplices are murdered. Although without watching the rest of the movie, one would assume the joker is going to be the main character due to his screen time alongside ruthlessness. Despite being very key in the movie and the opening scene, this is the Joker's first physical feature within the trilogy and DC world, therefore this encounter would encapsulate the audience who have prior knowledge of the film, as they want to fully understand who he is.

Django Unchained (western)

Django Unchained is a western movie made in 2012 by Quentin Tarantino, it had a budget of $100 million and made $425.4 million back at the box office. It has since won 17 awards globally. Django unchained had an ensemble a-list cast, including Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Christoph Waltz. 

Western movie conventions often consist of: cowboys, shootouts, ranches, and horses. The opening title sequence to Django Unchained appears to adhere to these stereotypical conventions. The first shot highlights the desolate landscapes of the wild west, whereby the actors' names are shown over the landscape. 

The opening scene has a serious yet violent tone, Its apparent from the characters shown and the lack of technology that Django unchained is going to be set in the US, specifically in California, and set during the 1950s/60s, we know that at the time the civil rights movement was very prominent due to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, so at the time the film was based racial equality was horrific, moreover this is conveyed within the opening scene whereby we see numerous black men who have obviously been abused and enslaved by white men whose status are represented through horseback. As well as the civil rights movement, during the 60s the American civil war took place, this could affect the narrative of the movie.

The non-diegetic soundtrack assumingly called “Django” establishes the western genre through the tempo alongside the choice of instruments and vocals. Guitars and banjos are instruments western artists use therefore the soundtrack radiates a strong western music vibe setting the genre off strong from the opening scene. The continuity within the song reflects the non-stop journey the “slaves” are on, indicating they've had no rest over a few days through the use of lighting as well as costumes. The scene starts out showing the desert in the peak sunshine, although throughout the opening scene the sun begins to fade and the sand becomes more mountainous and grasslike, by the end of the opening scene its pitch black, and the men appear to be walking through icy woods, whereby their costume has changed to represent the change in temperature. The change in set shows the power the men on horseback have over the “slaves” as it reflects the brutality they can inflict on them.

Moreover, the audience is engaged as there isn't a lot hinted at in the rest of the story, for example, we don't know anything about any of them or where they are or where they're going, the element of mystery engages the audience and makes them want to carry on watching. There is only one character whose face is intentionally shown, we can assume that he is “Django” and the rest of the movie is going to be about him. The use of screen time further reflects his status as it gives him the most importance within the scene. Additionally, we can gather from the title “Django unchained” that the movie is going to be about his life when he's no longer part of the slave trade and how he potentially gets out.

The opening title sequence is good at establishing the western genre, the use of the panning shot establishes the location, whereby the western genre is reflected through the desolate landscape. Furthermore, the characters and their lack of costume highlight the slavery theme within the movie, although the slave trade can be associated with plantations often in the wild west, which highlights the western theme. Therefore the genre is successfully identified within the sequence and not too much of the further narrative is uncovered.

Goodfellas (drama)

Goodfellas is one of the best Scorsese films of all time.

Goodfellas is a drama which was made in 1990 and directed by Martin Scorsese. It had a budget of $25 million and made $47.1 million at the box office. The cast includes Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, and Lorraine Bracco. The generic conventions of a drama are that it's realistic and fairly solemn, dramas often include an interesting plot twist to keep the audience engaged.

The opening sequence to Goodfellas adheres to the stereotypical drama genre although it does include an added action vibe. The first shot introduces the car that three men are traveling in, it begins by showing the boot and then pans around to show the rest of the car and then the road. It's set during the night, setting an eerie tone due to the lack of vision of the surroundings, furthermore stereotypically in movies, something bad often happens at night. The three men are shown crowding around the trunk of the car, where an unsuccessful murder has taken place, the setting is pitch black although the men are shown in a red light, this encapsulates the audience as not only do we want to find out more as to how the men got into the situation and who they actually are, red is a common connotation to danger as well as anger and war.

 The title shot establishes the place and time of the movie, it's set in New York in the 1970s, we know that at the time America was much more corrupt and classist, therefore we know that the 3 men that we were introduced to must be very powerful and high up in what they do, as the use of smart costumes alongside guns and knives highlights their job quota.
The audience is encapsulated through dialogue and facial expressions, the men show distress when a noise is coming from the back of the car, although once they’ve fully murdered the man, they show no emotion at all, this also reflects the lengths of the jobs as they must be so used to killing people that it no longer affects them. Moreover, the costumes, car, and props all reflect a drama as none of them are too out of the ordinary highlighting the serious tone and realism within the storyline.

The audience is engaged through the use of a non-diegetic voice over “As far back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangsta” this fully introduces us to the protagonist whereby we can assume the rest of the movie will be based around the protagonist and his associates and either how they got into their current situation and how he did become a “gangsta” or what they're going to do next. The story will most likely include violence, following the three men's jobs within the mafia. Although the lack of non-diegetic sound highlights the drama genre as it shows the scene to be more realistic as nothing is exaggerated.

The opening scene to Goodfellas is successful at establishing the genre as it hints to the storyline although leaves a lot to the audience's imagination, this fully engages the audience as they want to carry on watching the movie. The opening scene fully establishes the drama genre through the use of action alongside dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed this opening scene and thought it to be very gripping.