Continuity Sequence

Analysis Of An Opening Sequence: The Secret Window

The opening sequence of the secret window beings with the Columbia logo and whilst the logo is on screen you can hear the non-diegetic sound of windscreen wipers on a car. At this time the viewer doesn’t actually know what they are hearing as they haven’t seen what’s making the noise (windscreen wipers). This makes the viewer anxious and they want to know what is making the distinct sound.

The Columbia logo then fades into a close up shot of Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp) face. It’s clear at this point in the sequence that the non-diegetic sound was in fact windscreen wipers on his car. The characters face has a blank expression and shows almost no emotion except maybe a sense of anger or distress. Whilst the camera is focused on his face you hear the words “Turn around, turn around, turn the car around”.  The character is not speaking these words so the viewer is left wondering who’s saying these words and why, although the assumption is that they are his thoughts and what he is thinking at this point in time in the film. He then suddenly gives into his “thoughts” and turns the car around in a violent manner as if to signify his anger and his facial expression shows this. This creates a false sense of security as the character goes through different emotions and expressions very quickly and you have no idea what is going on which then creates suspense and catches the viewer’s attention to draws them into the story.

The close up shot of Mort Rainey then quickly transitions into a wide angled shot where you can see a car that the character is driving and a motel in the background. The motel sign is a blood red colour and the colour red is emphasised throughout which goes well with the monochrome contrast. The colour red is often signified with blood and can indicate that something bad is happening or about to happen. When the character walks up to the red door your left wondering what’s lying behind it which creates suspense yet again. As he walks in the door you see that his wife Amy is in bed with another man and Mort screams loudly and you see them shouting at one another but all you can hear is the whistle of the wind from the snow storm. This shot slowly fades into a tracking shot of a lake and the shot used to film resembles a bird flying over the lake that then focuses upon this log cabin type house which appears to be in the middle of nowhere and very secluded at which time music starts playing which sounds like the typical creepy thriller soundtrack. As the house come into view titles appear on the screen stating the production company (Pariah Productions) and the main actor Johnny Depp but the main focus is when the title of the film “The Secret Window” appears on screen in a white text format then transitions into the blood red colour and is the only title to do this; the colour red is emphasised a lot in the opening sequence to keep the audience guessing what the film is going to entail.

As the camera gets closer to the house it starts to pan around giving the viewer a better image of the scene and surroundings. The camera seems to fly through an open window (referring to the title of the film) and you see a desk with a computer sat on it with lots of papers surrounding it. The character seems like unorganized and untidy person by the way his house is kept and also by the way he dresses.

Saul Bass Profile

Saul Bass was a Jewish American graphic designer and film maker. He produced animated title sequences for movies, some of these movies include the famous "Psycho", "North by Northwest" and "The man with the golden arm". His most famous and also controversial work was in the 1950's film "The man with the golden arm". The main focus of this title sequence was the main characters arm as he was a heroin addict and is a symbol of the characters drug addiction. The sequence featured a black paper cut out of the characters arm to symbolize the story of the character and film. Saul Bass was a pioneer of title sequences and the animation involved with them. His techniques and work was considered revolutionary from the early days of his career as nothing like he created was ever seen in the 50's and 60's. In the 90's he moved on to creating title sequences with the aid of computer graphics. This technology never existed earlier on in his career so it opened up doors for him to experiment and created more innovative title sequences such as the one seen in "Casino" where he was using computers to make the titles. Saul Bass was a pioneer from the days of his early work to his latest work before he died in 1996.

Continuity Film

Recently filmed my continuity piece with my group and have finished putting it together and editing the footage to produce a short film sequence. Many different shots and techniques were used to film such as the ones i stated in the last post about camera angles used in film production. The film will be uploaded to this blog as soon as possible for viewing purposes.

Camera Shots and Anlges used in film

	ECU - Extreme Closeup
	The extreme close up is used to reveal very small details in the scene. It might be used to reveal horror in a subject . It might also be used in a mystery to show some detail that the detective picks up on or to show some small clue.
	CU - Close Up
	The close up shot is used to reveal detail. If you are shooting just the head and shoulders of a subject this is a close up.
	Head and Shoulders
	The head and shoulders shot is used in news broadcasts. If you think about the television news you will realize that this shot reveals enough detail to see the subject's lips move and the expression on her/his face.
	Bust Shot
	This shot shows your subject from above the knees to above the head. It is often used when the subject of the shot is doing something that requires the audience to see some detail.
	MS - Medium Shot
	The medium shot is from just below the waist to above the head. There is more headroom than in the bust shot. This show is used if the person is animated with their hand movements, etc.
	MLS - Medium Long Shot
	Remember in this shot to not cut ther person off at the knees. With this shot, you can still see expression on the persons face, while getting more information from what is going on around the person.
	LS - Long Shot
	This shot is useful for someone that is walking or moving.
	ELS - Extra Long Shot
	Also known as the Establish shot, this gives the viewer some perspective as to where the subject is. This is very important if the subject is moving to new locations or times. It lets the viewer know where the video is taking place.
	2 Shot
	Two-shots are composed when two people are in the scene and their interaction is important. A two-shot is a good way to introduce a conversation. From the introduction you might cut to an over the shoulder shot of one person talking or a close-up of the other person reacting to what is being said.
	OS - Over Shoulder
	The over the shoulder shot reveals one subject as seen from over the shoulder of another subject. It simulates a view of the subject as seen from the second person's eyes. This shot is often used in conversations between two people where the dirtector wants to focus on the person speaking. Usually these shots are head shots.