What makes a good film opening? Discuss using film language with reference to 'Romeo + Juliet' (1997) and Bend it like Beckham' (2002)
English Coursework
What makes a good film opening?
Discuss using film language with reference to 'Romeo + Juliet' (1997) and Bend it like Beckham' (2002)
By Rahila Sumnani 10W
It is very important that a film has a good opening. As these first few minutes of a movie establishes the first impression and causes the viewers to carry on watching. So, what makes a good opening? The main aim of the opening is to grab the audience's attention (make them want to watch more). The opening should tell us the genre of the film, the setting or location, and it may tell us one of the storylines of the movie to keep the viewers watching and to give the audience a taster of the narrative. The opening should include many different techniques, from catchy music to fast paced editing. The most important element to a good opening is the element of suspense and mystery. An opening that makes the audience ask questions is a good opening. Film language plays a key role in giving a film a good opening. So, the use of Genre, Intertexuality, Lighting, Colour, Sound, Mise-en-Scene, Camera angles & shots and the Editing style & pace, can all make a good opening. If the use of these film languages in the opening grabs the audience's attention and makes the audience ask questions, the film is then known to have a good opening.
In this essay I will be discussing the film openings of 'Romeo +Juliet' (1997) and 'Bend it like Beckham' (2002). I will be comparing the two film openings and deciding if they are good openings using film language and what affect this has on the audience. I will also be seeing which film has the better opening in my opinion.
In the opening of, both 'Romeo + Juliet' and 'Bend it like Beckham' we are shown the genres of the two films. The film language used in the two films reflects its genre. Different styles and techniques of film languages are used in these two films, as the genre of both movies are different. The film language in the opening of 'Romeo + Juliet' reflects that the film has a number of genres such as, romance, tragedy and action. Many people have heard of the story of Romeo and Juliet; however the suspense is still present, as the director has kept the main characters hidden in the opening. The opening starts with a news reader to gain the audiences attention and trust. This film opening also establishes the setting, which is Verona. The emphasis of action is shown through the violence and action symbols such as guns, explosions, cars and city setting. We can also see the romance genre clearly when we see the words 'star cross'd lovers' appear on screen. You can also tell that this film has a tragic element by the operatic music and the violence involved. A religious aspect is also sensed in this movie by the statues of Jesus and crosses. Whereas, the film language used in 'Bend it like Beckham' can be seen as an opposite to 'Romeo + Juliet' as it tells us that the film is a comedy. By viewing the opening of 'Bend it like Beckham' we can see that the movie is based around a girl named 'Jess Bhamra' and her ambitious interest in football, however we can also see that these interests clash with her Indian culture and family life. At first you think you are watching a football match, which is purposely shown to mislead the audience into confusion. It is a surprise when an Asian girl is revealed to be playing in the match, this shows the comedy clearly. After this in the interview Jess's mother appears, as a stereotypical Indian lady, wearing an Indian suit, speaking bits of her language and disapproving of her daughter's football career. This created extreme laughter and comedy.
The director (Gurinder Chadha) had decided to put some intertexuality into 'Bend it like Beckham'. The sports media has been linked to this movie. For example, a well-known sports idol, David Beckham has been appointed as the centre of attention in this film. Also by starting the film with a football match, again links the film to the sports media. The interview that follows the match, with well-known commentators and Jess's mum, is also another form of media text being used. A newspaper article shown with a picture of Jess and David is another example of intertexuality. Intertexuality ...
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The director (Gurinder Chadha) had decided to put some intertexuality into 'Bend it like Beckham'. The sports media has been linked to this movie. For example, a well-known sports idol, David Beckham has been appointed as the centre of attention in this film. Also by starting the film with a football match, again links the film to the sports media. The interview that follows the match, with well-known commentators and Jess's mum, is also another form of media text being used. A newspaper article shown with a picture of Jess and David is another example of intertexuality. Intertexuality makes a film seem more realistic and attracts a wider range of audience. As the film starts with something really realistic, like David Beckham playing football, it leads to something very unusual, like Jess, an Indian girl playing football with David Beckham. So, it was made more realistic and entertaining by adding intertexuality. This is a very good way of starting a film as it makes the audience ask questions (How is an INDIAN GIRL playing football with DAVID BECKHAM?) Another reason why this is a very good way of starting a movie is that many viewers may think that they are watching a football match, at first, and then it comes as a surprise, that the main character, an Indian girl is playing football with David Beckham. This creates confusion. It makes the audience want to watch more so their confusion can be cleared. 'Romeo + Juliet' included new reports on television and newspapers as other forms of media. This makes the story seem more real and like an important disaster. It also makes it more entertaining. It gains the audiences attention and trust and creates a serious atmosphere. It shows that the truth is being said as that is what is thought to be said by the newspaper.
The lighting in 'Bend it like Beckham' clearly reflects the comedy genre. The lighting in this film opening is mainly bright which makes things seem very normal and positive. During the football match top lighting is being used on David Beckham and the other football players. The top lighting then transfers onto Jess when she scores the goal causing her to be the centre of attention and making her look more glamorous and equal to the other players even though she's an Asian female playing football among English men. In 'Romeo + Juliet' the lighting used is completely different. The lighting used is very dull which reflects the tragedy of the movie. Even the weather is very gloomy and dull which emphasises on the tragic mood. At the beginning the screen is pitch black and the audience can only hear the news report which makes the viewers concentrate on what is being said. As the lighting increases and the television is being brought into focus, full attention is put onto the screen.
The colours used in these film openings are extremely similar to the lightings used. In 'Romeo + Juliet' the colours are mostly dull as it needs to reflect on the tragedy of the movie. Most of the characters are wearing blacks and greys which are not only dull but very masculine colours, which show that this is a male dominated film. This is not very unusual for an action movie, as action films generally do not contain heroines. 'Bend it like Beckham' is a lot more positive and easy going as bright colours are used to reflect on the comedy of the film. The colours are also very familiar like everyday life, creating a relaxing feel to the audience. However, at the start the background is black, this shows the masculinity, meaning football is a 'mans game. Conversely when the title appeared in bold black, the background changes to white which indicates that there is no more masculinity saying that Jess can play as football is no longer a 'mans game'. The colour of the clothing the characters are wearing is very important aswell. The commentators are wearing very dull clothes and look very sophisticated. However Jess's mum, Mrs Bhamra is also wearing very dull clothes such as brown making her seem very negative.
Sound is one of the most important film languages as what you hear is just as vital as what you see, so that the affect of the images can be emphasised upon. The opening of 'Bend it like Beckham' begins with a black screen; here non digetic sound is being used. We hear the cheering of the crowd and the commentating which is heard from a very familiar and believable voice. As there are no images on screen the viewers are automatically made to focus on these sounds, which tells the audience that they are about to watch a football match. The dialogues in a movie are also considered as sound and this film being a comedy, the dialogue is extremely important. The dialogues have been made humorous in many ways such as mixing the two languages English and Punjabi. Near the end of the opening when David Beckham's picture is shown, Indian music can be heard in the background. This particular scene stands out as this is contrapuntal sound and tells us a bit about the storyline, as the two 'Beckham' and 'Indian' do not match. This scene may show the two sides in Jess's life, dreams of having a football career against her family life and culture. How she overcomes the two clashing may be what the film is about. The sounds involved in 'Romeo + Juliet' are very different to 'Bend it like Beckham', it is much more powerful. It has to be the films a tragedy as well as an action, whereas the other can be calm as a comedy genre does not need strong music. At the very beginning of the opening 20th Century Fox music is recognised, which alerts the audience that the film is about to start. Throughout the whole of the opening many things are repeated by the news reader and voice over. This is done so that the prologue is clear and sticks to the watchers mind. Words and images are also shown to relate the dialogues to. The news reader being heard sounds very professional and sophisticated causing what she is saying to grab the audience's attention and the voice over being heard is deep and loud, which reflects the seriousness of the matter. As the room is completely dark at the beginning and we only hear the news report it causes us to concentrate more on what is being said and again keep the prologue in mind. However the music, after the new report has been read takes a sudden turn. The sound becomes much more powerful, with the heavy opera music which reflects on the tragedy of the movie. This music is parallel as the operatic music relates to the tragedy in the film. The sound has a huge impact at the end, when the music fastens and is building up, with the editing. The sounds are overlapping with the voice over, background music and helicopter to create a larger affect.
'Bend it like Beckham' used many different camera shots and angles throughout the opening. The camera angles and shots was like the editing on the pitch, it changed every few seconds as it seemed to involve the audience more and seem like they are also playing. At the beginning of the football match high angles are used to establish the scene. Once Jess has been introduced and all focus is drawn to herm many close ups are done to show the excitement on her face. A close up of Jess's mum is also used; it is also at a slight low angle, showing the power she has. This makes it clear that Jess's mother does not approve of her playing football rather than cooking curry. Most of the shots and angles now are neutral, except for the close up of the poster of the idol 'David Beckham'. This close up is at a slight low angle aswell to show his importance. In 'Romeo + Juliet' many close ups were used to show the characters emotions, which is necessary in a tragic film. The length of each shot flows with the background music which gives a sense of stability to the movie. However, at the beginning long shots are used to establish the scene and are then zoomed into close ups. Also, low angles are used on Romeo and Juliet's parents to show that they are more dominant and powerful.
Good editing is essential in any film. 'Bend it like Beckham' mainly uses straight cuts to quicken the pace, especially during the match. The editing during the match starts off slower and then fastens when Jess has scored the goal. The editing pace is also matching the commentary. As the commentator gets more excited the pace of the editing increases. This involves the audience. After the match the editing becomes steady as quick scenes would be unnecessary. When the titles were being shown wipe cuts were used. It was a football which changed the scene by wiping from one side to another. This is more entertaining and emphasises on the element of football. 'Romeo + Juliet' also mainly used straight cuts, which was usually used to quicken the pace. In this opening the editing worked with the music, when the music speeds up so did the edits. The editing is slow at the beginning and builds up to a climax where it quickens tremendously. Dissolve cuts are used in this opening to link the media with the action, for example, the newspaper with the fire.
The last element of film language is mise-en-scene which covers many things of a film. It covers everything you see on screen from props and costumes to characters. The main prop used during 'Bend it like Beckham' is the football, as the film is based around this. In the opening we are shown that the setting is a football pitch, however this is misleading the film is actually set in London, where many Asians live. The clothes worn in this opening are very stereotypical. Jess's family are shown wearing wild colours and Indian suit. Whereas the commentators are very smartly dressed in a suit and tie, showing that they are respectable people. Jess is wearing sporty clothes, which reflects her interest in sports, football in particular. Mrs Bhamra is seen as a stereotypical Indian woman as she has a lot of make up on and her clothing also reflects this. Also, the way she talks with mixed languages. The body language of this opening again relates to the sports media. Jess's mum has very aggressive body language and facial expressions. We can see this by the way she is shouting and pointing at the screen. Jess is very happy while playing the match, however the commentators are very surprised and confused by Mrs Bhamra's reaction. 'Romeo + Juliet' did not have a main prop but it did involve many. Such as the television at the very beginning, this makes the audience believe that the news is real and extremely important. Many props to indicate the violence in this part action film are used such as guns. Limousines are also present in the opening of this film showing that many wealthy and important people are a part of this story. The two broken rings which is shown on screen shows the romance which has leaded to tragedy, saying that the love of two people was not eternal. The film is set in 'the city of fair Verona' this indicates action, as action films are known to be set in cities. The two families are dressed smartly and very sophisticatedly, also showing their wealth. The men are wearing suits while the women are wearing pearls. Aswell as men in police uniforms show that the law has some part in this movie. When the characters are introduced it is mostly stills where there is no movement, but we can tell hat each person is serious and intense by their facial expressions. Very little make up is used on both men and women causing the characters to look more weary and dull again emphasising on the tragedy. Romeo is only half shown which creates mystery and Romeo's best friend Mercutio is pointing at the screen in a very violent manner, giving an intense feeling to the viewers
In conclusion, I believe that 'Romeo + Juliet' had the better opening out of the two. 'Bend it like Beckham' was a good opening but to an extent it would have only attracted a certain number of groups, especially those who were interested in football. However I believe 'Romeo + Juliet' would attract many different groups of people. This is not the only reason why I believe this was the better opening. I believe 'Romeo + Juliet' used each film language element in a well organized planned and sorted way, as each element contrasted with the other and worked together. Whereas, 'Bend it like Beckham' focused on each element separately. I believe the film opening of 'Romeo + Juliet' was extremely powerful, original and gave the element of mystery. These were the things I did not find in 'Bend it like Beckham'