CONSTRUCTION: Recording sound effects

 - recorded ambient sounds (e.g. bird noises)

- branches breaking, snapping

- running through leaves

- brushing past bushes

- footsteps in crunching leaves

PLANNING: Audience Theory

Audience Theory from EllieSmart

PLANNING: My Target Audience

1. Who is my primary target audience? 

 British young males and females from ages 15-25 (young adults and teenagers enjoy thrills more than older generations) who enjoy watching films with thrill and suspense. Might attract a wider female audience due to a female lead.

2. What kind of films and television are they likely to prefer? 

Our target audience are likely to enjoy thrilling television series with strong, gripping narratives. The genre horror might also appeal to them if they enjoy the realism of horror films that are based around real life events rather than a supernatural element. During our further research on films and television series that might interest our target audience, we found that the psychological thriller Netflix series 'You', adapted from the novel by Caroline Kepnes followed a similar narrative we were developing. It follows the story of Joe, a bookstore manager, who upon meeting Guinevere Beck becomes infatuated with her. He feeds his obsession using social media to track her and remove obstacles in their romance. The themes of obsession and stalkers relate extremely well to our film opening through the sense of the victim being unaware of the threat of someone close to them. 

3. What platforms do they choose to watch films and where are they likely to see information about films?

Our target audience are likely to enjoy streaming our film online on sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime video, as they are easily accessible for younger generations to watch on their phones or electronic devices. Similarly, younger generations are likely to see information about films on social media and therefore we will put an emphasis on social media when we market our films. However, our audience is also likely to enjoy the movie in a cinema, to immerse themselves in the thrill and atmosphere the big screen creates.

4. What brands do they prefer? (food, clothing, media)

Brands which a younger audience would enjoy, for example: Nike, Adidas (also inspired by the element of sports in our film), social media such as Instagram, snapchat and tiktok, clothing brands such as Topshop, Urban outfitters and Zara and fast food brands might also be a preferred food choice due to the younger appeal, for example: Nandos, McDonalds and KFC.

5. What makes my film stand out from the competition? 

Our film encompasses a sense of realism, intensifying the drama, and is a gripping story based on realistic concepts that that could happen in the real world. This is effective in immersing the viewer in the story through provoking emotions of the paranoia and fear our protagonist feels. We are also challenging the stereotypical male stalker and female victim, and instead having a female predator introducing a new element and avoiding the cliché. 

6. Why should my audience watch my film? 

Exposes the reality of being stalked in a thrilling, immersive way, with features from both the genres horror and psychological thriller. The female lead helps to empower women and promote feminism in the film industry.

PLANNING: Treatment

Planning my treatment:

To write my treatment, I initially did research on how to best write one, to clearly convey the narrative of our film opening. Some key findings were:

• Keep it short and concise
• Do not include too much detail, summarise the plot
• Show an active protagonist
• Make it readable and moving, ensure sentences flow 
• Include 2/3 images to spark intrigue 

As part of of my research I have watched a FutureLearn video, presented by Frank Ash - a creative consultant for the BBC. The video was extremely informative in explaining how films are successfully constructed to connect with an audience. 

Frank Ash's video:

In the video I learnt a number of useful questions to consider when constructing my own production in order to attract and intrigue audiences, such as 'what is the big question' and 'what is in it for the audience'. A key concept that I now understand is the use of a 'top-line' to focus the story into a single, impactful sentence. 

Our Treatment:

A story of deception, following a young woman, Sarah, who has a love for lacrosse  and a passion for photography. However, she is unaware that her every move is being tracked and documented through the lens of a camera and her  photos continuously being captured and developed.  From her lacrosse practices to her work as an assistant at a photography company and eventually to the safety of her own bedroom. She starts to notice an unsettling presence in her life, but remains oblivious to the true threat, that is so much closer than she knows. One night, Sarah senses a figure outside her bedroom window, she thinks nothing of it until she notices a sudden flash out of the corner of her eye. She closes her blinds, but not before glimpsing a shrouded figure hiding behind the lens. 

Top Line and Big Question: 

Our Top Line: Deception and deceit mask the true danger that faces a young women, who is unaware every aspect of her life is being captured and documented through the lens of a camera.

Our Big Question: Will she uncover the face behind the camera?

PLANNING: Characters

Social Groups Pinterest Boards

We looked at the different social groups and stereotypes that we wanted to incorporate into our foundation production, so that they were easily recognisable to our audience. 

I made Pinterest boards to individually represent the social groups involved in our narrative: sporty girls and stalkers, using stereotypical representations of each. This was extremely useful for our development and planning as we could clearly see the distinct visual styles and work out how best to represent them in our film opening. 

Through this process, key visual codes became apparent for each of the groups. My board on stalkers consisted of black and monochrome tones with dark lighting. Inspired by this, we decided we would use low lighting and the use of shadows when capturing shots of our stalker, to emphasise the unnerving, ominous feeling associated with the antagonist. In many of the pictures, the 'stalker' was pictured with a black hood up, resulting in a hidden identity - a key element we concluded we wanted to use in our narrative. 

We decided to represent our protagonist as a young, sporty girl. To put emphasis on the main focus of her character, sport, we will make sure that we choose costumes carefully to fulfil the stereotype through well-known branded sports clothing (e.g. Nike). 

Stereotypes are universally deemed useful by the media for many reasons such as helping the audience understand characters. Through stereotyping (with body language, costume etc.), visual shortcuts are created, allowing audiences to easily decode a character. They also help to build character relatability, in terms of empathy, sympathy and antipathy, as well as signposting audiences to the potential narrative based on stereotypical events. Finally, the use of stereotypes also help to reinforce genre expectations through allowing audiences to recognise stock characters. 

Stuart Hall is a sociologist and cultural theorist who wrote why stereotyping can also be negative and dangerous. He believed stereotyping creates 'groups' that can be recognised through negative features and that they imply these negative traits are 'natural' qualities that each member of a group has. For example, the stereotype that black men are lawless or blondes are dumb. This leads to what Stuart Hall called 'power circularity', meaning that powerful groups are the ones with the power to create stereotypes and exclude others from the elite list. 

 

RESEARCH: Audience Questionaire

https://forms.gle/xfb6XWxbC8V3vzEo8

 I designed and distributed an audience questionnaire via Google Forms, with the aim of better understanding our target audiences preferences. This will help my production team and I as it ensures we have a sufficient range of data from all genders and ages, each with different lifestyles and activities. In turn, this is useful in helping us to gain a wider knowledge of what our target audience enjoys, so we can effectively market our film to make them want to watch.

I tailored my questionnaire to fit the kind of film my production team are planning on creating, and so asked questions unique to the genre we are developing: psychological thriller/horror. 

To distribute my questionnaire efficiently and to maximise response, I intend to both email and post it on social media (Instagram and twitter) to reach a wider audience, therefore providing us with more results. 

Results:

I found that the majority of people in our target audience (under 21) are heavily influenced by social media in terms of how the are made aware of a film coming (100% said social media) and what they are most significantly influenced by - along with trailers and recomendations. Similarly, 100% of the people questioned used online streaming services such as Netflix to watch films and found out about upcoming films online, highlighting an extremely effective path of distribution. The majority of the participants liked the comparable films ('You', 'Secret Obsession' and 'Greta') for the following reasons: they are 'dramatic', 'trilling' and 'engaging'. However, a few of the over 21s commented that the trailer for 'You' was slightly predictable, which is therefore something that we can avoid in our narrative for Camera-Shy. 

PLANNING: Audience Profile

I understand that all products are targeted at specific audiences. In order to successfully target my specific audience, I made a plan using an audience profile. To do this, I needed to understand who they are through considering factors such as age, gender ethnicity and social class. To engage my target audience I also need to know what their media needs are, so that I can create a product I know that they want as well as knowing the most effective way or reaching them in order to successfully market my film.

Time spent understanding my audience has helped me create a profile of my ideal audience member:

RESEARCH: SCOOPIT! Film Openings

 I created my own Scoop.it account to collate a range of film openings that might influence and evoke any creative ideas for my own film opening. I created my own scoops by linking in the opening scenes of films that I thought might tie in well to the idea and genre my group had already developed - horror, and in particular the concept of serial killers and psychopaths. 

RESEARCH: Title Sequences

 

Black Panther (2018):

• Production Company - Marvel Studios
• Distributor- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
• Director- Ryan Coogler
• Writers- Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole
• Producer - Kevin Feige, P.G.A
• Executive producers - Louis D'esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore
• Executive producers - Stan Lee, Jefferey Chernov
• Co-Producer - David G. Grant
• Based on- Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
• Director of photography - Rachel Morrison
• Production Designer - Hannah Beechler
• Editer-  Micheal P. Shawver, Debbie Berman
• Costume Designer - Ruth Carter
• Visual Effects Supervisor - Geoffrey Baumann
• Visual Effects Producer - Lisa Beroud
• Music - Ludwig Goransson
• Original songs-  Kendrick Lamar
• Music Supervisor - Dave Jordan
• Casting- Sarah Halley Finn
• Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o

Birds of Prey (2020):

• Distributor - Warner Bros. Pictures
• Production Companies - DC Films, Luckychap Entertainment
• Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez
• Director - Kathy Yan
• Written by - Christina Hodson
• Producers - Margot Robbie, Bryan Unkeless, Sue Kroll
• Executive Producers - Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, Geoff Johns, Hans Ritter, David Ayer
• Based on characters from DC
• Director of Photography - Matthew Libatique
• Production Designer - K.K. Barret
• Edited by - Jay Cassidy, Evam Schiff
• Co-Producer - Christina Hodson
• Music - Daniel Pemberton
• Music Supervisors - Season Kent, Gabe Kilfer
• Visual Effects Supervisor- Greg Steele
• Costume Designer - Erin Benach
• Casting - Rich Delia

DIGITAL STORYTELLING

 I watched a video on Digital Storytelling by Frank Ash, a creative consultant for the BBC, which was informative in explaining how films are constructed to connect with an audience. 

He stated a number of questions such as 'what's the big question', 'what kind of story is it' and 'what's in it for the audience', to explain how important it is to consider all the elements that work to attract and intrigue audiences. To summarise the information I had learnt during the video I created a comic strip, using ComicLife.

I found the video extremely informative and when planning my own production, will take into consideration all the questions, especially the use of a 'top-line' - done by focusing the story into a single sentence.

RESEARCH: DISTRIBUTION COLLAGE/ PIKTOCHART

On the Film Distributors’ association (FDA) website I watched a presentation on how distributors work to create a successful marketing campaign for each film, by Kezia Williams – head of theatrical distribution at Pathe. The concept of a USP (Unique Selling Point) was explained as a point that distributors market to bring positive attention to the film and to make it stand out to its target audience– something that is essential in the congested market place of film, by Chris Besseling, Director of Marketing at Pathe. Examples of a USP might be major movie star titles, a well-known director, awards or positive reviews.

My chosen film, Captain Marvel, is positioned as a superhero/action film and a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The American film was released in 2019, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the film is based on the Marvel Comics character ‘Carol Danvers’, played by Brie Larson, who is the first female superhero lead in a Marvel Studios film.

The film is set in the 90s, where Captain Marvel is caught in the midst of an intergalactic battle between her people and the ‘skrulls’, as well as discovering her origins on earth and a past life as a US Air Force Pilot.

Released on the 8^th March 2019, the movie was extremely popular and grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the first female-led superhero film to exceed the billion-dollar mark. It became Marvel’s seventh-biggest box office of all time and became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2019. This huge popularity, however, was not down to just the skill and quality of the movie, but also due to the essential part the distributors (Walk Disney Studios Motion Pictures) played in distributing and marketing the film, in a creative and engaging way. 

Film Posters

Captain Marvel used multiple different film posters during the marketing campaign, in order to capture the audience’s attention and fuel them with intrigue for what the film might entail. The posters were released over time, at events such as comic-con and cinemas, resulting in the slow, steady build-up of anticipation. Posters released at comic-con would have been successful in igniting further anticipation and excitement for Marvel’s already established fanbase, whereas posters located in cinemas would have had a purpose more focused on generating new interest by catching potential audiences’ eye as they pass. The emphasised ‘Higher, Faster, Further’ tagline on posters, focused the posters on the female empowerment angle of the campaign. This simple message is key to the whole campaign as it depicts an impression of female power and strength which a viewer can infer is a summation of her character in the film, intriguing them to find out more about this empowering message. Each film poster shows Captain Marvel with a powerful, iconic stance which is reminiscent of a superhero, illustrating a key convention of Marvel Movies, these strong visuals also tie in with the blue, red, orange colour palate that immediately is recognisable as Marvel Studios. This brand recognition is a key marketing strategy as it entices viewers through their perceptions and standards of the good quality of Marvel Movies. Individual posters of characters were also released, which are effective in introducing key characters, broadening a viewer’s understanding of the movie. They are also effective in demonstrating the ‘famous movie talent’ that is successful in marketing in attracting loyal fanbases of actors that star in the movie. For example, Samuel L. Jackson has starred in 11 of the 23 Marvel Movies as the character Nick Fury, so by having an individual poster of Fury viewers that have previously watched marvel films will recognise him and associate his character with the high standards of the other Marvel Films he has been in. 

Trailer

A ‘teaser trailer’ was released in September 2018, and succeeded in its role of exciting viewers without revealing too much about the film and therefore enticing viewers with a glimpse that heightens expectations. The trailer starts with a shot of the main character, Carol Danvers falling from the sky, the dynamic shot immediately introduces the idea that the film is going to be fast-paced and action-packed, it also immediately informs the viewer that Danvers has fallen from space to the unknown environment of Earth. Fast paced cross-cutting accompanied by non-diegetic, intense music, gives a viewer a sense of the series of events that happen in the film, but the lack of detail and speed forces them to become wrapped up in trying to piece together what they are seeing, creating a huge sense of anticipation. A main, official trailer that revealed more was released in December 2018, allowing viewers to get a deeper sense of what the film was about, through multiple asynchronous narrative voices giving a greater insight to the plotline. This fuels a viewer’s already established excitement and anticipation and therefore influencing them to maintain interest in seeing the film.

Online and Social Media

The retro web design of the official website, inspired by the visual style of the 90s, was a form of nostalgic promotion, that impacted viewers to reminisce about the past and therefore form a more personal interest in the movie. The official website also offers a game, making the site more fun and interactive which might cause a viewer to pay more attention. As the film was produced by Marvel Studios, a huge franchise, it was also widely efficient to have a section on the marvel website as well as the own 90s retro website. On the marvel website  there was a clear and simple format, making the site easily navigable for viewers to access all the key information about the film. It included many useful features like an overview of the narrative, key credits, rating (PG-13), release date, updates, trailers and a gallery. There is also access to the films playlist, on two music streaming services – Spotify and apple music, further enticing viewers to retain interest in the film.

It includes links to the various retailers that are available to stream the film on, such as Disney +, blue-ray, digital and movies anywhere, as well as links to the wide range of social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) that work as a synergetic whole in promoting the upcoming film, as well as providing updates, new images and trailers. Social media is an extremely efficient tool for product promotion as it can generate viral marketing and publicise something for free, so by having a variety of social media platforms, widespread recognition is achieved as the advertisement is more likely to reach viewers of all ages, depending which social media is their preferred use.

Media and Publicity

A crowdfunding campaign to help underprivileged girls to see the movie for free was promoted by celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, and Chris Evans reinforcing the message of female empowerment that is emphasised so much throughout the campaign.

Campaign Description - "Everyone should have an opportunity to see women in roles they can aspire to one day be, roles that show women as strong, smart and bold. From a teacher to a fighter pilot—or a superhero. This is an opportunity to continue to empower girls to be just that. Marvel Studios' first female led film, "Captain Marvel" offers this type of important representation. We want to help girls from various backgrounds have the opportunity to see the film by providing tickets and renting out theatres."

In today’s society where feminism and female portrayal are increasingly important, this message is one which will resonate with all women and the female lead is a factor which will increase appeal for women, creating a wider target audience. Moreover, it helps to create a strong and consistent brand identity, making any individual element of marketing instantly recognisable as the wider brand.  

Interviews with cast members also helped to attract attention and build awareness and anticipation for the upcoming film, as did the release of small clips and increase of tv spots which all slowly built up intrigue. Promoted posts on social media extended the reach of trailers and tv spots while outdoor ads used the key visual style to maintain the colourful inspirational theme of the hero. During the Super bowl, a Captain Marvel Ad was shown that offered new, unwatched footage, alongside previously released material. Reaction to this was extremely positive, with the ‘Higher, Faster, Further’ mantra exciting fans with the new prospect that a women would exceed expectations. 

 Cross Promotion/Product Tie-ins

Promotional partnerships helped to further promote the film, with many of the partners linking the promotion in with their own products, helping to benefit both brands. For example, WNBA connected the female hero’s journey with the stories of the league’s female players, as both were representative of female strength.

Overall

Overall, the marketing campaign for Captain Marvel was incredibly successful, with the film exceeding over $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide (the first female superhero film to do so) and it becoming the 5^th highest grossing film of 2019. The film was nominated for many awards, and won 7, including the MTV movie award for ‘best fight’.

Captain Marvel achieved many amazing reviews; however, it also was perceived negatively, with one reviewer writing ‘another story ruined because they took the male out and put in a female’.  

FILM OPENING CODES & CONVENTIONS

Title sequence codes and coventions from EllieSmart

PRODUCTION PRACTICE: MONTAGE/ TABLE TOP SEQUENCE

 "A WHOLE WORLD IN A TABLE TOP"

Brief: to create a title sequence using only a table top and props with a small part of live action at the end of it , using a given soundtrack. 

Research: In class we watched the title sequences of Delicatessen and To Kill as Mockingbird, which both use a table top-style title sequence, with camera shots that pass over a range of chosen props to infer a narrative. 

I worked with Fia, Tallulah and Millie to create our table top sequence, that was based from the perspective of a woman who becomes jealous and angry when she finds out the man she is in love with has another lover (Heather) and has plans of proposing to her. 

In our session 1, we worked on a black leather sofa, which we covered with white lace, to match with the rest of the mise-en-scene that had an old, Parisian feel. We arranged our chosen objects (a picture of a man, his letter and rose for Heather, a picture of Heather and finally, a jewellery box containing an engagement ring), in a specific layout to make the narrative clear. 

With a steady hand, we glided the camera above the props, following Tallulah's (the woman's) hand as she discovered the objects. We thought that the live action POV shot of the hand helped to add perspective to the sequence as it gave an insight as to her trails of thought as she discovered the props. For example the aggressive motion of her hand slamming the picture down illustrated her hurt and anger towards 'Heather'. 

In session 2, we added in live-action to make our narrative more intriguing for an audience, creating a larger influence to keep watching. We filmed in a different location (the mansion steps) to ensure that a viewer would maintain interest and want to continue watching. 

Our chosen soundtrack was 'Heather' by Colan Gray, which we thought would tie in well with our sequence as one of the key lyrics in the song is 'I wish I were Heather', which we timed to play out as the camera angle was a birds eye view of the letter, addressed to 'Heather'. This made the woman's feelings and emotions clear, providing an insight into her character. 

Finally, we uploaded our footage to iMovie to incorporate the soundtrack and make edits, such as adding in the titles. One major edit we made was to change the colour scheme to monochrome, as we thought that would match our aesthetic and was representative of the time we wanted it to be set in: the early 1900s.  We also made the tracking shot of Tallulah running slow-motion, which fitted with the non-diegetic music slowing down. 

CONTINUITY EXERCISE

 Brief account of the making of our continuity exercise and how we overcame any problems we faced:

 The aim of the exercise was to put into practice our understanding of different camera angles and shot types and to experiment with continuity editing to create a short clip. We worked in small groups, allowing us all to have a chance to experiment with shots that we might want to use in our final opening sequence, such as two-shots, over the shoulder shots and shot-reverse shots. 

We chose to make our continuity exercise a horror/thriller, which are two genres that I hope to further explore in the future for my final film opening sequence. In our narrative, we had Millie play a possessed school girl, with me being the figure that was possessing her. Tallulah and Fia played Millie's two friends who witnessed her being possessed and tried to stop it. 

Our first step was to create a story board, ensuring that we fully understood the shots we were planning to include and the series of events our piece would have. We filmed and edited our continuity exercise on iMovie on our phones.

One problem we encountered was ambient noise, from the other groups working as well as the wind outside. In order for this sound to not interfere with our filming we moved to the tunnel, where we were sheltered from the weather and away from any background noise from other people. We also found that working in the tunnel worked in our favour in terms of our narrative as the slightly dark and eerie surroundings contributed to the establishment of our horror genre through creating a more sinister atmosphere. 

ON THE SET

 

Brief account of learning how to handle a camera, terminology to use on set and a good practice in editing 
In today's lesson (Thursday 17^th September) we explored the process behind setting up the camera and tripod, and how to use them. We used Canon cameras and Manfrotto tripods.

Camera and Tripods: In groups of 3 or 4, we passed one camera around, and set the tripod up in the middle.We made sure that we each had an opportunity to practice handling the camera, and to inset the battery and memorycard. We then gently

slotted in the camera into the tripod and tightened it, to make sure it was secure.

It was important that we ensured that the bubble was centred meaning that the camera was balanced and level. We then had a chance to explore the camera, learning how to focus, zoom in and adjust exposure. We were told the terms to use when handling and passing around cameras, for example when you pass the cameras over to another person you should say ‘yours’ and ‘mine’, so it is clear who has control and who is responsible for not dropping it.

On Set: In the filming industry terminology like ‘Standby’ is used by the director before starting to film to ensure that every one is ready. If they are, they reply with ‘Standing by’, this clear communication ensures that filming can be as efficient as possible.
When the director shouts ‘rolling’ it is a command for everyone on set to be quiet until they shout ‘action’, which signifies for the actors to begin. The last ‘cut’ signifies the end of the shoot and ‘strike the kit’ means the film crew should pack away, put camera batteries on charge and ensure the footage is uploaded.  
 
180 Degree rule: A cinematography guideline that states two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. When the camera passed over the invisible axis that connects the two subjects, it is referred to as crossing the line and the shot becomes a reverse angle.
 
 
White Balance (WB): The process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in the photo. Proper camera white balance has to consider the "colour temperature" of a light source, which refers to the warmth or coolness of white light. 
To adjust the white balance, select ‘WB’ on the camera, so that little pictures representing 
difference colour tones that are used in different lights which come up. This will give a more realistic effect.
 

Good practice in editing: We are using Final Cut Pro and iMovie on the iMacs in the media studio. When uploading our footage, we should create folders called ‘bins’ to put the shots, unedited footage from cameras are called ‘rushes’.

RESEARCH: ART OF THE TITLE - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

For my research, I used the website Art of the Title to explore the methods film companies use in order to intrigue their viewers, through the use of a title sequence or film opening.

I chose to analyse Guardians of the Galaxy, a 2014 Marvel action/sci-fi film, because of its comedic elements; comedy is a typical convention of many Marvel films. I wanted to understand the effects of using comedy in a film opening to see whether it is an element which I then want to incorporate into my own film opening. In this title sequence, directed by Erin Sarofsky, Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) steals a valuable orb that is wanted by Ronan the accuser. He eventually forms a group with unwilling heroes to stop Ronan – the ‘guardians of the galaxy’.

The title-sequence opens with a camera shot that displays a canted angle of a planet. Next to the planet, typography spells out ‘MORAG, Abandoned planet’. This immediately reinforces the main science fiction genre and signifies to the audience that we are no longer in our own world and therefore anything could happen. This connotes danger and possibly even wonder, as for the viewer there is the sense of the unknown. A darkened colour palate further reveals the desolate nature of the planet, as there are not vibrant signs of life, reinforcing the viewers intrigue into an environment so opposed to any they know.

As the title sequence progresses, the audience gains a greater understanding of the harsh nature of the planet, through camera shots from all angles portraying the clear visual style that helps to establish context of the surroundings. The protagonist is shown to be struggling against the elements; connotations of danger surrounding this unknown world are emphasised and therefore the tension is increased. An effective aspect of the title sequence, is that there is a clear narrative structure within the opening. The sequence shows the protagonist moving towards a goal (the orb) and so there is a clear objective and meaning of the opening. This keeps the anticipation and intrigue strong as the viewer infers that what is happening is key to the narrative of the film as a whole. Consistently throughout the sequence, there is a use of point-of-view shots, so that the viewer has an insight into the character of the protagonist. As Peter Quill’s face is masked for the first section of the opening, the viewer is impacted to feel detached from his character. However, the POV shots help the audience to better understand and relate to his character. As Quill continues forward, he pulls out a scanner that reveals what seems to be the planet in a former life, this pushes the audience to question what lead to the planet becoming abandoned, increasing their intrigue to find out more. Diegetic, digital sound effects accompany the activation of the scanner, adding to the sci-fi feel of the film.

 

Throughout the first half of the title sequence, there is continuous sound, in the form of non-diegetic music and diegetic sound effects used to build up an awareness of the nature of the planet, e.g. rain. The music is a parallel sound as its successful in building up an eerie, mysterious ambience, highlighting the science fiction genre. As Quill reaches the structure there is a significant build-up of volume and therefore suspense, increasing the intensity of the scene and signifying to the audience that we have reached a momentous part of the opening and influencing them to question what is about to happen. The music is then halted and replaced by digital sound effects as he removes his mask, revealing his face. The revelation that the protagonist is a human, means that an aspect of the tension is released for the audience as they can instantly relate to his character, whereas before a sense of mystery was maintained as the entire mise-en-scene was unfamiliar to the viewer. The absence of non-diegetic sound emphasised the presence of ambient sounds, such as dripping and echoes of his movements in the ruins. This quiet creates an uneasy atmosphere and may cause the viewer to feel unsettled as it is clear that something significant is about the take place.

Instead, this build up of tension is broken by the sound track of ‘Come and get your love’ by Redbone playing through Quill’s cassette player. This significant tonal shift is unexpected by the viewer, and therefore emphasises the comedic elements of the music, in comparison to the desolate planet and uneasy atmosphere created previously. The audience is relieved of their anticipation through Quill’s humorous dancing in time with the music, making the film immediately more fun and appealing. The chosen Redbone song ‘Come and get your love’ has a mass appeal to a range of generations as it was (and still is) extremely popular, as the audience is likely to know the song the comedic aspect will therefore resonate more with them as they can relate to what they are watching.  As the vocals come in, bold, impactful text spelling ‘guardians of the galaxy’ fills the screen, reflecting the upbeat nature of the song. This is also comedic as beneath the lettering in the background the long-shot captures Quill dancing which is a large contrast to his surroundings demonstrating the films balance between action and comedy. As the music does not reflect the desolate nature of the planet which we see on screen, it is contrapuntal sound. A more light-hearted tone for the film is set, so the audience will have a greater desire to carry on watching as they can expect more comedic elements like this.

The title sequence is concluded with Quill picking a lock of some description, in order to access the orb. This reveals elements about his personality and nature of his work, so the audience is left wondering the significance in the wider film. The final shot is of the glowing orb, this demonstrates its importance and the audience can infer that it is the main focus of the film. It is accompanied by the music fading out, depicting its clear power.