Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Research: Film Opening Analysis


    Today in class we learned about micro elements and how they can add to the significance of the film and its opening. Micro elements include mise-en-scene, editing, sound, camera work, and performance. For practice, we chose a film to analyze the opening scene using the micro elements. 

The movie I chose to analyze was Godzilla Vs. Kong. 


Genre: Sci Fi/ Action 
Director: Adam Wingard 
Year released: 2021


Camera work

  • At the beginning of the scene, it starts with a master shot, showing the character and its environment. 


  • As the opening scene progresses, we get a full body shot, which contrasts the environment with the character. In this case it shows how big Kong is compared to his environment. 


  • In this scene we have High angle shot, which makes the girl seem small, almost defenseless. This can also be a POV shot because it is from the point of view of Kong which is a tall creature 

Editing 

  • When Kong throws the tree branch up, there is a cut away shot from kong to the tree branch hitting the "sky" and then back to Kong.

  • Hidden cuts throughout most of the scene 
  • The scene also uses an L-cut when Kong is yelling and the yell continues while it focuses on the little girl
  • The CGI of this movie is the most prevalent, since Kong is completely CGI as well as the forest and the whole waterfall

Sound


Diegetic sound

  • The noise made from the flying birds crowing


  • Noises like growls, yawns, heavy breathing and walking from Kong 



  •  The noises that come from the scene are just sounds coming from nature or movements and actions, with occasional noises made by Kong, but there is no voices or dialogue in the scene


Non Diegetic sound

  •  The song in the background gives a calm and relaxing tone to the scene, and matches with some of the actions in the scene as well. For example the song says "crossing over a river," Kong is walking over a river.Or when the song says "There's a girl, she's waiting for me"the scene focuses on the little girl waiting for Kong. 

Mise-En-Scene

  • Location: An artificial forest. We can tell it is artificial because Kong brakes the dome with the tree branch.

  • Props: Since almost the entirety of the film is CGI, most of the props were edited in, like the tree branch. The doll the little girl was holding, was in the shape of Kong. 

  • Imagery: The use of many trees and green plant life supposedly show life and growth, but when the barrier breaks metal and darkness is seen, artificial. 

  • Character/acting: Kong starts off with a relaxed feeling, acting peaceful, but as the scene progresses he starts to grow suspicious and angrier. The little girls acting does not consist of talking in this scene, but she expresses emotions through her eyes and movement. 



2 MINUTE FILM OPENING 



At first impression, I think this movie is going to be about a creature that is going to try and fight its way out of this artificial environment and reach its home, or natural environment. I do think there will be obstacles along the way since we can see scientists outside the artificial dome becoming worried, and the dome is still up, so Kong will need to find a better way out. I also think the little girl will help Kong emotionally since they seem to have a connection.